Falling Rent Rates - want to get rid of agent - can I?

[Bugledog]

I have a tenant on benefits whose rent has dropped 40% due to the new changes in LHA rates.

Now I want to keep the tenant, but stop paying the agency 10% as they have not been able to keep the rent at the original rate on the AST.

Do you think I can use this huge rental rate drop as a good enough reason to leave my contract with them?

I don't want to pay any more fees to them as they are not a great firm anyway, and wondered if they would have a case if they tried to take me to court.

Many thanks for any help here....

[Phlash]

Your rent hasn't dropped. The support the tenant is getting has fallen.

Why is the agent at fault in this scenario exactly? Not sure I understand.

[theartfullodger]

Your argument is with the government - specifically Dave Cameron, Pickles & Irritable Duncan Syndrome - for reducing HB/LHA rates: Their excuse is that the country is in a bad way, benefit spending way-too high & benefit rates need reducing, thereby getting at vulnerable landlords. The agent has little - if anything - to do with this.

Sunday Times had a article about someone getting HB/LHA who's rates had been reduced and had ended up moving from Belgravia to the outer suburbs now asking to be moved back to her luxury pad in Belgravia: The bonkers Daily Mail has nicked the story this morning...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...LION-home.html

‘Get me back to Belgravia’: Mother of six demands she is rehoused in exclusive suburb after a cap on housing benefit forced her out of £2MILLION home

Stephanie Demouh was entitled to housing benefit because she was registered as a single mother
She lived in a four bedroom house in Belgravia, near Sloane Square, for about three years
Government housing cap resulted in Westminster Council moving family
Demouh says she needs to live in the exclusive area so her children can get to school
Westminster City Council says it will now investigate the case

Your TENANT (not agent, TENANT) still owes you the contracted rental amount... ask him what he's going to do about it/.... (or ask agent to ask him...)

Cheers!

[Bugledog]

Many thanks for your replies - i understand what you are saying. Yes the tenant is responsible, but the agency (a 'specialist' LHA outfit) bought the tenant in via a council contract in Hammersmith and so has much more involvement in the process than a normal agent would/has.

The idea of the tenant paying any arrears is a just a joke.

What I want to do is leave the agents as they are not very efficient, and use the rent drop as a good reason for doing so.

[Mrs Mug]

You can dispense with the services of your agent at any time you want, you just have to abide by the terms and conditions laid out in your agency agreement.

[oaktree]

A 'specialist lha' agent - really?. They won't have any more input into the governments decision on lha rates than my old mum would so its ridiculous to try to blame them for it and trying to use it as an excuse to split from them is even more ridiculous. As Mrs Mug say, look at your agency agreement