AST Dispute Hi guys! Hope youre all well and enjoying the weekend. Since two heads are better than one, I thought Id share here, with yourselves, my current circumstances, as I have the feeling something isnt right, and cant quite put my finger on it. Here goes: I started full time employment in a working mens club in January 2010, and have moved into the accommodation upstairs in February same year. My accommodation comprises of a room in a flat that I share with the clubs Steward, which at the time was my partner. The Club is run by a committee, formed by 3 officers and 6 other elected members. I was given a 6 month AST that weve signed on the 30th April 2010, and the rent of £200 PCM was taken at source from 1st April 2010. No deposit was taken. On 1st October, I was given a photocopy of the same tenancy agreement, where the 3 officers at the time ( chairman, treasurer and secretary) have all signed on the first page, where they hand wrote reviewed and agreed to extend for additional 6 months, to 31st March 2011. It has never been extended afterwards. Under the expiry of the tenancy in the agreement it states that if the tenant stays in the property after the tenancy has expired then a statutory periodic tenancy shall arise on a weekly basis. Also the landlord has the right to recover possession of the property if the tenancy has come to an end and the landlord has given two months notice to the tenant. In the AST there is no correlation between the accommodation and the workplace, and having asked the officers about it, theyve confirmed that as long as the AST is in date, I dont have to work at the Club, downstairs, in order to live in the flat above. Now, in September 2012 I was asked to do the bookkeeping for the Club, and part of the wage package theyve increased my hourly rate by £1.50 per hour, and also I didnt have to pay rent anymore. This was a verbal agreement, which reflects in my wage-slips starting with October 2012, where no apartment rental was taken anymore. The AST has not been modified, and no new AST was produced. In March 2013 a new accountancy firm took over the financials for the Club from the old accountant who used to do it with pencil and paper, and this is when my wages were being paid considerably late, up to 13 days on a couple of occasions. I have obviously raised the matter with the treasurer, and its always been a very sore subject ever since, with very little progress being made in respect to my waiting period. By September 2013 they decided they cant afford to pay me the increased wages, and starting with that month I was told to stop doing the books for the Club, and my wages were deducted by £1.25 an hour. ( so all in all, from Jan10 up to present Ive got an increase of £0.25p per hour, but thats a different story). Still no rent was being taken. On Wednesday this week Ive been asked to meet 2 of the officers, with regards to my accommodation arrangements. They starting the meeting by saying that the flat upstairs is free for the steward and his close family, and everybody else has to pay rent. ( one of the questions that I cant help but asking myself, is if thats the case, how come Ive been charged rent whilst the steward was my partner? ---our personal circumstances have changed, and also been made public a couple of years back, and we are still in very good relations, and I have never moved out in all this time. ) Then they carried out the meeting explaining how besides rent, I should also be paying bills ( electric, water, heating) and they asked me to pay £250 PCM. After explaining to them that is going to be very difficult accurately determine my personal consumption they agreed between themselves to charge me £200. At this stage Ive explained to them that I can not afford to pay the full £200 PCM, given personal circumstances, and Ive suggested to them 3 options. Im happy to pay rent of less amount than £200 Can I have a pay increase that would cover the £200 PCM, so Im not out of pocket Can we have this conversation in October, after our annually pay review. The answer to all these was a categorical NO, not an option. Yesterday theyve given me a letter where they explain how the officers have decided that The current situation regarding my occupancy of the flat cannot continue, and they require me to pay rent as from 1 September 2014 at the rate of £200 per month, which they want transferred by standing order and the provided the bank details. Theyve closed the letter saying that they would appreciate confirmation of my acceptance of these agreements. If you had the patience to read all this on a Saturday morning, then Im very grateful for at least listening ( well, reading) and any input you might have would be gratefully received and considered. Happy weekend everybody, Laura.
Posted on: Sat, 09 Aug 2014 10:36:49 +0000
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