Details of prospective tenants from estate agent? Am I being intrusive?

PasturesNew

Billie-S wrote: »

But surely you should only want to see the things that the landlord is asking you for? Nobody is asking you for bank statements: only your previous address, your employer, and your contact details. Why on earth should a person letting you rent their property (probably worth six figures,) not have these details from you?

The landlord might not "like" what they see .... or what they then stereotype that to mean. Forms don't give a story/reason. When I moved in here it was my 8th address that year..... that sounds bad. Had been in new/current job for about 3 weeks .... doesn't sound good.

Eejay

Billie-S wrote: »

I find it most odd that the agent in question would not give the landlord the tenants mobile phone number. (As in post number 6.) He was her landlord FGS, not a debt collector!

They are a franchise of a fairly well known estate/letting agent, run by clowns (he didn't realise until after he'd signed up with them). I think the reason they didn't want him to have direct contact was because they didn't want him to get rid of them. I kept reminding him that he knew where she lived (i.e. in his flat!) and if he was really eager to get in touch, just to write to her! (The flat is in another city, otherwise I'd have stuck a note through her door myself!).

To be fair, the tenants (there were two to begin with, but one of them moved out when she found a job elsewhere) were a bit daft at times and the LA wasn't especially helpful on those occasions either. One time my husband received a bill for £70 or so when the boiler was 'not working'. The man who'd 'fixed' it had kindly scribbled a note to say that there was nothing wrong with it when he turned it on properly :rotfl:

RAS

Hi

Have you actually let the property to the letting agent as part of a guranteed rent scheme?

Rather than employing the agent to seek tenants for you?

There have been a number of nightmare stories on herew round these schemes because you are owner have no relationship with the occupier. If you want the tenant ouyt all you can do is tell the agent to evict them and hope they do it sometime.

Billie-S

PasturesNew wrote: »

The landlord might not "like" what they see .... or what they then stereotype that to mean. Forms don't give a story/reason. When I moved in here it was my 8th address that year..... that sounds bad. Had been in new/current job for about 3 weeks .... doesn't sound good.

8th address in a year?! Are you a horrible tenant or were they just really horrible landlords? :rotfl:

I'm just kidding.

I see where you're coming from, and also, I guess that the agent will have found out everything there is to know, so if the landlord has appointed an agent, it seems odd that he would want to know every last thing about the tenants.

But if I were a landlord, I would at least want to know a little bit about them, and meet them too: if only once.

I think it's a good idea to have a contact number too (if only a mobile.) I see why tenants don't want landlords knowing too much as it may invade their privacy, but at the same time, I guess they're worried about their property.

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

The OP clearly states she is in financial distress. Whilst I agree with jj and mart that the LL has to undertake due diligence, the tenant should also be informed. I for one wouldn't want to move into a property that is potentially a repo risk.

Billie-S

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays wrote: »

The OP clearly states she is in financial distress. Whilst I agree with jj and mart that the LL has to undertake due diligence, the tenant should also be informed. I for one wouldn't want to move into a property that is potentially a repo risk.

I wonder if the agent finds this out first? If not, and it is repo'd, would the tenant be protected/covered?

Billie-S

PasturesNew wrote: »

It was one of those things where I had been at the parents', dad'd just died, mum insisted on living alone, so I'd moved out to "manage" her life from a distance.... that then failed and she went into a home, so I moved back into their house while it was completing a sale, then I rented a holiday home for a week, then a holiday caravan for a week, then moved 200 miles and was in a hotel for 3 weeks, got a flatshare just for one month while waiting for another one to be vacant. Got the job, hated the live-in landlady, so left there to "rent proper".

8.

Awwwww, I'm so sorry about your dad. I hope your mom and you and your family are OK now.

And what a disruptive year that must have been. I hope you're more settled now.

Mercurial

After having two really irresponsible tenants in succession that both left my flat in really bad shape I insisted the LA be more careful with who they chose next. I insisted I wanted someone with really good references I don't care what my tenants do for a living but I wanted someone at least on paper who were a good prospect and I didn't mind waiting longer to find them.

I don't think you are out of order at all for asking that information.

PasturesNew

Billie-S wrote: »

I hope you're more settled now.

Yeah.... got fed up with renting

Billie-S

PasturesNew wrote: »

Yeah.... got fed up with intrusive LLs (turning up at the door randomly and thinking that's OK by saying "we saw your car so knew you were in"...) and fed up with intrusive agents and inspections .... and the decor. Bought a house this week, moving in next month

Wow, that IS intrusive. Yes, they should now a few bits about their tenant (IMO,) but they shouldn't keep badgering you. It should only be for emergencies. Oh and yes, the inspections are intrusive aren't they? I guess they are needed, but they are intrusive, and some landlords do them too often,

I hope you'll be happy in your new home, and congratulations! :T