Renting property. Can estate agent charge this?

molar

Hi

I recently verbally agreed over the phone to rent a property and paid a £150 application fee at the same time. I was told this was necessary to reserve the property and prevent any futher viewings taking place.

Since not seeing the application form on paper when I paid the £150, I asked if there were any conditions of the application that I need to be aware of and was told no.

When I got the application form a couple of days later, it details a further £100 charge payable for preparing the lease and registering the deposit.

I see this as effectively a £250 application fee which I don't agree to and would like to pull out. The relationship between me and the estate agent already feels like it's on bad ground and they will be responsible for managing the property for the duration of the lease.

Do you think I have grounds to claim back my £150 which is otherwise stated as non refundable?

Thanks for any advice.

boliston

They would definitely need to tell you if any element of the deposit was non refundable and they would need to tell you about any other charges you would need to pay in addition to the rent.