UK Landlord Forum / Life

hi im not sure if anyone would be able to help at all

i moved into a rended bedsit abov a pub in northampton a month and a half ago , signed a 6 month( comercial i think)   tenancy agreement and depoist, paid my rent on time the first month it was due

on thursday i had a knock at my door from the assistant manager of the pub stating that the landlord the company of the pub had hired had signed all tweleve tenants onto fake tenant agreements kept all money paid and stolen an amount of money from the pub safe, they tol me that because i have a cat that i cant stay as it is against the company rules and i have a week or two to do so, i have to meet them in the morning to discuss things with them after only been given a week to search,  they have told me that the agreement was with this landlord that has now got the police looking for him and i dont have leg to stand on are they within their rights to only give me a week ?

any advice or help would be great

hello hannahofaith,

In short: Stay put.  You don't have to leave so quickly.

In long: So if the landlord was an emloyee of the company then his actions may bind his employer, in other words, the company can't say they refuse to honour an agreement because he did something they did not want him to do.  You signed up in good faith with someone who had the apparent authority to rent out the bedsits.

If the tenancy contains a "no cats" rule then this is not grounds for eviction.  Initially they should offer you an option to remedy the contractual breach, i.e. give away the cat.  If not, they shold issue a Section 8 notice to quit.  This has to go through a court process for the law to agree you must leave.  And bearing in mind the difficult back-story they face, like not having secured the deposits, that will take a long time.

Call their bluff.  My guess is that someone in the pub company is worried stiff about telling thei boss what's going on, so they're going in heavy handed to clear up the "mess" before anyone important finds out what's going on.  Also speak with people from council, Shelter and solocitor t get further advice.

And finally, think about extracting a "bribe".  If they want you out so quickly when you've got six months right to remain then name your price.  Think in the £'000s.  Someone in hte pub company is going to be in a lot of trouble if this "problem" does not get solved soon.

Hope this helps.  Please let me know how you get on.

hi thank you for your reply, i will let you know how it goes , the agreement i had with the landlord was that he said the cat could stay , he rented out to someone with a dog and a chicken as well which belongs to a member of staff that im not sure they are making leave,
i dont mind moving as i dont want to be without my cat as she means a lot to me, its just the amount of time that is causing me the most trouble but i will speak to them and keep in mind what you said thank you very much