Advice on Assured shorthold tenancy

Nortthernsoulman1949

In May, I signed an Assured shorthold tenancy agreement which states:
You will have the property and the furniture for 6 months from 19th May 2012 to 11 am on 18th November 2012. If, at the end of this time, you want to continue the tenancy and you have not already received from us two months' notice to end the tenancy, it will carry on from month to month as a monthly contractual tenancy. You must give one month's notice to end it. This notice must be given to expire on a rent payment day.

When I moved in, I had a poor credit record due to my previous home being repossessed the previous year but did have a lump sum from the proceeds of the eventual sale of the house so I paid the 6 months' rent up-front.

I had originally planned to emigrate within the 6 month period once I had sorted out my belongings, this fact had been communicated to the managing agent. However due to a convalescence (following an accident abroad last year) that was somewhat slower than anticipated this timescale has been somewhat delayed, but I would hope to leave around the early part of next year.

As I am shortly going on an extended holiday, I recently contacted the managing agent to advise that I wanted to stay beyond the end of the 6 month period and wanted to arrange for a standing order to ensure timely payment of the rent from 19th November.

I received the following reply:

[FONT=&quot]I am pleased to hear you wish to stay on. If so, the landlord asks that you commit to a new 6 month tenancy. We have an admin charge for this of £45 + VAT. Would you like to arrange a meeting to come in and complete this? We can provide all payment details at that time [/FONT]

I was somewhat surprised and responded that I thought I had the right merely to extend on a rolling basis. The agents' response was:[FONT=&quot]

The landlord wants to have the security of a fixed term contract which I can understand.[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Can we make an arrangement for you to call in?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]I do feel the landlord is unreasonable in asking for 6 months' security as he has already had this. I have conducted the tenancy without any problems but the last thing I want is to be tied in to another 6 month period. Equally, at this stage I do not want the upheaval of finding somewhere else with the same 6 month period.[/FONT][/FONT]

[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]What are my options and how should I proceed? Thanks.[/FONT][/FONT]

Werdnal

Do you know the LL? Can you contact him direct? The LL is not charging the renewal fee - that will go in the agent's pocket!

Try to contact the LL direct, discuss your situation exactly as you have described it here and ask whether agent is being truthfull in wanting to charge you (and no doubt him as well) for the priviledge of another 6 month term! Point out that the original agreement offered 6 months followed by a periodic tenancy, and that is what you signed up for. As you have been a reliable tenant, you are very disappointed that the agent is trying to exploit you for renewal when there is no need!

Nortthernsoulman1949

Thank you, that sounds like good commonsense advice. Yes, I have met the landlord on a few occasions - he comes over as a nice guy and was actually far more reasonable than his agent regarding some issues when I first moved in. He owns a few properties in this street, so I will try to track him down. Thanks again.