TENANT THEFT................

I have rented out a lovely furnished flat in Ayr and the tenants have suddenly left owing me their last months rent and stealing some of the furnishings. The local solicitor that organised my lease says that there is nothing she can do and my insurance company refuses to replace my new Dyson, TV and video as my policy does not cover tenant theft.  Can I sue my solicitor for not doing her job in advising me correctly and can Key-Lets offer protection against this happening to my property again?

We are sure that your solicitor gave all the right information concerning letting your property as it is incumbent on solicitors to provide adequate professional advice to their clients.  Undoubtedly issues such as providing an inventory, notifying utilities, Council Tax, permission to let and taking out Landlords insurance to protect you against tenant theft and malicious damage will have been raised.

We would advise that in the first instance you speak to your solicitor if you have a concern over the level of service that you were given, or the client relation partner within the firm and try to resolve matters amicably.  If all else fails you can contact the Law Society of Scotland on 0345 113 0018 or visit their website on www.lawscot.org.uk.

From time to time tenants do up sticks and leave suddenly for a variety of reasons.  In most cases they do not give a forwarding address and occasionally fail to pay their last months rent.  To minimise the risk of this we take up full references and landlords take out rental and legal protection, plus landlords insurance against irresponsible tenants.  Landlords that do not have a tenant’s forwarding address are at risk of being liable for unpaid bills and council tax arrears.  In using an Agency such as Key-Lets you will have an independent firm to show no collusion between you and the tenant, assuming that the utility companies and Council Tax Office have been notified of a change of residency in the first place.

You can use your tenant’s employer address and/or personal reference as a forwarding address, although British Telecom can be awkward in accepting that their phone subscriber, your previous tenant, has left.  You may be required to pay a deposit to have your phone transferred to your name.

The alleged theft of your Dyson, TV and video is another matter.  The police will find it very difficult to pursue your tenants if you have cannot provide a forwarding address or an inventory signed by the tenant to prove your loss.  Even providing an address for your tenants can be fraught with problems.  We have heard of tenants claiming that their Landlord gave goods to them and in another instance that the tenants took the property in lieu of a surety deposit.  Both situations would have involved solicitors and undoubtedly cost the landlords a lot of money to resolve.

Once again the use of a professional letting agent such as Key-Lets offers independent proof if a Landlord makes a claim against a tenant’s surety deposit.  This can be particularly important if a tenant disputes the claim – especially if the tenant is able to claim legal aid in any action.  We also offer proper Landlords insurance for both buildings and contents insurance.  The policies we offer cover all the main risks associated with letting to cover working tenants, students and those on Housing Benefit.

The beauty of using Key-Lets is that we take all the hassle of letting away and protect your interest throughout the full term of the let.  We strongly believe that by thoroughly vetting prospective tenants you can avoid costly mistakes. You can expect us to secure full references, serve the correct Notices, draw up leases, take detailed inventories, handle security deposits and carry out regular inspections.  Our landlords are also offered the opportunity to protect their monthly income with our rental protection package.  This will protect your income for one year and is backed up a formidable legal package.