Letting Agent Increased rent without telling me

steeeb

Are we betting the agent tells the lady "We managed to save you £25 a month, come in and sign a new agreement".

vuvuzela

*~Zephyr~* wrote: »

I'm not sure I understand what you mean? A discrepancy between what? And how would I be stuck?

I'd ignore Miss Samantha, she seems to be trying to troll you. The majority of people on here appear to think you've done the right thing.

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

vuvuzela wrote: »

I'd ignore Miss Samantha, she seems to be trying to troll you. The majority of people on here appear to think you've done the right thing.

She thinks that the opportunity cost of £300 a year is the only relevant cost. It isn't. OP clearly knows the tenant. There are plenty of people, myself included, who will accept a rent of slightly below market value for the correct tenant. The cost of a void or a trashed house is far more than £300 pa!

Marvel1

Miss_Samantha wrote: »

Are your being serious?

The agent, who should act in your best interest, has increased the rent according to the local market and you aren't happy about it... Wow.

vuvuzela wrote: »

I'd ignore Miss Samantha, she seems to be trying to troll you. The majority of people on here appear to think you've done the right thing.

This, especially when can't even answer the question.

Miss_Samantha

vuvuzela wrote: »

The majority of people on here appear to think you've done the right thing.

Which should make any landlord think twice.

nicmyles

This has been going on for years. One flat I rented the landlady and I were engaged in constant warfare with her managing agents, as they kept trying to increase the rent by ludicrous amounts against her express instructions.

Her view was the same as the OP, ie the increase was not worth losing reliable tenants over. Unfortunately she lived overseas and had limited time to spend on the property so never got round to binning them.

We just kept in touch and I checked she knew about things the agent was trying to get us to agree to. She usually didn't.

For the poster saying: "well, it's market rent, innit" - yes, if parasitic letting agents all hike up rents all the time to increase their own earnings, that will become the market rent. Doesn't mean it's a fair or affordable rent, and landlords should more often take the longer term view of the OP.

*~Zephyr~*

Miss_Samantha wrote: »

Which should make any landlord think twice.

Well now you're just making yourself look daft Miss Samantha. You're just posting cryptic posts that make little sense and are avoiding answering direct questions. Kindly desist.

*~Zephyr~*

FBaby wrote: »

Clearly your concern is that she might not be in a position to pay because of the increase, but she agreed to it so maybe she does have more income than you are assuming. Who knows, she might have been married to a very rich man who gives her £1000 a month in child maintenance.

Thank you for your input, it is appreciated.

But if she had a rich-ex paying maintenance, she wouldn't be able to claim HB surely?

Miss_Samantha

*~Zephyr~* wrote: »

Well now you're just making yourself look daft Miss Samantha. You're just posting cryptic posts that make little sense and are avoiding answering direct questions. Kindly desist.

This wasn't cryptic at all.

DaftyDuck

I always let out just under the market value. That means tenants are always keen to stay, and therefore tend to look after the property well, keep the garden tidy, and are happy with me. I sleep at night, not because I am noble and charitable (I'm not; I'm a 5hit of the highest ordure), but because my property investment is well-cared for in more ways than one.

It also meant that voids were non-existent, I had a choice of tenants every time and, on the odd occasion there was some hiccough of some kind, both parties looked fondly on sorting it out amicably.

It also meant I had a good relationship with the tenants, which proved handy.

One became, for a while, my boss's boss!

Wish I'd squeezed him for the extra tenner a week. NOT!