Hi.
I am new to this forum, in my desperation and searching through the net I found this site so i hope someone can help with this:
we rented our flat for the first time in 6 years through an agency The contract was a 11 month temporary short term one with the agency, not the tenant directly and the tenant has been paying regular rent, but the agency has been nothing but a pain with the communication, buying replacement items that have apparently "broken down", etc..

The contract finishes on the 20.12. and we wouldn't mind the tenants staying and the tenants wants to stay too, but not through the same agency. We do not want to renew the contract we have with them, but they are saying if EVER, even in the next 5, 10, 50 years we have the same tenant back in the flat, they can renew the existing contract or take us to court because they introduced the tenant to us and are "continuing" a relationship with a client that they introduced to us.


I need to know, is that something they can do, i.e stop us from having the same tenants in the flat even if we have a contract that starts a week after the existing one finishes?
Would they have a leg to stand on in court?
Is there a way we can do rent to the tenants directly without geting ourselves into legal trouble?
I don't want that cowboy to get another euro cent of my money, even if the flat has to stay empty. I would like to keep the tenants, they are decent people, but the agency i s a BIG NO and I don't want ANYTHING to do anymore with them.

Please help if you can, i need some info ASAP!

Thanks all