Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Property Agent's Commission on Extending a Lease

Hi Mr. Tan,

I like to seek your advice on the commission payable to the property agent for extending a lease.

Two years ago, I leased out my apartment through an agent. The agent charged me 1 month of rental, which was a lot of money.

I am now negotiating with my tenant to extend the lease. I was shocked to find that the property agent had included in the lease agreement (without my knowledge) a clause that requires me to pay commission for extending the lease.

I have never agreed to this condition. Am I required to pay this commission? In my case, the agent provided bad service to me and the tenant during the past two years. Why should I continue to pay commission again?

I hope that you can advise me.

REPLY

I understand that the standard tenancy agreement does not have this clause. It seems that some property agent inserted the clause to give them additional income, but it is unfair to the owner.

I suggest that you negotiate a new agreement with the tenant. You can agree with the tenant on whether any commission is to be paid to the agent, and which party is required to pay the commission. Quite likely, the tenant will prefer to deal directly with you, and avoid this additional cost.

As you do not have any agreement with the agent on this matter, you are not bound by the terms of the old tenancy agreement, as it has been superceded.

I hope that you find this to be helpful. As this is a legal matter, you may wish to get the opinion of a lawyer as well.

4 comments:

  1. You are not bound by the 'clause". It is illegal.It is "beyond the law".
    Any renegotiation is a new contract.
    You should seek expert advice.

    ReplyDelete
  2. My friend, who is a lawyer, said that the original tenancy agreement is between the owner and the tenant. The agent is not a party to this agreement.

    Even if the agreement is extended, the agent cannot make any claim for the additional commission.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Property agents are like insurance agents. Always looking for ways to rip-off the consumer.

    Be aware of all agents who earn commission. They like to increase their earnings and you have to pay them.

    Avoid agents. Rent your property yourself. Buy your insurance directly from the insurance company.

    Do not buy insurance from agents at MRT stations.

    ReplyDelete