Evict a good tenant just to switch LA?

*~Zephyr~*

My Letting Agent is getting to be annoying and for many reasons, they really aren't worth the management fee anymore. So I asked them to confirm that once my tenant's fixed term runs out and it becomes a rolling contract, that my obligations to them is over and I can move Agents if I wish.

They told me that while yes, that is the case, because they found me the tenant I would be required to evict her before moving Agents. This is because they consider my tenant to be "their" tenant, and a new LA shouldn't be able to reap the benefit of "their" find.

I was stunned by this. I can't believe that I would have to make this nice young woman and her family homeless just to switch LA. I always suspected that LA's were scum, but this really takes the biscuit! Surely this can't be right?! I'm considering writing to my MP about this because I really don't think that tenants should be treated like this. Is this a common thing??

G_M

Read

Letting Agents (Tips for selecting, and tips for sacking them)

See also the Foxtons/OFT case (link within link above)

jjlandlord

Have you read your contract with your agent before posting here? What does it say?

eddddy

Hi *~Zephyr~*

I guess this is a fairly obvious statement really, but you should have read the contract with the agent before signing it, and asked yourself lots of "What ifs". (e.g. What if the agent is useless and I want to sack them?)

Then challenge the Agent about terms you don't like, before signing.

I'm sometimes surprised by the number of contract clauses an agent will strike out, to persuade you to sign. (But maybe some would argue that this is a sign of a bad Agent.)

But their attitude completely changes after signature.