My tenant of 5 years recently ended up in hospital for 3 months. My building's insurance stipulates that the property cannot be empty for more than 31 days in a row. Tenants family informed the agent what had happened, and a family member visited the property occasionally, however no-one was staying there. The agent did not inform me so I could could not make arrangements with my insurance company or inform them. In my opinion they have invalidated my buildings insurance and this amounts to gross mismanagement. There was also a very, small fire caused by a faulty oven. If the property had burned down, my insurance company would have grounds not to pay out. I want to terminate my contract with the agent immediately for putting my property at risk. Agent is demanding a £600 exit fee. I asked my tenant to pay me direct whilst I dealt with the fallout. Agent is now threatening both of us with breach of contract. The agent is a subsidiary of a large estate agent so have a legal arsenal behind them. Where do I stand and what are my options?
