UK Landlord Forum / Life

Hi,

We have been renting our house for 15 months now and we are in a 24 month contract.
We were recently broken in to whilst myself and 2 young children were in bed. The alarm went off and they ran with only a few items. The police came and they showed me how they managed to get in. Basically there is a cat flap in the back door (we dont have  cat and arent actually allowed pets, this is from when the landlord lived in the house) and they have been able to undo the lock on this from the outside (we were told it was secure because it locks) and then using something they have hooked the keys and let themselves in to my home.
My daughters are 4 and 5 and are now absolutely terrified and dont want to go in the house. To be totally honest I feel the same. Every time I go home i am panicking and feel sick. So we have therefore being staying at my parents house.
So Basically I want to know would we be able to break our contract because of this? None of us want to be in the house and to be totally honest we arent. Instead I am paying £1200 a month in rent for a 4 bedroom house and all sharing a bedroom in my mums house whilst that sits empty. I want to move closer to my mum and dad and friends and I have seen a house but I need to know where we would stand with getting out of our contract and how I go about it?
I appreciate any help you can give me. Thanks in advance

I realise you are looking for a legally enforceable position, but have you just opened up this conversation with your Landlord to test the water?

Even if your Landlord isn't happy about it, they may be minded to agree to it if you were to provide them with an incentive... something like the £1,200 you're currently shelling-out which may cover a few improvements and their re-letting costs... both of which would not be anything to do with you... so you could get out several months early and they could end up being agreeable to it... mutual agreement is always the thing to aim for, not a legal position you use to batter someone over the head with.

But mutual agreement usually requires a quid pro quo.

Landlords are people too. We don't like people taking advantage of us... but we understand when things aren't right. It seems that the property is already secure, really - with intruder alarm installed and working.

We have contacted them and they have basically said that we can leave if we pay the rent up to the end of the contract, which I cant afford to do and pay rent on a new place at the same time. So I was just trying to find out if there was anything else I can do.

Well... that's the standard and expected penalty of contract-breaking, but at least we know you know their stance. For an easy life I would stick it out. Make longer-term better plans with more time... nothing good ever comes of doing things in a rush. People are resilient (more than you think), they'll get over it - it doesn't mean you're a bad parent / partner.

http://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/private_renting/how_tenants_can_end_a_fixed_term_tenancy?gclid=Cj0KCQjwyerpBRD9ARIsAH-ITn90RaDwQZ6fZLCniAtNyNqPZTli-1ZrF2pvKx2sQrKd6aMRO98fY9IaApFOEALw_wcB

Watch Jayne's video under Negotiate with your landlord. First thing first... thinking of whether two wrongs make a right... was your Deposit Protected?

Would a new door without the cat flap make you feel better enough to move back in? Even if you have to pay to refit the old door back in at the end of the tenancy, it'll be cheaper for you.

I am surprised the landlord has not made the offer I have suggested in the past.Provided the tenant agrees to continue paying until a new tenant signs up,I will remarket the property.If there is still considerable time left on the lease,I would also expect a proportion of the reletting fees to be paid to me.It must be really upsetting for you ,but I  wonder if you might all feel a bit better when the shock has worn off.I would certainly get the door changed if you want to return there.The damage burglars do extends way beyond the cost of what they steal.