UK Landlord Forum / Life

Hi,

I need some urgent advice please.

I signed a joint tenancy agreement with my finance, starting November, 2023.

Sometime following a domestic with my finance in February, 2024, the landlord came into our home without my knowledge or consent (but seemingly with my questionable finance's knowledge, consent and collusion) and he removed our joint tenancy agreement from our study then destroyed our copy and his copy.

Just a week after he'd stolen and destroyed my legal joint tenancy agreement from my home, a week I might add that he spent stalking me on his cctv system, the landlord waited until I left my home on a very quick errand at 16:36 and he entered at 16:41 and immediately started securing/screwing up door, changing locks and blocking entrance to my drive with his large van. He also threw my blind dog outside who was home alone (I had indoor cameras on due to my dog being blind, hence I know exactly what time I left my home and what time he entered it).

I was served no section notices regarding eviction and no court bailiffs were ever present. I just received some very nasty text messages from the landlord 4 days prior to my unlawful eviction telling me he wanted me out due a recent domestic with my fiance.

When I called the police to help get me back into my home (a had keys to the property, access to an online heating app for the property plus all my possessions, furniture and personal items were in my home... which the landlord wouldn't let me enter, no even to collect some much needed items such as medicines, clothes, toiletries etc). But this rogue landlord then provide a fraudulent sole tenancy agreement (dated from January, 2024) in my fiancé's name only, a forged hand written backdated one months notice from my fiance.

Needless to say, the police didn't get me back into my home due to the fraudulent documents they were shown by the landlord.

The police told me to log crimes against me of fraud, harassment, breaches of the peace... which I did that day.

It took over 4-6 weeks for my case to be allocated to an investigating officer and that is ongoing, slowly and far too slowly in my eyes.

I've never been allowed back in the property to recover any of my belongings.

I had my 'fiance' finally admit to the stolen joint tenancy agreement, the fraudulent sole tenancy agreement and the forged one months notice. He had contacted the OIC of the investigation and made plans to go to the police station and give his account of it all and my unlawful eviction. Unfortunately, he dies 3 days before that meeting.

I've be in touch with many organisations and solicitors before I finally found one with capacity to help me. However, despite many back and forth letter between my solicitor and the landlord, they have not been much help because the landlord is denying everything and sticking by the fraudulent documents. They've said to me without a hard copy of my original joint tenancy agreement there's nothing they can do.

I'm shocked and traumatised by this.

How is it not common sense that I've lived with my fiancee in many jointly rented private homes for over 12 years... why would this one be different?

Also, our joint tenancy agreement date correlates with the tenancy deposit (although for some reason that deposit was only put in my fiancé's name and not joint names which I only found pity after I was evicted) for the date of November, 2023. To note, we'd never been given any prescribed information about when the landlord gave us our joint tenancy copy... my fiancee was tasked with chasing that up but never got anywhere that I know of.

So, our rental period started like the deposit in November, 2023 and rent was paid each month since then.

However, the forged sole tenancy agreement doesn't start from November, 2023.... it is dated from January, 2024.

Yet, the police are trying to tell me it's one person's word against another. Even with these date discrepancies AND I have a witness to seeing our joint tenancy agreement, clearly stated the property address, both our names as joint tenants and both our signatures.

In desperation, I even contacted a private investigator last night to see if they can find some evidence of my original joint tenancy agreement... because I'm slowly losing the will to live with all this stress and trauma plus an unhelpful, dismissive police force.

Can anyone please give me some much needed advice or pointers? Or maybe signpost me to somewhere or someone that can help me... I'm desperate with only the clothes and flip flops I stood up in when I was unceremoniously and unlawfully evicted like I was a nobody piece of scum of the earth thrown out like some filthy trash!!

I'm literally on my knees writing this as I begging for some much needed help, support and advice!!

Thank you all so much in advance xxx

You state this incident happened some time ago as it - "took over 4-6 weeks for my case to be allocated" - so how you can be - "with only the clothes and flip flops I stood up in when I was unceremoniously and unlawfully evicted" - now is hardly very believable.

Making use of the Police's time, a Solicitor and even a PI gives us a just hint of the kind of person you likely are. What you've thought is a well-composed plea for help comes across as someone trying every angle to get what they want out of a situation they do not like. This forum is just the last avenue.

Illegal eviction is never acceptable, that's why it's illegal... but the story reads to me like the Landlord has caught you off-guard and will stick to their guns in the future if they have done so to this point. At some point you have also got to choose to make a break. Your ask for help is not even specific enough for a reader to know what you want help with.

