Just caught tenant moving out without telling me..

simpywimpy

Why would I not wish to answer?

Another poster mentioned the Sec21 notice so I checked with the agency and they issued one dated the day the tenancy started.

My main issue here is the agent. I posted what the TA says and there is no contract in place between us and the agency it now appears but I never agreed to a tenant moving in without paying the first month up front. It was only whenI had to chase the money that they told me they hadnt taken anything and this bad service has meant I lost 5wk rent

simpywimpy

Just had yet another conversation with the LA.

I told him that he was in the wrong for not informing us of what he calls his standard policy before accepting the tenant on our behalf.

His standard policy is to accept a tenant without deposit or advance rental simply because otherwise they wouldnt be able to let it.

I told him very calmly that had he pointed that out to us at any point beforehand, we would have gone elsewhere. Had he pointed it out to us when he found the tenant, we would not have accepted them.

To my mind, this is negligence on his part but I have nothing in writing to support either his standard practice or lack of it! The did say that they visited the tenant at her home which was spotless and dida credit check which came back fine. Am I entitled to see or get copies of these reports?

His response to my complaint? One word - OK

clutton_2

you are entitled to see the credit checks.

i would spend time finding a new agency and get a new tenant - all this time spent on blaming the agent is not paying yoru mortgage is it ?

the ex-tenant is on benefits - you wont get the outstanding rent and the agent has no obligation to pay you - move on

simpywimpy

Thanks Clutton. I have another tenant installed thankfully who has paid a months rent upfront.

I tried the council who arent interested as you say but am livid with the agent for being so deceitful. I will move on now I promise. Im just disappointed there is nothing I can do about it.

Having said that, in comparison to another landlady in the local paper I have been extremely lucky. She has had tenants continually doing a runner by the time the benefit comes through in a trend that appears to be growing locally now the rent is paid direct.

franklee

simpywimpy wrote: »

The agency is called 2let, based in Burnley.

Not quite apt. 2ilet seems to suit them, better ... well they seem to be pants Oh the temptation if you see their boards up about the place and you just "happen" to be carrying a marker pen

Snooze

simpywimpy wrote: »

Thanks Clutton. I have another tenant installed thankfully who has paid a months rent upfront.

I tried the council who arent interested as you say but am livid with the agent for being so deceitful. I will move on now I promise. Im just disappointed there is nothing I can do about it.

Having said that, in comparison to another landlady in the local paper I have been extremely lucky. She has had tenants continually doing a runner by the time the benefit comes through in a trend that appears to be growing locally now the rent is paid direct.

Does 'it' switch on and light up? :rolleyes:

Anyway, enough of this BS. LLs who use agents are amateurs and shouldn't be in the business, simple as. It's not difficult to do a check on a tenant yourself, nor is it difficult to put an ad in your local paper and on gumtree and nor is it difficult to collect the rent once a month. I really don't get why people use LLs because they cause more hassle than they're worth. I guess most LLs think that it's the easy option to sit back, put their feet up and watch the money roll in from their cash cow without having to do anything for it. A lot of them are getting the wake-up call they need, including you my dear. :rolleyes:

Instead of moaning about what you 'expected' from the agent without even speaking to them about it prior to accepting the tenant, you should be glad that you're only 5 weeks out of pocket. A professional rent dodger would have had your property tied up for 6-9 months before you could get an eviction order enforced and you wouldn't have seen a penny.

I think you should sell your house as you're clearly not cut out to be a LL.

R

furndire

I'd still put what has happened in writing to the council - they won't act or want to know anything if phone calls are not followed up in a letter. As you say, they won't do anything, but it might flag her name up somewhere so she maybe won't get away with it again. Our tenant who did this had obviously been planning to hang on for another week, but as we rumbled her she cleared off just before her money was paid.
It can still happen if you manage your own properties, but we have found that having a rapport with tenants helps them feel that you aren't just in it for the money, and they know that if there is a problem they can tell you not a third party. Also gives you more notice if a job needs doing. Its also gives you a sense when something isn't quite right

I must admit Snooze, I can't understand why people who don't have many properties don't manage them themselves, especially if they are local to owner. No-one looks after your interests better than yourself. Plus, it means you can keep your rents realistic - not having to pay the extra to an agent.

simpywimpy

Thanks Furndire for your respectful reply unlike the one above it.

The circumstances of becoming a LL were not the norm and as we only just manage to cover the mortgage since the rates dropped, we are far from sitting back counting the money.

The reasons for using an agent as opposed to doing it ourselves was to make sure we were following the necessary legislation and paperwork requirements rather than making a mistake ourselves. To a first time LL this seemed the safest and wisest method to us.

I did of course question the agent twice before agreeing to using them and was assured that all necessary checks would be done etc, I kept asking for copies of paperwork but by the time they were sent, the tenant was already in.

The havent even got a copy of the contract that we signed saying we did not want a benefits tenant! I plan to go back in on Monday and ask for copies of the credit checks they said they did but having seen the file, there is nothing in there!

furndire

I didn't mean to come across as querying what you did. When we first started renting, it worried me a lot, but I had heard stories of what some agents were like, and how much they were charging to make mistakes. I was so pleased when we eventually got rents coming in properly - I reckon you are going to find that there are more and more HB claiments as people lose their jobs. A lot of HB tenants manage to find deposits, especially if they have just moved from another property. What annoys me is that the mortgage lenders specify "no DoSS tenants" as a requisite to giving you a mortgage. How the heck are we supposed to know if someone is working, and then loses their job. Do they expect us to put them out on the street. If you do get a good DoSS tenant, they are usually a good bet and likely to stay in a house for years if the property is nice. Its a bit scary until they get their first rent paid, but usually after that its plain sailing. I have got to emphasize the word Good though.

simpywimpy

I agree. The tenant that "left" was a little white haired lady of about 60 - not what you would think of as a potential bad tenant. The house itself was very well finished because it was originally bought for my son to live in so the fittings etc were of a better quality than I would have put in had it been solely a business rental. On that basis alone, I would never have agreed to neither advance rental or deposit.

It is a learning curve and one I hope not to repeat however, when you are paying someone for a service that they are seen then not to deliver (LA) then I feel very angry.