Landlord/letting agent contract

[Roger645]

Does anyone have a decent Landlord/letting agent contract they would be willing to share with me? I am just about to try and appoint a new letting agent and their existing agreement needs so much work i thought I might try and present them with an alternative.

Regards

Roger

[nikaiyo2]

To be honest, I let through a regional chain, the contract is pretty non negotiable, with the exception of the fee... I would imagine they would tell you to find a new letting agent if you try and change too much.

[Roger645]

Not at all, they said they are happy to negotiate the content (not surprising as it's pretty dire)

[Slagathore]

You could sign up to a landlord's association and get one of their free ones and then give that to the agent to use?

What is wrong with the agent's contract? You'd like to think it's tried and tested if it's what they've been using for years?

Also, it's come up a few times on here before, and that is that you can add whatever you want to the contract, but just bear in mind it might not actually be enforceable.

Some agents will be put off if you try and add a load of clauses they know they have no chance in hell of actually enforcing, and then blame them when they can't enforce them.

[Roger645]

Slagathore said:

You could sign up to a landlord's association and get one of their free ones and then give that to the agent to use?

What is wrong with the agent's contract? You'd like to think it's tried and tested if it's what they've been using for years?

Also, it's come up a few times on here before, and that is that you can add whatever you want to the contract, but just bear in mind it might not actually be enforceable.

Some agents will be put off if you try and add a load of clauses they know they have no chance in hell of actually enforcing, and then blame them when they can't enforce them.

Thanks for the response, this is for a contract between landlord and letting agent, not between tenant and landlord which I think you are talking about?

[Sir Bagalot]

TBH any agent that is decent won't sign a contract that you present without getting it checked over by their solicitor and that means more money

[Roger645]

Sir Bagalot said:

TBH any agent that is decent won't sign a contract that you present without getting it checked over by their solicitor and that means more money

That's fine and standard practice for most businesses. As I said earlier I don't want to burn time or money turning their contract into one that I am happy with. I am looking for something that is reasonable to both parties, it won't take a solicitor long to review something like that.

[Pheo]

Why are you using an agency who can't write a contract? Surely this is a core part of their role?

[Roger645]

Pheo said:

Why are you using an agency who can't write a contract? Surely this is a core part of their role?

It's a good question and one I have asked myself, but to be clear the contract I am after is the landlord and agent one and not landlord/tenant which are easily available from loads of places.

The reason I am using them is they are well respected by other landlords and tenants that I have spoken to who use them. This will be my first property in this area and I want to find a respected agent who I can rely on as I live 2 hours away from the property.

[Slagathore]

Roger645 said:

Thanks for the response, this is for a contract between landlord and letting agent, not between tenant and landlord which I think you are talking about?

Apologies, I appear to have forgotten how to read!

Not sure what to suggest otherwise, I'd have thought like many things in sales/letting, they'd negotiate it a little bit, depending on what changes you wanted made.