landlord - management changes

trailingspouse

We have been happily renting from our current private landlord for nearly 2 years. We have a good relationship with them - they are only renting because the house wouldn't sell, they're not 'professional' landlords, if you see what I mean.
Until now, they have been using a management company to deal with any maintenance issues, but like the rest of us their money is tight so they have suggested that they would like to take over the management of the property in order to save a bit of cash.
We've rented in the past where the landlord hasn't used a management company, and had no problems - but maybe we were just lucky.
My question is - what's the downside of our landlords dealing with the maintenance themselves? At the moment, the management company just seems to be a bit of a dog-leg - whenever I ring them, they can never make a decision but always have to talk to the landlord first. As far as I can see, we're just cutting out the middle man - am I being naive?

bap98189

In my experience as a tennant, it's generally far better if you deal directly with the landlord. It cuts out a middle-man and makes communication much quicker and easier.

Of course we have been lucky and had decent landlords who were reasonable about fixing things. Some are not, but in those circumstances I can't see how an agent can be of much help since they have to get the landlord's say-so before getting any repairs done.

Werdnal

Unless the agreement between the LL and Agent specifically permits, the agent cannot authorise any work or expenditure without the LL's consent, which is why they have to await the LL confirmation before any work is done. As you have experienced, this can delay things.

You should not really notice any issues in not having the agent in the way, but however good the relationship between you and the LL, I would ensure that any requests for future repairs and maintenance are put in writing. With the agent between you, there was always a third party who would record the requests, but you should make a point of keeping written copies of any repairs reported from now on.

LL may request you sign a new contract/tenancy agreement with them, but there is no need. Your existing agreement is valid, and the only thing that changes is who you pay your rent to - assuming you paid via the agent in the past. LL should confirm the new payment details in writing.

Also, might be worth querying with the LL, whether your deposit was protected via the agents, and if so, they should now retrieve that, re-protect it and issue you with the new prescribed information from whichever scheme they use. This will hopefully prevent delays and arguments at the end of the tenancy, when you need your deposit returned, and the LL claims the agents dealt with that and have to backtrack to get hold of the funds! Even with the agent in place, the LL is utimately responsible for the deposit return, so must ensure it is available to you when you leave.

Fire_Fox

Suggest the join a landlord's association instead for any information they were receiving or template documents.

trailingspouse

Many thanks - I couldn't think of any major disadvantages, but it's always good to be sure. They have to give the management company 3 months notice, so things aren't going to happen overnight anyway.

I will mention the deposit thing. Actually, that brings up another issue - when we first moved in, we'd been living abroad for 4 years and didn't technically have work, so the landlords took a double deposit (£1600). In fact, we were running our own business before we moved back here, and continued to do the same thing over here, so money was never an issue, and we have never struggled to pay the rent. Nearly two years down the line, could we ask for half the deposit back? It's £800 and we'd rather have it in our bank than in theirs!!

Werdnal

I would suggest you write to the LL and explain the deposit situation exactly as you have done here and ask. They have no obligation to return any of the deposit until the end of the tenancy, but if you don't ask you don't get! Sounds quite a reasonable request to me.

Fire_Fox

Agree it's worth asking, you may find your deposit has to be refunded to you in order to re-protect it anyway. You can always suggest to the landlord he comes over for an inspection/ cup of tea to satisfy himself you have not trashed the place.

G_M

Fire_Fox wrote: »

You can always suggest to the landlord he comes over for an inspection/ cup of tea to satisfy himself you have not trashed the place.

By far the best approach!

Actually I'd be hoping the LL would suggest this to you! But there's no harm in your suggesting it to him.

Getting to know each other and build a friendly relationship is an excellent tactic and makes life a lot easier in the future for both parties.

trailingspouse

Many thanks to everyone that suggested I should ask for it back. The opportunity presented itself earlier this week, and I broached the subject. They are perfectly happy to refund half of our double deposit when they take over the maintenance of the property in January. A good result.