Student lets
The letting agency I was with a few years ago was quite keen on sending us emails about breaches of the tenancy agreement. The first mail we got was within weeks of moving in, informing us that there had been a noise complaint against the block of flats and consequently we would be having £50 deducted from our deposits (punitive contract terms anyone?). We wrote back informing them that the noise was coming from one of the neighbouring flats and that they should be more careful who they send complaint emails to in future. They said that as we are all in the same building we would all get the email. We then got an email about rubbish bins not being put out, about incorrect recycling, etc.

All a low-level of annoyance, however a few months later we got an email about the fire alarm being set off at 1am on a sunday morning and an engineer being called out. There were also broken smoke detectors and the break-glass alarm button in a neighbouring flat had been broken. We informed the letting agency that we had no information on who exactly caused this, neither are we under any obligation to provide this information, as our contractual relationship with the landlord does not extend to enforcing their agreements with third parties. The email was ignored.

That's when I had the idea, I didn't want to get the inevitable deductions for the communal areas as well as the ones we deserved, so when it came around to moving out time I staggered home drunk one evening and took pictures of the wheelie-bins lying around overflowing with rubbish. I attached a strongly worded email, written mostly by large amounts of cider:


Hello,

I am one of the residents of Flat D, Whatever Mews. I'd like to draw your
attention to the negligent behaviour of my neighbours regarding the
rubbish bin collection. Despite your frequent emails regarding bristol
city tips, I arrived home this evening and noticed that not a single bin
had been put out by 2330. As I am currently the only person in my flat,
I had only 1 bin bag to put out, but was unable to do so because of the
over-full bins and un-binned bags lying around the entrance to the
tenancy.

See photographs at blahblahblah.com/blah

I intend to attempt to organise the remaining bags into the bins when
emptied tomorrow, even though this is not my responsibility.

When I moved in here I did not expect to play nanny for the mews; I did
not expect to have to clear the fire alarm twice a day for months and
get nothing but blank looks when I followed your procedure of checking
the flat concerned for fire. I did not expect to clear up rubbish from
the courtyard left by erasmus parties. I did not expect to be threatened
with money being illegally deducted from my deposit for damage done to
neighbouring properties. I did not expect to receive a written warning
regarding noise levels due to the actions of my neighbours.

I am not in a joint tenancy agreement with anyone but my fellow
residents of flat D, I do not take responsibility for their actions in
the same way I don't take responsibility for the actions of the
residents of any other property in Bristol. Please consider this a
complaint regarding the conduct of your clients in adjacent properties.

I am sorry for the tone of this email, but I'm sure you can understand
my frustration as much as if this had come from any other local
resident.

I look forward to receiving your itemised deposit deductions (if any)
within 10 days of vacating the property.

Yours,

Ungersven


PS: There has been some (apparently deliberate) damage to the hallway of
flats 3/4/8, behind the door when open. A large cross has been scoured
into the paintwork. I didn't think this warranted a 2nd email.

The deposit was returned in full, including the money that should have been deducted for lost keys and late payment of rent. And that cross I drew.
( Ungersven would support SpankyHanky's patreon, Sun 5 Sep 2010, 14:49, 5 replies)

It wasn't Digs, was it?
I generally had good experiences with them when I was in Bristol. They did rape us of quite a lot of our deposits at the end, though. Charged us an obscene amount for 'communal lighting' which after some pressure they reduced.
( Pretender, Sun 5 Sep 2010, 15:23, closed)

Who was the letting agency?
I've had dealings with a couple of them in Brizzle. The worst one's head bloke phoned me up at work and threatened to come down to my work to recouperate unpaid rent. I'd paid my half but my scrote of a housemate hadn't paid his as he'd got sacked from his job for fiddling the books. The agency then tried to issue me with a CCJ (by then I'd left the property) and because it was a joint tennancy, I was screwed and had to pay all the unpaid rent. What I found out later is that my housemate already owed money to the letting agency before I moved in but they still let him sign a new contract.

Fucktards.
(ninja chinchilla, Sun 5 Sep 2010, 21:33, closed)

t'was Anthony James
Not bad, all in all, they just seem to assume students won't know their rights. I just wish student landlords wouldn't try to pull shit that wouldn't fly with older tenants.
( Ungersven would support SpankyHanky's patreon, Tue 7 Sep 2010, 1:14, closed)

Terry Olpin
It wasn't old Terry Olpin who called you at work was it? He is a CUNT of the first water.. I refused to pay the last months rent on one of his hovel like abodes in the Center of Bristol until his company had given me an itemised list of what would be deducted from my deposit and and he called explainined that i was a fucking juvenile delinquent.
( lucosade is counting down the minutes until, Tue 7 Sep 2010, 17:17, closed)

True
but his daughters are fit-as.
( Ungersven would support SpankyHanky's patreon, Wed 8 Sep 2010, 13:51, closed)