Eve effing Brown

[flossy]

I arrived home today to a letter from Eve Brown saying they'd inspected my flat and that the kitchen and the cat were unacceptable (my fault, I know). They inspected the flat without telling me they were going to do so? Is there anything I can do?

I know the cat can't stay but I was wondering if anyone had had a similar experience and knew if a solicitor could argue my case and see if we could dissolve the contract by mutual admission?

[hr]

If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the substrate.

[Fozzy Bear]

I didn't think they were allowed into your flat while you were out and without letting you know in advance.

There must be someone at the union you could speak to about your legal position although who it is, I don't know.

[Hennessy]

Opposite the general office on the 1st floor. Can't remember their names but very nice lady there will help you out, she offered to look over our contracts when we were thinking of renting from Eve Brown and told us to point more students having difficulties her way.

[hr]

"What happened to Spoon?"
"There is no Spoon"
Dog Soldiers

[James Shield]

They must give at least 48 hours notice of any visit, and even then I believe you have some degree of discretion over whether the visit is necessary and when it should take place.

The Students' Association provides free advice on housing law - contact Eleanor, the Accommodation Advocate:

http://www.yourunion.net/content/index.php?page=20003


James Shield
SRC Accommodation Officer

[Thalia]

What always bugged me about living in Fife Park was that apparently (or at least so it seemed on the contract, and so they chose to do) they are allowed just to walk into you room without warning and able to give random spot checks when they feel like it. Is that still the case? It was part of the reason i ended up deciding i preferred private accomodation.

[hr]

You've been nothing but an angel every day of your life and now you wonder what it's like to be damned...

[maenad]

Quoting Thalia from 18:39, 29th Feb 2008
What always bugged me about living in Fife Park was that apparently (or at least so it seemed on the contract, and so they chose to do) they are allowed just to walk into you room without warning and able to give random spot checks when they feel like it. Is that still the case? It was part of the reason i ended up deciding i preferred private accomodation.

I'm in Albany which probably has the same rules and I don't think they can do that. At least, we have always had emails telling us when anyone is coming into the house, and only once they've wanted access to bedrooms. They never check them when they do inspections.

[hr]

Tommy can you hear me?

[SchizophrenicCabbage]

I think it's the law that they must give you at least 24hours notice - same applies for halls as the University is classed as a landlord, like e.g. Eve Brown.

That said, this rule might as well not exist. Frequently in hall I would come back and find a little 'we've been in your room!' card. Additionally, our estate agents have frequently sent people round without even warning us and even let themselves in - little did they no that we were in and knew they hadn't even bothered to knock on the door or ring the bell.

It annoys the hell out of me as it's as if they think you don't know the rules. So, I give them "the tone" when they do bother to phone and ask if the plumber etc' can come round in 2 hours time?'.

[flossy]

I assumed if they thought something illegal was going on, they could come without warning (with the police) but otherwise they should keep the hell out. Both the law and the contract say 48 hrs notice. As such, it seems like me and kitty are moving out and boyfriend is staying put... oh well.

[hr]

If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the substrate.

[Grant]

Quoting flossy from 08:00, 1st Mar 2008
I assumed if they thought something illegal was going on, they could come without warning (with the police) but otherwise they should keep the hell out. Both the law and the contract say 48 hrs notice. As such, it seems like me and kitty are moving out and boyfriend is staying put... oh well.

[hr]

If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the substrate.

I dont think they have a leg to stand on; they cant break their side of the lease and then suddenly harass you for breaking your part. In fact, I doubt they could use such evidence gathered on that trip against you.

The problem arises if they then decide to start checking on a more frequent basis to try to catch you out; but again, without letting you know, I can't imagine they can do anything about you breaking the lease.

I hate Eve Brown, I dont know why they keep getting away with shit like this.

[Grant]

Also, even if they can throw you out based on this, you'll still get your mandatory 4 weeks notice before you have to go.

[Guest]

Urgh. This really pisses me off. It's bad enough when honest and clean living students get completely shafted by landlords/agents but then lazy sods like you get all fecked off over reasonable things like having a shit tip kitchen or having an animal in the house, which only serves to further the prejudice LLs/agents have for students.

The condition of the property is the agent's concern on behalf of whoever owns the property. An inspection is entirely in-keeping with this. You signed a lease stating you/housemates are responsible for the condition. Having an "unacceptable" kitchen and an animal in the property is against what you contractually agreed to. Can a solicitor to argue your case? What case?!

[Nelson]

Quoting from 02:30, 1st Mar 2008
Urgh. This really pisses me off. It's bad enough when honest and clean living students get completely shafted by landlords/agents but then lazy sods like you get all fecked off over reasonable things like having a shit tip kitchen or having an animal in the house, which only serves to further the prejudice LLs/agents have for students.

The condition of the property is the agent's concern on behalf of whoever owns the property. An inspection is entirely in-keeping with this. You signed a lease stating you/housemates are responsible for the condition. Having an "unacceptable" kitchen and an animal in the property is against what you contractually agreed to. Can a solicitor to argue your case? What case?!

