Moving home during a pandemic ?

[Bfg]

Hi all,

My landlady dropped off a letter yesterday to say that her brother now wants to live in this house ..and so they will be instructing the agent to end my tenancy agreement.  

No date was given but I've been here 16 years and I'd rather not to discard a whole lot of  ' my stuff ' within the next 2- 3 months. 

The plan was to try and get my little boat ready to move onto (liveaboard) for this time next year, and so their timing is 6 winter months earlier than convenient.  Anyway to save trying to find and move into another house with garage and garden shed right now - I'm considering buying a 20ft container and finding somewhere to store that.  Then I'd find somewhere a tiny hovel to live in,  just until I could move onto the boat. 

So,  does anyone know anyone who sells one-trip or otherwise low mileage shipping containers ? 

Thanks, Pete.

Edited June 2, 2020 by Bfg

[Hamish]

Pete

cant help with the container info 

but so sorry to hear about the end of your tenancy it’s bad enough that it’s happening at alllet alone at this time. 
I truly hope you get something sorted. 
H

[stuart]

Lots around from around £1500 landed, finding somewhere to park it is usually the problem. There are lots of storage units around which maybe a better bet.

Stuart.

[james christie]

I’ve got one for sale here in the Morbihan!  Stuart is on the numbers at £1500 for a good 20ft used one - « last voyage » in the jargon.

You should be able to find one locally one thanks to Google. There is a whole industry out there buying and selling them. With the current circumstances you should be able to do a deal. Just check it yourself, especially the doors, they can take a hammering and be well nigh impossible to open without a jemmy. 
 

james

[tr graham]

Pete

try Gary at Anglo Scottish at fakenham , we have used them for years very good and reliable 

graham

[jerrytr5]

Be prepared for the condensation issues..........

These might be better  https://www.abcstoragesolutions.co.uk/new-steel-door-roller-shutter-boxes-fully-refurbished-roller-door/39

When mine arrives I'll let you know if it is any good.

Jerry

[brian -r]

From past on site experience of containers , definitely go for an insulated one if you are keeping anything that can be water damaged.

Condensation can sometimes be a big issue.

Maybe a self storage unit would be a better option.

Brian

[stuart]

11 hours ago, jerrytr5 said:

Be prepared for the condensation issues..........

These might be better  https://www.abcstoragesolutions.co.uk/new-steel-door-roller-shutter-boxes-fully-refurbished-roller-door/39

When mine arrives I'll let you know if it is any good.

Jerry

Its says "Any length containers" and quotes £1800 would that be for a 40ft one as well? Also is delivery extra?

Stuart.

[jerrytr5]

They are cut down from 44ft artic lorry bodies. I suspect the £1800 includes delivery, but best to speak to them. I am not paying anything like £1800, however it is yet to be delivered, so hesitate to make a recommendation.

Jerry

[Bfg]

Thanks all,

The landlady and I have now spoken face to face ..and official notice has been served @ 3 months. The present legal-minimum doesn't seem much after 16 years ..but it is what it is.  Next door is an agricultural worker / tied-cottage situation and he's turned down two properties they offered, but I guess they're going to approach him again. Then the place will be gutted and made into a modern home with special needs adaption for the brother who is lower leg amputee and massively over weight. 

I've also explained that next May would be much better for me, with regard to selling a motorcycle and the possibility of my moving onto the boat. They will bear that in mind in accordance with as n' when next-door accepts whatever else they might be prepared to offer him.  He's been here 30 years and doesn't like the brother - so their negotiation will not be an easy one unless they dig pretty deep into their pocket. 

I also asked about the possibility of leaving a container on the farm somewhere, and the landlady is open to the idea.  I only just started looking at other possibilities but with a 13 week deadline that now seems to be the most likely way to move forward.  No ground fee or duration has yet been discussed.

Pete.

 

Edited May 28, 2020 by Bfg

[john.r.davies]

BFG,

Don't let her do you a favour, do her a favour.    The Gov BANNED evictions during Corona: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/complete-ban-on-evictions-and-additional-protection-for-renters  so the right is entirely on your side.

John

[Tony_C]

Good on you John............ Pete, you already know it but this is good honest advice... You don’t need or deserve this stress 

 

All the best, Tony

[DavidBee]

47 minutes ago, Tony_C said:

this is good honest advice... You don’t need or deserve this stress 

Pete, John and Tony, and I'm sure many others here think you are a real gentleman. As such, you yourself deserve to be treated as one. Eviction, out on your ear after 16 years, is ungentle. It's UNKIND.

I'm sure that it will be less stressful to stand up for your rights, than to acquiesce. Friction and contention don't come into it. Seek advice from a good solicitor and serve her a letter outlining what's what. I bet you she won't want all the hassle and will prefer to agree to your terms, with a smile too.

This course of action really will give you the breathing space you desperately need.

[Bfg]

13 hours ago, john.r.davies said:

BFG,

Don't let her do you a favour, do her a favour.    The Gov BANNED evictions during Corona: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/complete-ban-on-evictions-and-additional-protection-for-renters  so the right is entirely on your side.

