Tenant Introduced by Letting Agent but...

abeezar

Hi

I wanted to rent my house and I signed up with a Letting Agent (A) .

The letting agent (A) found a prospective tenant, did the viewing.

However, the tenant did not trust the Letting agent (A) and asked me that they will only rent my house if I went with another Letting agent (B) whom they currently with ,as they trust them.

Hence I then went to that letting agent (B) who did the Referencing, Setting of Contract, ID check and property is now RENTED.

LETTING AGENT (A) is asking introductory Fee of £599.

I am trying to covinced him that it is not me who has decided to not work with him but the Tenant refusal to do so which the tenant also communicated to Agent (A) about lack of trust.

Agent A is ASKING for Full FEES of £599 and I am trying convinced him to settle for £300 ,as he only introduced but did not do ID check/Referencing/Contract.


He said if I don't pay up then the matter will be dealt legally.

Can you please help what are my options.

thanks in advance.

Regards

G_M

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:


Sorry - have to laugh!

It is you who employs the agent (not the tenant). The tenant might ask you to switch agent, but it is you who decides whether to do so or not.

And any contract is between you and the agent.

So what contract did you sign with agent A? I cannot read it from here! But it seems likely that

* you employed them to find a tenant
* they found you a tenant
* you owe them a fee

Depending what your contract says, your options are probably

* pay what they are asking
* negotiate a lower amount which they may or may not agree to
* wait and see if they take legal action, which they are likely to win

You really cannot use what the tenant said, asked, insisted or begged you to do as an excuse. You are a landlord and you employed an agent.

The tenant was not legally involved in the contract between you and agent A, nor in the contract betwen you and agent B

diggingdude

Out of interest why didn't he trust the agent

AJ1982

Considering the contract is between landlord and tenants, not agency. What has trust got to do with anything.

Maybe the preferred agency has better properties

eddddy

This has the slight smell of a scam.

• Did the tenant know Agent B - are they friends/accomplices?

• Are you sure that Agent B is a legitimate, trustworthy letting agent?

• Did Agent B show you the tenant's ID docs and referencing paperwork?

Could it be that the tenant has got his friend (Agent to say he's passed his referencing checks, when he hasn't really?

Or he's got his friend to say he's passed his ID checks, when he hasn't really?

Or (slightly less worryingly) it was a ploy to help his friend earn a referencing fee, paid by you?

G_M

AJ1982 wrote: »

Considering the contract is between landlord and tenants, not agency. What has trust got to do with anything.

Maybe the preferred agency has better properties

Makes no sense.

A) The agency contract is between the landlord and the agent.
The tenancy contract is between the landlord and tenant.

In this scenario, it is the agency contract that is in dispute.

The property is the same whichever agent introduces the tenant to it!

phill99

Pay up. Or they will (rightly) drag you through the courts.

abeezar

Thanks for your messages.

Based on what has been recommended I rather pay and avoid the hassle .

Regards

theartfullodger

You let the tenant choose who did the referencing & credit checking?



Sir/madam, I admire your optimism. Please, for your sake & the neighbour's sakes, never again.

G_M

theartfullodger wrote: »

You let the tenant choose who did the referencing & credit checking?
.

Hey! Neat idea to avoid agency fees: Pay tenant to be responsible for collecting the rent and managing the property!