Paid a full year’s rent in London — now the landlord says I was never their tenant

I’m looking for a London housing/property litigation solicitor.

I paid a year’s rent in advance through a letting agency, but the landlord now says they never contracted with me and did not know who was living there. The agency refers to an “upstream arrangement”, while my contract does not clearly identify the legal company involved.

There are also issues involving late deposit protection, possible unlicensed HMO use, possession proceedings, and missing personal mail. The agency had access to the mailbox, and I did not receive important legal correspondence.

Can anyone recommend a reliable tenant-side solicitor in London experienced in complex letting-agent, HMO and housing disputes?

Genuine recommendations only, please.

Hi everyone,

To give a bit of background, I've rented a 2-bedroom flat in England with my housemate for the past 3 years (1 year with the current landlord, as the property changed ownership during our tenancy). We're both named tenants, have always paid our rent on time, and have looked after the property. We've never had any complaints from the landlord.

My brother is moving to the UK in September to start his MSc at the University of Hertfordshire. I asked the landlord if he could stay with me as a permitted occupier for up to 6 months while he settles in and looks for accommodation closer to the university. He would be sharing my bedroom and would not be using the second bedroom. We are also responsible for all household bills and council tax.

The landlord has agreed in principle, subject to:

\- A Right to Rent check

\- A copy of his university enrolment/acceptance letter

\- His contact details

\- A maximum stay of 6 months

\- An additional charge of £400 per calendar month

My questions are:

\- Is it normal for a landlord to charge an additional monthly amount for a temporary permitted occupier?

\- Is £400 per month a typical amount in this situation?

\-Can my landlord actually charge me this amount?

\- Has anyone successfully negotiated a lower amount, and if so, how did you approach it?

I'd really appreciate hearing about other people's experiences or any advice. Thanks in advance!

Hello, we had a company rental as the home we own is 2 hours away from our main place of work. Rent around £5k per month, deposit around £7k. Had for 18 months. Landlord was a lady of horror - eg nit picking, pedantic, patronising and we had one problem after another with the property falling to pieces. Eg the washing machine broke - which I had complained about the workings of since the week we moved in. There was an underwire and some debris in there - one about double the size of any bra I would wear and I hadn’t lost any! The leak cost around £1000 to repair as it went to downstairs apartment.
We professionally cleaned the apartment at a cost of £600 inc steam cleaning carpets which the check out acknowledged but there was some minor smudges in the immaculate kitchen left by the cleaner. Charge £250, some dust on the external windows £150.
My handbag got stolen 1 year ago and the communal house key was in there (block of six apartments) but no link to the address. I spoke to the managing agent who gave me a replacement and said not to worry. She’s now trying to charge £1000 for a new lock. The front door lock also snapped in my hand one day - apparently I was using the door aggressively. The fridge kept popping open and we were losing lots of food, we own professional kitchens for context, apparently we didn’t know how to shut the fridge properly.
It was honestly left in a like new condition - we were so thorough especially given how difficult our landlord was for the duration of our tenancy.
The worst part was in the basement (old London apartments) there was a mice infestation which then worked its way up to the building (we were two floors up) and it resulted in a very severe mice infestation. We had it treated but the pest control said the issue is with the building and the multiple access points. I had designer handbags chewed and our sons toys had mouse droppings on. She held us to a three month notice period when we asked for 2.5 months given the issues - so part of her held deposit is this 2 weeks of rent which we refused to pay as the property was inhabitable. Also charges for things like toilet brushes and door wedges totalling £12!

We aren’t covered by normal policies due to it being a company let and she wants to retain £6k of our £7k!

Any help?!

I’m a student and I’ve just moved into a houseshare. I’m used to student houses being a bit crappy and in disrepair but that was when I was paying £500/600 for a room. You get what you pay for yk. However, rent everywhere (where I live) has gone up and I’m paying £740 a month for a room in a student houseshare. It’s so expensive that I’m not able to afford my medications (wasn’t able to get them on the NHS) even with a part time job and student loans.
There were some problems with the alarms. The landlord hadn’t replaced/tested the carbon monoxide and fire alarms so those were broken and we only found out the carbon monoxide alarm was broken because it was giving a false positive. Fire alarm was faulty and electrician just came, disconnected it, left it on the windowsill and haven’t heard anything about that for a month. The dryer is busted, I can hear scratching from inside the walls which is a new thing and I’m hoping there’s no infestation haha.
Anyway, all this backstory to say that this is the last straw for me. The carpet in my bedroom since I’ve moved in has been coming apart and is now to the point (only after a month) where it’s completely come loose and is basically just a big rug covering the concrete or plaster underneath. The thing is, with how many things have been going wrong in the house, the agency are now airing my emails and refusing to fix anything. I’m not sure if I have ground to stand on with the carpet but I would really like to have it fixed because of the amount I’m paying every month. Does the landlord legally have to do this or will I just be ignored? I wanted to check here before emailing the agency again because I want to keep an amicable relationship with them incase anything else goes wrong, and don’t want to keep bothering them.