John

Thank you John,  

To be honest I'm very upset and now faced with the reality of the situation - quite anxious.

I'm also rather disappointed in my landlady.  Her letter had said  "Please accept this letter as an intention that we will be instructing the estate agent to end your tenancy in the foreseeable future, with a generous notice period"   Although dated 19th May, it was not hand delivered here until Tuesday (26th) and then two days later I'm given the legal-minimum notice.

The house I rent is a run-down property which is part of a farm.  After 16 years of being a "never-any-trouble" tenant (her words) - my landlady has suddenly given me 3-months notice to leave because her brother (who owns a beautiful barn conversion on the farm) has a "yearning"  to live here. 

I am not a farm hand so have no claim as a tied-cottage, but I have always paid on time. The rent is cheap, but then I've never asked for things to be done except essentials like the water heater leaking through the ceiling.  I've always accepted the (literally) threadbare carpets, rising damp, woodworm, the crumbling masonry and the farm track ..along with the flies and mice from the farmyard, because it is in the countryside and I have a garage in which I can work on restoring motorcycles (which I already own), to then sell - so that I can pay my bills.  Bottom line is that it's not a quick thing to find another property that is suitable &/or which I can afford.  

I accept it's their property, on their farm, so they have the right to do as they wish, but as it has been my home for such a long time - I do have a lot of stuff to clear, and even the charity shops are closed for another couple of weeks.  But the real difficulty is in, as a 63 year old, having to find somewhere else to go to, and to physically move out at such short notice ..on my own.  That in itself is difficult enough,  but we are all a little frightened to even go to a supermarket ..so I cannot call on my friends to help.  If we were coming out of the coronavirus then it wouldn't be so bad, but I fear Suffolk figures catching up with the worse hit counties and then 'the second wave'.  Even moving to another area where I don't know where the shops are, or those shop's inside layout adds to the anxiety  ..people just don't want you to stop them to ask.  Moving and having to sort out / connect services, when companies and their employees are on skeleton staff and keeping their distance, would just add to the issues. 

In view of all the above - I'm having second thought as to whether I should stand my ground.  Had the family been kind and given me four to six months then I would have gone quietly,  but as it is I'm tempted to say no to them  ..not until this pandemic has been dealt with.  Perhaps in 12 months time. 

But it's just a thought at this time because I'm upset  ..and because their selfishness has rattled my cage.!

Bfg might soon stand for something other than 'friendly'

Pete.

Edited May 29, 2020 by Bfg

[DavidBee]

Peter, 

Of course you are upset. It's your home, regardless of whether you own the property or not.

However, bear in mind that the administrative and legal aspects are quite a separate issue. That's where expert advice, devoid of (understandable) emotion, comes into its own. 

Your feelings will inevitably hinder your judgement. Whereas, my first port of call would be a CAB (Citizens' Advice Bureaux), if they still exist. The first thing you need to have are all the facts pertinent to your rights. Being served notice is only one element. Are there rights that carry more weight?

I imagine there are.

Just as you need the correct tolerances in an engine rebuild for big and little end bearings, you need to possess the relevant facts in a very different context.

You also need a good solicitor to sort this out quickly and efficiently.

Speaking from bitter experience, when OGB 800, my TR2, was taken from me, it was too late. I had let things slide. It became my fault, when it was not. So I was left with a big regret. Long ago.

When I consulted a first rate solicitor, it became clear to me that I had let the feelings confuse the situation to such a point that I had misread a case of substantial wrongdoing at my expense. But I had been unable to see the situation objectively.

I also know that I personally find it vexing and very trying to stand up for my rights. That's just a character flaw. I have done it, but only rarely.

Your well-being is at stake, your peace of mind, your income too, and possibly your future health. There is too much at stake to allow yourself the luxury of avoiding unpleasantness, while accepting the nastiness of unfair eviction.

But you do need a good solicitor. Surely someone here in this Forum can recommend a clever clogs who gets results fast?

Don't wait too long though. There is probably a time limit to objecting, in legal terms, I mean.

I can't help but think that you will have to do this, even if it is not your normal way of negotiating a difficult situation,

   David

Edited May 29, 2020 by DavidBee

[Bfg]

1 hour ago, DavidBee said:

first port of call would be a CAB (Citizens' Advice Bureau), if they still exist.

Made a call to them this morning and the person, knowledgeable in such housing matters, was to come back to me this afternoon or on Monday.  Now it will be the latter.

My next step is to appeal to the landlady's sense of right and wrong / fair play,  and this all happening during the pandemic. To me it's not a matter of not going, it's just the matter of when.  That's drafted but I'll spend a couple of days editing it and hear what the CAB suggest before sending it.  I don't know if I have a leg to stand on (it's one of the questions I'll ask) but I'm proposing the section 21 Notice seeking possession of a property / for me to leave should be dated (2 months) from the day the government declares the coronavirus crisis is over.  

