My complaint against my landlords is ....

My complaint against my landlords is ….

11:16 AM, 22nd March 2015, 11 years ago 65

So glad there is a platform for tenant support – I feel really screwed! My complaint against my landlords is ....

So my partner and I have been living in a property for just under one year. When we originally looked and moved into the property, WE requested two years as we wanted to keep the high London costs to a minimum for the two years we expected to live at the property.

However, I have been made redundant 9.5 months into our tenancy, and can no longer afford the rent in London, and my partner and I have decided to move out of London.

We have the landlord 9 weeks notice, stating we would like to leave on May 16th, (one year after starting the tenancy and one years early termination).

Our landlord has agreed to this and is happy to find new tenant.

HERE IS THE PROBLEM

He has stated that on starting the agreement, our landlord paid the letting agency the value of 7% of 24 months rent (what I believe is a finders fee).

As we are ending the tenancy early, he has said we have to pay that remaining fee! Approximately £1300!!!

I understand that if we end the tenancy early we have to pay until the agreement ends (or as soon as other tenants are allocated) but I don’t see why we have to pay HIS fees?!

Can you let me know if we do have to pay this!?

Thanks

Lewis Fountain


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Comments

  • Member Since March 2015 - Comments: 225

    6:12 PM, 2nd April 2015, About 11 years ago

    Reply to the comment left by “Mark Alexander” at “02/04/2015 – 15:30“:

    Exactly!

  • Member Since June 2013 - Comments: 646 - Articles: 1

    6:23 PM, 2nd April 2015, About 11 years ago

    Reply to the comment left by “Mark Alexander” at “02/04/2015 – 16:06“:

    definitely…mine was a rhetorical question.

  • Member Since October 2014 - Comments: 423

    11:28 AM, 4th April 2015, About 11 years ago

    Reply to the comment left by “Lew Hfa” at “02/04/2015 – 16:14“:

    It is shame that a poster here does not see comments in the context of the overall atmosphere this site. Otherwise the poster would not have taken any comments personally.
    The not very well hidden swearing seems completely unacceptable.

  • Member Since January 2011 - Comments: 12217 - Articles: 1412

    11:32 AM, 4th April 2015, About 11 years ago

    Reply to the comment left by “Jay James (see also previous Jay James profile)” at “04/04/2015 – 11:28“:

    The offending abbreviation has been removed.
    .

  • Member Since February 2015 - Comments: 1

    9:30 AM, 9th April 2015, About 11 years ago

    Reply to the comment left by “Anthony Endsor” at “23/03/2015 – 15:11“:

    Anthony Endsor says: But yes, at any time the tenant can give notice 1 month before the end of the contract.

    One months notice? So when I wanted out of my contract early due to water damage and was made to pay 3 months this was actually illegal??

  • Member Since July 2013 - Comments: 193

    1:22 PM, 9th April 2015, About 11 years ago

    Reply to the comment left by “Emily Brodie” at “09/04/2015 – 09:30“:

    Emily, I made no mention of ending a contract early. I was referring to a case where either the contract has less than a month to run, or has gone periodic.
    If that is not the case, then a contract is a contract and has to be fulfilled.

  • Member Since June 2013 - Comments: 646 - Articles: 1

    1:26 PM, 9th April 2015, About 11 years ago

    Reply to the comment left by “Anthony Endsor” at “09/04/2015 – 13:22“:

    contracts can be frustrated by a major event such as flooding.

  • Member Since July 2013 - Comments: 193

    1:33 PM, 9th April 2015, About 11 years ago

    Reply to the comment left by “Joe Bloggs” at “09/04/2015 – 13:26“:

    Joe, how do you know it was major?
    All the post says is ‘water damage’. The severity wasn’t mentioned.
    It doesn’t give the tenant the right to end the contract anyway, it just means the Landlord has to deal with it and put it right.

  • Member Since June 2013 - Comments: 646 - Articles: 1

    1:42 PM, 9th April 2015, About 11 years ago

    hi

    i didnt suggest anything about the severity of the damage.

    im just saying there are circumstances when a ‘…contract does not need to be fulfilled…’.

    also the doctrine of frustration can be used by either party.

  • Member Since May 2014 - Comments: 53

    5:09 PM, 14th April 2015, About 11 years ago

    Reply to the comment left by “Lew Hfa” at “02/04/2015 – 16:14“:

    I’d say that the one to really watch is whether the property is relet, in which case the LL cannot charge rent on it twice from that point.

    I am not clear that the LL can realistically hold you responsible for paying his finders fee if your Tenancy Agreement does not make you liable for it. Does it?

    He may try, under the “you breached contract and I have a right to be put back where I would have been financially” idea, but I’m not convinced that that would stick.

    You could of course suggest that he claims on his rent guarantee insurance :-D, but that might not do much for your reference.

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