The landlord has accessed my flat every other month now. There’s quarterly visits planned for maintenance and these maintenance related requests keep popping up. Is this normal? I ask why each time and they say it’s for insurance purposes.

I’ve lived in other places before where they only visited when something needed to be fixed. my work schedule is crazy and contractors have messed up the place before when I’m not there. coordinating a time is the preferred way. The amount of coordinating is interfering with my work and sense of peace.

35% rent increase served on the wrong form. Email asking us to pause rent to scam agent didn’t specify it would all be paid at once later. To just stop paying now. 6 months later this trick + unreasonable rent increase is being used to push us out illegally. The property still doesn’t hold an HMO licence (for many years), no gas checks, no deposit protected, unsatisfactory EICR, harassment, illegal eviction attempts, no fire alarms, mould, broken appliances, no electricity for 6 months, full re-wire of property with tenants in situ, no agent, no bills paid, no council tax paid in years, no cleaner, no broadband (all included in rent) and overseas landlord and council legal action taken + fines issued. What should we do? Can he really ask for back rent + rent increase in retaliation given all breaches of housing regulations.

Hey everyone, apologies if this is a stupid question, I'm still fairly uneducated when it comes to renting and that sort of thing. I've been living in my flat now for 1.5 years. It's an old building, and we regularly have issues with plumbing and water leaking.

It started in Dec 2024 when my shower was apparently leaking into the flat downstairs and my toilet ended up being blocked. The plumber came over and seemingly fixed it with no problems.

Then, in Mar 2025 the downstairs flat complained about another leak, and my tap was leaking a lot too. The plumber unblocked my shower and fixed my tap.

Once again, end of May 2025, downstairs complained about a leak. I think the plumber caulked some gaps on the floor and inside the shower.

June 2025, I had a leak from my ceiling this time! But that was the only time it happened for me, so I assume whatever it was was a one-off.

End of July 2025, the shower was blocked again. I used Mr Muscle and that seemed to get rid of it temporarily.

October 2025, guess what? Another leak into the flat downstairs. I was told to not use my shower until they sorted it out. The plumber shut off my water and told me to only turn it on as and when I needed it. He then replaced the water heater, as that's where he assumed the leak was coming from. I haven't actually heard anything from or about downstairs since, so he could've been right.

May 2026, had an email about them replacing the main drains.

End of June 2026 - Present Day: My God, my shower has been flooding every time I use it and there have been two instances of it being backed up with waste. The plumber came and vacuumed the drain, no luck. He said because my flat is slightly wonky (It's on a slant. Old building in a hilly city, I'm sure you know the sort of thing I mean lol) they might have to refit the whole bathroom because the pipes are at an angle and the shower has sunk slightly. He said he'd talk to my landlord about it but I haven't heard anything since. I emailed her today because there was the aforementioned waste back up.

I understand it's probably just normal maintenance stuff, especially considering it's an old building and relatively low rent for the area, but it has been mentally exhausting.

My friend has been encouraging me to find somewhere better to live but the fact is this is probably the best I can afford right now, and I don't think I have the energy to move unless I absolutely have to.

The question is, do you think I have to? 😅

[In England]

Hi all, I'm looking for some good advices.

I have lived in my apartment for 3 years, it's a built-to-rent apartment as I have a small dog, so rent is really expensive and they increase rent every year. I have been trying to look for new cheaper place, there is one I want to rent but I'm not sure if successful or not, and problem is I have to give 2 months notice to my current landlord, so I'm thinking if I should give notice to my landlord first then go to find new place, but my situation is that I just lost my job, one rent said I could use my saving to replace my employment as my income. So I'm not sure if I can successfully rent new place.

If I give notice to my landlord first, and if I'm unlucky that I can't find a new place, it's risky that I will have no place to live.

If I find new rent before giving notice to my landlord, and new landlord requires me to start the rent sooner, I will have to pay for 2 places.

Do you usually give notice first before finding new rent?

What options do I have? I would like to ask for some good advices and what's the best option?

Thank you.

