Landlord changing rent after we've paid deposit and before m

watl1 · Joined: 08 Jun 2008 Posts: 1

Hi all

My partner and went to see a property 3 times that we were thinking of renting and met the landlord herself twice, as we were trying to convince her to let us have our cat there.

We did briefly mention that we could offer to increase the deposit on our first meeting if it helped, but on the second she agreed the cat could stay but said nothing about us having to increase the deposit.

Throughout the process, the agent had said the rent was £950pcm unfurnished and £1,050 furnished.

Anyway, we decided to put down a holding deposit with the landlord on Thursday, who then did the credit checks, and said we would get back to him about whether we wanted it furnished or not. Therefore, he frequently would say "We've still got to agree on the rent" - so I would assume he meant whether it would be the rent for furnished or the rent for unfurnished.

Now he has left a message on my phone saying the landlord wants £1,050pcm unfurnished!!! I'm really struggling with this, as not only is it above our budget, but we have to leave our current place Friday and will have nowhere to go!

I've checked and the agent is a member of ARLA, the Ombudsman and TDS.

Is the landlord/agent allowed to do this? If so, we'll have to pull out and begin flat hunting again and so will presumably lose our deposit.

Thanks

Louise

crabs · Joined: 02 May 2006 Posts: 651 Location: london

Did you sign a contract? if not then its a verbal agreement and you should get your deposit back. how much did you pay in deposit, for more advice contact shelter.

crabs · Joined: 02 May 2006 Posts: 651 Location: london

do they have proof that you agreed to 950 a month if not then the yhavent a leg to stand on.

If the tenancy does not proceed because the landlord decides to withdraw the property, then you should almost always be able to reclaim the holding deposit.#

is the amount of rent on teh document?

crabs · Joined: 02 May 2006 Posts: 651 Location: london

If the tenancy is an assured shorthold tenancy, then the deposit must be held by one of the three government authorised tenancy deposit schemes

crabs · Joined: 02 May 2006 Posts: 651 Location: london

Holding deposits

A holding deposit is money a landlord or accommodation agency asks you to pay when you agree to rent a property but have not yet taken up the tenancy. This deposit will probably be deducted from the security deposit you pay when you move into the property (see under Security deposits).

Before making any payment, you should be sure you want to take up the tenancy as a holding deposit cannot be returned unless you are unable to move in for reasons beyond your control. Examples of this are if the landlord asks for more rent than was originally agreed, or the accommodation is not ready on the date the tenancy is due to begin.

If you cannot get a holding deposit back although you have a good reason not to take up a tenancy you should consult an experienced adviser, for example, at a Citizen’s Advice Bureau. To search for details of your nearest CAB, including those that can give advice by email, click on

crabs · Joined: 02 May 2006 Posts: 651 Location: london

so if you agreed to 950 and now she upped teh rent you should be able to get it back.

crabs · Joined: 02 May 2006 Posts: 651 Location: london

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/family_parent/housing/finding_accommodation.htm

Penant The Tenant · Joined: 14 Mar 2008 Posts: 51

The fact you viewed a property 3 times would instantly make you a candidate i wouldn't have rent the property.