sadowska Posted October 1, 2009 Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 Hope someone can advise a novice please. I have what sounds like a good tenant, but I'm worried about dealing with the agent. Having looked more closely at them I don't think the agent knows their own business. Therefore I'm not prepared to sign a contract (I haven't yet) in order to pay them their commission, in case problems crop up later. The agent has been vague and confused about who they're acting for, the vetting process etc. I don't want to be unscrupulous and deal with the tenant directly, not least because I don't want to end up in court. But I don't want to miss out on this tenant either, or for them to miss out on our house which they really like. I've got myself into the situation and I can't quite see a way out of it which is fair on everyone. The agent hasn't done anything obviously damaging yet so I'm not sure about my grounds for cancelling the verbal arrangement we have. However I've got no faith that they will get things right as things progress so I'm unwilling to have any more dealings with them if I can help it. Any thoughts would be really appreciated. I can set out the full story if you'd like more detail but I realise long posts can put people off! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melboy Posted October 1, 2009 Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 You would need to give out some information about why you are not happy with the professionalism of your LA for anyone here on the forum to make a comment on. If you are in any doubt then don't use this LA however if the tenant is on their books then you will not be allowed to poach him as a private tenant without the risk of some form of legal action against you. Mel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadowska Posted October 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 Thanks for the comments Reasons why the agent doesn’t seem to know their own business: - they stated that they’re not acting for either the tenant or the landlord but just as an intermediary; - they were baffled when I asked about getting an application form completed by the tenant, had no idea that anyone did this. I’ve produced a form myself and sent it through, and the agent now sounds worried saying that it’s very ‘involved’ (I just went by templates and advice on the web and in the Tony Booth book – is it me or them??); - they don’t know how their vetting agency does the vetting or what information they supply eg copy of the letter from the bank or copy of the credit check; - they marketed the property and arranged a viewing without me having signed anything (fair enough but seems a bit naive, what else are they naive about?); - they didn’t see the property before marketing but took my word for it that the details were accurate - Of course I now know they’re not registered with any of the professional bodies (I didn’t ask about that before). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melboy Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 Based on what you have said then I would not use them as they clearly have no expertise or understanding of what an LA does. They have a responsibilty to the Landlord as YOU are paying for a professional sevice and if money changes hands then you should expect nothing less than 100% professionalism from them. There is also a responsibilty to the Tenant to a lesser degree. How you proceed next is up to you. Mel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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