Are they breaking the contract??

Quiet_thought

Hi,
I've been renting a house now for about 6 months. The contract was done with the agency and they have been taking care of everything.
However, I've just been told that the landlord will no longer be using the agency and I should receive a letter about it soon.
I'm just wondering what my rights are now....
It was a year contract that I signed and it's only half way through...
Is this not seen as the agency breaking the contract?
Any ideas?
Thanks

ricman

You just pay the rent to the landlord ,instead of the agent, the rent is exactly the same,he may just give you his bank account no, and say lodge the rent there every month.The agent has a contract with the landlord not you,your contract is to pay x amount rent per month to the landlord .

Cathmandooo

Depends on what the letter from the landlord is, if it's just giving you details on where to pay your rent then what's the problem?

You'll just have to wait and see what's in the letter. It doesn't sound like they're trying to evict you does it?

Quiet_thought

But we rented the property in the knowledge that the agency would take care of any problems that would arise. Having had previous experiences of renting directly through the landlord I know how things can take for ever to be repaired if needed. Also the landlord isn't even located locally. We would have chosen to rent a different property if we had known this was going to happen. The whole point of renting through an agency is piece of mind in knowing that things will be carried out properly...
So I have to just accept this?

silja

What does your lease say? Usually, even when an agent is inmvolved, the actual lease is between lardlord and tenant (though may be on agency headed paper).

Quiet_thought

It says ' As the landlord has opted for our management service should further enquiries arise you may contact our office'

Cathmandooo

I think you're worrying over nothing. There's no guarantee that a rental through an agency means things will get done quicker or that through a landlord things will be slower. Did the actual agent have to come to your house to look after things or did they simply call someone up to take care of anything needing fixing? Surely then the landlord will simply pick up the phone and call for things to be done if they need doing?

Your landlord has been behind this agent the whole time allowing things to be carried out. He or she has been the one paying for it, it is them who has been looking after you.

I really can't see the problem here. I don't see any contract broken at all.

Quiet_thought

I'm not worrying per se, I'm just not entirely happy with this change.
I've rented privately and directly through agencies in the past and so I know from experience that an agency will solve problems much quicker.
Yes the landlord has to give the go ahead to the agency to carry out any work, but they will be prompt about calling him and getting it done.
A landlord often will take his time...
This is just my experience and was, as I've said, the reason we chose to go through an agency.