Am I stupid? yes I am!!

General Discussion

I rented an apartment (fully furnished and equipped) for three months, on AST to a lady who was in between moves. We agreed an all inclusive rent, as we agreed she might be there for one month or three - hardly worth changing the utilities for such a short time. I detailed the costs, based on previous tenant bills. THis was for the period July -October. She is still there, although she says she has now found a suitable house, as we all know, it aint over til the fat lady sings! So with rent due on 16th Oct (paid yesterday) this date is also the end of her official AST tenancy. I wrote to her and indicated that from November 16th rent would increase by £50 pcm to cover additional heating - she refuses to pay/negotiate, saying AST maximum increase after one year is 5%. Where do I stand - if at all?