Tenancy Queries

[chelsea_girl]

My son and his girlfriend rented a two bed house together for them and their two children. They split up 6 weeks ago and he asked the estate agency to remove him from the tenancy. They told him they cannot do this without his ex girlfriend telling them that he has left and she wants him removed from the tenancy agreement. Thing is she isn’t paying the rent and my son is concerned he is going to get the debt when his ex gets evicted. For the record, she has recently had the two children taken away from her by the social services, because they were being neglected, and she’s moved her new boyfriend in. Her dad is staying on the drive in a caravan.

[Mamyalynne]

Shelter are an excellent place to start to look for advice.

[Mamyalynne]

https://england.shelter.org.uk/get_help

[bednobs]

Sounds perfectly right to me. He signed a contract saying he would pay the rent till the end of the tennency. Now he has to. She also signed but it's likely they will go after whoever is more likely to pay.

[Peter Pedant]

um yeah
OK
this would be better off in Law
He needs to get his arriss into gear and find out for himself and not get his mother to do it for him
He also needs to get the idea that if you/he ask X for advice ( in this case the estate agent) then the advice will be to minimise the estate agents ( X's) liability and not his

a regrettable fact of life

he needs to find out if the lease is tenants in common or joint. 'O I fink it is joint or something' is not good enough.
Joint is - liable for all rent ( even 'her'share )
common is liable for his share - 50%

He can convert a jointure to a commonalty by a letter to the interested parties - girlie and estate agent. The estate agent wont have told him that a) because they arent obliged to give him advice and b) they lose up to half the rent....

otherwise he is stuck until the end of the lease
when does it end ( determine ) ?

any joint credit cards etc he needs to close down

and so you can see- that delaying a visit to the CAB or shelter will just end up costing him and / or you money.

[Peter Pedant]

// Now he has to. She also signed but it's likely they will go after whoever is more likely to pay.//
hopelessly confuses joint and common liability

[bednobs]

oh well, i must be hopeless at reading then