Renting through an agency, little advice wanted

Fire_Fox

Talk about moving the goalposts.

franklee

I think the point is that the tenant doesn't know if their landlord is a good un being badly represented by a rubbish agent or if the landlord is happy with the way the agent is acting.

I've read plenty of comments from landlords on here saying they would welcome their tenant letting them know how the agent is under performing and be given the chance to put things right directly. However if the tenant cannot reach the landlord that option isn't available. It may be a bad agent is deliberately cutting off the chance of a tenant complaining to a landlord. It maybe the at the landlord's request. However I think any landlord is better off knowing what is really going on and keeping a good tenant. Therefore getting the landlord's address is pretty important IMO.

Pookielydia, Your reasoning over the legislation looks about right to me. The only flaw is I'm not sure email counts so I'd suggest you write again this time on paper and quoting the act (as in my previous post) including it's definition of address. The agent knows the law but the purpose of the letter is to ask formally for the address and demonstrate to the agent that you know the exact law.

If at the end of the day that still draws a blank then the complaint letters I suggested may put pressure on the agent to comply. The letter to your MP would explain the difficulty a tenant has in enforcing the law and asking them to assist, perhaps they will write to the agent, perhaps they will suggest how you can take things further or if that's not possible ask them to lob in a complaint anywhere they think it could help.

missile

Pookielydia wrote: »

Anyone any other thoughts on this?

As another poster has said, you need to be careful or you will be marked as a trouble maker to be evicted at the first oportunity.

Pookielydia

missile wrote: »

As another poster has said, you need to be careful or you will be marked as a trouble maker to be evicted at the first opportunity.

Well that was helpful.. Franklee has given sound advice and I intend to act on it, so thanks Franklee.

What I do have to say to your comment though missile, however well intended? As it sounds very self righteous...

I cannot be evicted for simply wanting the landlords address which must be provided to me by law!

And if I did get evicted for that reason then obviously it's illegal eviction..

All I simply want is the landlords address, how is that cause to even suggest I might be a trouble maker...

missile

You may have good reason to be angry with the EA. My comment was intended to caution you to think hard before continuing in the belligerent manner you have displayed in this post. You will catch more flies with honey.

Never ceases to amase me when posters ask for help, then abuse those who do not share their point of view.

franklee

Retaliatory eviction is always a possibility but I doubt many landlords would evict a good tenant over something as trivial as asking for their address (unless they were up to something dodgy).

A landlord can evict a tenant using a section 21 notice which is a no fault notice so no reason for using it is needed. This gives two months notice on a periodic tenancy and then if the tenant doesn't leave voluntarily the landlord had to get a possession order etc. However if it's a good tenant I doubt a landlord would go that far facing fees, possible void time and a new untested tenant.

The agent may want to evict so they can get more tenant finding fees and side step any complaints about them. All the more reason for establishing contact with the landlord IMO as the agent will be acting in their own interests which may not match those of the landlord.

As for getting a reputation as a trouble maker, make sure the letters are polite enough to show the tenant in good light in front of a judge or a prospective new landlord so it will be clear who was the real trouble maker and who was reasonable. Obviously all letters need to be polite and factual.