It is really important that your house is secure, safe and somewhere where you feel protected, and when you are renting a property you have certain rights to ensure this. Here at Hattons we can help protect those rights to make sure your house really does feel like home.
We fully understand that many tenants are unable to fund expensive court proceedings against their landlords if issue arise to threaten this security, and so will assess your claim to see if we can act for you under a no-win-no-fee agreement or offer flexible payment terms.
We can help with the following:
Tenancy deposit claims
If you rent a property in an assured shorthold tenancy and have paid a deposit, your landlord should have protected the deposit (your money) in one of three government-backed schemes. Your landlord is only entitled to it the end if they can prove that you failed to pay rent and/or caused damage. As a result, if you suspect that your landlord has not protected your deposit in a scheme you could be entitled to compensation. If this is the case, we can check on your behalf if you are eligible to claim.
Section 21 notices
If you’ve received a notice from your landlord trying to gain possession of your property and don’t know what to do next, we can help. We’ll give you easy-to-understand advice about whether the notice is correct and investigate whether you do need to move out of the property or see what can be done to stop or postpone your eviction.
Possession proceedings
Being faced with proceedings to be removed from your property is extremely daunting and stressful. This can occur for several reasons, with the most common non-payment of rent. We can help in resisting possession proceedings, and so if you have received them or your landlord has threatened to do so, don’t delay and get in touch today.
“Whether renting privately or through their local authority or housing association, we are seeing many tenants encounter issues with their landlords, including disrepair,” says director Bruce Hatton. “These issues range from rising damp, mould and leaks to dangerous wiring and vermin infestations, and so you need someone on your side if something like this or similar happens to you.”
“Tenancy agreements should provide protection, but sadly many landlords don’t always fulfil their obligations. If this is the case, then tenants can claim for breach of the contract. We are seeing more cases of tenants who have told their landlord of a problem but are still waiting for repairs to be carried out, and are securing compensation for those with uncooperative or unreasonable landlords, including obtaining court orders to get works carried out. We are also securing compensation for inconvenience and abatements of rent if tenants have not been able to use their homes in the normal way or illness has been caused by the disrepair.”
To assess whether you have a claim for disrepair, all we need is a photograph of the issue, details of when the disrepair was reported to the landlord and a copy of the tenancy agreement if you have it.