paying double rent

[Hurricane Puffrose]

Hi all..

I have a nice little puzzler for you to sink your teeth in to.

Since I have been with the O/H (1999 roughly) he has had 4 secure lock ups in Chingford London, these contained 1 series 3 land rover, 2 trailers, assorted tools and motorbike parts, 1 genuine 1960s john cooper mini. He paid £45pw each for these, and the rent was kept up religiously.

Fast forward to approx 2006, and we move home to Yorks, O/H keeps up the garage rent as he simply cannot afford to renovate the Landy or the Mini, he isn't too worried, while the rent on the garage is paid, his stuff is safe and the agreement is the garages are secure and maintained. Landlord tells him he has someone "watching" them.

Approx 2010, we change bank accounts as we have taken a DMP, we contact Landlord and change banking details, payments continue and Landlords receptionist confirms the garage numbers with me. (Quote "Ronnie wouldn't know his feet if they hit him in the face")

Last Friday, we receive a letter from the DVLA that someone has tried to register the O/Hs land rover as theirs, can we check if it is still there and let them know.

Cue a manic trip to London on Satuarday and the discovery of the following things

1) The lock on the gates has been changed.
2) The "Watchman" (Zav) is in fact a man who rents garages off Landlord, who gets a tenner off each week for doing it
3) All 4 locks on garages are changed.
4) All 4 garages are empty
5) all 4 garages are also being rented by Zav and both him and the O/H are paying for them!!!
6) When Zav took the garages he was told "They never pay, and the garages have been emptied", when he looked there were no vehicles just "lots of crap" which he removed (described as general rubbish, leaves, waste etc).

We have never had anything from the Landlord to say the garages were being emptied, or that they wanted the contents moved, the landlord was aware of what was going on and that my O/H was renting these garages.

this begs the question....

what do we do now?

Can we claim the overpayment back? Surely if he was receiving 2 lots of rent, something is wrong?


Edit, I have just been told, Zav has been renting them for at least 5 years

[Hurricane Puffrose]

Re: paying double rent

bumped....

[Inca]

Re: paying double rent

Where are all the motors etc Puff??

[CleverClogs]

Re: paying double rent

Go to the plods and report the theft of the motor cars.

[PlanB]

Re: paying double rent

If the cars were insured claim the presumed theft off your insurance. No doubt the insurance company will look into the mystery a little more closely on your behalf before paying out to see if they can subrogate the loss.

Do you have *Legal Protection* written into your motor policy (most throw it in for free these days) because that could cover the cost of any legal action you may need to take?

[Hurricane Puffrose]

Re: paying double rent

Where are all the motors etc Puff??

t
no idea nik, they have vanished, we have reported the theft to the police, but are wondering about what can be done for paying rent when the garage has been double let?

[bluebottle]

Re: paying double rent

Although, technically, it is, in all probability, a breach of contract on the part of the landlord, I would be inclined to report the landlord to the police as they have misrepresented the fact that your OH had exclusive use of the garage when, in fact, Zav had use of them, too. I would also advise Zav to do the same because he is just as much a victim as your OH.

[CleverClogs]

Re: paying double rent

The rent alone comes to approximately £46,800 - and then there is the value of the vehicles that rotten Ronnie seems to have filched.

Still, that's Chingford for you.

Where else would knowingly elect the appalling Iain Duncan Smith <spit> as its MP?

[Hurricane Puffrose]

Re: paying double rent

errr cloggy.. it comes to 10,700 (180 x 12 x 5)

if we started legal proceedings would we have a leg to stand on?

[CleverClogs]

Re: paying double rent

Since I have been with the O/H (1999 roughly) he has had 4 secure lock ups in Chingford London, these contained 1 series 3 land rover, 2 trailers, assorted tools and motorbike parts, 1 genuine 1960s john cooper mini. He paid £45pw each for these,

errr cloggy.. it comes to 10,700 (180 x 12 x 5)

I do beg your pardon. I had assumed you were using the conventional calendar, which has rather more than 12 weeks to a year.

[Inca]

Re: paying double rent

4 lockups @45 pw EACH?..= £180 per month x 84 months =15,120.....OR AM i BEING THICK??

[PlanB]

Re: paying double rent

Is it now my turn to have a go at the maths?

£45 per week = £195 per month (45 x 52 weeks divided by 12 for per calendar month) 5 years = 60 months

Answer: £11,700

Puff needs to establish the date the cars vanished since up until that point it's arguable that she got what she paid for.

Mind you if I'd know you had a 1960s John Cooper Mini I would probably have gone to Chingford after dark and nicked it for myself I had Minis all through the Sixties, and the Cooper was made famous by Michael Cane in that incredible car chase in The Italian Job. Not a lot of people know that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtWkewqIFDM

[Hurricane Puffrose]

Re: paying double rent

45 x 4 = 180 (monthly)
180 x 12 x 5

[Hurricane Puffrose]

Re: paying double rent

Yeh we are happy to pay for the time the vehicles were there, or if he was the sole user.

we know that this guy Zav has been renting the self same garages for 5 years, and they were empty when he rented them apart from "crap like leaves, coffee cups and spiders webs".

if we can find legal advisors, can we claim that money back?

[PlanB]

Re: paying double rent

45 x 4 = 180 (monthly)
180 x 12 x 5

The computer says No. There's aren't 4 weeks in a month there are 30 or 31 days. 4 weeks would be only 28 days so I based my sums on 52 weeks per year not 48 weeks.