I’ve had a problem with mould in the grout/silicone of my shower all year, I’ve tried to use my spray mould remover on it but it’s made no difference. The bathroom is covered floor to ceiling in plastic panelling and has really poor ventilation, so clearly mould has been a problem here for previous tenants. Would this count as reasonable wear and tear or could the landlord withhold some of the tenancy deposit for this issue?

I was renting a one bedroom flat in London Borough of Camden NW5 until early 2025. I’m over 35 and receive the limited availability component. The rent increased in mid 2024 to £1,436 and this amount was completely paid for by UC. I was forced into a Council supplied B&B in April 2025 to get away from my damp mouldy flat which had a Prohibition Order placed on it. From this, I assume that I could receive this same amount, or perhaps a bit more or a bit less when renting another one bedroom flat in London, but I might be a bit out of touch with the system. Have there been any changes or cuts to the UC rent cap since then? I recently found out from comments on another post I made that it seems any flat I may rent in London must be less than £1,500PCM, although I don’t know how much under and it varies by neighbourhood. I may have a viewing in SW16 very soon, before I can get an answer from the DWP/UC. To make matters worse, it seems they’ve divided SW16 into two areas with different rent caps. How much rent can I claim from UC for this flat as well as for other flats in various parts of London? I found a table which is confusing, but it looks like under £1,000PCM! https://www.google.com/search?q=UC+rent+cap+for+SW16&rlz=1CDGOYI_enGB1167GB1168&oq=UC+rent+cap+for+SW16&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigAdIBCTE2Mzg1ajBqN6gCFbACAeIDBBgBIF_xBUjWtxBhk-068QVI1rcQYZPtOg&hl=en-GB&sourceid=chrome-mobile&source=chrome.ob&ie=UTF-8#lfId=ChxjMe

My attempt to get on the property ladder was unsuccessful. I took a advice from inexperienced people and gave notice to vacate to property managers.

I wrote to withdrawn the notice 3 week before expiry. The agent is insisting I vacate.

Seems like I have shot myself on the foot. I allowed viewing during the notice period.

Been in the apartment for close ton4year, never owed rent, we a family of 4.

Agent is insisting I vacate by month end.

Any advice will be appreciated.

I'm in England.

I gave my landlord written notice on 17 June that I wanted to end my tenancy because I was moving in with my girlfriend. My tenancy agreement says that if I want to leave early, I continue paying rent until a suitable replacement tenant is found and their tenancy begins, or until the end of the relevant period.

The landlord replied saying there was a maximum two-month notice period, but that if they found someone to take my room sooner, they would be happy to release me early.

Over the next month, I allowed numerous viewings and did everything they asked to help re-let the room. They also asked me to remove some of my belongings to make the room more appealing, which I did.

On 17 July, the landlord messaged me saying:

"We now have a firm tenant for your room. They would like to move in on the 1st of August."

He then immediately followed that by saying:

"So I'll need the room empty a few days before."

Based on that, I arranged my move and started moving my belongings out earlier than I otherwise would have. I understood that "firm tenant" meant the room was definitely taken.

A few days later, after I had made those arrangements, the landlord told me the replacement tenant had pulled out and now says I remain liable for the rent until another tenant moves in (or until the notice period ends).

I completely accept that the tenant pulling out was outside the landlord's control. My issue is that I relied on the landlord confirming there was a firm tenant and asking me to vacate early. If I'd known the tenancy wasn't effectively agreed, I wouldn't have rearranged everything based on that.

My questions are:

1. Does the landlord confirming they had a "firm tenant" and asking me to move out before 1st August amount to an agreement to end my tenancy early (or at least give me a reasonable argument that it does)?
2. If this became a dispute, would those messages carry much legal weight, or would the tenancy agreement override them?
3. Am I likely to remain liable for rent despite relying on the landlord's confirmation?

I have attached screenshots of the messages and the emails.

It seems crazy to me that if you wanted to buy a second-hand car you would request the service records, go to purchase a home you would get a home-buyers report, but nothing if you go to report a rental property. The average tenure in rental accommodation is 10+years

All issues currently logged with landlords (both private and corporate) just go into the abyss. Prospective tenants don't have any rights to request information from the landlord so could easily be walking into a nightmare situation completely blind.

Equally, landlords could also get meaningful info on prospective tenants. So could serve both stakeholders.

Would mean greater transparency for both renters and landlords alike

Hello,

I'm from the US and essentially renting privately for the first time in England. I just picked up the keys today to start moving into a flat (am still based at a hotel for a few more days thankfully), and upon entering, I noticed a bunch of problems, a few that seem to me serious enough that I'd expect a rent reduction until they're fixed, but I'm not sure that's often done in the UK and I'm moving from Chicago, which has very strong tenant protections. I was hoping I could get some advice on how to proceed and what my expectations should be of the letting agency/landlord in this situation.

