Can I end letting agreement if tenants threatening to leave due to complaints about letting agent?

Can I end letting agreement if tenants threatening to leave due to complaints about letting agent?

10:15 AM, 5th December 2014, About 10 years ago 5

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We are using a letting agent to rent out our property. The tenants have been in for around a year and we pay for full management of the property which suits us. However the tenants are not happy with the letting agency – they have specifically asked to deal with ourselves as they have been accused by the letting agent of not paying their rent when they have, no apology when it turned out letting agent was wrong, they are fed up with the agents poor communication and generally report being treated badly by the letting agent.

So we are now paying for full management, but are actually doing it ourselves. And now the tenants are threatening to move if we can’t ditch the letting agent. So ultimately we face either paying £700 to get out of the contract or losing our tenants who we want to keep. Do I have any grounds to end the contract with the letting agent when they can’t keep the tenants happy? We are bending over backwards to be decent landlords – refunded rent etc while work was being done on the property, but I’m mad it’s the letting agency who are going to screw things up! Especially when we pay them 15% to now do nothing as the tenants are refusing to deal with them!

Ideally I would chose to keep the letting agent if they were doing their job as I don’t want the hassle of managing the property myself but now we’re faced with no rent coming in if we keep them. What are my options?

Bluecomplaints


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Sam Addison

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17:17 PM, 5th December 2014, About 10 years ago

looks as if you have to choose between the letting agents and the tenants. I would certainly take the tenants comments seriously. Sounds as if the agents could upset any tenant and 15% sounds high to me. To avoid paying £700 you will need to read your agreement with them carefully and possibly get legal advice.
As far as the hassle of managing the property yourself goes - I am sure you have other letting agents in the area. try talking to some of them.

JOHN SCOTT

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17:49 PM, 5th December 2014, About 10 years ago

CHANGE YOUR LETTING AGENT NOW

Colin Belton

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22:04 PM, 5th December 2014, About 10 years ago

Having been a letting agent, as soon as I read they mislaid the rent, alarms went off. That is simply not acceptable, they are not meeting their terms of business with you.

If you feel justified, simply hand the property to another agent, after doing due diligence, and tell the agent to meet you in court. They will not want to go there because they've broken the contract with you. I'm sure the tenant will stand as witness.

I've more extensive information on the relationship of contracts between agents, landlords and tenants at my blog which you can read here https://www.rentaljoy.com/blog/2014/12/the-landlord-the-tenant-and-the-rental-agent-and-their-contracts/

Best of luck in finding a new agent.

Tessa Shepperson

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9:01 AM, 6th December 2014, About 10 years ago

You need to check your agency agreement. It sounds as if they are in breach in which case you can end the agreement and either manage the property yourself or, as people have said above, use another agent.

As a precautionary measure, maybe made sure you have received all your rent from them and the tenants are primed not to make any more payments to them, before you do this ...

I have a guide on Landlord Law for landlords in this situation here:: http://www.landlordlaw.co.uk/letting-agent-dismissal

Sam Addison

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10:13 AM, 6th December 2014, About 10 years ago

Just one caveat - you may only have the tenants word that the rent was mislaid and that communications are generally poor. There may be some hidden agenda here or possibly personal conflict. The agents may not be totally to blame. Worth checking if poss before precipitate action that may land you in court.

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