Tenancy agreement with openrent

G_M

Landlords are welcome to sign additional paper agreements with tenants which go beyond the terms of the contract we provide, and this is the usual way of accommodating a requirement for the tenant to pay multiple months’ rent in advance. Payment of the additional months’ rent will need to be made directly to the landlord by the tenant, taking into account the amount the tenant has also paid to OpenRent for the first month’s rent and deposit".

I guess the missing information here is whether the tenant has access to dialogue with the LL prior to the tenancy being set up (openreach tenancy agreement signed and 1st months rent paid). I'm not clear how exactly openrent work.

a) if not
i) then T can't pay the 6 months upfront and get a receipt, before the tenancy is signed

ii) But once the tenancy is signed, the T could insist on sticking to its terms and decline to pay the 6 months upfront

b) however if T & LL meet/discuss prior to openrent tenancy being signed they could agree whatever they wish. However

i) giving the LL 5 months rent in return for a receipt before signing the openrent agreement (+1st months rent) might be unwise - is a contract formed by the payment to the LL or by the openrent arrangement? If the former, what are the terms? and what effect does the 2nd (openrent) contract have? If the latter, might the LL withdraw and run off with 5 months rent...?

ii) frankly, it would be simpler (if the LL/openrent contract permitted) to bypass the openrent tenancy agreement and 1st months rent altogether, and simply sign a tenancy agreement provided by the LL and pay him in full directly.