Fair point, good to finally see someone give the argument from the other side. To be fair, you have both broken the terms of your lease so both or neither should suffer, and I'm sure the landlord would much rather have your money than an empty room

[flossy]

Quoting from 02:30, 1st Mar 2008
Urgh. This really pisses me off. It's bad enough when honest and clean living students get completely shafted by landlords/agents but then lazy sods like you get all fecked off over reasonable things like having a shit tip kitchen or having an animal in the house, which only serves to further the prejudice LLs/agents have for students.

The condition of the property is the agent's concern on behalf of whoever owns the property. An inspection is entirely in-keeping with this. You signed a lease stating you/housemates are responsible for the condition. Having an "unacceptable" kitchen and an animal in the property is against what you contractually agreed to. Can a solicitor to argue your case? What case?!

And it pisses me off when people post unregistered. My argument is that under law unless there is an emergency, they cannot enter the abode without 48 hrs notice. As we've both broken the lease terms, I want to dissolve the contract. And no, I'm not bringing students into ill repute as I am a graduate. Everyone's kitchens get in a state when they work 10 hour days and barely stand when the get in from work.

[hr]

If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the substrate.

[munchingfoo]

from
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/actionnetwork/A1185879



Your landlord has a right to reasonable access to carry out repairs. What reasonable access means depends on why your landlord needs to get access. For example, in an emergency, your landlord is entitled to immediate access to carry out any necessary work.

Your landlord also has a right to enter the property to inspect the state of repair or to empty a fuel slot meter, but they should always ask for your permission and should give you at least 24 hours notice.

If you are staying in lodgings where it is agreed that your landlord provides a room-cleaning service or where you share a room with other lodgers, your landlord can enter without permission.

Your landlord does not have a right to enter in any other circumstances unless they have a court order.

It is an offence for your landlord to do anything which they know is likely to make you leave the home or prevent you from exercising your legal rights. This would include, for example, repeatedly disturbing you late at night or obstructing access to the home, creating noise, disconnecting supplies of water, gas or electricity where your landlord knows that this is likely to drive you out or discourage you from insisting on your legal rights.

If you are subjected to harassment, the matter should be reported to the Tenancy Relations Officer of the local authority or to the police. The housing charity Shelter have a freephone 24-hour national helpline on: 0808 800 4444

Harassment means anything that a landlord, or someone acting on their behalf, does which is likely to interfere with the peace or comfort of a person legally entitled to live in the property. Harassment includes persistently failing to provide services which someone living in the property would need. Harassment is a criminal offence.

[hr]

[s]Warning : The sinner is a plateau, with moral high ground manifesting itself as an optical illusion in the the bearers mind.[/s]

[Grant]

Bam!

I hate eve brown, they seem to break the law routinely yet somehow survive without getting their ass handed to them. Grrr.

I don't see why you should leave flossy, fuck them. They can't use that evidence against you to evict you. Breaking their own terms then blaming you for doing the same is stupidity. Imagine if the police did stuff like that - unlawfully collected evidence is a big thing in court...

[What?]

give all the details to the folks on the middle floor of the union. you never know, an anonymous leak to the citizen could follow and result in embarrassment to eve brown. or you could get the press involved anyway.

i'd love everyone who complains about their eve brown experiences to collect them and submit them to the press, local or national, so everyone can see quite how awful they are.

[Fawksie]

Quoting What? from 22:52, 2nd Mar 2008
give all the details to the folks on the middle floor of the union. you never know, an anonymous leak to the citizen could follow and result in embarrassment to eve brown. or you could get the press involved anyway.

Oh, I wish. Eleanor is wonderful, but when Murray Donald Drummond Cook were breaking the law and the lease left right and centre and harassing me into the bargain, she eventually advised me to give up and pay the rent I had been legitimately withholding. They rewarded me for this by refusing to give a reference, saying that I had been a poor tenant for not paying on time.

[Superiorjames]

Quoting flossy from 20:29, 2nd Mar 2008

Quoting from 02:30, 1st Mar 2008
quote]

Everyone's kitchens get in a state when they work 10 hour days and barely stand when the get in from work.

[hr]

If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the substrate.

What a load of rubbish. Kitchen's only get in a state if you have little respect for the place, or low standards of cleanliness. From your comment, its clear one of these must apply. To state EVERYONE'S kitchen get in a state is such an exaggeration. And 10 hour days? That isn't exactly an excessive amount...

[flossy]

Quoting SuperiorJames from 11:11, 5th Mar 2008

What a load of rubbish. Kitchen's only get in a state if you have little respect for the place, or low standards of cleanliness. From your comment, its clear one of these must apply.

Depends on how you define a state - to me it's 3 day's worth of dinner dishes and the floor needs a mop. To you maybe it' different and that's why you accuse me of sluttish housekeeping.

And 10 hour days? That isn't exactly an excessive amount...

Depends what you're doing - manual labour, working in a kitchen, or the caring professions, 10 hours makes you knackered. 10 hours in an office, shop, or lab (all of which I have experience of) not so much so. I hope for your sake you're going into the latter and not the former.

[hr]

If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the substrate.

[munchingfoo]

I have experience of every job you list above and I found the most tiring to be office based work. Bodilly tiredness is something I can fight against, unfortunately, mind tiredness is not.

Of course, everyone is different.


Its amazing how the course of threads deviate on the sinner!

[hr]

[s]Warning : The sinner is a plateau, with moral high ground manifesting itself as an optical illusion in the the bearers mind.[/s]