New Landlord Responsibilities - Feeling Stressed

[Mousseline]

We are renting out our family home due to a change in circumstances, and have handed it over to a property management company. The tenant they've found hasn't even moved in yet and I'm already stressed.
When they came round for the valuation, I mentioned that we may change a few things, such as the floor in a couple of rooms (particularly where we have bare floorboards) however they told me not to worry and that it wouldn't be necessary, as the property would be marketed as seen, and if a prospective tenant wanted to change something, they could ask for it to be done as a pre-condition to moving in. Being an older property it does have some quirks which to me are not problems, but to others might be - such as wobbly (but not unsafe) floorboards; stiff light switches; stiff locks, that kind of thing.
So they found us a tenant very quickly, who viewed the property twice and even mentioned they liked one of the floors I was going to replace so that sort of made me think fine, I can relax about the state of the house, they've seen it, like it, and haven't requested any changes before signing any agreements.
Here we are a few weeks later, the management company have taken over and the tenant should have moved in - except they haven't because they've already complained about the front door and lock being too stiff and don't want to move in until it's sorted - even though they've already paid the first rent. Personally I wouldn't have complained about it but since they wouldn't have known about it until moving in I understand and we just want it sorted.
However now the management company have also sent me a list of "potential" other problems that may arise (if we want to get quotes for them to be fixed) and to be honest this has annoyed me because it includes things such as "carpets marked throughout" and "worn floorboards" and "wobbly flooring". Why are these now seen as problems, when before they were things I was told I was worrying about unnecessarily? Yes they are only "potential" issues but have I been naive? Does a tenant have a right to complain about these things just after they've moved in even though they would have been aware of them when viewing the property?
I thought these would be issues that the management company would deal with themselves, otherwise why are we paying them? If a tenant complains afterwards about the carpets, isn't it their job to say if you'd wanted that changed, you should have mentioned it before?
Should I be firm with them and tell them they need to manage the tenant's expectations/demands better?
Hope I don't sound unreasonable, but I am so stressed about this now!

Stiff light switches are a worry because they may be very old, and you should fix those as a matter of electrical safety.

the front door also needs to work. Fix it. Not too expensive. Otherwise they will tug like mad and break it, and you'll need an emergency fix as they can't rent a place without a front door!

marked carpets are as the tenant rented the place. Don't expect them to be too bothered about what they spill on the, and as a landlord you are expected to replace the carpets every 7 years anyway - or that's how the deposit scheme see it.

all this should have been on the inventory.

in short - fix the door and fix the switches. And don't expect your managing agent to do anything because most of them don't.

They don't sound like quirks to me it sounds like a substandard property that needs work doing before it is suitable to let.

Thanks for your replies. We didn't have much time at all to get things in order so I am probably stressed because I know these are all issues we should have had sorted while living there but only get done once you move out.
Front door issue is fine, quite prepared to sort it but it's the other issues I was surprised at.

Agents dont do much when it comes to it....
The carpets may bother some potential tenants and may need replacing to get a tenant. BUT yes, that tenant should say before they agree to take the place and yes, the Agent should be on your side and is out of order to now ask you now to do the carpets.
As long as the house is electrically and gas safe then keep the list of other potential work and work your way through it as you can afford to. If you end up losing tenants every 6 months because of its condition, then you may need to do work sooner rather than have voids and extra finders fees .

I thought these would be issues that the management company would deal with themselves, otherwise why are we paying them? They can't undertake works without getting your authorisation for payment.

However, has the tenant actually complained about anything apart from the stiff front door? It sounds like everything else has been mentioned by the management company only. If you had up-front discussions with them about the state in which the property would be rented, then you need to remind them of that. If, on the other hand, you were a bit wooly about what works might or might not be done, you have left the door open to them suggesting improvements and to the tenant believing that some things might be improved before they arrive. You need to discuss with the management company anything additional which you will do (if anything) and then make sure that they don't start suggesting problems to the tenant!

Hi I have to manage my dad's rental property as he can't due to ill health and i have power of attorney. I have also found it very stressful at times. It is rented to students via letting agents. They have been useless at managing the students' expectations and pass on every silly little problem to me. for example, the locks are broken (no they are not) the boiler's not working (yes it is, but the letting agents did not tell them how to use it and so they kept switching it on and off, messing up the circuit board). One of them needs a new chair, he has a bad back. And of course they use their contractors, who I am sure charge over the odds, and they get a kick back. I have gone out and found a builder whom I trust, he has his own team of tradesmen and I always ask him to check anything the tenants/ letting agents say because more than 50% of the time there is no real problem there. I don't really know what the solution is here, apart from saying you can't relax and trust the agents and you need to check everything everyone says.

