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Former_MSE_Helen
Posts: 2,382 Forumite
"Tenants are having to go without food and heating to cover 'out of control' letting agency costs, says Shelter..."
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Letting agency fees 'truly out of control'
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Letting agency fees 'truly out of control'
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Comments
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It's not just the up-front fees either.
- Every year I have to pay £120 to renew my tenancy for another year
- When my girlfriend moved in, I had to pay an additional £120 to update my tenancy
- When I requested to purchase a family dog, I had to pay - you guessed it - another £120!
I can't wait to buy my own house and give my letting agents the finger.
Sebastian0 -
beetlejoose wrote: »it's not just the up-front fees either.
- every year i have to pay £120 to renew my tenancy for another year
- when my girlfriend moved in, i had to pay an additional £120 to update my tenancy
- when i requested to purchase a family dog, i had to pay - you guessed it - another £120!
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Landlords also have a responsibility for many of the extortionate letting agents fees.
Many LLs have no idea what their (yes, their) agents are doing. They rashly delegate far too much responsibility to the agent.
When selecting an agent, the LL should not just check what the agent will charge the LL, and what they will do for that fee, but also how they will treat their (yes, the landlord's) tenant and what they will charge them.
And boycot an agent who is going to alienate his (the LL's) tenant.0 -
beetlejoose wrote: »It's not just the up-front fees either.
- Every year I have to pay £120 to renew my tenancy for another year
- When my girlfriend moved in, I had to pay an additional £120 to update my tenancy
- When I requested to purchase a family dog, I had to pay - you guessed it - another £120!
I can't wait to buy my own house and give my letting agents the finger.
Sebastian
All 3 avoidable charges0 -
whats worse is when the letting agent then charges you the same fee again if you were to move to a new property with the same agent, even though they have done all the referencing etc and know you're a good tenant0
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Of course letting-agency fees are out of control: it's a seller's market and there's absolutely no regulation. And I can't see any regulation forthcoming either, alas.0
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All 3 avoidable charges
Not necessarily, for instance if the LL doesnt want the tenant to go onto a periodic tenancy, if he wants more security, he doesnt control how much the letting agent charges. Same with all the other examples. Sure, the LL is in charge but the LA controls the cost of all of these things. Unless you're advocating not informing the LL about additional occupiers or pets.mystery1100 wrote: »whats worse is when the letting agent then charges you the same fee again if you were to move to a new property with the same agent, even though they have done all the referencing etc and know you're a good tenant
Ugh, totally. And whats with the stoopidly expensive credit check when we all know it really only costs 10-35 quid???0 -
Thanks Reue and G_M.
Perhaps some further information on how I might avoid paying my annual renewal would benefit other forum users as well as myself.
Cheers0 -
Unless you're advocating not informing the LL about additional occupiers or pets.
Agreed; I didn't get around to / didn't even consider announcing the change in my relationship status, so I didn't kick up a fuss when the LA discovered the change themselves.
Also: My LA doesn't always keep their end of the bargain (not turning up for inspections after I've booked the day off etc) so I'm even less inclined to pay the fees.
I understand that "if you don't like it, find another house" but as money savers and sensible human beings, I think you can appreciate that this isn't really an option.0 -
beetlejoose wrote: »Thanks Reue and G_M.
Perhaps some further information on how I might avoid paying my annual renewal would benefit other forum users as well as myself.
Cheers0
This discussion has been closed.
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