Having a letting agent manage your rental property can reduce the risk of something going wrong. This page explains some considerations for your assured shorthold tenancy agreement when working with a letting agent.
An assured-shorthold tenancy agreement (also known as an AST) allows a landlord to let a property to a tenant. The term of an assured shorthold tenancy agreement is usually 6 or 12 months and will usually convert to a rolling periodic tenancy at the end of the initial term.
A sole occupancy tenancy agreement is when a tenant rents the entire property and has exclusive possession of the property. This means that the landlord needs to seek permission to enter and can only repossess the property from the tenant by serving a notice under certain conditions. The conditions for serving a notice will depend on the status of the tenancy (within the initial term, at a break point or rolling) and whether the tenant has breached the terms of the tenancy agreement or not.
A letting agent is a person or company which manages a property on behalf of a landlord. A letting agent will source a tenant and often create the tenancy agreement on behalf of the landlord.
When a letting agent creates a tenancy agreement on behalf of the landlord, it is important to state the landlord and the agent's details in the agreement for the benefit of all parties. It is also important to state if the agent has been contracted to manage the property during the tenancy or if they simply sourced the tenant so that they know who to contact for notices and repairs.
Legislate's assured shorthold tenancy can be created by agents on the behalf of landlords. Agents can also sign on behalf of the landlord if they have their permission. The tenancy agreement also identifies the agent's details and responsibilities so that it is clear who tenants should contact.