Are you wanting to, ideally, get back into the building you still refer to as "home"? Are you wanting to collect left-behind things? Are you wanting to take the Landlord to task criminally? Are you wanting to sue them for any Deposit issues? I can't tell.

You can only ever treat the patient in front of you, but this post you've made is very one-sided and much more could come to light if a differing view was provided. If you are specific with the help you want right now, maybe someone can assist?

There is so much here that does not make sense, so I have to ask if this is even genuine ?

Hippogriff  Global Moderator
#1

July 13, 2024, 05:48:15 AM
You state this incident happened some time ago as it - "took over 4-6 weeks for my case to be allocated" - so how you can be - "with only the clothes and flip flops I stood up in when I was unceremoniously and unlawfully evicted" - now is hardly very believable.

Making use of the Police's time, a Solicitor and even a PI gives us a just hint of the kind of person you likely are. What you've thought is a well-composed plea for help comes across as someone trying every angle to get what they want out of a situation they do not like. This forum is just the last avenue.

Hello Hippogriff,

Thank you for your comment.

I'm not sure if the appropriate response to your comment is @Wow!" or "Oh, dear!".

Either way, that was like a proverbial slap in face in the wake of all the others I've recently had.

I was trying to keep my post as brief as possible but it seems some more context is needed.... which is my fault entirely. Apologies.

For clarity, I am genuine and sincere.

I do realise myself it sounds far too convoluted to be believable. So I can absolutely understand your questioning and scepticism. But, I can assure you, it is the truth.

It's the very first time I've posted anything on here so if you could please grace me some patience that would be greatly appreciated. Plus some direction if you feel or see it's needed would be graciously accepted.

I'll try to answer your points in the order you've made them, with dates as I give further explanation below.

Before this event, I had lived with my fiance in three jointly tenanted homes without incident for over 12 years.

We moved last November, 2023 into a long standing friend's renovated barn which is situated next door to his farmhouse. I'd know and been friends with whom became our landlord for over 29 years. My fiancé became his friend after we'd met 12 years ago.

We signed a joint tenancy agreement for this property just the same as we'd done for previous privately rented homes. So, this would be our fourth joint tenancy.

The month after we moved, December, 2023, my fiance was unfortunately diagnosed with cancer.

The hospital he was initially referred to by his GP wasn't a very good one. As I'd previously worked in the NHS for 25 years, I knew the money follows the patient and you can request a referral to any hospital of your choosing, as long as you're willing to travel.

So I spend a substantial amount of time online and on the telephone researching the best hospital and Consultant. Then I liaised with his GP who agreed to refer my finance to Christie's in Manchester so he'd be able to have the best most up to date care and treatment.

Unfortunately, my finance didn't deal with his diagnosis very well in that the severe domestic abuse, coercion and controlling behaviour of old started again and very quickly increased in frequency and severity.

My fiance come home rip roaring drunk one evening and I had to barricade myself in our bedroom to keep myself safe.

Someone heard and called the police who came to our home and arrested him in the early hours (2am) on Saturday 27th April, 2024. He was released later that evening on bail with strict conditions not to contact me directly or indirectly and he wasn't to attend our home at that time.

The following day, Sunday 28th April, 2024, my fiancee contacted our friend and landlord and arranged to meet him whereby he informed him of his arrest the day before and his bail conditions. He later told me he gave our landlord his key to our home back on this day.

This same afternoon, Sunday 28th April, 2024 my son and I ensured we sorted out my fiancé work clothes, tools, van, medications and a bag of clean clothes, toiletries etc, everything he'd need and enough for the following week. Then we left our home empty while we went to drop them off for him.

While we were out, someone came into our home without my prior knowledge... they left the study light on and had disturbed some paperwork.

My son tried to convince me I must have left the light on and gone through the paperwork but with the stress of the weekend events, I must have just forgotten I had.

We have a blind dog for which I have a downstairs camera and an upstairs camera to keep a check on if she's ok or not while I'm ever out. So when my son left to go home, I checked both cameras.

I wasn't forgetful of anything. As I could clearly hear someone in our home and papers being shuffled and gone through. The camera didn't visually capture who had come in as they weren't pointed at the study. There's also an external entrance door beside the study where they could've entered by and evaded the camera... it was, in my mind, someone who knew where the downstairs camera was located.

Aside my son, my fiance and myself, only the landlord knew where the cameras were. Plus, it wasn't my fiance as my son had seen him when we'd gone to drop off his work van and clean clothes etc.

