SMF - Just Installed!

Dear Landlords - garage/studio conversion, is this normal?

Started by whitefarseer, June 05, 2010, 09:58:36 PM

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whitefarseer

I went to view a small studio yesterday, knowing from the net that it would be TINY. And it was. According to the landlord, it used to be a garage, and is part of the same building as his house, a semi. Rent is reasonable, with all bills included.
I started asking questions and things were revealed...
- The studio has no separate postal address
- The internet connection comes from the landlord's wireless router
- The landlord evaded casual questions about his employment before revealing he had two pregnant pedigree schnauzers (I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions)
- Final nail in the coffin: he wanted the deposit BEFORE sending me the contract, assuring me that it was a "standard furnished tenancy agreement" from Jarrolds.

Now I have no intention of taking this flat, but my main question is, would the tenant even count as a tenant in this situation? Or as a lodger? But there were no communal areas. Apparently there is also a second, larger flat "round the back". Am I right in thinking this has 'dodgy' written all over it?

mva21

Why would you give anybody any money without seeing the contract?  It is not necessarily dodgy, if he is living on the premesis it could be a non-ast agreement (sounds like it) which affects your rights under the housing act but aside from being asked for money upfront, without an agreement, what is your concern?

propertyfag

It sounds like they'd be a lodger, and not a tenant per'se!

jeffo

£10 says he has no planning consent and the council tax will be included because they do not know you are there to charge for it. The electric will be from his meter and may not have a big enough fuse board to cope with the power demand. (known one to melt!) Did it have its own fuse board?
To breed those dogs himself would require a small 'ding a ling'!
Deposit 1st is ok if you get a solicitor to hold it on basis it transfers on reciept of a suitable contract but in general I reckon he is as dodgy as they come. I am having an annexe converted at the moment. I am looking at £6000 to get the place its own electricity supply rather than take it from the house.

chrizcruze

I wrote this project even more beneficial than the owners and tenants, property management, I would like to draw attention to how a person's behavior may unknowingly and negative impacts of this unique situation.