Landlord's Guide

The Agent

The landlord may be paying an agent to manage the rental on their behalf. For all intents and purposes the agent will be the point of contact for the tenant exatcly as if they were the landlord.

Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST)

Background
When to use an AST?
Basic principles
Signing the AST
Ending a tenancy

If there are any major problems (such as return of deposit) then the tenant should take this up with the landlord. Ultimately the landlord is still responsible, they have merely asked the agent to carry out their responsibilities for them.