I am often asked by landlords what they can do to protect themselves in case their tenant disappears overnight, owing rent. Firstly, I would implore any potential landlord to employ an agent when drawing up the tenancy agreement. That way you can trust a responsible letting agent to have made all the necessary enquiries to satisfy themselves of the suitability of the tenant. I have lost count of the number of times a landlord has said to me that they met their tenant through a mate down the pub who uttered the immortal words, “He’s as good as gold.”
6 months and no rent later, landlords wish that they had employed an agent. A past acquaintance of mine always used to come out with the infamous comment, “I have been talking to an expert down the pub”… Whether the subject matter was rentals, brain surgery or rocket science, this expert always knew best.
Whilst I am not the man to perform a frontal lobotomy, I (and other professional letting agents) am the man to go to to ensure that all the necessary checks and precautions are made before the start of the tenancy. And should the worst case scenario occur of a tenant defaulting, then I have the professional means and knowledge to at least attempt to resolve the situation.
