What do you tell people that you do for a living?

[Lady_Lust_XXX]

I think whatever you say has to be believable with your lifestyle.  Everyone's story could be different but its what you can carry off that counts.

[Dexi Delite]

We've been looking for somewhere else to live over the past 7 months since our letting agent sent us a letter telling us that our Landlord is planning on selling the property we live in by June 2014. 

We initially started looking for apartments, that fitted our requirements and budget, and have now widened our search to houses as well as we haven't found anything.  I'm a bit reluctant to move into a house, as I feel it's a bit more exposed to neighbours than a large block of apartments.  Although we still have 5 months left it bothers me that it's taken us 7 months to find something until now.  It's a really lovely 4 bed semi detached house, that fits exactly what we have been looking for.  Ok, there are families with young children either side of us, which makes me wonder am I going to have to cut back my hours so that I don't have guys turning up when the kids are coming home from school, but the main problem is our contract.  Although we've been given a years notice to find somewhere, we still have to give 2 months notice from the rent due date, which means that we can't move out of our current apartment until the end of March, by which point the property we want will have already gone. 
We've been in touch with the letting agents who said they will have a chat with the landlord, but if they decide they want us to serve our notice we're buggered, as the other landlord certainly won't be willing to hold it for nearly 3 months. 
We could give our notice in the hope that we will find somewhere else before the end of March, but it's taken us this long to find somewhere suitable and don't want to find at the end of March we still haven't found anywhere suitable and suddenly have to move into something that's not. 
I just don't understand why estate agents give such lengthy notice periods, and yet when you look on Right Move etc, properties are available now and not in a couple of months time.  Very frustrated.

[roseanna]

We've been looking for somewhere else to live over the past 7 months since our letting agent sent us a letter telling us that our Landlord is planning on selling the property we live in by June 2014. 

We initially started looking for apartments, that fitted our requirements and budget, and have now widened our search to houses as well as we haven't found anything.  I'm a bit reluctant to move into a house, as I feel it's a bit more exposed to neighbours than a large block of apartments.  Although we still have 5 months left it bothers me that it's taken us 7 months to find something until now.  It's a really lovely 4 bed semi detached house, that fits exactly what we have been looking for.  Ok, there are families with young children either side of us, which makes me wonder am I going to have to cut back my hours so that I don't have guys turning up when the kids are coming home from school, but the main problem is our contract.  Although we've been given a years notice to find somewhere, we still have to give 2 months notice from the rent due date, which means that we can't move out of our current apartment until the end of March, by which point the property we want will have already gone. 
We've been in touch with the letting agents who said they will have a chat with the landlord, but if they decide they want us to serve our notice we're buggered, as the other landlord certainly won't be willing to hold it for nearly 3 months. 
We could give our notice in the hope that we will find somewhere else before the end of March, but it's taken us this long to find somewhere suitable and don't want to find at the end of March we still haven't found anywhere suitable and suddenly have to move into something that's not. 
I just don't understand why estate agents give such lengthy notice periods, and yet when you look on Right Move etc, properties are available now and not in a couple of months time.  Very frustrated.

The only thing you can do if you really want the house, is rent both places until the notice runs out. Ouch!

They are looking after their own interests. Everyone else has to fit around them. Lawyers, Bankers, Estate agents - all the same.

[Dexi Delite]

Unfortunately that's not an option, as it's going to be ?1500 per month, with moving costs and agency fees as well.

[River]

We've been looking for somewhere else to live over the past 7 months since our letting agent sent us a letter telling us that our Landlord is planning on selling the property we live in by June 2014. 
We've been in touch with the letting agents who said they will have a chat with the landlord, but if they decide they want us to serve our notice we're buggered, as the other landlord certainly won't be willing to hold it for nearly 3 months. 
We could give our notice in the hope that we will find somewhere else before the end of March, but it's taken us this long to find somewhere suitable and don't want to find at the end of March we still haven't found anywhere suitable and suddenly have to move into something that's not. 

Are you on a fixed term or revolving tenancy? I'm guessing fixed term as you are with a letting agency.
Do you pay the rent monthly?
What does the least term state re notice period? (Not enforceable if this contradicts the law)

My understanding is that a fixed term tenancy converts to a revolving tenancy,
if fixed term tenancy is not renewed but you continue to rent the property.
In which case I understand that the minimum notice period the landlord has to offer is 2 months
and the tenant has to offer one month. This is probably hypothetical because your existing landlord is renting the property to you through an agency.
And the agencies score Coin from both a % of the rental plus the periodic tenancy renewal fee.

