Problem With Agent

[Melanie]

We let our property using an agent for let only as we were having problems finding the right tenant ourselves. The agent let it quite quickley but would not give us any details on the tenant before she was in the property. We soon realised she was not a suitable tenant but it was too late to do anything about it. Although the agent got references these are not very good ones and we would never have accepted this tenant if we were doing it ourselves. Has enyone else had similar problems with agents. The agent says it is not their problem anymore as it was a let only agreement. :(

[dazalock]

Cant see you can do much apart from a complaint to the agents associated body, arla or other. The agent is acting on your behalf and so the AST is drawn up betwwen the LL and the tenant, so you cant now just get rid of the tenant becasue you dont find them suitable.

[Melanie]

Sorry didn't tell the full story earlier, there is a lot more to it but I'm not sure how much i can say without getting into trouble. Has enyone ever sued an agent and won. :eek:

[MrWoof]

Did you give the agent authority simply to find a tenant or did you just ask them to get a tenant in? As Dazalock has said, the AST is between the LL and tenant, why did you sign if you weren't happy? You say that you would not have accepted the tenant but have you had any trouble from them? If not, why worry. Either way, if the tenant causes problems which the agent could reasonably be expected to have discovered with full checks then you may have a claim against the agent. Lastly, you do not say how long the tenant has been in, nor the length of the agreement, you can serve an S21 to get rid of the tenant providing it is dated at the end of the initial term.

[Melanie]

Our tenant has handed in the keys to our house and disappeared leaving behind all her funiture & personal belongings. We had served a section 21 and she was due to leave 8th may. She owes us £1000 in rent arrears and has been a problem since she moved in. Can we change the locks before the end of the AST. Does anyone know what we should do with her things. Has she effectively ended her tenancy by handing in the keys.