Cheers, Pete

Edited May 29, 2020 by Bfg

[DavidBee]

Pete,

Allow for your feelings to ebb and flow, but hang in there... you are deffo in the right and you KNOW IT.

No, it's NOT FAIR!!!

Edited May 29, 2020 by DavidBee

[DavidBee]

Tell her in a dated, signed, posted letter. So you can prove you did it.

Edited May 29, 2020 by DavidBee

[john.r.davies]

15 hours ago, Bfg said:

I'm proposing the section 21 Notice seeking possession of a property / for me to leave should be dated (2 months) from the day the government declares the coronavirus crisis is over.  

Cheers, Pete

That's the way to do it!   Cooperative but with an edge.

[Bfg]

On 5/29/2020 at 6:48 PM, Bfg said:

I'm proposing the section 21 Notice seeking possession of a property / for me to leave should be dated (2 months) from the day the government declares the coronavirus crisis is over.  

I sent this letter / appeal by email on Sunday, and yesterday they acknowledged receipt and  "will be back in touch when folks concerned (I'm guessing that being the brother and possibly other family members of the farm) have read your letter and given their reaction".

Time to move on...

.

^ I have now put Katie'  my 1948 Sunbeam motorcycle on the market < here >  ..and on e-bay and again on a German classified auto-sales website. These vintage bikes look rather grand to own, but they are assets I must sell to pay the bills.  If I can sell things now then they are big items that I won't need to move or then securely store.  Not sure how motorcycle insurance works - when the bikes will be in a shipping container, specifically designed to be lifted and transported away ! 

 

I've also started clearing things which will otherwise end up in a landfill, such as a VHS movie collection of 400 - 500 tapes.

.

^ It's not a big start to moving out,  but psychologically even clearing a small wall of 'stuff' and other bookshelves does provide a visual first-step to such a daunting task. 

Pete 

Edited June 2, 2020 by Bfg

[john.r.davies]

BFG,

See: https://www.bidspotter.co.uk/en-gb/auction-catalogues/sanderson-weatherall/catalogue-id-san10334/lot-90340af9-2575-414b-9463-abc7010c031e

 

[Bfg]

^ Thanks John..  I'd not come across bidspotter before but perhaps worth looking into. 

Cheers, Pete.

. . .  

I've just had a meeting with the Landlady, who was very friendly and reassuring in a non-definable way ..but I can take things at my own pace  and we need to keep in touch as things progress.  She cannot agree to my request, to date the notice-to-vacate from the end of the coronavirus emergency, because no-one knows how long it will last.  But she said she'll not kick me out on the street.  My impression being that the notice given will stay in place, but will be a sort of rolling-according-to-the-situation basis.

I reiterated that I don't want to move while this pandemic is still in the air so to speak, nor do I want to do myself a damage by lugging boxes around when I'm waiting for a hernia op.  ..which is delayed by the virus.. 

We also discussed her brother, wife, step daughter, and mother in law moving in here,  even though next door is a tied-cottage farm worker (so they can't get him out unless they very generously buy him out).  The brother has a 50+" waistline and is an amputee in an electric wheelchair., so at home he'll need a chair lift ..and these stairs are too tight and the walls are wattle and daub so are not robust enough to carry that load.  Even if he got up stairs under his own steam (prosthetic lower leg) there are two steps at the end of landing before the bedroom, and another two steps down to the bathroom.  His wife on the other hand is a little madam used to living in a beautiful barn conversion, so the tiny kitchen (down a step), rising damp and woodworm would I am sure delight her.  In short., the landlady and I agree that the only real prospect is to wait until next door agrees to leave and then take over the whole building (that end of the house has even more steps and even tighter stairs).  So the whole of the interior will need to be gutted and knocked into one, and modified to accommodate his size and disabilities.  

Because there's no date, the landlady's present reassurances doesn't really add up to very much ..so it's still an uncomfortably uncertain  situation, which is I guess their objective.  But on the other hand I'm no worse off than if I were to ignore the notice and push them into evicting me in three months time. 

As the brother has not been in, or even up to this house since I moved in, in 2004,  I think I'll take some photos and described to him how improbable his idea to move in to this end of the house really is.

All too many fun and games.   

.

[Hamish]

Sounds like it’s an old building.

is there any merit in getting it listed ?

or is it already ?

listed buildings then have restrictions on alteration which may Be carried out. These may alter their thinking ?

[MilesA]

Pete

Just in case this gets messy, you should take the precaution of recording in writing a contemporaneous note (signed and dated by you) of any conversations with / concessions made by your landlady regarding the strict enforcement of any rights she has to evict you. Even better would be to play them back to her in writing ("Thank you so much for assuring me that....") but that does risk a denial. The reason is that you might be able to argue that she is estopped from enforcing her strict legal rights or has waived her entitlement to do so. Going legal on this is probably not to be recommended and your informal strategies should obviously be pursued, but if push come to shove it might buy you some time.

Miles

[Hamish]

The above posting would be a useful time and dated contemporaneous note.

i used to use social media postings in my enforcement role as an EHO.

works both ways.