Hi there, I am a recent law graduate and am moving to London for work. My friend and I found a place and we found a nice two bedroom flat. The viewing was arranged by an agent of the landlord and they manage the property.
We liked it so much that we contacted the agent and went in the morning to pay the deposit. We both paid a deposit of £500 each and the rest of the deposit and six week's rent needs to be paid before the move in date of July 10th. Both of us filled in some sheets with our names and next of kin. However...
The estate agent printed out the contracts and I read it through and everything seemed fine. For the whole property the ***rent*** was £1300 PCM but the agents/property management people told us that only one of us needs to sign the contract. My friend agreed to sign it under her name and then in terms of rent, she will pay the rent to the landlord and I will pay her prior to that i.e. my name is NOT on the contract and I do not pay rent direct to the landlord. I do however get a key, obviously.
I know this is a stupid question, but what kind of tenancy is this exactly? Is this dodgy? What sort of reasons would there be for only having one of two people on the contract? Can I derive legal rights from the contract between my friend and the landlord? What sort of rights do I have?
The agent did seem professional - it was in a nice office in West London. The move in date is next week and everything else seemed fine. The flat is nice and the location is great, the rent is fantastic for what it is - I want to go ahead with it and move in but wanted to consult this website for your opinions?
I asked about this arrangement and the agent said ''oh only one person needs to sign'' so I asked whether I would be protected and she said "yeh, you're still a tenant."
Has anyone else entered into similar agreements??
Summary:
A and B flat hunting. A and B choose a flat. C is the agent. Contract is entered into for a tenancy agreement between A and C.