I have found Which?'s guide to renting and letting useful though. It outlines the respective parties' legal rights and responsibilities quite clearly. I paid compensation at £60 per day per tenant when a pipe burst, and realised legally I had no obligation to do so, because i acted on the problem promptly and got a plumber in within 48 hours. But the agents bullied me into it.

So far the only issue raised by the tenant is the front door, but maybe they are mentioning the other issues as a heads up when he is actually in the property. In any case, the agent viewed the property several times so why didn't they mention any of these things before? They are not specialist or hidden issues, that's why I'm annoyed.
They also said the inventory would be done after we moved out, when the place was empty, but don't know if this is the norm? It could have been carried out before if snagging issues needed to be pointed out and rectified but they insisted it would only take place once we'd left and they knew by then we'd be abroad.
I'd rather they'd been more upfront about this than rushing to get a tenant in - they've created problems for themselves too so don't see how it's in their interests either.
Also, it's in the agent's terms that they don't need our authorisation for works needed below a certain cost so we don't need to know about every single thing but that's a bit odd because we do need to be aware of what we're paying for and why!
I'll have a look at the Which? guide, thanks for suggesting it.

Yes, the property has to be empty before they can inventory it! How could they possibly do an inventory when half the floor area (and walls) is covered by furniture, paintings, drapes etc? Even if you are renting furnished, the agents can't guess if you will take certain items after they have inventoried them.

Inventory and snagging are two different things. Inventory details the state of the property exactly as it is when viewed e.g. cream living room carpet, brown stain approx 4 cm in diameter to left of doorway, it is not a directive to replace the carpet..

It's quite normal for agents to have pre-authorisation for small works to a certain financial limit. If they don't have that, they will need to contact you and get your approval every time the tenant contacts them to say that a tile has come loose or a window catch has snapped. They also have to be able to act in an emergency if a property e.g. springs a major leak, rather than trying to contact a landlord in a different time zone on the other side of the world. However, for major expenditure such as replacing a washing machine or laying new carpet, they should certainly contact you for approval.

How have the agents created problems for themselves by getting a tenant in rather than waiting? You need to establish exactly what the agents mean by their list of potential problems - is this a list of issues which the tenant has actually identified as problems or are the agents just creating problems? If the latter, regardless of whether their experience tells them that these may be future problems, you have to be quite strong in telling them that they should have flagged these to you before now. Are they a reputable, experienced agent?

You rent the place as seen. Tell them you are happy to repair things that don't work (like lock) but you will not be making any improvements (like carpets). If they've not signed the contract then this is them trying to negotiate on including these improvements before they do. If they have signed, maybe this is them commenting on the inventory list? Give them 24hrs to sign the AST, then tell agent to find another tenant if they don't. Some tenants are more nitpicky than others, and some landlords prefer more nitpicky tenants to those who don't inform landlords of faults (and then the repairs cause further damage & more expensive to fix). If you're already this uncomfortable with this tenant, it's not a good start to what you hope is at least a year or two long relationship.

The tenant must have signed the contract because according to the Op they have already paid the first month's rent and should have moved in by now. From the sound of things, it isn't even the tenant who is coming up with these issues (apart from the lock) but the agent listing potential issues.

That makes sense about the inventory, sorry .
The fact the house is not immaculate is reflected in the price so the agent would/should have considered that when valuing the house.
I will therefore ignore any cosmetic issues and will tackle any larger problems one by one. Yes I'd love to have all these things ironed out, but it would cost thousands!
I'd love to tell them to find someone else but it's too late now. Actually I had a feeling he might be difficult, but I wasn't in a position to be too picky so was initially glad to have found someone so quickly.
The company is a popular local firm, but I've never personally dealt with them before.
Another question: can the tenant present me with a bill for having to stay elsewhere while the door is being fixed?

Yes the door works, it was like that the whole time we lived there. It is a little stiff in the Winter time because it's wooden and expands a little, but is fine the rest of the year so we never saw it as a huge problem. There is also a brand new back door and new French doors in and out of the property.

No he can't bill you as above.

I would suggest a firm attitude from the start. Point out exactly what u are prepared to do, the sold as seen point. And the rent.

Additionally do not use the agents workmen, they have a massive mark up. In ur email mention that you want informed of all jobs they do by email.

Firm email to the agent too, dismiss the potential list to do, and inform him its his job to communicate with the tenant that no cosmetic work will be undertaken only essential repairs.

