Updating post from Reddit.
Hi All, looking for some advice about my rental situation.
My partner and I want to end our tenancy early as we are purchasing a house which is likely to complete in the new year and we have already paid our letting agent a relisting fee to find new tenants. However, the letting company still haven't listed the property on any websites or portals, it has now been 6 weeks since we paid them to relist it and over 2 months since we originally queried about relisting the property. According to our agreement, we're liable for rent until they find new tenants, but how can they find anyone if they're not even advertising it? We gave them a date we wish to have to contract end by (February) but I feel like with Christmas coming up and nobody really working over that period, they're leaving it very late to relist it and I don't think they're making a good effort to get it re-let.
We have also attempted to call them and emailed since paying the fee but both haven't been responded to now for over a week. Also, I am now concerned that they could technically put the apartment up on the market late for an unrealistic price where we'd be stuck paying the rent while they let us pay the rent to the end of our contract..
Do we have any rights here regarding our future rent payments past February or the price they relist the property at?
Any advice would be really appreciated, particularly from anyone who's been in a similar situation.
The efforts to rent the property will be done when there more certainty about your notice. Have you given a notice? What date are you moving out by?
Until such a notice is provided, it’s wasted effort. You can’t agree a tenancy based on ifs and maybes.
And probably the efforts to rent will be done the weeks before.
As long as they rent for the rest of your tenancy and at least the same rent you’re not liable for anything additional, except all costs.
Yes given the situation, the agent or landlord isn’t going to give it the number one priority.
So leave it to the agents, it’s outside your control.
I think in the OP I said we gave them a date of February but the specific date is February 4th, we confirmed all this before paying the relisting fee.
Based on the agreement we were given, we are liable for the rent until the end of our contract still which ends in August or if they let the propert plus a void period between tenants. If they don't make a good effort to let the property, we would have to continue paying our rent until this date in August. Even though we have specified a leaving date on our part.
How is 6-8 weeks a reasonable time frame to not list a property?
They don’t just list it. Listing means lots of enquiries, then viewings. When the time is right they will list it.
I’d focus on your house move, leave them to it.
Note the agent will be getting the new tenancy fees. It’s money for them to start renting it. So I am sure they are motivated.
They may already have a tenant lined up without listing it, or still be going through some possible potential tenants. Or they may be waiting until after Christmas to list it. That gives them a whole month before you move out, which should be enough if there's decent demand in your area.
I'm not excusing them - it would have been polite of them to respond to your emails etc. If they have shop front premises maybe you could call in and ask, they have to speak to you then.
They are not going to list it until closer to the move out date.