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Letting agent admin fees
westy_1981
Posts: 72 Forumite
Hello all,
Just wondered if anyone could clear this up;
We are viewing a potential rental property this morning and the letting agent has told us that if we like it we can go to the office and reserve it. However, they have also told me that myself and my wife will be subject to admin fees / credit checks totalling £117.50 each. (£235 total !!) Why do they have to carry out checks on my wife and charge us for it if it will be solely my wages that pay the rent? (She is a stay at home mum so no wages)
The cynic in me says it's a quick way of making £100+, but if there's another valid reason please share . . . . .
Thanks in advance
Just wondered if anyone could clear this up;
We are viewing a potential rental property this morning and the letting agent has told us that if we like it we can go to the office and reserve it. However, they have also told me that myself and my wife will be subject to admin fees / credit checks totalling £117.50 each. (£235 total !!) Why do they have to carry out checks on my wife and charge us for it if it will be solely my wages that pay the rent? (She is a stay at home mum so no wages)
The cynic in me says it's a quick way of making £100+, but if there's another valid reason please share . . . . .
Thanks in advance
0
Comments
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Difficult:
If you want that property only available from that agent you've not really got a choice.. (Free Enterprise eh? Not free, not very enterprising...).
At least you'll start out realising the agent is only in it to extract money from you. They may also be charging the landlord.
Last time I went for a credit check (as a LL) on prospective tenant it was £9:99 with BOGOF (Buy one get one free..). The NLA (National Landlord Association) offers them to members @ £8.. (you can have more expensive ones which are more thorough..)
or there's these guys...
http://www.credit-check-services.co.uk/services.asp
And the ConDems decided when they took power not to go ahead with the planned regulation of letting agents... Brilliant!0 -
The Landlord may wish to check that you (collective) havent been running up a lot of debt (ie ccj's) in your wife's name and arn't now using your (singular) name as a clean slate. It is a sensible precaution especially if your wife is going to appear on the tenancy agreement.
The Landlord's insurance may stipulate that all tenants must be referenced and a failure to do so may result in his insurance being invalidated.
The Landlord's mortgage lender may stipulate that all tenants must be referenced and a failure to do so may result in problems with his lender.0 -
All things are negotiable
I got £140 admin fee reduced to £70
Always worth a try.Inside this body lays one of a skinny woman
but I can usually shut her up with chocolate!
When I thank a post in a thread I've not posted in,
it means that I agree with that post and have nothing further to add.
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As moromir says...
Also any rent protection insurance LL wants to take out depends on their being good, "satisfactory" tenant references having been done...0
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