Help - crooked agent

[JR8]

Meanwhile today, showing how it can be done, I received this from one of my tenants in London...

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'Hi [JR8],

I hope you're well. You may know already that I am leaving Txxx Road after all this time in a couple of weeks. I don't think I had ever thought when I moved in during the summer of 1998 that I would spend the bulk of my adult life so far in that flat but so it has been. I just wanted to say I have had a a wonderful 14.5 years calling #[xxx] home and will always have many happy memories. Thank you.

[S]'
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Ah, deep sigh of satisfaction that some tenants really DO appreciate your best efforts...

[x9200]

Meanwhile today, showing how it can be done, I received this from one of my tenants in London...

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'Hi [JR8],

I hope you're well. You may know already that I am leaving Txxx Road after all this time in a couple of weeks. I don't think I had ever thought when I moved in during the summer of 1998 that I would spend the bulk of my adult life so far in that flat but so it has been. I just wanted to say I have had a a wonderful 14.5 years calling #[xxx] home and will always have many happy memories. Thank you.

[S]'
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Ah, deep sigh of satisfaction that some tenants really DO appreciate your best efforts...

Wait till you see your flat
Just kidding.

[offshoreoildude]

IF you're such a big shot why isn't your HR handling this OP? Bloody wide comb shearers spoiling it for us again hey?

[katongkiwis]

ha thanks offshoreoildude - I dont claim to be a bigshot - was just trying to explain that Im not a novice at relocations. Re the wide-combs - great to hear you are clearly an Aussie (tch ch I'm making an assumption!) and explains a bit - we kiwis are happy to be able to handle such big things!!
anyway, this has been done to death, ANZAC ribbing aside ......

[offshoreoildude]

Remember this; you can win pretty much any argument in Singapore regardless of the logic or contract involved. Seriously - read it again - it's true - you can win any argument in Singapore with pretty much anyone - given enough time, motivation, face giving etc.....

[movingtospore]

Kiwi - you have been introduced to concept of kiasu. Which is more or less f@# you before you can F@# me. Remember that. The agents in particular are the worst - your LL may in fact be reasonable? Would suggest you cut the agent out of the discussion, and go directly to the LL?

Also remember, here, if you "admit" a small fault and make an offer of some kind that usually does the trick - eg// I will pay for 20% of the granite because I wasn't there to watch the repair, but you pay for the rest. Suck it up and ignore your desire to retch at such things .. they seem to need to feel they get something in order to give you something. And, another hard one to swallow, is that you have to let go of your need to to be right in principle. You are right. But locals don't give a rat's @#$ ass about principle and you will be out a lot of $$ in the meantime. It drives me insane but after a few years here I'd rather have money in my pocket.

[Cath C]

The agents in particular are the worst - your LL may in fact be reasonable? Would suggest you cut the agent out of the discussion, and go directly to the LL?

Although I have no problems with my agent, I do think that movingtosingapore is onto something with the idea about going direct to the landlord. I know from my own experience of renting out our places in Australia there are times when it is just easier to sort things out directly with the tenants.

I remember doing an inspection on one property and meeting the tenant, who told me that the TV aerial wasn't working. He'd asked the agent about it and they just hadn't done anything and this poor guy had been without TV for 6 months, thinking that I just wasn't willing to pay for a TV aerial! Sometimes direct communication is better.

[JR8]

The flip-side Cath is when you are a landlord and pay significant fees to an agent to provide 'full management' [I do this, as it is expected by my target market. For me that element alone is 5-7%+17.5% vat on that].

And yet sometimes the tenant still calls you... on the ferry between Tioman and Mersing or wha'ever at 3am local... because (example) they've blocked the toilet with x/y/z [something no one in their right minds would discard in a toilet, but because it's a rental it '''makes it somehow not incredibly stupid but somehow ok'ish and certainly not their fault'''], and they're wondering if you can come around 'this afternoon' to fix it.

I could start a topic of 'completely dumb stuff tenants are capable of'. I honestly think most of you out there would be genuinely boggled at some of the things landlords get to face!

[Cath C]

Yeah, I feel your pain. Actually, I would also prefer my tenants to go straight to the agent (that's what we pay the 6% fee for right?) But if they don't get what they need from the agent, then I'd prefer they come to me direct so that I don't look like a sloppy landlord who doesn't care.