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anyone rented through Flatland in London?

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  • haha yeah i was surprised to learn that a holding fee i put down on a house with one of these estate agents i speak of who seemed to go against their word after we'd put the money down is actually refunding me this week, so thank god for that.

    fingers crossed in a couple of days i'll have my flat nailed down and the stress is over!!
  • Hmm I'm skeptical of that. Don't know of anyone who's used Flatland before. But given that estate agencies all seem to be a bit dodgy (ie I recently was flat hunting in London and we knew by the time we'd viewed that flat that it had already been rented yet they still continued to make out that it hadn't been), maybe it's worth paying a fee to get a premium service. However, unless you find someone that actually has used them, I would avoid it. Why not check on Zoopla and Gumtree; I found my flat on Zoopla. You just have to be extremely quick off the mark. If it states the place has had more than 10 views, I don't think it's worth arranging a viewing- the flat/house will already have gone. And it's worth checking later in the day and early in the morning for new property updates.
  • kfm
    kfm Posts: 146
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    Hi,

    I used Flatland earlier this year in July. You do have to pay an upfront fee but there are other services like this, e.g. Interlet, so it's not entirely strange or dodgy.

    They had quite a range of properties available back then and you can just pick and choose which ones you want to go and see.

    They're only an introduction service so it's up to you to sort things out with the landlord if you decide to take a property.

    The fee isn't all that bad when you consider how much "proper" estate agents will charge in fees.

    All in all, I'm happy with them :)
  • I did, registered and paid. Went to see three flats, wasn't particularly organised and the same man showed us round three flats, he didn't have the key for one of them. Were very basic properties and excluded a ridiculous amount each week for bills, which would be far more than they actually cost.

    I didn't end up getting my flat through them, so bit disappointed that i paid the fee. Although the staff in the office are knowledgeable.
  • kfm wrote: »
    Hi,


    The fee isn't all that bad when you consider how much "proper" estate agents will charge in fees.

    All in all, I'm happy with them :)

    thats precisely why im thinking on using interlet or flatland ... i may as well risk it for now and just take it on the chin if it turns out to be a bad choice but im pretty confident i'll find a place i like that suits me and my budget through one of them after looking into this a bit more. if anyone else has any info about this then do post and let me know thanks! im currently staying in chiswick at a friends and will be due to visit these places this week ..
  • GRJenni
    GRJenni Posts: 1 Newbie
    Hi I am currently looking for a self-contained studio flat with a similar budget to yours - which I realise is quite low - and was amazed at what was available on the Flatland website. I am concerned about bills, of course as well as whether these flats actually exist. I am curious to find out whether it worked out for you and did you actually find a decent flat through them?
    Thanks
  • Daniel86
    Daniel86 Posts: 51
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    Same as above, any chance of an update Bumsnogger?
  • I've used flatland services this january and found accommodation through them within just 2 days. They were very friendly, efficient and helpful; highly recommended, just £62 for their service.
  • IROB
    IROB Posts: 1 Newbie
    Hi,

    I want to say that it is true you have to pay to access this flatland service but first of all you would need to pay some sort of fees with agencies as well. Thus there is no real difference. Second, me and my boyfriend were desperate in our search for a flat and had tried many different means, but at flatland they allowed us to see many properties that were good for our budget and very quickly, thus I think it was a cost-effective way to reach a very good result. Indeed, we really like the place we are in now.
  • bitsandpieces
    bitsandpieces Posts: 1,736
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    Interesting that two new posters showed up to praise this agency...

    I can't think of any situation where I'd pay a letting agency an up-front fee before I'd found a property through them. What happens if - after paying - it turns out they don't have anything decent available? If an agency is confident they can find a prospective tenant an appropriate place, why not do the usual thing of charging a fee when contracts are signed?

    On the other hand, if anyone wants to pre-register as a preferred client for the bitsandpieces agency, I can sign you up for a very reasonable fee :D
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