UK Landlord Forum / Life

Can a short hold tenancy tenant demand not to pay for the period that she is registering for electricity and gas companies as there is no water or electricity?
And also, if she moves in after one week of signing the tenancy agreement can she demand one week rent back?
She tells me I don't want to pay as you did not advise me that I need to register with electricity and gas company even so she told me once before this is not my first time of renting a flat in London.

Quote from: George on August 07, 2022, 08:15:29 AM
Can a short hold tenancy tenant demand not to pay for the period that she is registering for electricity and gas companies as there is no water or electricity?

Are you saying the the electricity, gas, and water have been cut off and the your tenant needs to register to have the supplies restored?

Surely not?

Usually, you as the landlord, will have the supplies registered in your name during void periods between tenants. The new tenant merely notifies the companies that they took over on a particular date.

What do you mean by "demand not to pay". Not to pay what? The rent?

Quote
And also, if she moves in after one week of signing the tenancy agreement can she demand one week rent back?

It's not the signing date that is important. It's the date that the tenancy agreement says that the rental term starts. If she chooses to move in later than the start date she agreed to, then that's her problem, not yours. She still liable for the full month's rent.

Everything about the OP's post seems confused. On the face of it I can determine the Tenant might be one of those problematic ones... but when reading what the OP wrote, I feel like dealing with that person would carry its own challenges.

The date of signing a tenancy agreement need not necessarily be the date the tenancy commences (and, usually, the date rent in advance would be due). So, a tenancy agreement can be signed on the 1st of January, but the tenancy might run from the 10th of January and, with monthly rent, it would cover each month... 10th January to 9th February... 10th February to 9th March etc.. The date of signing and the date of rent payment is not to be linked (unless by coincidence). The Tenant is responsible for paying rent for the periods... as shown above... not for any periods when she has possession of the property... so if she signs the agreement on the 1st, and the rent period is from the 10th... and she doesn't move in until the 17th... she pays rent from the 10th... but not from the 1st... or the 17th. What next? Is she going to ask not to pay rent when she goes on holiday, or on a business trip?

Secondly... the question about utilities doesn't make much sense to an average reader who doesn't know what you've set up here... but was she, possibly, expecting all bills included? Is that what you mean here? She will be mad as hell... but if it's exclusive possession of an apartment, not some kind of HMO / sharing scenario... well, she's the one that's not got realistic expectations here. Of course she registers the bills in her name, and pays them too. Likewise... when the last Tenant left they should have cleared their bill, if there was a meaningful gap you should've moved it into your name, then the incoming Tenant takes it on. Simple stuff. Not hard at all. If the gap between Tenants is a day or two, then you can probably ignore it - or slip them a fiver or something.

It's not clear if the tenant has actually moved in yet.If not,I would be asking her if the contract can be cancelled by mutual agreement,with any monies  handed back to her.I did this once,having seen the writing on the wall. Otherwise brace yourself, you are in for a rough ride.