Management agency quit without notice

Management agency quit without notice

9:35 AM, 26th May 2016, About 8 years ago 6

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My Father died suddenly, leaving me to manage a small portfolio that provided income for my Mother. I live many miles away and was lucky to find a good agency (After first experiencing a bad one.)Quit

Recently the owner sold out to another company. There was no notice, but they assured me the transfer would be seamless. The new owners have proved difficult to get in touch with, but yesterday they sent an email including the following:

“Unfortunately owing to this being a standalone instruction and not part of a wider portfolio, and given it’s size and the level of fee…’……’I will write to your tenants at Sandwich City to let them know you will be taking over the management of the property from today’s date.”

Quite apart from being staggeringly unprofessional, this is a very awkward situation, considering the distance I live from the property. The individual who sent the email will not take my calls nor respond.

The company can only be contacted apparently by an online form.

Can anyone advise. I don’t know any management companies in the area and live too far away to do the task myself.

John


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Comments

Neil Patterson

9:50 AM, 26th May 2016, About 8 years ago

Hi John,

I am sorry about your father.

Given what the above agents have done there is no way you would want them managing your properties for you now anyway!

Property118 now part owns LettingSupermarket as we liked company so much and they charge 4% for full management. They are online and cover the majority of the country. Obviously we would recommend them but please see >> http://www.property118.com/letting-supermarket-full-management/68829/

Mandy Thomson

10:52 AM, 26th May 2016, About 8 years ago

Unless the terms of your contract have been altered, in which case you should have been consulted and invited to sign a new contract, or given proper notice of termination, the new company would have taken your contract on assignment, which would mean they were bound in the same way as the original company.

If the new company wants to terminate your contract, assuming this is allowed in the terms, doesn't the contract stipulate a minimum notice period?

Does this new management company belong to a recognised industry body such as ARLA?

Stan Barlow TEE LTD

10:57 AM, 26th May 2016, About 8 years ago

We work with many really professional letting agencies in the Cornwall & Devon area.

Roger P

16:06 PM, 26th May 2016, About 8 years ago

name and shame them

Mandy Thomson

16:12 PM, 26th May 2016, About 8 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Roger P" at "26/05/2016 - 16:06":

Good idea - that can be done on this website https://www.allagents.co.uk/

HOWEVER only do this after you've tried to reason with them, and let them know you intend to give them a very negative review on there.

Many of these management companies don't deal with small clients with single small blocks of flats. Having said that, either they, or the company they bought out, should have told you this.

10:11 AM, 27th May 2016, About 8 years ago

I'm an agent who has bought out competitors business in the past, and I've occasionally declined to take on a particular property or landlord.

I can (sort of) understand why someone might feel miffed when an agent dis-instructs them - companies are supposed to value your business and compete to retain it, not turn it away . . . aren't they?

However, the fact is that an agent has no obligation to do business with you (other than adhering to any notice period specified in a contract) and he is free to make a business decision to decline your business if its not profitable for him for one reason or another.

Having said all of that, I'm surprised this agent has been quite so abrupt about it. When I've found myself saddled with an unprofitable instruction I've always given the landlord a reasonable notice period to find another agent.

You could try to get your own back by positing negative reviews, but, much as we'd like everyone to think we're wonderful, established agents of any decent size accept that there will always be a small minority of people who aren't happy for one reason or another and we accept it as part and parcel of business life. Far better to just move on, accept a bit of inconvenience in return for finding an agent who does want and value your business.

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