Then the next day, Monday 29th April, 2024, while I was upstairs getting ready for a meeting I heard something downstairs. I thought it was my dog so looked over the banister and shouted her name. I didn't hear her paws and nails on the tiled flooring as I usually would when she came to me if I called her. But the noise stopped so I thought it must be her.

Until I turned around and walked towards my bedroom where I saw my dog asleep on my bed. Someone was definitely in my home again.

I barricaded myself and my dog in my bedroom again by dragging a large chest of drawers across the bedroom door. I checked my camera downstairs using the 'live' option and definitely could hear someone going through paperwork in the study before they quickly left as I headed the outside door by the study close.

I called the police... they weren't interested. They said there was no point attending as I'd already confirmed whoever it was had left.

I phoned my son to update him and confirm someone was definitely in our home both Sunday and Monday. My son suggested I go speak to our landlord and ask him to take a Quick Look at his cctv system. So I did as he suggested.
Only to be greeting with a firm "No. There's been nobody in there".

Then he told me I 'went too far calling the police' and that he 'wanted me out'. Not both of us out, just me out.

The landlord followed this up with three messages saying the same thing and telling me "There's something wrong with you. You need to go and see a doctor, get on some medication". He told me to sort myself out because my fiancé 'would never be abusive' to me at all and I was 'making it up'.

This is despite the landlord knowing full well my fiance had broken my hip during one of his assaults on me in 2018 as we'd split up for over a year afterwards.

After reading the landlords aggressive and insulting messages, denying any abuse I searched the study for our joint tenancy agreement... I was gone!

The following day, Tuesday 30th April, 2024 my son and I arranged for my sister to come down to stay with me and she could help me to start packing... I kind of knew what was coming after knowing the joint tenancy agreement wasn't in the home. My son didn't want me to leave my home empty after that so my sister staying with me would help in that regard also.

On Wednesday 1st May, 2024, I went out to visit with my daughter while my sister stayed in my home.

Unfortunately, I was involved in an awful multi vehicle crash on the motorway. A huge tanker lorry smashed my small mini coupe car into the central reservation many time and into another huge lorry. I suffered horrendous facial and chest injuries and a fractured sternum.

The next day, Thursday 2nd May, I needed to call at the post office. I couldn't drive, my sister didn't know where the village post office was we left together in her car.

My indoor cameras show us leaving at 16:36. They then show the landlord entering at 16:41 and immediately changing locks, screwing down doors and windows and throwing my blind dog outside in the unfamiliar courtyard. 

I didn't know anything of this until we return about an hour later to be sworn at, screamed at and informed by the landlord I'd been evicted.

I called the police to help get me back in my home. They spoke to the landlord over the phone.


This 'friend' I'd known for over 20 years denied knowing me at all to the police, said I was 'just an associate of the previous tenant who'd already vacated the property after giving him a months notice.

All mine, in fact, all our belongings were still in the barn. Nothing packed.
Mi had just the dress, jacket and flip flops I was stood in.

The landlord refused to let me get anything out of my home. Instead, he threatened to remove me, my sister, her car and my f*****g dog with his big tractor machine if I didn't leave myself.

So, yes... feeling threatened I left and waited for the police to arrive.

They arrived at 3am the next morning, Friday 3rd May and told me to "be reasonable. We're not going to wake him (the landlord) up at this hour. Ring in the daytime and we'll try to get out then"

They did come out that Friday afternoon. By which time, the landlord showed them a fraudulent sole tenancy agreement, denied there was ever a joint tenancy agreement and showed them a fraudulently hand written one month's notice dated 1st April, 2024.

The police said their hands were tied and I had to report it as fraud. Which I did. That day, Friday 3rd May, 2024.

It wasn't allocated to an investigating officer until 25th May, 2024. And the landlord wasn't interviewed until 13th June, 2024. An interview he gave only "No comment" answers to any and all questions asked.

I'm sorry you feel my story is unbelievable. Or that I still only have the clothes I was stood in when I was unlawfully evicted. As that is the truth.

Fortunately, my sister is the same size as me and the same shoe size. So I have been able to borrow some of hers.

However, I've still not been allowed to retrieve anything else. As the landlord will not allow it yet.
 

I've had to rely on the police, why would I not when there's been many crimes committed against me?

A solicitor? It one linked to the charity Shelter. But as I've no hard copy of my joint tenancy agreement the landlord seems to be running rings round them as they're getting nowhere fast.

And a PI? That brainwave came to me yesterday while watching something on tv. I've made contact with one and I'm waiting for them to get back to me. But I have no money to pay for it. I'm hoping to either defer the payment or pay in instalments. Because I'm desperate for some help and advice!!

So, in reply to your response, I'm not at all trying every angle to get what I want out of a situation. Not at all.

