Legal question - rent concessions.

[Maxf]

I negotiated some rent concessions a while ago (market slump and some building work which had to be done and caused fairly major hassle). The landlord agreed to these and I have a long string of emails comprising the negotiations and culminating in their acceptance.

Fast forward to a nasty letter just recieved where they are chasing me for arrears to the amount of the concession. Reminding them of the agreement (with emails) has drawn a blank and they are now refusing to recognise this agreement.

So, am I screwed by not having the lease amended part way through the tenancy, or will these emails hold weight in court?

I'm going to see a solicitor as the amount we are talking about is a) not inconsiderable, and b) I think they are taking the piss out of me. I can't get in for a few days though, so was wondering what the resident experts thought.

Morally I'm right, although over the past months I've learned that this counts for the square root of fk all.

Edited by Maxf on Wednesday 15th September 18:02

[davegriff]

From the property side rather than the contentious side, I'd say that you were in a good position. Hopefully the emails are from the landlord if an individual, or from someone suitably senior if it's a company (from what you say it doesn't come across like a large organisation).

I suspect a firm letter or two from your solicitor enclosing copies will elicit some kind of response; at worst they should stop any action against you getting beyond the very initial stages.

Happy to direct you to a (v good) colleague but sure your guy will sort things for you quickly.