One of the biggest annoyances in the whole of this industry, is the ability for people to not communicate. You may think I am just talking about students, who might not have the experience in renting before, but I see it across the board. The first case is missing rent. I simply cannot explain how much easier it is to deal with payment issues if an open, honest dialogue is had. Most problems can be dealt with efficiently, and if the problem is deeper and requires more delicacy, then this can then be looked at as well, but unless we talk about it, nothing will get done. I had a recent case with a tenant who had dropped out of uni, left the property, and had stopped making payments; under the assumption (don’t ask me how it was assumed), that because they were no longer a student, their contract was cancelled. There are multiple reasons why this isn’t the case, but it was not until a frank discussion was had that the gravity of the situation was truly understood. Anyway, long story short, we agreed a payment plan that not only stopped legal action and was affordable (thanks to a very nice landlord), but also stopped the housemates being liable for the arrears. Throughout this process, maintaining transparent communication with the landlord was crucial to manage expectations and plan strategically. Had we not been able to approach the problem in open conversation, the issue would likely have spiralled, and created a real (costly) headache for all involved.
The second annoyance in this genre, is with maintenance. I had a recent one where the tenants are getting ready to leave, and then decide to log about twenty issues, including ingress, mould, and faulty fire alarms. All of these have manifested themselves since the last inspection six months ago, but to just watch things slowly happen and not report them is crazy. Firstly, if reported quickly and efficiently we can resolve them better and reduce the amount of collateral damage they can cause, making everything cheaper, and secondly, it just looks like the tenant is the culprit and trying to cover things up when suddenly adding loads of issues, which can cause frictions with the landlord. In my experience, lots of things do not happen at once!!! Don’t save them up, let us know immediately please. Effective communication with landlords during these times ensures that they are not blindsided by sudden expenses and can contribute to timely resolutions, especially in a time when we know that contractor costs have shot up, and a landlord might be easier approached to these issues spread out, rather than all at once. It really does help us to help you!
Lastly, its solicitors (sorry to the majority this doesn’t apply to). I have worked with a few recently, that actually point-blank refuse to speak to me. I am the agent knitting this deal together, and they don’t deem me worthy of a phone call or an email to update. I have gone a whole four-month transaction with not a single bit of communication. We are not the biggest agency in town, but we have a fair bit of business we bat around, and there is no way we will ever look to work with companies like that more than once. Once bitten, twice shy. There is a lack of respect in a lot of society, let's try and make sure we respect our associates, then we can all earn money.
In short, there is nothing wrong with having your circumstances change from an affordability point of view, if you go your whole life without a financial disaster you have done very well, but let's talk about it – we are here to help!!!
As the old BT advert used to say – It’s good to talk. By keeping communication open between agents, landlords, and tenants, and anyone else needed to progress deals and solve problems, we not only streamline things to tackle issues quicker, but also build stronger, more resilient business relationships.
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