The Scourge Of Sub-Letting

THE SCOURGE OF SUB-LETTING

It’s that time of year again when we have to develop the skills of an MI5 agent in an attempt to sniff out the unscrupulous applicants who then become the tenants from hell!  Given the strict referencing guidelines that the majority of letting agents adhere to, it is frustrating that some undesirable applicants still slip through the net.  With this in mind, it appears that Airbnb has become the new preferred way to sub-let.  We have had two similar scenarios recently where we simply would not have known or guessed that the person signing the Tenancy Agreement was not going to be the person residing in the property.   

The galling part of all this is that these ‘rogue tenants’ are fully aware of what they intend to do at the time of signing.  What we have found to be more maddening are the prices they are charging.  With one property, the weekly rent we are asking is the equivalent of £120 per night, yet the property has been posted on Airbnb at £280 per night.  Our experiences have been unpleasant but not so much that court proceedings have had to take place. We have been fortunate enough that the tenants have admitted they are in the wrong and have thus far been happy to accept defeat and bow out quietly.

It is difficult to know what the answer is in order to avoid this behaviour altogether but we advise a uniform clause in every tenancy that states any form of sub-letting, via Airbnb or the like, will result in the tenant relinquishing their deposit in full. All letting agents definitely need to continue to work together and keep each other informed of anyone we know to be a ‘bad tenant’. Equally, should Airbnb and other similar organisations not implement procedures to ensure that they are dealing with the actual owner of the property rather than a tenant intent on sub-letting?

Harriet Sendall, MARLA, Head of Lettings