couple of questions re letting agent and lease

I sort of went on a bit of a waffle earlier in another post which made me think maybe I should post a new thread and see if anyone can help.

First, our lease says we are responsible for anything mechanical/electrical in the house. Does the landlord honestly expect us to fix the heating if it breaks, or the wiring, or the oven etc? That hardly seems fair or legal....

Also, the letting agent is just complete rubbish as well. They sent a letter saying they wanted to do a 3-month inspection, when I called to set it up they had no idea what I was talking about, said theyd pass it on to the director, and then shed call us....she never did, so we called back and got the same message...same situation, she never bothered to call back.

So when it comes time to renew, and we want to, if the landlord brings this up can we point out that the letting agent dropped the ball, not us? This isnt the first time...when we came to see the house we asked to come back at a time when it was daylight...so they set up a viewing on an evening....not a major issue but annoying, as it couldnt be changed. Then when we knew we wanted the place and wanted to sign the contracts, we asked to meet them here as we had no idea how to get to their office in a totally different town, but they showed up with no papers, thinking we wanted a day-time viewing after the mangled 2nd viewing.

We've never once spoken to the landlord, for all we know he may not even exist, his address is listed as theirs on the lease.

Yeah I know we should have thought of all of this BEFORE we signed a lease, but we were desperate to move, and we love this house...we have been lucky so far *knock on wood* and we do not want to move, just want some things cleared up if the landlord is willing to renew.

Also is it normal to ask for a longer renewal? Wed like the security of a one-year lease now.

First, our lease says we are responsible for anything mechanical/electrical in the house. Does the landlord honestly expect us to fix the heating if it breaks, or the wiring, or the oven etc? That hardly seems fair or legal....

I would get this clarified. That clause sounds pretty vague and an advantage for the LL. Does that mean if the boiler breaks down...you are responsible? That could be £'s! You also shouldn't be responsible for the electrical like the oven or frig, afterall its his not yours and you are paying to lease it. You need to be very careful...some (not all) landlords over here can be vultures.

Also, I think three month inspections are a bit intrusive...but that's just me. Its not your responsibility to call them and ask them to do their job...if they didn't inspect...that's not your issue.

As for asking for a one year lease, a landlord might be ok with that but its the letting agencies that prefer a six month lease so they can get more money out of you and/or the landlord for signing yet another contract.

Hiya,

What strikes me out of that is the lease/rental company/landlord all need to get their act together and produce a CLEARLY defined agreement as to who is responsible for what and when. I think it's the rental agent that's most at fault here with what seems a lot of waffle in their agreement. I'd suggest you sit down with them and go through all points that are vague, highlight them, get them retyped before you sign. If they um and ar, then look for a better rental agent as from the sounds of it and what Jules said, that you''ll be responsible for electrical/mehcanical/fixtures work/probs etc which is not fair.

I'm always going to rent privately as much as I can, I have an excellent Rental agreement which spells eveything out clearly and although nothings perfect, I know of only 1 amendment I need to do come renewal time. I know there's plenty of idiot and downright nasty landlords out there, but I suggest you have a look at private lettings as well.

Hope you find a place/agreement soon !

DtM! West London & Slough UK!

Dennis gave some good advise and I have to say if we were renting again....I would prefer to go private with a very good contract. It is best to go without the middle man because most EA's are not reasonable people....£'s signs are all that they see.

That said, read every word of the contract and make sure you have an SLA (service level agreement) regarding coverage on anything that might go wrong with the propriety....i.e. the infrastructure of the house...shower, heating, electrical, roof (yes crazy), etc get it in writing how quickly they will fix a problem. Get the contract modified if you are concerned with bits of it, if they are not willing to adjust that is a big red flag so move on. Remember your "gut feeling" will serve you well. Bottom line, yes you are renting but its not a one way street in favor of the landlord, afterall you are paying to live there.