Letting agents warned on property access

News Category: Legal

This article was brought to you by Rentman the premium property management system.

Landlords and letting agents should be aware of the potential legal action they could be exposed to by taking potential tenants to view a property which is still being let out to existing renters, an expert has warned.

Tony Booth, writing at Property Secrets, noted that prospective tenants are often shown around properties during the last month of an existing occupier's rental agreement.

But accessing a property currently being let out, without permission, could leave landlords and letting agents liable to legal action, he said.

Access without prior consent is only permissible in the event of an emergency and evidence of this would be required before a court, Mr Booth wrote.

On visiting properties during a tenancy agreement, he added: "Although the objective might be to create continuity of rental income and reduce voids, this decision could unintentionally frustrate current tenants and discourage replacement tenants from taking the property."

According to statistics from the government's tenancy deposit protection scheme mydeposits.co.uk, tenants received all or part of their deposit back in 91 per cent of disputes during the third quarter.

How to stay legally compliant with letting agent software.