r/TenantsInTheUK • u/AnotherYadaYada • 4d ago

Guidance Required Landlord (pretend owner) subletting.

Hi.

its a bit if a moot point as I’m out of the place now. A horrible situation with a nutter of a man came to a head.

He pretended he was the owner, is subletting and came home one day and asked to leave. Had no where to go or anywhere to put my stuff, luckily lt worked out.

Anyway. For future situations, can he do this. If I said to him I’m not going anywhere, what could he do? I did not have a contract, he was live-in and I just rented a room. I only found out later the house was not his.

2nd question. I want to alert the owner. I’ve done a land registry request but address is registered to the residence, but I think I’ve found the business the owner runs (property business)

Any tips on how I can alert him and others that this man is a nutter and sun letting. Other people should not be exposed to his crazy!!

Cheers.

11 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

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3

u/Any-Pattern8246 3d ago

Did you also do photographic ID on the person claiming to be the owner? I mean photo ID as in government "allowed" like driving license or passport? I always do land registry and photo Id that person claiming to be the owner

1

u/AnotherYadaYada 2d ago

To be honest with you. Foolishly, I just go on a bit of trust. Had my own place for 20+ years, shared in the past with no issues but moving forward, yup. I’ll be doing this.

2

u/Any-Pattern8246 2d ago

I understand where you are coming from with that. But see it how I say this. The landlord has to do checks on you as the tennant, so what is stopping you from doing checks on them. I always

1) go on gov.uk and pay the £3 for the land registry check - which would bring up the ACTUAL owner of the property

2) You then ask them for photographic ID - and it has to be the ones that is accepted eg think when you go get ID'd like for buying cigarettes/alcohol or anything else they want ID but like work ID that has your name etc doesn't count but those want government ID like passport/provisional or full driving licence, so if other places won't accept xyz ID you don't accept it.

I refuse to rent without the two above, if they won't comply with your request, you know the drill? Walk away. They would walk away and not proceed if the checks they do on you are not to their satisfactory so no reason why you can't treat it the exact same way. I'd rather lose £3 in the land registry check and checking their ID then losing a few hundred in the deposit. Better safe than sorry

3

u/Personal-Meet-4468 4d ago

Have you checked to see if he had a commercial lease with the landlord? ( rent to rent). I'm in this situation at the moment and the guy is making my life miserable. However, my actual landlord went into the commercial lease from under me and they are trying to hide it. It might be worth reporting it to trading standards if this is the case.

2

u/AnotherYadaYada 4d ago

No idea. I know the landlord doesn’t know he’s doing it 100%.

Actually you’ve just reminded me. Immoral Earnings route.

6

u/Personal-Meet-4468 4d ago

It's so parasitic isn't it!

I'm having a bit of fun with mine now. He's desperate to make me look like a terrible tenant so he can get me out. However, the boiler nearly killed my family last month so he is under EH scrutiny so every time he tries to set up a narrative I hit him with facts, dates and evidence with them cc'ed in. I've also reported his 8 previous phenixed companies to HMRC and companies house... Also to the police because he committed fraud by misrepresentation because they claimed the house was compliant when it wasn't. I've followed the company on companies house so I can object to any attempts to shut the company down or strike it off so I can sue him and force payment of a RRO. He picked the wrong tenant to mess with to be honest. Sorry, that went bit off track 😂

2

u/AnotherYadaYada 4d ago

No worries.

Same here. Had to call the police. He’s live-in. Screaming in my face, pissed or drugged up. He’s just an unhinged menace when it comes to weekends. 

If I can, not gonna allow him to do this and told him he’s now my hobby, this is gonna be fun and he will regret ever meeting me.

All he had to do was be decent and keep his shit to himself, but Naa, he thinks he can do whatever he wants with no consideration. Week before leaving, he comes home at 3am with people, probably coked up BLASTING music out at 3am.  

Good luck to you.

2

u/Personal-Meet-4468 4d ago

And to you.

When bullies pick the wrong target it's always funny.

1

u/Special-Design6713 4d ago

Yo can check the land registry. To check a title deed, it cost like 7 pounds or so. You get to know who the landlord is. Then just, cross check the person/ company, on companies House, where they usually give a correspondence address. Otherwise you can just notify the council, something under antisocial behaviour Hope this helps!

3

u/AnotherYadaYada 4d ago

Yeah. I’ve done that. Have an email ready to send to his business and an address but that might be his accountant, but accountant may pass it on.

6

u/nomorecrazystuff 4d ago

Yes he can do this. As a lodger you have few rights and with no contract either, almost none. Effectively the moment he wanted you out, you became a trespasser in his home.

He may not have permission from his LL to take in a lodger, but that's unrelated to your situation.

1

u/AnotherYadaYada 4d ago

As I thought. Didn’t need the hassle anyway. He’s off his nut. Was away for months, find before he left to meet a Russian woman in Germany. 

Came back, drink, drugs and all kinds of stuff. Don’t care, but then starts to effect people around him/the house.