Our role and limitations as managing agent explained
If you're renting a property, you're likely familiar with the term "landlord." But most people haven't heard about a "managing agent", so here's a quick explainer to help your tenancy run smoothly.
In brief:
- CPS Homes are your managing agent, not your landlord.
- A managing agent's role is to make sure contract-holders and landlords stick to the terms of the signed Written Statement of Occupation Contract.
- The CPS Homes maintenance team will seek permission from your landlord to get repairs done and will request upgrades or improvements, but your landlord will make the final decisions on everything.
- Your deposit is registered with a government-approved deposit protection scheme throughout your tenancy.
- CPS Homes does not decide whether to claim from your deposit at the end of your tenancy. If your landlord decides there are valid reasons to claim after reading our check-out report, it is their prerogative to make a claim, but contract-holders can raise a dispute if they disagree. An eventual decision may be made by an independent adjudicator, who is appointed by the deposit protection scheme.
Are CPS Homes my landlord?
A lot of contract-holders think we are, but no, we never are. The owner of the property is your landlord and you'll find their name on your Written Statement of Occupation Contract. You may meet them if they want to visit their property during your tenancy, but your first call should always be to us. It's our job to keep our contract-holders and landlords happy as much we can, though we don't hold the purse strings.
So my landlord may not get involved at all?
Quite the opposite! The landlord plays a vital role as they make the final decision on everything. They decide when to send a contractor out, or agree to let you pay your rent a bit later. We don't hold the power to make those decisions.So what is CPS Homes' role as managing agent?
It's our job to make sure contract-holders and landlords stick to the terms of the Written Statement of Occupation Contract you both entered into. We know the laws, guidance and industry standards inside out, which is why landlords employ us as a managing agent. We will take the day-to-day tasks off their hands, collecting rent, chasing outstanding rent and handling maintenance requests.Who authorises repairs to my property?
Your landlord does. When you first report something to us, there are some initial checks we'll run through with you in case it can be easily fixed, but if that doesn't work, we will seek permission from the landlord to get the work done, as they will be the one paying the bill.
Waiting for their approval can sometimes take longer than we would like, depending on their response time. We are committed to minimising these delays and chasing up your requests as promptly as possible, but acting as the ‘middle man’ can be frustrating for us too – we don’t benefit from delays and it’s in our interest to run things as smoothly as possible for everyone living in the properties we manage.
The difference between a 'repair' and an 'improvement'
Repairs
A repair is something your landlord is required to do such as fixing an appliance that came with the property or remedying a potential health and safety issue.
- If the issue is a result of wear and tear, your landlord must remedy it. Take a look at our guide on what counts as general wear and tear and what’s property damage, keeping this safe to refer to at the end of your tenancy.
- The time between your initial report and completion of the job can vary due to a variety of factors; the main one being the seriousness of the problem. Don't expect a wonky drawer to be dealt with as quickly as a faulty boiler!
- Sometimes things can delay the repair process, but we'll always keep you informed about how things are moving along.
Improvements
An improvement is discretionary, so even if it makes total sense to do it, your landlord doesn't have to agree to it as long as it's not a health, safety or hygiene problem.
- We want the homes we manage to be looking and functioning at their best for our contract-holders, so we'll pass over every reasonable request we receive to your landlord.
- We'll even do our bit to persuade them that making the improvement makes sense. We can't guarantee we'll always get the outcome you want, but landlords do trust us as experienced agents, so most of the time we get our way.
Does a managing agent decide whether to claim anything from my deposit at the end of my tenancy?
The short answer is "no". The longer answer is that our staff members will assist in documenting and assessing the condition of the property when you leave, but we do not have the authority to determine the final claim(s).
When you pay us your deposit, it gets registered with a government-approved deposit protection scheme. These schemes are in place to keep your money safe and ensure fair, impartial handling of any deposit disputes between the landlord and contract-holder.
If there are valid reasons for making a claim from the deposit at the end of your tenancy, such as unpaid rent, damage beyond normal wear and tear or cleaning expenses, it's your landlord's prerogative to claim for them. Contract-holders are able to raise a free dispute if they disagree with any claim, and the deposit scheme will then work to reach a fair conclusion.
If you have any further questions about our role, please get in touch.
The information contained within this article was correct at the date of publishing and is not guaranteed to remain correct in the present day.
