Some on here may be interested in a case I’ve been working on, involving a landlord and tenant dispute, and which goes to Trial at Slough County Court on 10 June.
My clients are a former student, who was a tenant of the property in question, and his mother, who stood as guarantor for the tenancy agreement.
The landlord is claiming just under £5,000 for rentals not paid.
The tenant is defending the claim, for the reason that the conditions in his room in the shared house were so bad that he couldn’t stay there. The Local Council issued two notices requiring works to be carried out, including fixing various leaks, removing black mould, repairing plaster, fixing damaged electrics, and installing proper fire doors.
Our case is that the landlord breached the contract, by failing to provide accommodation compliant with the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018.
I will update with the outcome, after the hearing.
Interesting case. I’m sure the tenant is at fault and trying it on. As a former landlord (not by choice), I had some truly terrible tenants who took the piss and I eventually took a loss on the property to get out of it. Aside from landlords who have multiple properties, I have 100% sympathy for most landlords caught in a situation when the law is totally against them.
In this case, there is evidence that the same landlord was found to be at fault with a similar nearby property, and a statement from the current tenant in the same room as my client had, that many of the listed faults are still present.
As a former landlord myself until a couple of years ago, I am fully aware of tenants trying it on, but the evidence suggests otherwise in this case.
This is a case that is going to a trial where you are openly sharing information on an open, public forum?
Is that actually allowed?
I’m not sure that I would be happy if I was being taken to court and found out that a legal representative was basically slagging me off publicly beforehand
If i was to call someone, for example, a “slumlord” on a public online forum wouldn’t that be defamatory and subject to libel laws?
My memory isn’t what it was but I have vague recollections of one of the more well-established contributors to the Gasroom being driven out following threats of libel action after they made similar potentially defamatory remarks.
I can’t remember the details or who could possibly have the knowledge (or character) to have made such a threat…
PS: I might be tempted to change the heading on this thread, but then I’m not possessed of a sharp, legal mind
Let’s by all means criticise @bargepole for Gasroom irrelevance. But he hasn’t identified the litigants in any meaningful way so the suggestions of libel are absurd.
I didn’t have standing up for Bargepole on my 2026 bingo card but here we are.
So the tenant decides he’s not paying any money to rent the property as the landlord has not carried out repairs? I’ve some sympathy with the tenant but to pay nothing at all is just wrong. In any other part of commerce that would be theft.
But they have. They have given us the date and location of the planned trial so it wouldn’t be difficult to establish which landlord was pursuing a £5000 rent arrears case against a student and their mother.
Personally I wouldn’t use this information, but if for example Chas(?) does still look into the current Gasroom and sees this and is feeling mischievous, if he were to forward it to the landlord and/or the judge presiding (or whatever the word is) over the cases that day, I’m pretty sure they may have something to say.
I’m pretty sure it was Chas calling @bargepole a slum landlord (no justification other than to wind them up) that led to the completely over the top reaction of threatening him with libel action.
Yeah I’m not one of the posters who immediately pounce on the fella, not now he’s calmed all the rugby chat down a bit.
But you do probably have to be a little careful on a public forum where you’ve previously posted your own photo and possibly said your own name (can’t quite remember on this bit)
Although he could always fight any charge himself?
