Well, so far, I’m not impressed with the company that is buying the house. I check my email multiple times a day, and Thursday afternoon had an email from the new buyers that they’re taking over the property on Monday, and by the way they want nearly £1,000 from me in bond and pet deposit. Say what now! 4 days to find almost a grand? They must be dreaming! I got on the phone straight away to the agent that we have now, and she confirms the new buyers are not going to use our current agent. She also confirmed that the new owner should wait until we get the deposit back from this agent, before being asked to give it to the new one. We also only have a 6-month contract from them and will have to make a written request to stay past those 6 months. We had a brief look at properties in the area and were not impressed. Most don’t have an electric shower. Many have a smaller garden than we already have; I didn’t think that was possible. Some photos clearly show black mould and/or damp patches on the walls. The government really should set up something that would deter rentals like this being allowed. It’s not healthy, and it’s not right!

After having 3 nights in a row where I’ve slept pretty well, I’m now feeling extremely stressed! No-one has said when we should cancel our rent payments to the current agent. It all seems to be very badly organised, and we’ve been told, seemingly, as a freaking after-thought. I dearly wish we could up-sticks and high-tail it back to Wales, but it isn’t practical; we have the dog, I wouldn’t have a job there and nobody would rent to me on my income without the job, and my son doesn’t want to go back. Oh, we’re stuck here…

After some investigative work, it seems it’s no longer legal practice to ask for a pet deposit, so that’s £200 we won’t have to pay. Also, following a change in the law in 2019, the Bond has been capped, so again, these people are asking for amounts that aren’t legal. How is it that I can find these things out, yet our new landlord is oblivious of them? It doesn’t bode well. I’m ambivalent regarding losing our current agent: we’ve had some issues with them regarding length of time for repairs, though they are the ‘devil we know.’ Just hope this new lot get their act together, and act according to the laws that protect tenants.

They’ve since sent an email with a corrected Bond request, and the amount we need to pay has dropped considerably. They’ll also wait until the bond has been returned by the current agent before we have to pay the new company. Sorted! Though my son is now concerned that they won’t keep us on as I clearly know the law regarding these matters. I’m not worried; we’ve been very good tenants thus far.

Oh, I made some inquiries today, and apparently if I were to return to South Wales, there is a possibility that I could transfer to a store in that area rather than resign and have to apply and go through the interview stage again. I’d have to do the ‘leg-work’ but it’s definitely worth thinking about for when my son eventually leaves :)

Recently, I’ve been dreaming about my mother, and it occurred to me that today, Friday, would have been her Birthday so she must have been on my mind. It’s been a little over 3 years now and still sometimes, I forget that neither her nor Dad are still around.

Have a great weekend.