Accidental llord
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42 Posts
Hello
For the property I let, I use an online estate agent to find tenants for me, conduct reference checks, do the check/in inventory and draft and issue an Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreement. I manage maintenance of the property etc day-to-day during the let. I have one question I would like advice on: what are my rights if I feel an check out report clearly did not acknowledge the check in report issued when my tenants moved in? E.g furniture isn’t accounted for etc.
I’ll provide a bit of context: I am currently in an unusual situation where I had a couple in my property who split about a month ago. One person has left the property and the other wants to remain. The person who left wants her half of the deposit back asap. Consequently, I have used the online estate agent who placed this couple in my property to conduct an inventory check / check-out at the property and reference checks on the person remaining. The check-out was carried out a few days ago and I’ve since received the report: I skimmed through it and noticed that there was no acknowledgement that I have a CO2 alarm in the property, no acknowledgement that I have a smoke alarm there and at least three items of furniture which were in the property when the tenants moved in, and are therefore on the check in report, are not reflected in the check out report. The furniture items are a sofa, sideboard and kitchen table and chairs. There is also a new shed in the garden which I would want the tenant to move when they leave, but the report doesn’t acknowledge that this was not there during check in. I have found these issues through a brief glance through the check out report; I am yet to go through it in detail.
In the meantime, I contacted the online agency thanked them for the report but explained I have found issues with it and will get back to them with more detailed thoughts during the weekend. I can’t even articulate the reply I received from the agent which is incoherent (though part of it included a statement from the inventory clerk along the lines of “if we had seen the check in report that would have helped us identify the missing furniture”). I would be grateful for advice on what my rights are given what I’ve set out here? Surely comparing the check in report with the check out report is an absolutely essential part of the process and the agency should have given the person conducting the check out the check in report? Note the same online agency carried out the check in and the check out.
I have seen that the online agent as various memberships and accreditations – I won’t set them out here as that could identify them – but this does include the Property Ombudsman. Surely I am entitled to better service than this? What are my rights?
Thanks in advance for your advice