Letting properties on Assured Shorthold Tenancies
Fisher German are advising clients who let properties on Assured Shorthold Tenancies to take greater care and carry out routine checks.
The importance of these checks was recently highlighted in a case in Norfolk. Here a landowner had let a cottage on an AST for 12 months. The Tenant had been in occupation of the property for six months when a neighbour notified the Landlord of some garden fencing that needed repairing.
Once the fence had been repaired the Landlord called on the Tenant to notify them they had mended the fence. On receiving no answer, the Landlord walked round the property and noticed all the windows were blacked out and screwed open. The Landlord notified the police of this suspicious behaviour, and within a few hours the property was raided by the police and was discovered to be a cannabis factory, occupied by a number of parties totally un-related to the parties detailed on the tenancy agreement.
There have also been recent cases in Northamptonshire of similar goings on.
Routine checks run on the proposed tenant by Letting Agents do not always show up anything untoward. Fisher German recommend routine checks be carried out after the initial three months of the Agreement, to reduce the risk of this sort of thing happening.
For further information contact Henrietta Cator at Fisher German’s Banbury office on 01295 271555, or henrietta.cator@fishergerman.co.uk.
- Ashby de la Zouch
- 01530 412821
- Banbury
- 01295 271 555
- Knutsford
- 01565 757970
- Market Harborough
- 01858 410 200
- Newark
- 01949 851815
- Southampton
- 02380 883150
- St Helens
- 01744 451145
- Stafford
- 01785 220 044
- Worcester
- 01905 453275
