Utility Bill for Empty Period

sidneyvic

LegallyLandlord said:

This is awful! I write this as a self-managing landlord and former lawyer...

This was not the responsibility of the inventory clerk - they just take photos and write up the condition of the property.

It was not the responsibility of the tenant either - they left the property, paid the bills until they left, after that it's not down to them. Yes, it would have been good for them to turn of the heating, but it was not their responsibility to do so.

What were the agents employed to do by you after the tenants left. Did you agree anything re what they were to do while it was empty? Were you paying them in this time? (Normally no fees if no rent). Have you check their T&Cs, and what they say on their website.

Presumably they did check the property themselves afterwards? For instance, doing viewings?  Usually it's a condition of landlord insurance to check the property when it's unoccupied.

Must say I find it incredulous they took 3 months to find tenants at a period with all time high renter demand.

In any event, I'd say they have a duty of care to check the property. Surely they'd have noticed it was hot when they went in. But then it's not always easy to tell if the thermostat is off, depending on the thermostat.

It's worth going through their complaints department. I'd also change agents!! 

Lessons going forward:

* I fit Google Nest Learning Thermostats in all my rental properties. It's good for the renters to help them keep down the cost of heating. It's also really easy to see if it's left on. It did cost £300 but it's worth it.
* Have a check list of things you want the agents to look for during voids - agree exactly what they are going to do.
* Do check your properties yourself in between tenants. I know you're paying someone else to, but they don't always do their job.
* Do consider self-managing - you'll save yourself a fortune. I also self-let using Openrent and found it easy to find tenants myself in June.

Hope that helps.

Suzanne 

You really must learn to read the thread in full before making comments. The OP stated they work and live abroad most of the time so most of above advice is irrelevant.

But the NEST is an excellent idea for them as they can check that from anywhere in the world.

I guess this is pitfalls of renting property when out of the country (and then complicating your life by making unreasonable rent increases)