“Disclaimer:Tenant Support UK is not a law firm and does not provide regulated legal advice. All content on this website is for general informational purposes only, based on publicly available legal guidance and personal experience. If you need legal advice tailored to your situation, please consult a qualified solicitor or a trusted housing advice service.“

Imagine this:
You tell your landlord the boiler is broken and they promise, “Don’t worry, we’ll sort it next week.” Fast forward three months: you’re still showering with a kettle, and when you complain, the landlord looks at you like you’ve lost your mind.

Why?
Because you didn’t get it in writing and to them, if it’s not written, it didn’t happen.

The oldest trick in the landlord and letting agent handbook, the “Casual Promise and Convenient Amnesia” technique.
(Spoiler alert: It’s used daily.)

The Hidden Game: How Landlords and Letting Agents Avoid Responsibility

Most tenants don’t realize:
Landlords and agents thrive when communications are “informal.”

• Promises over the phone? Easy to deny.
• Verbal agreements? Forgotten faster than you can say “Section 21.”
• Handshakes and smiles? Useless in court.

Because when you can’t prove it, they can’t be held to it.

In their perfect world, everything is “just a chat” and “a misunderstanding.”
In the real world, that casual attitude leaves YOU without heating, hot water, repairs, and without a legal leg to stand on.

Your Arsenal: WhatsApp, SMS, Emails, Voice Recordings:

If you want to survive (and WIN), you need to document everything like you’re building a case for Netflix’s next true-crime series.

Here’s how you fight back:

WhatsApp Messages

Landlords and agents love WhatsApp for their convenience, but you use it for your evidence.

Always follow up conversations with a simple message:
“Just confirming our conversation, you’ll arrange the boiler repair by Friday?”

2. SMS Texts

• Old school? Maybe.
• Legally admissible? Absolutely.
• Texts are easier to export and less likely to get “accidentally” deleted.

3. Emails

• Nothing says “I know what I’m doing” like a polite but firm email trail.
• Keep it short, clear, and polite, but always document the key points.
• Bonus tip: BCC yourself to create timestamped records outside of their inbox.

4. Voice Recordings (where legal)

• In the UK, it’s legal to record calls without informing the other party as long as it’s for personal use or evidence gathering.
• Recording protects you when they get all “I never said that” later.

5. Screenshots, PDFs, Backup Copies

• Screenshots are your best friend.
• Save conversations as PDFs.
• Back them up in cloud storage.
  When the time comes, you want to be armed like a one-person army.

Real-Life Example: (Because landlords love plot twists):

Tenant: “You said you’d fix the mold!”
Landlord: “Nope, you must be mistaken.”

Tenant: Sends 27 screenshots, 4 emails, and 1 recorded voicemail.
Landlord: “The contractors will be there Monday.”

Moral of the story:
Receipts = Respect.

The Golden Tenant Rule:

If It’s Not Written, It Didn’t Happen. Period.

• You’re not crazy.
• You’re not annoying.
• You’re not being “too formal.”
• You’re being SMART.

Because when the gaslighting starts (and it often does), the truth won’t be a “he said, she said.”
The truth will be clear, documented, and undeniable.

And when you stand in front of the court, the judge won’t care about who smiled more nicely.
The judge will care about evidence.

Words for Tenants:

Stop giving landlords and letting agents the benefit of the doubt.
Stop assuming they’re “nice people” who will “do the right thing.”
They have insurance, solicitors, and property managers protecting their interests.

You only have YOURSELF.

So protect yourself.
Keep records.
Keep receipts.
Build your armor.
And when the day comes, you’ll walk into that courtroom like a boss and you’ll leave with more than just your dignity.
You’ll leave with justice.

If It’s Not Written, It Didn’t Happen. But if it IS written… it’s Game Over for them.

The Toolbox: 9 Ways to Fight Back Without Moving to Mars

1. Shelter England – england.shelter.org.uk — 0808 800 4444.
2. Citizens Advice Redditch & Bromsgrove – citizensadviceredditch.org.uk.
3. TSUK Letters Templates – TenantSupportUK.com
4. ACORN Community Union – acorntheunion.org.uk.
5. Generation Rent – generationrent.org.
6. Renters Reform Coalition – rentersreformcoalition.co.uk.
7. Housing Ombudsman Service – housing-ombudsman.org.uk.
8. Redditch Borough Council Housing Solutions – redditchbc.gov.uk/housing or call 01527 587 000.
9. Tenancy Deposit Schemes – depositprotection.com (DPS) • tenancydepositscheme (TDS) • mydeposits.co.uk (MyDeposits)

Tenant Support UK

• Facebook
• Reddit