Landlord trying urgently to contact us direct

zaphod_beeblebrox_2

Been in flat for 50 weeks and the landlord (who lives in Pakistan) has written to us twice in a desperate attempt to speak to us

We’ve been paying the rent religiously each month to a small, independent agency and had no problems whatsoever, now the landlord is saying in these letters ..

Quote .. “In 2008 they did not pay me two months rent and in Jan and Feb 09 they have not paid”

We can’t work out if this is a scam just to get rid of the agent and go direct with us, so we are being careful not to hastily call the agent in case it makes matters worse

What would you do? …. reply to the landlord in Pakistan by phone as requested, contact the agent about the letters or do nothing?

poppysarah

Get a bank statement and have a look whether it's been paid.

zaphod_beeblebrox_2

poppysarah wrote: »

Get a bank statement and have a look whether it's been paid.

We pay the agent by DD, what contact the agent and ask to see their Bank Statements ?

p00hsticks

zaphod_beeblebrox wrote: »

What would you do? …. reply to the landlord in Pakistan by phone as requested, contact the agent about the letters or do nothing?

No way would I phone Pakistan unless he was willing to reverse the charges !

Has he provided an address ? I'd double check my bank accounts to confirm that the money has been taken (or cheques have been cashed), and then write to him saying that, and telling him that if he has any further problem he should take them up directly with the agency.

princeofpounds

- Ensure you have paid it - check your statements again.

- If you have, the non-payments are not your problem. The lettings agent is the landlord's agent and their actions in accepting the payment can be imputed to the landlord. As a tenant, you actually have no contractual relationship with the agent.

- The question then becomes what to do going forwards.
- Are you sure this person is your landlord?
- If so, are you sure the landlord has given you an address in England and Wales which is acceptable for service of legal notices? If not, then you are not required to pay rent until they do, and can set the money aside in a segregated account. This is important because if your deposit is retained you need to be able to start proceedings to reclaim it.
- Insist on getting it in writing where the landlord wants you to pay the rent and how. Keep records and get receipts for all rent paid.

- There is no scam in getting rid of the agent, as long as this genuinely is the landlord. If the agent comes to you for money, they will not get any - tell them that you have received instructions from the lanlord, that their contractual relationship is with the landlord, that they should only contact you in writing.

- I do not see why you should not confirm with the agent at some point. If there is a dispute between them and the landlord, they will find out sooner or later! You would feel better with confirmation from both parties (though you don't need the agent to accept it, just acknowledge it!). You may wish to let your landlord know before confirming though.

lostinrates

princeofpound, presumably the agent is the LLs representative in England/wales? If thats the case wouldn't that create an issue if the agent is 'got rid of' with no England/wales contact?

If a new/alternative/pre-existing England/Wales contact is in place then I would have though contact would have been made via them or in addition to the LLs vcontact; if nothing else for economy!

princeofpounds

lostinrates wrote: »

princeofpound, presumably the agent is the LLs representative in England/wales? If thats the case wouldn't that create an issue if the agent is 'got rid of' with no England/wales contact?

If a new/alternative/pre-existing England/Wales contact is in place then I would have though contact would have been made via them or in addition to the LLs vcontact; if nothing else for economy!

You don't actually need a representative in E&W, simply an address for service. Any communication can be done any normal way.

Obviously the landlord will need someone to act for him if anything actually needs to be done! That is a practical implication, but it is for the landlord to decide, not the tenant.

zaphod_beeblebrox_2

Thanks for replies chaps, we are confident this is the landlord as ..

* We have been constantly redirecting letters for him to the agent
* He has left a phone number and address in Pakistan
* He stated in the letter he would call us back after our initial call to him
* He stated that he believes that we are paying the rent but the agent isn’t passing it on to him in Pakistan

I guess the issue here is what would you do from here ?

lostinrates

zaphod_beeblebrox wrote: »

Thanks for replies chaps, we are confident this is the landlord as ..

* We have been constantly redirecting letters for him to the agent
* He has left a phone number and address in Pakistan
* He stated in the letter he would call us back after our initial call to him
* He stated that he believes that we are paying the rent but the agent isn’t passing it on to him in Pakistan

I guess the issue here is what would you do from here ?

Personally I would suggest he instruct a new agent that you can start paying. Having a proffesional in UK means you have someone to cheaply/easily go to for repairs etc and your gas safety checks, and to hold your deposit.

What will happen about the deposit you paid at start of tenancy you need to find out though

Caveat: I am not an expert

1984ReturnsForReal_2

Go and see the agent & tell them he is saying that they havent passed the money on.

zzzLazyDaisy

Dear [name],

Thank you for your letter of [date]. Unfortunately, I am unable to assist you, and can only suggest that you take this matter up directly with your agent.

Yours etc.