seeking advice regarding an early tenancy release dispute, please 🙂
Hey folks, I’m looking for advice on an early tenancy release issue in England from a private landlord.
I signed an early release agreement on 5 March 2026. I agreed to pay rent until a replacement tenant was found, plus a £650 early termination/re-letting fee, which I’ve already paid. My original tenancy was due to end on 15 June.
The property wasn’t uploaded to the agent’s website until around 23 days after signing, and Rightmove a couple of days after that. The agent has said this was partly due to landlord approvals/communication, paperwork and marketing prep. So not total inactivity, but it wasn’t publicly marketed for over 3 weeks while I remained liable.
One tenant failed referencing. A new tenant is now expected around 30 May (but still waiting confirmation after a week), so I’m being asked to pay rent from 28 April to 30 May as well.
At my request, the agent asked the landlord to end my liability on 15 May as a compromise, but the landlord refused. I’ve started the agent’s formal complaint process and may go to the Property Redress Scheme if needed.
Questions:
- Is it reasonable to dispute part of the rent due to the marketing delay?
- Does the signed agreement override any fairness/proportionality argument?
- Does paying under protest preserve my position?
- Is complaint/PRS more realistic than small claims?