UK Landlord Forum / Life

Looking for a little advice on a tricky situation! Any help would be much appreciated.

I have lived in my flat for the last year and a half. It is the annexe of my landlady's house - so the basement turned into a seperate dwelling. Since moving in I have paid half my rent to her and half to her ex-husband, who no longer lives around here but still owns half the property. Last week my landlady came to me and told me that her ex was not paying for his half of the mortgage payments and not paying child support, so asked if I'd be happy to pay her the entire rent. I dug out the original contract and showed her where it stated that they were both landlords and that I had to pay them both equally. She has now come back to me and asked if I'd be happy for her to end my current contract and start a new one with the exact same terms, but with just her named as the landlord. She says that with all her previous tenants he was never on the contract and it was only when I moved in that he called the estate agent and had himself added.
I sympathise with her predicament, but I'm concerned that if I go ahead and do as she asks, I will technically still be living in a house half owned by a man that I no longer have any contractual agreement to live here with, and as such I have no rights as a tenant with regard to him - so he could potentially come down here and kick me out and I couldn't stop him. My question is: what is the relationship between tenant and landlord in this situation? Would I be protected because I have a contract with my landlady who lives in the house upstairs, or would I be vulnerable because I no longer have a contract with the man who owns half the house?

I want to help out my landlady but I don't want to land myself in hot water because of it. I called Citizens Advice, but all they really did was agree that it was a tricky situation and that I needed a solicitor. Which I can't really afford.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Have you tried Shelter to see if they can offer better help than CAB have done?

Have your Landlord (Lady) pay for your legal costs?

You are maybe overthinking this? Even if he had some legal involvement,he can't just come there and kick you out.The correct procedures would have to be carried out.Personally I would go along with what she suggests,see what happens.Good Luck.