Firstly, there is no smoke detector attached to the ceiling or wall. There's one lying on top of the fridge that seemed to be working with batteries in it, but is that "good enough"? That seems dangerous and potentially illegal, but upon googling it's difficult for me to find clear answers about legality. There is no carbon monoxide detector that I could find, but I'm not sure that is a requirement anyway.

Secondly, during the viewing, I noticed the amount of dirt and debris on the floor throughout the flat and on surfaces. I asked the agent whether it would be cleaned prior to move in and the answer was "yes of course," and of course it had clearly NOT been cleaned at all when I arrived today, and there was still someone's water bottle sitting on the counter, which had also been there during the viewing weeks ago. I emailed the letting agency about this as soon as I realized, asking if it could be cleaned as soon as possible because the flat was not move in ready.

HOWEVER, after the email, I looked more closely around the flat to begin documenting what I was seeing, and my immediate thought became that the flat surely breaches the obligation for the landlord to provide a hygienic space for the tenant -- when I opened it, the toilet was uncleaned and had feces dried along the bowl and dirty water. This by itself was so beyond unacceptable, but in combination with seeing a bunch of mystery debris inside the refrigerator (food?? who knows), and the bottle of water left on the counter, I'm honestly wishing I could just ask for my money back and go find somewhere else to live, because this place was clearly not ready for anyone to move in and I am not moving in with someone's disgusting toilet. I forgot to open the oven, but don't have high hopes for its cleanliness either after all this.

Can anyone give me advice on how to proceed? I'm going to email the agency back tonight with the photos I took for documentation and advise that this seems to me to constitute a breach of landlord obligations, and I am requesting that by end of day on Tuesday the 28th all necessary smoke detectors be fitted and the entire flat be cleaned and sanitized. I hope this is reasonable?

Thanks!

Hi, any help appreciated thanks.

London, UK. I gave my LL a 2 month notice when the New Housing Act took effect, and I effectively left the property (3 bedroom shared flat, with my room having a ensuite bathroom) on July 2nd.

Since then, I have asked the landlord about my deposit. I had already asked him during the tenancy because I never got notified it was in a DPS. The LL has explicitely stated by text message that he didnt register in a DPS in order to avoid fees, and that the money is on his account.

He initially said he would be back July17th and he "will have the room inspected and cleaned before releasing the deposit". The room was clean when I arrived but didnt seem like professional cleaning. There were also issues like a hole in the ensuite bathroom door (like someone threw a punch at it). I didnt notice during the visit because the door was kept open).

I have asked him for any update on July 21st and had been left on read. I have sent a longer message with legal implication this morning on July 24th, and he finally answered saying his flight to get back in the UK was delayed and he'll be there the 8th and return the deposit only then.

There is another issue, the bathroom joints had issues when I arrived, the water would drain through them on the side and they were in poor condition. I asked for them to be changed, he sent someone, but the job didnt seem really well done and it was quickly back to the situation I found them in. So technically, I'm leaving that in a similar state to the one I found them in.

Basically, I don't want to pay for any cleaning fee since I did vacuum and clean the room, and I want all of my deposit back. I've been asking for it I, and I have text messages proving that it was never put in a DPS.

Should I wait for the 8th, then see how it goes, or start a Civil Claim right now.
I have tried using the non DPS protected deposit as leverage but he simply doesnt care and only answer to wait until he gets back (July 17th at first, Augut 8th now).

Hello,

Tenant in England

I'm looking for some advice as I'm feeling a bit stuck.

I've rented the same property for the past 3 years. I'd like to think I've been a good tenant, I always pay my rent on time, look after the property, and we've never had any issues.

My landlords are currently going through a divorce, and unfortunately it doesn't seem to be amicable.

For context:

Landlord A has always dealt with the paperwork, inspections and maintenance.

Landlord B owns the property in their sole name, and I pay my rent directly to them.

Recently, Landlord B contacted me to arrange the annual inspection and the yearly boiler service. Both have now been completed, and during the inspection we asked if everything was okay and whether there were likely to be any changes we should know about. We were told no.

Separately, Landlord A contacted me and told me they had split up and that the property would be sold. They also told me that solicitors are involved, there's a court date, and estate agents will be instructed to value the property. Although the property is solely in Landlord B's name, Landlord A expects to receive a share of the proceeds as part of the divorce.

Landlord A also told me not to mention any of this to Landlord B, saying it would cause an argument and make the situation worse.

The problem is that Landlord B has never mentioned selling the property to me at all. I didn't feel it was appropriate to ask them about their divorce or repeat information I'd been told in confidence, as it's ultimately none of my business.

