Breaking up with your agent can be awkward, but sometimes you just have to be cruel to be kind, and then it’s time to move on! 

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A critical part of the process is the communication and relationship with your tenant. This article focuses on the best way to communicate the change to your tenant.

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However, if you’re looking for the steps to break up with your agent, we have plenty of other content on that topic and you’ll probably find our switch from your agent kit helpful too.  

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It’s really important not to forget your tenants throughout this process. It’s easy to focus on the steps required to terminate the agreement with your current agent, but the tenant is the relationship that is important into the future, so don’t forget to communicate clearly with them.

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We typically recommend the following when making the switch:

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1. Obtain tenant contact information

‍Your current agent can typically provide your tenant’s contact details, but you can also access this information from the lease agreement. 

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2. Make contact and introduce yourself

‍It’s really important to make contact and set the right tone for the relationship. Often we hear from our customers that the demeanour of the tenant totally changes when they realise that they are dealing with the owner and someone who is empowered to make decisions, or cares enough to ensure that they are well looked after.

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We typically see our customers make a phone call to introduce themselves, however a brief email can also work well for this purpose. ‍

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3. Outline clear next steps

‍It’s not always about the money, but sometimes it is. Because your tenant was previously making payments to an agent, it is really important to agree on the date when the payments will change and exactly where you expect payments to be made.

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This is critical simply because habits are hard to break, and once your tenant is used to paying a certain way or at a certain time, they will need a reminder to make the change. At this point we would suggest being very clear that from date [x], payments will be made in this way.

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It will reduce any issues after handover and your tenant will know where they stand and what is required.‍

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4. Follow-up to ensure everything is as expected

‍As a general courtesy it is nice to follow-up prior to the first payment date just to confirm that your tenant is aware of the next steps. It is also worthwhile asking if there are any outstanding items not handled by the previous agent or anything that you can do to help.

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Switching from your agent can be a fairly straightforward process and it’s worth following a process to guide you through it!

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Customers Also Asked...

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Do I need a new lease agreement when switching real estate agents?

The lease agreement is still active, it is simply the agent on the agreement that is no longer involved in managing the property and therefore the lease agreement remains intact.

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Will the bond be paid to me when I terminate my agent?

Ownership of the bond account is transferred via the bond authority, but no cash is transferred to you in this process. It is simply about claiming the bond account with the bond authority, 

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Do I have to wait until the end of the lease to switch agents?

You can terminate your management agreement at any time and do not need to wait until the end of the lease agreement before making a change. 

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