Is it ok to contact tenants directly??

bikingbarney

Im possible going to become a LL for the first time in the next month or so, been reading up a lot on it and have decided to let a Ea manage it for me for 10% a month .

However in the LL questionaire it asks for recommended builders or repair men to be nominated otherwise they will use there own contracters who no doubt push prices right up.

To save on costs and as im fairly confident at doing repairs myself i was wondering if that was ok ?

obviously for things like boiler servicings etc i would get proper people to do it but im talking about leaks, tiling etc.

Is this a common thing or not?

also even though im going to use a Ea to manage the house for me is it a good idea for me to write to tenants directly saying they can contact me directly if they have no joy with EA.

thanks

Steve

Colincbayley

Having a dog and barking yourself comes to mind.

Either let the agent do the job for which you will be paying them, or if you want to get involved then do it yourself.
(you can always go back to the agent that finds you the tenant for advice if you become unstuck)

silverchair

I disagree. I think it would be a good thing if the tenants can contact you directly as long as its not about every tiny little issue. I also don't see that its a problem that you do some of the DIY yourself as long as its completed quickly & not drawn out to suit your timetable. Remember that it will now be your tenant's home & they may not want the inconvenience of having somebody there for 3 days rather than 1. Make sure you don't send round a mate though to do boiler repairs etc as this is the quickest way to peeve off your tenants. Get someone professional for that. There are some very good threads on here giving to new landlords. Also remember that it is a business.

Good Luck!

Mankysteve

Your required to give your new tenants your contact details anyway so to ask you to contact you for minor stuff isn't a huge issue if you want to do that.

clockworks_2

I wouldn't go the fully managed route. The agent will always charge you extra for work which no doubt you could do yourself. I would contact the tenants direct.

G_M

It's entirely up to you. YOU are the landlord. YOU pay the agent's fees, so YOU decide how much and what you want them to do.

Give them clear WRITEN instructions about who to use for what type of repairs in what circumstances. If you want them to use their own contractors for everything, fine, tell them. If you want them to contact you first before authorising any work, fine, tell them. If you want the tenants to contact you re repairs not the agents, fine, tell them.

It's your house, your money so you decide.

Plus read this.

property.advert

I'm a tenant. In the past I've been both a tenant and a landlord.

My rented property is through an agent who do not manage the property. That is done by another company. However, the landlord wants to nickel and dime all the time and drags out approval until he find the cheapest handyman to do a job. Fine for some things, utterly useless for important stuff - so much so that I've told him that I'll just get it done and invoice if there is any further prevarication.

Forget the legalise for a minute and be practical. If you are not working and could drop what you are doing at 10am or 10pm to go around and fix a busted pipe then perhaps you can manage it yourself. If however you live 100 miles away or are working all day, then you cannot fix it within the time frame which is generally acceptable and if you mess tenants about, they'll leave at best. Then you enter the void.

So be truthful to yourself.

Some agents will find someone for you for a few beer vouchers in a brown envelope if you know where to look.