UK Landlord Forum / Life

We are regular tenant couple who needed to extend an extra month, after initial 12 months contract was completed without a single issue (was meant to me 36 months however landlord wanted to return to property) For extra month landlord insisted we extend with letting agent, contracts usual fee's - all of which we would expect.  Nonetheless landlord forced us to pay additional £2000 on top of rent paid to letting agent, then adding all their own fee's onto us, eventually we paid additional £2600 for 4 extra weeks on top of usual monthly rent.

Reason we required extra month we had a baby a few months earlier which the landlord did know about. And the grueling search with a new born was so awful we were left with little choice to pay the landlords demands.

Now we have left we can take counter action. Did the landlord act illegally? 

Illegally how? Can you explain what you think might be illegal? On the face of it, it seems like you were charged a rather high amount to stay at a place you wanted to stay at... but you did agree to it, and you paid. Obviously now you wish maybe you hadn't, but you did. Often, paying the requested amount for something implies agreement. Being forced to do something and being asked to do something is a different thing at the end of the day. An extra £2,000 on top of normal rent would surely equal an amount for alternative accommodation for a period?

The landlord has been greedy for sure.I have never expected tenants to pay additional fees on top of the usual ones if they ask to stay longer.However,you could have refused.I understand the reasons why you did not do so,but he has not committed any offence.Lesson learnt the hard way-speak up at the time before you pay out.

I do think it is worth noting... the ex-Tenant clearly states that the Landlord wanted to move back into the property. Now... theoretically, at least, it could be the case that the Landlord was not greedy, but merely asked the ex-Tenant to pay for their alternative accommodation - B&B, hotel, what-have-you - while they patiently waited for the ex-Tenant to move on. It could be the case that the Landlord only covered their own expenses and was actually being very helpful to the ex-Tenant by not rocking the boat too much.

Theoretically.

£2,600 for something the OP already had right to? Why would you pay it and THEN wonder whether you should and not you know ask first?