Very high remarketing fees

gingercordial

Keeper98 said:

user1977 said:

Keeper98 said:

AdrianC said:

Yes, it's definitely reasonable.

Looking back, the last tenant-finding fees I paid were £420 inc vat in 2018, for a £550/mo rent flat. That fee covered all the costs in finding, vetting, referencing a replacement tenant - which, of course, the landlord would not have to do if you were not looking to leave during the fixed period of your tenancy.

You signed a fixed-period tenancy until a certain date in the future. You are legally liable for rent until then, unless the landlord chooses to agree to let you leave early. You can no more given notice than the landlord can give you notice during that fixed period. Once the tenancy becomes a rolling periodic, you - and they - can.

The landlord is offering to let you do that in return for you covering the costs directly incurred by your decision. That is eminently reasonable, and - frankly - the least you can expect.

The amount still seems outrageous to me, although that is probably due to the fact that I am not from the UK. These kinds of fees are unheard of in Germany (provided the tenant gives appropriate notice)

But this is a situation where there is no "appropriate notice". What happens in Germany if a tenant wants to leave earlier than they're contractually permitted to?

In Germany, there is no tenancy agreement that can force you to stay in a place against your will. It contains an agreed on  "appropriate notice", usually around three months, which is more than enough time for a landlord to find new tenants. So wanting to leave a property is never considered a breach of contract and a tenant is under no circumstance financially punished for doing so. Because if this was the case, then people who are poor would be forced to stay in a place they don't want to be in, just to avoid inconveniencing a landlord. 

Well you don't need to *stay* there against your will.  It isn't prison.  But you will still have to pay for it.

Many people negotiate a break clause in their tenancy agreements so that you can give early notice in the way that you want.  If you didn't ask for that, why is that the landlord's fault?