Letting Agent gas & elec antics

DVardysShadow

oldone wrote: »

So because of this you are treating all your tenants as though they were senile relatives.

When I rented, I transferred energy suppliers from the old to new properties.This was because the supplier knew my track record, and I was aware of how they traded.

I'm sorry, but if a Landlord/Letting agent tried to tell me how to spend MY money, I would tell them to take a hike and see me in court.

Prepay meters would put off many potential renters. When we rented, it would have been a show stopper.

So if a tenant goes on to prepay, it leave the Landlord with the problem and expense of putting the meters back to credit.

As for the choice of supplier, I tend to agree, the tenant should have the choice. However, the 'deemed contract' leaves the Landlord with a supplier they might not want and also leaves the tenant with the same problem. These days, not all suppliers are equal and some you definitely might not want to do business with.

dizziblonde

oldone wrote: »

So because of this you are treating all your tenants as though they were senile relatives.

When I rented, I transferred energy suppliers from the old to new properties.This was because the supplier knew my track record, and I was aware of how they traded.

I'm sorry, but if a Landlord/Letting agent tried to tell me how to spend MY money, I would tell them to take a hike and see me in court.

I wouldn't be happy being told who I had to take energy from either to be honest - especially since hubby works for an energy company and we like to make use of his employee discount (and it's easier all round for him to know contact names and numbers to chase directly if there's any problems with anything). Prepayment meters are generally a slightly more problematic issue and I can understand that - but actual just who supplies you, I think you should be allowed the choice over.

Apart from the minor Utility Warehouse blip - all the letting agents I've been with have only ever requested I complete a form at the end of the tenancy with details of who the supply is with, and final readings of meters.

LooniesMum

dizziblonde wrote: »

Apart from the minor Utility Warehouse blip - all the letting agents I've been with have only ever requested I complete a form at the end of the tenancy with details of who the supply is with, and final readings of meters.

Every time I have a change of tenant the only way I find out who the supplier is is by the stack of post either in my name or "occupier" sent to the property (not to me at home so it can be weeks before I get it!) - usually wanting payment. They always claim never to have been given the meter readings on move out day as well - I've learnt to go and get my own readings and not rely on the LA for that. So maybe the agents do give tenants a form - but how often does the info actually reach the landlord?!

BitterAndTwisted

Why on earth don't the agents check the meter readings themselves and ask the tenants to confirm who the utility suppliers are when they attend the check-out? I would have thought that that would be part of the service for their vastly inflated charges?

brightonman123

i worked at a place where the letting dept charged BOTH the LL and new tenants, for doing a credit check on incomers..? is that industry standard?

and as for arranging building insurance through one company, purely because they paid the best commission (and so were almost always the costliest premium, to leasehoders)..

and some of the tendering processes for major repairs were, at best, iffy. seemed only a couple of firms got most of the business.. i often wondered if the 'winning' bid always came in last, after 'somehow' finding out what the other bids were..

LooniesMum

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

Why on earth don't the agents check the meter readings themselves and ask the tenants to confirm who the utility suppliers are when they attend the check-out? I would have thought that that would be part of the service for their vastly inflated charges?

The agent does usually do it - they just don't forward the information to the landlord, who of course is the bill payer between tenancies!

LooniesMum

brightonman123 wrote: »

i worked at a place where the letting dept charged BOTH the LL and new tenants, for doing a credit check on incomers..? is that industry standard?

and as for arranging building insurance through one company, purely because they paid the best commission (and so were almost always the costliest premium, to leasehoders)..

and some of the tendering processes for major repairs were, at best, iffy. seemed only a couple of firms got most of the business.. i often wondered if the 'winning' bid always came in last, after 'somehow' finding out what the other bids were..

Actually I've always arranged my own buildings insurance and repair men - I've never been tied into using the agent's, so I can't complain on that score. I've never been specifically charged for the credit check, which the tenant pays, but I do pay a "finder's fee" which covers advertising and screening the tenant etc