Letting agent negligence claim with Healys LLP lawyers

31st January 2015 by

 

There is a reason why we hire a professional: the expectation of specialist knowledge and skills that will ensure a job or service is performed to a professional standard. This simple fact applies to letting agents as much as those in other professions. As such, if the management of your property has been substandard or negligent and you, as landlord, have suffered financial loss, it may be worth pursuing a letting agent negligence claim with our solicitors.

What to expect

We expect a reasonable and competent service from a letting agent and it is when this fails to transpire that the question of negligence may arise.

It is reasonable that we expect letting agents to carry out vetting and checks on prospective tenants, to ensure guarantors where appropriate and to perform scheduled and rigorous checks of a property.

Where full management responsibilities are written into the contract it would be reasonable to expect letting agents to ensure that a property is safe, secure and being cared for in an appropriate way, with repairs done competently within reasonable cost and time limits.

Grievances and complaints

For relatively minor letting agent negligence where there has been no significant financial loss, a landlord can register a grievance or complaint through a trade association such as the Association of Residential Letting Agents.

Another group which can be contacted is the Estate Agents Ombudsman Scheme, which has a code of conduct for members and can offer advice and guidance to those with grievances.

Duty of care

Letting agents owe landlords a duty of care and should not breach this duty. The duty of care is of course laid out in the precise contractual arrangements of each landlord-tenant relationship. However, the duty of care can be generalised to include such matters as a duty to follow instructions, to exercise due care and skill, to carry out matters in accordance with the landlord’s instructions and to allow no conflict of interest.

Professional negligence solicitors in Brighton and London

Healys LLP has a team of professional negligence solicitors whose advice can help you ensure that you take the right steps in the event you have suffered negligence at the hands of a letting agent.

Call our Brighton and London offices today, on 020 7822 4106 or click through to find out more about our individual partners.