If your new property falls through coz the current landlord holds you to term
you could {hypothetically} end up as a sitting tenant at your current location
which would bugger things up hugely for your current landlord.
I'm sure that they would rather release you early from any term, rather than the {hypothetical} alternative.
It would be worth your current landlord thinking this through...
I suggest you talk direct with the landlord as the Agency work for him and not you.
If you leave early, they loose income (ie. it is in their interest to keep you
at the existing address for as long as possible) In truth, your landlord
may know nothing of the "conversations" the agency say they have held
with said landlord... Trust no one)

I wouls strongly recommend that you get expert legal advice.
Namely get your lease out infront of you and
1. Phone the charity >>>Shelter<<< by phone.
They have specialists who can advise you further.
2. Phone your local >>>CAB<<< office.
Arrange a meeting. This will be with a general adviser prior to a second meeting with an advisor
who specialises in accommodation issues. 
I think this second advisor will be a solicitor specialising in housing law.
For both the CAB meetings, take a copy of your lease.

Good luck.

[ParisB]

Unless you had a 1 year  contract and your still within the first year of renting then after year 1 months you only have to give a months notice leave

So in theory if you moved in feb last year andit was a standard 6 months  contract you could and your notice in on the 6 month to leave on the seventh month


It you ad a twelve month contract and you never renewed it after the twelfth month then  it automatically reverts to a standard  assured tenancy contract in the 13 month which means You can give one month notice to I eave

Unless you signed another contract after your first year then its fine to leave with 1 months notice



Get your contract it dont matter if your with an agency or a landlord assured tenancy contracts are pretty much the same after the period stated its 1 month for you and 2 months fr agency / landlord

Also make sure your deposit is in the deposit scheme if it not ad some agencies don't do this then you could pretty much eave tomorrow as tey ave broken the law.

[Dexi Delite]

Wow!  Thanks for the info Jodie and Paris.

We have a 12 month fix term contract, with a clause in it to say that after 5 months we can give 2 months notice from the rent due date (rent is due on 30th of every month, so technically we can't move out until 30th Mar).  In the past when we've rented with agencies the contracts have gone onto a rolling contract after the fixed term contract is up, and given a one month notice period.  But this time round the current agency said that the landlord wanted another fixed contract with us, which we had to pay another ?50 admin fee for (cheeky f***ers, but we were over a barrel and had no where else to move to at the drop of a hat).  We did kick up a fuss and say that we cannot commit to another 12 month contract as at the time (June 13) there was talk at hubby's work of him being transferred to another part of the country, hence why we had the clause put in just incase we did need to move. 
Our deposit is held in one of these government trusts (we have another contract with all the trust info), so the agency have done everything above board regarding this.  Infact they're probably the most efficient agency we've ever been with, which is bloody annoying. 
Although saying that, the only thing they haven't done is check the electrical appliances to make sure they are in keeping with PAT safety standards.  Which they're supposed to do every 12 months.
I did think about what you suggested Jodie, regarding it would be in the landlords best interest to let us go sooner rather than later, as the new landlord isn't willing to wait until the end of Mar (which is understandable), and if we hand in our notice now and don't find anywhere else before the end of Mar then I was going to stay there until we did find somewhere.  They can't very well kick us out if we're paying rent on a weekly basis or force us to sign another contract.

Having spoken with the agency yesterday to see if we can come to some arrangement, she said she'll contact the landlord and get back to me.  I'll see what the outcome is before I go ahead with your advice Jodie on seeking legal help from Shelter and Cab.  But both your posts have been very useful.  Hopefully I'll get sorted.

Thanks again
xxx

[ParisB]

i would hint at your agency landlord that if they don't let you leave earlier you wont be in a hurry to be  leaving in July /june 
as its taken you 7 months to find the perfect place it might take you a further 7 month to find another place

but if you hand your notice in now you can be out by march  ( is that right ) 

If thats the case  what you might want to say to landlord is that you will split the hit of his loss of income  with him so 50 /50  1 months   Otherwise   i would be inclined to stay there after july and let him evict me which he wont want to do because he want to sell and its hard to sell with tenants in it making it look messy ect  and it will cost him money and time and the judges are often very reluctant to kick people out just because the landlords want to sell 

Also if you do write him a letter saying that you want to move asap and you want to give one months notice  but your willing to go 50 / 50 on the rent for the last month  ( if you see what i mean ) do it by email and copy him in so that its proof if it did go to court that your being reasonable and he's not and send a letter recorded 

what i mean by splitting the rent is if two months rent is ?1000  offer him  ?500 for the month your leaving and ?250 for half of the second month 

