How best to end contract with LA?

[ra11033]

I have been with a LA company for 3 years and the property is being rented out to a tenant they found.

I am now beginning to get frustrated with my LA as things are constantly delayed by them and now I just get ignored.

I pay them full management fee. Yet, I am the one always organising Gas safety certificates and repairs as they don’t seem to do it. In fact, they once in panic kept phoning me telling my gas safety had expired (4 weeks after its expiry) and they needed to do a new one, and wanted me to pay for it asap. I’d told them that I had already done one before the previous one expired.

Another time, I asked for an inspection. Their contract states it’ll be done every 6 months. In 3 years they have only done it once. Even then, it’s because I kept asking for it. They took over 4 months to deliver the report.

They also didn’t increase the rent when I gave them 6 months notice and they also admitted they had a note on their system about it. I’ve been trying to get the rent increase (the tenant is refusing an increase) and the LA did start the process back in March 24. However, even in June now, I am still at square one.

I’ve emailed and phoned LA many times. On phone, I get told to put it in writing. I do, and it continues to get ignored.

The more delays that are happening, the more I am losing out. The tenant also is ignoring me when I mention anything about negotiating rent increase. There’s been no rent increase in 3 years and the property is currently being let out at less than £750pcm under market rate.

I know I can look to do section 13 (it’s periodic tenancy with no rent clause), and if need be give notice to tenant to leave. However, such things require minimum notice. Again, I’m happy to adhere to this but I’m not sure what the LA is up to.

I do want to cancel my contract with them and happy to manage the property myself or find another LA. However, their contract states I need to give them 3 months written notice and one month’s rent. But thing is my emails get ignored and personally I don’t think they are entitled to one month’s rent on the ground they themselves have not been providing much of a service as per their own contract.

How best to move forward ?

Thanks

[A_Z]

Write to them letting them know you shall inform the ombudsman of your issues and see what happens

[tatemono]

@ra11033

their contract states I need to give them 3 months written notice and one month’s rent.

Take a letter into the company office giving your notice. In their office they should have details of the redress scheme they are part of. You can complain to them about their service if you want but I’m not sure it’ll get you too far. The contract you signed says a month’s rent. It’s not contingent on them giving good service. You can sue them for breach of contract if you feel that’s what’s happened, but you’d be unwise to break that contract while you do that obviously.