Letting agent compensation to tenants

darbooka

If a tenant had rented a property through a letting agent, where the agreement was explicitly for the tenant to pay rent each month through standing order or direct debit (i forget which), but the letting agent never sent or otherwise provided the forms to register for the routine monthly bank transfers of the rent payments even after repeated requests by the tenant, and the tenant had for months had to endure time and expense of personally travelling to the bank, withdrawing cash, travelling to the agent, waiting in the agents office for the secretary to fill out a reciept etc., can the tenant claim for the time and expense of that prolonged situation?

asandwhen

I would say not - infact i would go as far as saying it is the tennents responsibility to set up the standing order not the letting agents.

Astaroth

A standing order is what is required and there are no "forms" needed for it simply the sort code and bank account number which the funds are to be paid into (though most landlords/ agents (depending on whos collecting) will also want a reference of some sort on it too (like the first line of the address) so they can identify different properties they have on their book easily).

Most online banking allows you to set up standing orders without even having to go into the branch.

clutton_2

the letting agent needed to have provided the bank account name, account number, sort code, payment date and payment amount to the tenant, so that the tenant then had the necessary information to go to his/her bank to set up the S/O or D/D - each bank has different forms for such payments, so a letting agent cannot provide a universal one. If the letting agent did not do this, then s/he has been a bit inefficient. The fact that the tenant has been willing to do this, rather than post a cheque to the letting agent, is his/her choice.