Also if its march then most places will hold a place for a month  as they are well aware that people have to give notice so if you play it right you could get them to hold it for a month  from say 10th jan
give notice 30 jan  but if you get your landlord to split/half  the last month rent as a good will gesture  you will only end up paying 1 month more ( i think lol )

Also with regards to the house that your taken  i would go and look at it at various times of the day  you mentioned its it between two houses and there are kids  ( personally i would run a mile ) Young kids often mean mums at home all day  and if your sandwiched in between two houses that even worse ( imo)   
You might find that school holidays and weekends aren't workable because of kids playing outside and more people around in the lighter nights noticing what goes on

If you only doing 1 or 2 a day you might be ok but if you do more than that i would give it some serious thought
You don't want to have to move again but be stuck there for 6month or  year with a contract that you cant break





 

[Dexi Delite]

Thanks for your reply Paris.  I put a similar idea of yours to the letting agency yesterday and am awaiting their reply.  So fingers crossed.

As for kids.  It is a bit of a concern, but as I don't seem to do any more that 2 a day and no more than 5 a week I figured I might be ok, plus as I'm part of a couple that might go in my favour too.  I'm still looking elsewhere just in case the agency don't come back with a suitable agreement.

xx

[Dexi Delite]

Just a quick update.  The letting agents have got back to me saying that the landlord is not willing to negotiate a months notice and that we have to serve our notice up until the 29th Mar.  I've just had a look at my contract and I only have a name for the landlord and no address (very odd considering that an address is usually suppied).  So I'll be going in to the letting agents asking for the contact details so I can contact them direct, and if the landlord is being an awkward shit then I shall hand in my notice and point out that if I haven't found anywhere in the meantime then I will stay put until I do.  See how they both like them eggs. 

I'll get in touch with Shelter tomorrow and see what they say too.  Thanks again for your advice Jodie and Paris.

[KaylaCouture]

USE CAUTION & PREPARE FOR THE WORST CASE SCENERIO!

I worked from home since summer, and quickly got way too comfortable. I stopped doing outcalls quickly since its much easier sitting at home making money, which inreased the traffic, and then i got lazy about my rules.

 Clients not only pose a threat to you, but your neighbors now too.Even if they're harmless, they might look suspicious while loitering around the building\neghborhood or in their parked car, nervously waiting for their appointment - which can result in police getting called, losing the client, etc. And nosy neighbors WILL notice your stampede of male visitors of all ages, shapes, and races, even if its barely 3 a week, and they WILL gossip and complain and cause problems for you eventually. No matter what bulletproof excuse you think you have for the traffic, people tend to think what they want to think. Also, understand the potential dangers associated with living where you work. An obsessed client can always find you, a dumb one can dop by unannounced, a stalker can wait outside watching you, and theives can take more than their money back!

If i could do it over, i'd be  as discete ashumanly possible. i'd make sure the clients knew to stay incognito, and not to drive or walk around the area scoping out the scene. I?d DEFINITELY make sure i was 100% ready for our session the moment they arrived so they never had to wait around in plain view, or if they arrived early I?d make them go get a coffee or run to the store until i was ready. Also, if you hire security or have a roommate or boyfrien, dont have them leave then come back inside right after the client leaves - put time between the two, so they appear to have nothing to do w each other. And i would have worked at night as much as possible, when less people are up minding more than their business.

[Dexi Delite]

USE CAUTION & PREPARE FOR THE WORST CASE SCENERIO!

I worked from home since summer, and quickly got way too comfortable. I stopped doing outcalls quickly since its much easier sitting at home making money, which inreased the traffic, and then i got lazy about my rules.

 Clients not only pose a threat to you, but your neighbors now too.Even if they're harmless, they might look suspicious while loitering around the building\neghborhood or in their parked car, nervously waiting for their appointment - which can result in police getting called, losing the client, etc. And nosy neighbors WILL notice your stampede of male visitors of all ages, shapes, and races, even if its barely 3 a week, and they WILL gossip and complain and cause problems for you eventually. No matter what bulletproof excuse you think you have for the traffic, people tend to think what they want to think. Also, understand the potential dangers associated with living where you work. An obsessed client can always find you, a dumb one can dop by unannounced, a stalker can wait outside watching you, and theives can take more than their money back!

