Hiya there, I have a problem with an ex-landlord and wondered if anyone had any advice for me, it would be much appreciated.

The basics of it is I was living in a student house for my final year of uni with four other people, i signed an agreement which myself and two of the others i have spoken to are 100% sure was 1 September 2008 until 31st July 2009. Myself and one of them moved out in June and the other one i spoke to moved out in July. Everyone except me had paid up until end of July and recently i received a text from the landlord asking for the arrears. He said he would accept a post-dated cheque for the 300 i owed for July and i sent that. However today i received a letter posted by hand through my door saying he would be taking legal proceedings at the cost of me for the £300 i owe him for August, when as i previously mentioned we were not contracted for July. The letter said if i don't give him the extra 300 for August by the 15th September he will take the proceedings as it was 12 month contract September to September (when it was not) and the others had all paid August (When one of them is my girlfriend and i know for a fact she hasn't for starters and has receipts to prove it). So obviously i don't want the legal proceedings at my expense but i also don't feel i should pay for something that i was not contracted to do.

Now to add something extra, all the time i lived there and up until today i was never ever given a copy of the agreement which i believe is against the law. Someone told me if i never received one within 28 days the tenancy agreement was not even valid, although i am not sure if this is correct.

I believe personally that he targeted me as i am the only one so far to contact the dps and ask for my deposit back, and i presume he will have got a request letter from them sometime this week.

So basically any advice is welcome

thanks
John

You said that you signed an agreement. Did you just sign one copy? The usual practice is to sign two copies so that both the landlord and the tenants can have their own original copies. Anyway you can ask him for your copy now before you decide what to do next. Did you give your landlord a notice before you moved out in June? If so, at that point it should have been discussed what the outstanding rent was. I personally think he is trying it on.