Advice for girl bullied out of her shared house.

My girlfriend and her friend have just moved out of their shared house after being threatened with assault if they did not do what they were told, eg. Not allowed to come or leave the house after 10pm. by two lads who they shared the house with.

The day after these lads had tried to put these rules down one of them swung for one of the girls, resulting in the police being called and the girls being told never to go back to the house! When the girls contacted the lettings agent they got told there was nothing they could do. In some ways it appears the letting agent condones domestic violence.

She needs advice on what she can do, to ensure she receives her full bond back. Does anyone have any sensible ideas?

(No, giving the guys a hiding for beating up on women is not an option)

I will not name the agent until this has been resolved, so please don't ask.

Thank you if you can help.

That's really tricky - I would get down to CAB asap, or try calling housing aid (they have drop in at Howden House too I think )

http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/in-your-area/housing-services/housing-aid

I think its a situation that will need legal advice beyond a forum!

Good luck!

Taffi that is awful... I'm afraid I don't knwo what to suggest at the moment, I'll have a quick think about it. I mean obviously te important thing is that they have now left the house. I think they should pursue the matter with the police.

Can you say anymore information a to their circumstances i.e. how did they meet? Did they all move in at the same time, as one collective (are they shared tennacy agreements) etc?

And I totally agree with Dark. Legal advice. remember though money is never as important as the fact they are ok now.

True thanks for for the quick replies.

I'm glad their safe don't get me wrong, now I just want to make lives awkward the letting agent and these two guys, and hopefully get her money back.

My gf moved in with an old work collegue, then without any notice (the girls got up and walked into the kitchen to find them in the kitchen) the guys moved in. The letting agents had been showing people round the house without notifying the girls about it. (gf had walked out the shower previously to find the letting agent showing someone round and told her to hurry up as they'd been waiting to show the bathroom to the people.

The lights also trip regularly and when the girls told the letting agents they did nothing about it.

What I'm after is statuary rights which could benefit the girls getting their bonds back whilst also making life awkward for the letting agents.

Now generally, and int h majority of all contracts, you hav to be informed if the agent or landlord is planning on coming round, let alone showing people around.

Is this quite a big letting company? I really think you need legal advice Taffi, this company sounds awful.

Yes it is a major letting agent in sheffield. Not Blundells or that level, solely lettings.

And your right that clause is in the contract.

My gf moved in with an old work collegue, then without any notice (the girls got up and walked into the kitchen to find them in the kitchen) the guys moved in. The letting agents had been showing people round the house without notifying the girls about it. (gf had walked out the shower previously to find the letting agent showing someone round and told her to hurry up as they'd been waiting to show the bathroom to the people.

AFAIK landlords (or their agents) must give reasonable notice, ie 24hrs at least before coming into a property they have rented.

If they try to withhold bond then you have as much (legal) strength on the breach of contract side of things as the landlord (or, in this case, his agents).

The landlord will know that, unfortunately there are some bad landlords out there that see their tenants as nothing more than cash cows with no rights at all.

Disclaimer:

I'm no expert in these things and certainly not a legal expert

Yes it is a major letting agent in sheffield. Not Blundells or that level, solely lettings.

 

And your right that clause is in the contract.

Get them to get legal advice - its the best way to fight from a solid ground!

I will not name the agent until this has been resolved, so please don't ask.

Please don't name them at all. For legal reasons we don't allow naming and shaming.

What I'm after is statutory rights which could benefit the girls getting their bonds back.

I suspect if the bond isn't registered with the Bond Protection Scheme then it might involve County Court action to recover the deposit. If what you're saying is an accurate reflection of what's happened, it does sound like you and/or your partner have been treated unreasonably, so entitlement to it shouldn't be brought into question.

Anyway, a perfect case for CAB. You should go and see them immediately.

Here are the ones in Sheffield:

Citizens Advice Bureau

416 London Rd

Sheffield

South Yorkshire S2 4ND

Tel: 0114 258 3322

Citizens Advice Bureau

Eckington Library

Market St Eckington

Sheffield

South Yorkshire S21 4JG

Tel: 01246 434190

Citizens Advice Bureau

30 Spital Hill

Sheffield

South Yorkshire S4 7LG

Tel: 0114 275 5376

Citizens Advice Bureau

77 Queen St

Mosborough

Sheffield

South Yorkshire S20 5BP

Tel: 0114 248 0043

Citizens Advice Bureau

Community Centre

Main Rd

Renishaw

Sheffield

South Yorkshire S21 3UW

Tel: 01246 <removed>