Thank you for your help with this. It kept me awake all night! Anyhow I have sent the agency an email saying we want it made clear that while we're happy to put right issues such as the door, we won't be making any cosmetic changes, and we would like the tenant to make sure they are happy with the condition of the house before they finally move in by confirming this in writing. If they refuse to do this then there is no point taking it any further and we'll have to cancel the arrangements so far.
Clearly the sales team and the property management team had not communicated with each other as if they had spoken they would have known that the tenant had no problem with the potential issues they listed but it's just as well this has come up now as we may be saving ourselves future hassle.
I'd rather have no tenant than one who's going to cause recurring problems.
Dreading the response from the agency but I'll update when I have news.

Slight aside - but as a tenant it can be a PITA is cosmetic work is done while you are trying to live in the flat! I also would prefer a few scrapes and marks when I move in as an immaculate place makes me feel quite anxious about trying to keep it that way.

As you say, it was priced for its current condition - surely change of condition change of price (and I wouldn't want that as a tenant either).

Sorry but if they already signed the contract, they are responsible for rent from the date stated on the contract. If they chose to move in on the day or 6 months later, is completely irrelevant.

They've said the lock is stiff, not broken. The property can be secured.

You reply that you can arrange for a locksmith in next 48hrs but tipulate to agency the tenancy date started on XX, and that date will not be amended.

Most locksmiths come the same day and a stiff lock won't take more than a couple of hours to fix (if they need to replace the lock mechanism). At worst, it may be the door frame sagging depending on how old/kind of door etc is it, and that may need replacing along with the door...but again, it depends on whether it's wood, pvc, custom size, etc.

But really, it's not a big deal. It's not like the boiler burst and they've got no water or heat :-)

Insert, that is a very good point! Hadn't thought of it like that, I would be exactly the same, I've never had a brand new immaculate home and feel uncomfortable in places that are too spotless. Our tenant has a dog too, so can't imagine they want anywhere like that either.

Also thanks Ladybird, I'll bear in mind the fact the property is still secure regardless of the tenant's issues and the contract has been signed so no going back to amend dates etc.

It sounds to me like it was more of an inventory list and comments about the condition rather than a request to fix everything.

It is hard to hear all the faults listed about your house, but it is to protect the tenant so that when they move out it is clear what damage etc was there to start with, and what they have caused.

I agree with you OP, that if the tenant has a dog then he'd definitely rather the place was not pristine to start with.

Yep, CQ, my gut reaction was definitely on the defensive side and it's hard to separate the fact it's no longer my family home and to put my business hat on - harder than I thought.

Mousseline, the first thing to understand is the Agent is only concerned with one thing... yes, you've guessed it, MONEY! in the form of letting fees.

They said the property was fit to let and gave you a rental income as high as they could so that their profit (assuming its a % not a fixed amount) could be higher. This despite you telling them you wanted to 'sort a few things out'.

They then put in the first tenant who was wiling to sign the contract (which the tenant did) - no doubt with the Agent promising that they would have you sort out any subsequent problems which the tenant mentioned on the inventory. Again this was probably the things you told them you wanted to sort before letting!

Then, the Agent started acting on behalf of their tenant by informing you of stuff that needed fixing ACCORDING to the tenant (not the Agent) and most probably based on the responses to the inventory list which again is most probably a standard one, not one tailored to your property.

I let a house myself and don't use an agency because in my past experience they don't do half the stuff they are supposed to do and when they do its only half-hearted.

I also had a video inventory done of the whole house which the tenant then signed and was given a copy of. This is unique to my property and therefore the best defence against subsequent claims at the end of the tenancy.

As far as maintenance is concerned, if you can't undertake the work yourself or have your ?husband do it then find yourself a local tradesman by recommendation from a friend or use Check-a-trade.

There are several landlord associations which you can join for advice and legislation guidelines on all aspects of letting - some of which are legal requirements which you (not just the Agent) need to be aware of. They will advise you on ALL aspects of letting and more than cover the work the Agent is undertaking and charging for - this will be cheaper than the fees you currently pay.

You can still use an agent to find a tenant if you want/need to.

The Residential Landlord's Association and the National Landlord's Association are just two of these and the costs are minimal for the return (about £80 per year) all tax deductible.

If you must use an agent then these bodies (RLA and NLA) will have recommendations for GOOD agents in your area based on member satisfaction.

As for your current issues, then the advice given by previous posters about it fit for habitation is good advice and you only need to ensure the property remains habitable - as it was when it was let!

Best of luck!

Steve B