As a lawyer... they don't have to!  I have rented through Foxtons as a tenant some years back and let my property through Foxtons as a landlord.  We pay them a great deal to look after the mundane day to day affairs of managing the property.  My tenant approached me and asked to make a contract directly with myself and him (and of course tried to get a reduced rent). Foxtons hired a private investigator and found out...  I laugh now but I wouldn't bother asking for your landlords details and they are not obliged by law to provide this information to you.  I suggest in future you actually READ the contract you're signing like many of the other idiots on here.  This is why I let Foxtons manager my property... to deal with prats like yourself who have no concept of an agreement and where the UK law system allows for idiots like you to exist!