Problems with estate agent (renting)

MrFrost82

I'll try and make this as short as possible.

Me, my girlfriend and our two little ones were due to pick up the keys and sign the contracts to a house we are renting this Friday.

Today I gave the letting agents a call to make sure everything was still ok. Upon phoning them I was told that the owners were due to hand in the keys last Thursday and never did. Apparently they have been calling them and leaving messages on a daily basis but have had no reply.

When we viewed the property the owners explained they were emigrating to Canada on the 4th Feb. Upon a drive to the house this evening, it is obvious the house has been vacated and they are no longer living there.

So far we have paid £220 credit check fees and £700 bond. The letting agents have told us that we will lose the £220 and £150 (under any cirumstances, even if the owners back out) we cannot afford to lose this money.

We are also in the situation where we have to be out of our house by next tuesday. Not to mention the countless other things we have organised in readiness for moving.

We are completely lost as to what is happening or where to go now.......

poppysarah

They should find you a similar property and quick! No loss of money - nothing. Cheeky s*ds

thebaldwindowfitter

i may be wrong but whatever money you have paid to this ea should be refunded i would have thought unless they have something in there contract

MrFrost82

We have checke what we have signed and all that it says is the money is non-refundable so I guess that covers their backs.

It just seems a very strange situation. A friend of mine said it sounds like they probably have someone else lined in to move into the property and are just looking to fleece someone to make some extra money, ie by keeping their credit check fees etc when the house is already let.

poppysarah

Ring shelter.

tbs624

Phone the Private Sector Rentals Team at the local Council - they need to know about LAs who behave like this. I'd also speak to the local Trading Standards Dept.

If the LA was having to call the owners "on a daily basis", why didn't they think to keep you in the picture too? They need a formal letter from you requesting your money back in full. £220 is way in excess of the real costs of a credit check (even the most comprehensive ones only cost around 50-60 quid per person) and if the LA can't deliver what they promised then they should stand their own admin fee and mark up on the credit checks. If they insist in charging you for the actual costs of the credit check insist on having your own copy of the result - you are entitled to see it.. Suggest to them that the alternative is, as Poppysarah says, that they find you an equivalent property forthwith, even if that means them trawling round other LAs on your behalf.

Can you talk to your current LL about extending your stay or are you selling your own property?

Either call Shelter as Poppysarah has suggested or ask for someone with LL & T experience at the local CAB.