I had an agreement with my landlord for him to take his money only through debit order every month on the 1st. I never missed a payment, I made sure the money was always available for them to take in my account at their cost. I planned all my finances around this date. Furthermore, the agreement we have together was that anything that should change that affects me or him, should be put in writing and signed by both of us.

Now my landlord decided to sell the building I am renting in, cancelled the debit order to my account for last month and now expects me to pay him through other means we never agreed on which is EFT or Cash. This change was never put in writing to me and I never signed anything like it. He basically failed to collect as agreed. But now the landlord has sent me a letter advising me that they will report me to the credit bureau if I do not pay within 20 days.

The question is, did he contravene our agreement, does he still deserve the pay and what can I do to make sure I do not get reported to the credit bureau given that the landlord is at fault ?

Furthermore to this question, could I sue for defamation of character if they dirt my credit record at the credit bureau ?