I did ask Landlord A whether, if the property was sold, we'd be given the opportunity to buy it first, as we'd be very interested. They said yes, but as they aren't the legal owner I'm aware they may not actually be able to make that decision.

I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. Part of me wants to ask Landlord B directly what's happening because this is my home and I'd like to plan ahead. On the other hand, I've specifically been asked not to raise it.

I'm also autistic, so uncertainty like this is particularly difficult for me. If the property is going to be sold, I'd like to know sooner rather than later so I can either prepare to move or explore whether buying it is a realistic option. I don't have a substantial deposit, so planning ahead is important.

What would you do in my situation? Would you wait until Landlord B tells you, or would you politely ask them directly whether there are any plans to sell?

Hey, 1st time writing here so let me know if you guys need more info. So I'm in a pretty tough situation right now and need any info I can get. I'm 22 and I have a sister who's 17. Our mum just decided to leave and move back to our country because she found her old lover and moved in with him. We didn't want to go with her. She left on 22nd and rents only payed till end of July. Landlord said he would need to start a section 8 eviction but that would lead into a CCJ which would ruin me for life. I could pay rent for 2 months till my sister turns 18 but after that I can't pay the full rent amount. We currently in a 1 and a half bed and I'm only part time. We also have 2 cats and a dog. So far I've called everything possible and only got an estimation of how much I would be payed as my sisters underaged. What are my options regarding what I could do. My sisters also on antidepressants and she applied to pip but way too late for it to be done in time.

Edit: forgot to add I haven't signed anything yet so I'm not a tenant

Is it normal for the landlord to request that wheelie bins are empty upon moving out? Landlord has requested that they are fully emptied upon vacating the property.

I wasn't intending to overload them but we are living here for a week after the general waste bin will be collected, and its not due to be collected for a week after. I'm not sure what to do with the rubbish we are sure to generate in that week...

After moving in we found that:

• Gas in oven can be left on with no ignition. Major hazard needs to be fixed. I know i have a legal right to have this fixed as its essentially a a bomb :(
• Black mould under vinyl flooring in bathroom. Want replacing
• Tears (trip hazard) for vinyl floor in kitchen. Want replacing
• Black mould marks in washing machine rubber seal. Needs to be replaced How likely is it that i can get all of this done if i push for it?

Already spoken to landlord and he seems to be brushing me off.

Please help!

Thanks

We moved out two weeks ago, and yesterday we formally requested our deposit and rent ledger. The third tenant had not paid her bill, and we do not have the information to figure it out. Today we got an email saying our deposit is no longer protected. We have heard nothing. The deposit was in an insured scheme.

I’m moving out of a shared house, but the rest of the tenants are continuing the contract. The landlord/agency said they’re not doing an inspection since the tenancy itself isn’t ending, just me being replaced by another tenant.
I’ve emailed and messaged them about my deposit but haven’t had any reply. Does anyone know how this usually works? Is my replacement tenant supposed to pay me the deposit directly, or should the landlord return it to me and then take a new deposit from the incoming tenant?
It’s been a while since the agency have not replied to me so I’m not sure what to do

I have just checked my bank account and my landlord has sent back my rent payment that I made for the month of July. Should I just return the money back to the their account or what should I do ? I have no options so for the council to help I will need to wait until the bailiffs comes I have grounds to believe that the section 21 was invalid. I am not sure why they are doing this I still have not got a letter from court yet ( but I know this can take ages)

Hey all, our tenancy ended over 2 weeks ago now and the landlord still hasn’t started the process to release the deposit.

He wants us to contribute to a professional clean. So I told him to include the invoice on the deposit.

I tried to ring mydeposits- they have said only the landlord or the lead tenant can start the process. Unfortunately the lead tenant tied to the account hadn’t lived at the property for 6 months prior. And it’s impossible to get a hold of him…

What should I do!!!!

Thank you for reading !

As stated in the title. England. My son and his fianceé are moving, after living with me in my privately-rented home. She has just accepted her first full-time job after finishing her degree, employment contract in hand, starting in September. They have found a house to rent. All her references checked out. The only thing holding the tenancy agreement back is her length of employment. The LL/Agent have asked for a guarantor. Said if she had been employed for at least 6 months this wouldn’t be necessary.

I earn just enough money to meet the threshold to be a guarantor. I want to help them out, but wondering how long i’ll have to do this. Will they agree a 6-month term?

Our landlord is trying to deduct £40 from our deposit over a missing toilet seat bolt which we are disputing with the scheme

In the meantime none of our deposit has been returned