The call is for legislation to regulate agents. Yes, an agent can go bust and disappear with the tenants money which never reaches the landlord.
One story used to illustrate the problem is a tenant who moved, in and finds mice, so moves out and demands deposit back from agent, apparently without success.
In the old days in London most people rented, even the landlord of your house rented a bigger house in another area near his work. (The same happens in Singapore today both locals and expats. I've been a tenant. Friends have been tenants and landlords.)
In the old days in London, England,, if there were rats you called the council and if there were mice you got a 'working' cat.
In a recently reported case a tenant moves in, finds the flat has mice and wants to move out. The agent has lost his income and the whole system crashes down like a house of cards.
Of course as a landlord I would call in the council or an extermination company and pay for it. While having to pay the council council tax on my empty property.
But tenants (students, busy mums, elderly) who don't sweep the floors, attract mice.
Absent elderly landlord, to old and tired to work, probably using savings for income when in hospital or overseas, has an agent. Agents can cheat both tenant and landlord.
But in this story, go back to the trigger problem. No mice, no problem.
But if the council won't come unless paid, it costs people money so they delay, mice breed and spread from one flat or house to another.
To readers in England, as opposed to London, Canada *, we discovered there was a London in Canada when we left the USA. We were renting, returned to our home in the UK, which had been rented, and half our mail forwarded from the USA to to us was addressed to London. Because some letters did not specifiy London, England. they went first to nearby Canada, then got forwarded to the UK.
One story used to illustrate the problem is a tenant who moved, in and finds mice, so moves out and demands deposit back from agent, apparently without success.
In the old days in London most people rented, even the landlord of your house rented a bigger house in another area near his work. (The same happens in Singapore today both locals and expats. I've been a tenant. Friends have been tenants and landlords.)
In the old days in London, England,, if there were rats you called the council and if there were mice you got a 'working' cat.
In a recently reported case a tenant moves in, finds the flat has mice and wants to move out. The agent has lost his income and the whole system crashes down like a house of cards.
Of course as a landlord I would call in the council or an extermination company and pay for it. While having to pay the council council tax on my empty property.
But tenants (students, busy mums, elderly) who don't sweep the floors, attract mice.
Absent elderly landlord, to old and tired to work, probably using savings for income when in hospital or overseas, has an agent. Agents can cheat both tenant and landlord.
But in this story, go back to the trigger problem. No mice, no problem.
But if the council won't come unless paid, it costs people money so they delay, mice breed and spread from one flat or house to another.
To readers in England, as opposed to London, Canada *, we discovered there was a London in Canada when we left the USA. We were renting, returned to our home in the UK, which had been rented, and half our mail forwarded from the USA to to us was addressed to London. Because some letters did not specifiy London, England. they went first to nearby Canada, then got forwarded to the UK.
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