Hi all,
I'm looking for some advice. I’m a landlord renting out a property through a letting agent.
They’ve been a nightmare for a while — payments are often late or missing, and when they do pay, it’s never on a consistent date, which makes tracking a mess. Any missed payments I’ve chased eventually get paid, but it’s always a hassle getting a response and the owner is rude and never apologetic. It’s a small business, so there’s no one else internal to escalate to. I stuck with them because they promised a new payment system would sort out the payment issues and they had one brilliant agent who found us a string of great tenants and he was so helpful with nudging the owner to pay up, but as of a few weeks ago he’s left the business.
Since the new payment system they email me monthly to say payments are “processed” which I took their word for and would spot check my account every so often to check it looked roughly right, however, I’ve realised that at least three payments over the last 18 months are missing, plus another four that don’t match the right months/dates. I asked for proof of payment, and they’ve admitted to two missed ones, said they’d been “processed” and I should have the money in my account the next day, but I’ve still not received the money. When I chase, I just get the usual “we’re looking into it.” They have ignored the other likely missed payments. They now don't seem to be paying me this month either (was meant to be paid on the 10th).
I’m fed up and will be ending the contract with them. I suspect cashflow issues — tenants have struggled to get deposits back for months, and online reviews mention contractors not being paid. However, I'm a bit worried to end the contract until I get these final payments sorted.
Any advice on what to do next? I'm due to give birth in a couple of weeks, so this is adding to the stress.
Thanks everyone!