Hi there - Housing / Tenancy issues

[Fredmk2]

Just popped in here as I am new to the forum. I've got various questions, all surrounding storage I rent for various classic vehicles. Could somebody point me at the appropriate sections of the forum please?

1, despite asking direct questions when I rented the land, there are no planning permissions on the land what so ever. What are my rights re the rent paid?

2, another tenant has been threatened by the 'Landlord', culminating in the Tennant being assaulted. I suspect I am next. What are my rights.

3, myself an other tenants live at the yard. Given there's no permission for anything (domestic living, business, storage, nothing) what are my rights?

I'm happy to start threads on onther sections of the forum.

[wales01man]

Re: Hi there

With no permissions you may be there illegally as for rent any payments would have to be claimed through the Court if the landlord is violent beware

[charitynjw]

Re: Hi there

Hi Fredmk2, welcome to LB.

I'll give our [MENTION=49370]Kati[/MENTION] a nudge as well......perhaps she can put you in the right section of the forum & ask for some others to give their views as well.

[Amethyst]

Re: Hi there

So does this landlord actually own the land do you know? ( check the land registry to see if the land is registered )

How long has it been used for the purpose it's being used for ? ( storage and temporary accommodation ? mobile home? any buildings on the land ?)

Do you have a tenancy agreement at all ?

How long have you lived there ?

Why was this other tenant threatened ? Have you ( the tenants) been asking questions he's uncomfortable with, complaints? or was it unpaid rent ?

What's the situation with council tax / water / electric etc ?

[Fredmk2]

Re: Hi there - Housing / Tenancy issues

I see this has been moved to Housing so I will carry on!
You might want to make a cuppa and pull up a chair...
We moved in at least seven years ago. Before moving in I asked if there was planning permission for everything I could see. There were/is mobile homes, good being stored and two businesses. The reply to my question was yes, there was permission.
Two years later the council attended the site and posted multiple planning contravention notices, which the manager (who lived there) promptly removed. I found out via a yard neighbour,who had seen them as they were posted.
There was an appeal, the landlord lost.
A bit of background. The land is in the name of a UK national who lives in the Far East. Following the council involvement, his adult son announced he would be running the site, and has collected the rents since then. The son is who I (and the council) am calling the landlord. He lives in the UK, but not on site or even in the same county. Between the father and son, the case has been spun out by both blaming the other one for the contraventions.
Just last August (five years after the contravention notices), a new neighbour moved into an empty yard. He's a car dealer and repairer, and also lives on the lad in a caravan. Within a month, the council paid a visit to the whole site and met the new tenant informing him of the planning enforcement. He immediately contacted the son (landlord) and demanded his money back, saying he would leave when repaid. The money was not forthcoming.
On Boxing day, the son came to the site and smashed the windows on all the tenant's cars, his caravan and another neighbours van that was in the yard for mechanical work. Since then he has returned and assaulted the tenant, hitting him with a brick.

I am still paying rent on the yard, is it possible I could reclaim this from the landlord, and should I continue?

[wales01man]

Re: Hi there - Housing / Tenancy issues

The way to get any money back would be Legal continue if you wish but remember he can be violent and there is no permissions on the land

[Fredmk2]

Re: Hi there - Housing / Tenancy issues

Well here's an update. The son has turned up at hospital claiming he's been assaulted. The hospital informed the police but he left. There's now an arrest warrant out on him.