Letting Agency

[zoology2]

Hi.I would like some some advice about keeping my tenant in the property without having to get him to move out and then move back in again.

I have a good relationship with him.I used a letting agency because I'm currently living in Italy.I ahve been with them for 2years and frankly pay them for doing nothing.I have my own maintence man and most things are sorted out by myself.Insurance etc.I have not been happy with the agency as I have to run after them all the time.I decided not to renew the contract which is up now,but they told me because they found the tenant I will have to pay them £120 per month while he is still living in there.I would be grateful for any advice and before anyone cares to make judgement,I'm not being a greedy landlord,I stayed with the agency for 2yrs but their service has not been fantastic and realise now that I can and do most of the work myself.

Dawnmarie

[Mortitia]

Hi there,

This must be about the most commonly asked question on this site!

When you first signed up with this agency you signed up to their terms and conditions which is a legally binding contract. If your tenant had turned out to be a nightmare they may have stepped in and sorted things out for you but you were lucky he was a good tenant and now you don't want to pay for their service. That is unreasonable in my book. In future check what you are signing up to.

Alternatively you could have used an agent just for' tenant finding' which can be just a one off payment and that would be an end to payments. Isn't hindsight a wonderful thing?

Unless you feel the agency are not doing thier contracted job and you can prove that in a court of law you are stuck with the arrangement unless you can negtotiate an end to the contract by paying them off. I recommend you give it a try.

Mortitia

[Melboy]

Hi Dawnmarie,

I agree with everything that Mortitia has said to you.

You cannot change horses mid-race unless you can prove that your LA has committed a service which is totally unacceptable to you by way of mis-management and even then you would have to put it in writing to them why you think things are being handled badly by the LA.

I am sorry to say you are stuck with your LA until such times as the exisiting tenant vacates the property.

Mel.

[peter08850]

Try talking with the Agent, you could offer a seperation fee, say equivalent to their tenant finding fee, they may be prepared to take this one-off payment. But if not unless you are prepared to detail in writing where they are in breach of the management agreement with you and you can serve notice on them, you are stuck as you are. try the nice approach 'pay-off' first and see how they react.