Great ‘How to haggle down rent’ Hunt

nai87_2

asked for a reduction in rent of 30 pounds a month and agreed to replace horrible carpets and improve the ''look'' of the house. funny thing really tht the letting agents was lovely and overheard them ring the office to 'rush' the contract as we didnt look like DSS people!!!

since the reduction in rent has given us more trouble than its worth, iv moved from a nice area to a not so nice area but liveable.... and had more problems with this house than the last flat i had.

theres been repaires but months later and theres 1,700 quids worth of repairs needed (plumbing, boiler, windows, flooring) and the landlord has been dogdging since. the agreement was he to give us a £60 cheque too january for flooring to match the kitchen...wanted nice decent ones not cheap tack!

still..more trouble than its worth. i wish i never moved.

ckirkby3

loveandlight wrote: »

So your complaints against your landlord have nothing to do with them being genuine but more as an excuse to get the rent reduced!

Threads like this although are supposed to be tips to empower the tenant will serve no real purpose other than to encourage a lot of tenants to abuse the rules & regs and will serve no real purpose than to irritate a lot of decent landlords.

I really appreciate this thread because it empowers me now as a recent landlord myself as it shows me all the strategies that tenants use to try and get off paying their rent or get it reduced. It's my property so any tenant lives by my rental terms. If they don't like them then they can move on.

I am a very fair person but if I get a tenant trying to pull a fast one with me or be a demanding tenant then I won't bother being reasonable anymore. I won't argue or spend any time trying to sort the situation out. I will just serve a notice to vacate and have nothing more to do with them. It works both ways you know!

And with that pedantic attitude, you'll find yourself and your property tenantless, and losing a month or two's rent, i despise people like yourself. It's not all about "pulling fast one's" pal. In this financial climate its about saving money, or being as economic as possible. Get with the times son. After all remember what site your on "moneysaving"expert. Sigh.

daska

We moved last november because the LL at our old property expected us to live with a category 1 safety deficiency, all the integrated appliances faulty, 1" gaps around the external doors that let in wind and rain, no gas safety certificate etc. etc. etc. and wrote to us to tell us to move out or not to complain! We're LLs ourselves so we know what to expect, and that wasn't it so we scarpered ASAP. When we found the flat of our dreams we offered £200 less than the asking price of £850/month and asked the agent to let us know how loudly the LL laughed. To our surprise the LL counteroffered £700. We have a much nicer flat, a large garden and private parking and we are £100 better off per month for the next year!

... and the house we used to live in, well, hmmm, they've done all the work the council asked them to do (guesstimate £8K+), they've reduced the asking price by £100 and two months later it's still empty with them paying the standing charges, the council tax etc... aw diddums... didn't they like the nasty tenants that didn't feel so greatful to live in their cold, damp, unsafe house...

daska

loveandlight wrote: »

So your complaints against your landlord have nothing to do with them being genuine but more as an excuse to get the rent reduced!

Threads like this although are supposed to be tips to empower the tenant will serve no real purpose other than to encourage a lot of tenants to abuse the rules & regs and will serve no real purpose than to irritate a lot of decent landlords.

I really appreciate this thread because it empowers me now as a recent landlord myself as it shows me all the strategies that tenants use to try and get off paying their rent or get it reduced. It's my property so any tenant lives by my rental terms. If they don't like them then they can move on.

I am a very fair person but if I get a tenant trying to pull a fast one with me or be a demanding tenant then I won't bother being reasonable anymore. I won't argue or spend any time trying to sort the situation out. I will just serve a notice to vacate and have nothing more to do with them. It works both ways you know!

I think you must be our ex landlord...

daska

kennyjosiah wrote: »

HI, I dont know if anyone can help we are looking to relocate to Llandudno vicinity (around 7 mile radius) but we can only find agents through rightmove who ask for £120 each for a reference for each of us (which I dont understand as we are married? ) and another £120 reference for a guarantor (£360 in total), or alternatively 6 months rent in advance and then again another 6months in advance if we wanted to renew in a further 6months (,which we would like to avoid as thats all our savings wiped out and no cushion for emergencies or removal vans, etc, also what would happen if the agent went bust) we are a family with 4 young children and have privately rented our current property for nearly six years and have never been late or missed a payment - is there a website or any tips on how to find the local independent agents who dont ask quite so much -thnks in advance :beer:

I think I'd look through the local papers and take your paperwork from the last property with you when you meet the owner. We only paid one referencing fee for both of us and the guarantor combined - but we're not in Llandudno!

orion-7

hah. lots of rental properties eh?

try living in aberystwyth. the market is truly swamped this year. you may actually have to haggle *up* to get a property

kennyjosiah

Hi, if anyone can help I would be really, really grateful, we have found a property and have to give a months notice on our property rent is due 10th of every month (tomorrow) I have wrote out a letter of months notice dated 8th February, do I have to pay my rent tomorrow for the following months rent, when we took out the tenancy we had to pay deposit and also months rent in advance, (we have lived here for 6 years) does this mean we are paid up for the months notice period ??? sorry if it sounds a stupid question, quick help would be great as the rent is due tomorrow (could save myself a months rent) thanks in advance :beer:

EagerLearner

Hi, I think contractually you need to pay the rent regardless and then get the deposit back through the usual process once you have checked-out of the property and the condition has been assessed. Check your contract as it also depends who is holding the deposit etc.

kennyjosiah

EagerLearner wrote: »

Hi, I think contractually you need to pay the rent regardless and then get the deposit back through the usual process once you have checked-out of the property and the condition has been assessed. Check your contract as it also depends who is holding the deposit etc.

Hi thankyou, but doesnt that mean I have paid another one months rent in advance for the month I am not living there ? I cant get my head round how it works, I appreciate the deposit is kept untiil after they make sure we have paid bills etc., - thanks

housebug

We're in the Midlands where there's a surfeit of absentee landlords. As a result, most rentals are via letting agents. I won't go into my opinion of that particular profession, I know they aren't all alike. Let's just say our experience with them was, shall we say, costly. Once bitten, twice shy.

We have been very fortunate to have a private landlord who lives locally and takes an active interest in his properties. He's also a nice guy too! We're what he calls "ideal tenants" ie: take care of property we're in and pay the rent on time, without fail.

My advice is regardless of whether you use a letting agent or a private rental, do your homework. Get as much information as you can about the owner and the property. For instance, ask how long the last tenant was in residence. If they didn't go the length of their lease, ask why. Some properties are like revolving doors; tenants come and go so fast, it should be a signal to you that something's not right. Ask what the tax band is for the property so you can find out how much more the council tax addes to the rental price.

Don't feel like your being nosey or aren't entitled to ask questions. The costs involved with a move should motivate you to do everything you can to ensure you pick the right rental. Read potential leases carefully. If you want a property but there's anything in the lease that concerns you, including the price, speak to the agent/landlord. Don't assume you have to "take it or leave it". A good landlord will be flexible to at least some degree, provided your being reasonable too, to get a good tenant. Empty properties cost the owner money. And like good landlords, good tenants can be hard to find. So speak up. Make sure you have copies of all the necessary documentation to hand ie: proof of income, references etc...

In the end, if it doesn't feel right to you, walk away and keep looking.