I don't like unfairness or injustice.

Besides, I've been treated appallingly, I'm without my possessions and belongings, including irreplaceable photos of my children when they were young. Plus, I've a lot of valuable jewellery in that property I signed a legal joint tenancy agreement to live.


Why would I not try to do everything in my power to right many wrongs and hold those who've committed many crimes against me accountable for that?

Or are the laws of this land which most of us abide by not applicable to all, especially unscrupulous landlords?

I wouldn't treat an animal in any small amount of the way this landlord has treated me. I didn't deserve it and it's not right he's seemingly getting away with with it all.

Any helpful advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you x

You need a solicitor to act against the landlord, but I don't see much chance of your winning anything without the support of your ex-partner, who is actually the cause of your problems (unless you did what she accused you of, in which case they're self inflicted).

I am not at all clear what you hope to achieve, though. What you need is access to your possessions, which is controlled by your ex-partner. It is likely to take more than 12 months for any kind of claim to go through the courts, so that doesn't seem a viable short term route, although a solicitor might be able to persuade a court of a need for urgent action (but that's likely to be expensive).

Otherwise, essentially anything else you do is going to end in compensation (assuming you are successful), which is not really, whay I sense you want.

I suggest that you focus on the short term essentials, like access to your possessions, and address them as calmly as you are able.

jpkeates

I'm female. My ex partner was male... he died 29th May, 2024.



I don't know what you're referring to by stating " (unless you did what she accused you of, in which case they're self inflicted)."


I actually came on here for some helpful guidance.... I've gone from traumatised to suicidal since reading these replies.

To note: domestic abuse is never self inflicted nor justified. And instead of people questioning 'why don't she just leave?" they should try asking "Why does he just stop abusing her?" 

I was trying to leave this abusive relationship actually.... that's why I was illegally evicted. It's abuse in collusion and by proxy!

Thank you anyway but I'll try somewhere else much more mindful of the complexities of domestic abuse, coercive and controlling behaviour and much more sympathetic to and aware of the manipulative dynamics of narcissistic abuse, flying monkeys and life and soul destroying smear campaigns!!

I apologise. I was trying to make my response gender neutral, but typed "she" inadvertently. I inferred that a "domestic" was some kind of serious and visible dispute between the two people in a relationship, domestic abuse was not something that I envisaged - I wouldn't have equated abuse as being a "domestic".

I don't want to make anything worse for you, but do think your best course of action is to speak to a solicitor. If your partner is now dead, the issue is entirely with the landlord, which makes a lot of difference to your situation.

The way you have responded to us seems to show that you are a decent and strong person. I hope that you are OK and are able to get some support.

Quote from: RaiyneboweSkye on July 13, 2024, 05:13:59 AMI'm so sorry to hear about what you've been through. This sounds incredibly traumatic and unfair. It's appalling how some landlords can act, and the system can sometimes feel so slow and unsupportive.

First, it's good that you've already got a solicitor involved, even though the progress seems slow. They are crucial in navigating the legal complexities here. It's understandable why they're struggling without the original tenancy agreement, but the discrepancies you've pointed out, such as the start date of the forged agreement and the deposit details, should be significant evidence.

Have you been in touch with any tenant advocacy groups? Organizations like Shelter or Citizens Advice can sometimes offer additional support and might be able to apply extra pressure or provide new strategies.

Given that your fiancé admitted to the forgery and there are witnesses to the original agreement, it seems like there should be enough grounds to continue pushing. Your solicitor might need to be more assertive in highlighting these inconsistencies and witness testimonies. Sometimes, it's a matter of persistence and ensuring your case doesn't get lost in the shuffle.

It might also be worth considering contacting your local MP. They can sometimes expedite cases or bring more attention to your plight. Your situation is severe and highly distressing, and sometimes political pressure can make a difference.

In terms of recovering your belongings, it's outrageous that you haven't been allowed to retrieve them. Your solicitor should be able to demand this as a basic right, even while the tenancy issue is being resolved. If the police are dismissive, a formal complaint or even contacting the media might make them take your situation more seriously.

I can't imagine how exhausting and painful this must be for you. Just try to hang in there and keep pushing your solicitor to explore every possible avenue. It might also help to have a friend or family member support you through this, both emotionally and practically.

Please know you're not alone in this, and there are people and organizations out there who can help.

Take care, and don't lose hope.

I have carefully read your very long and detailed account. I hope you get the support and help you need, but a forum such as this cannot be expected to advise on such a highly complex issue. I think it would be most unwise for anyone to make further comment. I do wish you well.