Estate Agent threatening eviction - contract not returned

marksoton

Lolly88 wrote: »

There is a fee for £66. I'm going to take your advice and write a letter to the landlord and send it to them tomorrow recorded delivery, I just hope he/she is understanding. I'll call the estate agents tomorrow and explain my plan of action.

If I don't receive a response from the landlord what should I do?

Why? Nothing to do with them.

Lolly88

Pixie5740 wrote: »

Don't send it recorded delivery. If their not in no one will be there to sign for it. 1st class post with proof of postage is sufficient. Do you have the LL's phone number or just an address?

I only have the address no phone number unfortunately. Good point about recorded delivery, thanks.

marksoton wrote: »

Why? Nothing to do with them.

Well if i don't contact them they're just going to keep calling, leaving notes/ making threats and chasing me down which is just going to stress me out. Plus i don't want to be rude by ignoring them.

marksoton

Lolly88 wrote: »

Well if i don't contact them they're just going to keep calling, leaving notes/ making threats and chasing me down which is just going to stress me out. Plus i don't want to be rude by ignoring them.

Yep, until you make it clear you won't accept that.

G_M

Do NOT tell the agent what you are doing. They will interfere!

After you write,

*The landlord will either be sympathetic and instruct the agent to allow your current periodic tenacy tocontinue, or

* ignore you, or

* tell you to deal with the agent, or

* say he wants a new fixed term contract

If the agent knows, however, they will contact the landlord which may influence him as to which option he takes (eg they'll tell the LL to ignore you as they are dealing with it for him).

No sensible landlord, who knows the true position, would instruct his agent to evict a reliable, paying tenant for this reason. Eviction/replacement is expensive for a landlord.

But for an agent, eviction/replacement means additional fees.

Lolly88

I was concerned about telling the Estate agent what I was doing as I was paranoid that they might slander me to the landlord to give reason to evict but then I thought maybe I was being paranoid. I can't ignore them forever and it make take a while for the landlord to reply that's if he/she does end up replying. So what should I say? I can imagine them turning up at my flat to question me about it because they do occasionally do repairs and stuff in the evenings/weekends.

G_M

I can imagine them turning up at my flat to question me about it because they do occasionally do repairs and stuff in the evenings/weekends.

So have a cake on stand-by!

If the landlord turns up, so much the better. In fact, why not write and invite him?

provide tea and cake, explain what you want, explain the benefits to him as well as you (agent's fee), and reassure him you are a sensible, reliable tenant.

Meanwhile you can always stall the agent:

* you've lost the contract, please send another
* you're waiting for your solicitor to check it through
* you've already returned it. Must be lost in the post
* the dog ate it (unless the contract forbids dogs!)
* aliens came and took all the paper in the house as a power source for their space ship

Lolly88

Sorry I meant the estate agent turning up and questioning me not the landlord. I've never met the landlord.

Rosemary7391

G_M wrote: »

* you've already returned it. Must be lost in the post

I wouldn't say that - that does imply you're happy to sign it and pay their fee. Especially with such poor communication skills from the agent (pinning a note to the door!) I'd want to be very clear with them.

G_M

Rosemary7391 wrote: »

I wouldn't say that - that does imply you're happy to sign it and pay their fee. Especially with such poor communication skills from the agent (pinning a note to the door!) I'd want to be very clear with them.

Maybe you're right. Best stick with the aliens option.

G_M

Lolly88 wrote: »

Sorry I meant the estate agent turning up and questioning me not the landlord. I've never met the landlord.

Time you did then! Is his address local? If so, tea and cake.....