An 'accidental landlord' has been seeking advice on how to retrieve a flat from a guaranteed rent agency, with whom they have had a 'rent to rent' agreement for over ten years. The landlord had previously given notice to the agency to terminate the agreement and regain vacant possession of the property, intending to sell it.
After approximately eight months of waiting for the eviction process to conclude, and due to a change in circumstances, the landlord considered withdrawing the request to get the property back, provided the agency agreed to an increased rent. The agency reportedly negotiated with the existing tenants, who agreed to the increase, and the landlord confirmed they should halt the eviction process.
However, the agency later stated they had not received tenant confirmation, preventing a new agreement. The landlord then instructed the agency to continue with the existing eviction process due to further changes in circumstances. The agency responded by claiming a verbal agreement with the tenants was legally binding and that the eviction process would need to restart from scratch if the landlord still wished to proceed.
The landlord subsequently received a message from a third party suggesting the tenants had moved out. The agency initially claimed to be unaware of this, but later contacted the landlord offering a new deal if they signed a new contract. The landlord is now seeking advice on the best approach to regain their property, citing previous difficulties in ending the agreement with the agency.