If i could do it over, i'd be  as discete ashumanly possible. i'd make sure the clients knew to stay incognito, and not to drive or walk around the area scoping out the scene. I?d DEFINITELY make sure i was 100% ready for our session the moment they arrived so they never had to wait around in plain view, or if they arrived early I?d make them go get a coffee or run to the store until i was ready. Also, if you hire security or have a roommate or boyfrien, dont have them leave then come back inside right after the client leaves - put time between the two, so they appear to have nothing to do w each other. And i would have worked at night as much as possible, when less people are up minding more than their business.

I can appreicate your post Kayla and I've been working from my current address for over 18 months now (as hotels were not financially viable for me), and I'd say I'm pretty vidilant and discrete.   There will always be risks in this job, but that's the chance we take when offering incalls from home, or a work apartment.

[Wanton Harlot]

I work from home, I never let the client anywhere except the bedroom or bathroom, and I don't normally take on clients after 1am.
I made the mistake once of letting some guy come up at around 5.30am, he brought up few cans beer with him. He paid for the hour upfront, I took it out of the bedroom and told him to wait there a min till I got back, told him to take his clothes off.
I was only just out of the door, when he poked his head around the door, I herded him back into the bedroom once more, before going back into the hallway, and thinking he might come out after me again, I quickly hid the money in a pile of junk mail on the heater in the hallway. I opened and closed a coupe of doors, thinking that would make him think I put the money elsewhere.
After a very short time, he started to get paranoid, saying he thought there was someone else in the flat and it was making him nervous, I stupidly set his mind at rest after he demanded checking out the other rooms. Cant believe how stupid I was.
Then he asked for glass of water, I was a bit wary of him by this time, but how do you deny someone water ?
So I rushed into my kitchen, which I have to go through my living room to get to, when I went back into the hallway, he was there and not in the room. Then not long after, he asked for more water. Once more I rushed there and back, but this time he had gone, when I checked, he had managed to find the money and taken it, but worse still he had taken my mobile phone !! 
If it was just the money I would have writ it off, but he made it personal by taking my phone  [ and the halter neck part of my corset...strange ! ]
I no longer had his number as he had took my phone, but I remembered that he had got the local taxi firm here. I called them up and they had his address details, so I called the police and told them. The fact that the guy had brought up the beer and had his finger prints on the cans also helped.
I would have loved to have seen his face when the police turned up !
When he was here, he mentioned that he had a nutter of a friend who lived just at the back of my flats, which worries me, as he probably bragged about what he did, and it has probably got back to my neighbours. I said hello to a woman across the road yesterday, and she blanked me totally  :0(
The police asked me where I met him, I told them it was on an adult website, and they did not ask anything else thank god.
Never going to take any more bookings at that time of morning again, but it don't stop clients from being arseholes, so just have to be extra careful

[Dexi Delite]

Well, the ball is officially rolling.  I still haven't found anywhere else yet, but I can't sit around for 2 months and missing out on other properties, because the current landlord is insisting I see out the whole 2 months.  I've already lost 2 properties as the new landlords aren't willing to wait, and I simply cannot afford to pay 2 rents for 2 months, plus it's a huge waste of money, which could go towards moving costs. 
I handed in my notice at the end of Jan and it's been like Piccadilli Circus here.  Fair play to the letting agency, as they are cramming in the viewings and telling people that it will be available sooner rather than later.  There must have been about 10 people that have already viewed my current place over the past week, which makes it difficult to see clients,  but I can't have it all.  If I want to move I have to put up with it to a point, especially if they get someone in sooner rather than later. 

I had a look at a place yesterday, which was perfect to work from (all the rooms were big, rent was reasonable, plenty of security, great transport links.  It was even well soundproofed as it was on a flight path.  Ideal if I wanted to make plenty of noise) apart from one major thing, which outweighed all the good points.  I can honestly say I've never been to a block of apartments that had a cul-de-sac feel about it.  Walking up to the doors I could feel curtains twitching behind me, as nosey neighbours wondered who was visiting.  Even seeing one client a day felt risky.  I remember how one girl on here had no end of trouble with her neighbours.  As much as I loved it, I just had a gut feeling that it wasn't going to work.  Shame, a lot of people are so judgemental of what we do for a living.

[Dexi Delite]

Yeyyyy!  I've finally moved.  I spent all last week moving from one place to another, although I have pulled tendons in my left hand (lefthanded too), which is killing me, but I'm in.  The new place is so much warmer and carpeted throughout.  I didn't get a feeling of nosey neighbours with this one, and there's a video intercom, spy hole and cctv, so fingers crossed this will help towards keeping me safe, along with my other security methods.  I just hope I'm a lot happier in the new pad, and have far less hassle like I did in the last place.

I just need to drug myself to ease the pain in my hand so I can work tomorrow now.