Incredibly incompetant letting agents - Mann counrtywide lettings

gregdedman

Hi all,

A fraught week has seen me get a full time job and find a flat down in Guildford...but not with out its problems!

I found the perfect property on the internet and not being in the area, hired a car to go to some viewings. The agents being MANN countryside lettings in Sutton displayed the laziest, most useless and dishonest level of customer care ive ever witnessed.

Not only did the agent fail to contact the tennant to arrange a viewing but had never set foot inside the property himself to describe the interior he then lied to me that he had been trying to call them all day. In the end come 4pm I decided to unorthodoxly knock on the tenants door to ask to peek inside. The tenant was lovely and helped me out but also said that he had been home all day and no missed calls were recieved.

I called the agent and told him I wanted it, and he was fairly surprised id gone to such lengths saying that 'i had done his job for him'. I needed my references to go through asap as I start the job tomorrow. Money was paid....£1950...and references completed within 24 hours but then the agent told me that they didnt have an EPC done on the place and that this would delay my moving in.

I know that most of you will reply with 'well thats agents for you' but my question is this...what the HELL do i pay these extrtionate fees for!?!?! These agents have done nothing to justify these costs and when it comes down to one legal piece of paper to allow me to move in....they dont have one.
IS there a way of complaining and recoupiong some of my fees? I do not appreciate being lied to or dealing with people who cannot do their job properly.

Greg

princeofpounds

what the HELL do i pay these extrtionate fees for!?!?! These agents have done nothing to justify these costs and when it comes down to one legal piece of paper to allow me to move in....they dont have one.
IS there a way of complaining and recoupiong some of my fees?

Nothing. Well, almost nothing. They don't work for you, except to print out your copy of a tenancy agreement and buy a credit check that probably cost about £30. That's all the services they provide for those fees, all the other things are done for the benefit of the landlord.

The prices bear no relation to the cost, and the market will bear high prices because agents typically have a oligopoly or even monopolu on suitable property in a suitable area in a suitable time window.

All the above sounds like standard operating procedure for many letting agents!

tbs624

gregdedman wrote: »

Hi all,

A fraught week has seen me get a full time job and find a flat down in Guildford...but not with out its problems!

I found the perfect property on the internet and not being in the area, hired a car to go to some viewings. The agents being MANN countryside lettings in Sutton displayed the laziest, most useless and dishonest level of customer care ive ever witnessed.

Not only did the agent fail to contact the tennant to arrange a viewing but had never set foot inside the property himself to describe the interior he then lied to me that he had been trying to call them all day. In the end come 4pm I decided to unorthodoxly knock on the tenants door to ask to peek inside. The tenant was lovely and helped me out but also said that he had been home all day and no missed calls were recieved.

I called the agent and told him I wanted it, and he was fairly surprised id gone to such lengths saying that 'i had done his job for him'. I needed my references to go through asap as I start the job tomorrow. Money was paid....£1950...and references completed within 24 hours but then the agent told me that they didnt have an EPC done on the place and that this would delay my moving in.

I know that most of you will reply with 'well thats agents for you' but my question is this...what the HELL do i pay these extrtionate fees for!?!?! These agents have done nothing to justify these costs and when it comes down to one legal piece of paper to allow me to move in....they dont have one.
IS there a way of complaining and recoupiong some of my fees? I do not appreciate being lied to or dealing with people who cannot do their job properly.

Talk to the local trading standards officer - they are responsible for dealing with those who fail to obtain EPCs before property is marketed as available for rental to new Ts.

Presumably you have a receipt for this £1950 - what does it say? Did you have sight of the tenancy agreement before you handed your funds over?

Is the LA signed up voluntarily to ARLA, NALs etc? If yes, you may want to have a look at the relevant code of practice

However much of a rush you are in to find a property, this LA's lack of professionalism should really have set alarm bells ringing for you. Do you imagine they will be pro-active when the property requires repairs?

You can find out who the LL /owner is by checking at the Land Registry ( small fee). LL may have no idea how carp the LA is.

Ignite

MANN Countrywide. Enough said. Look up other examples of the Countrywide group here and you will find complaint after complaint. The group has a totally lazy attitude through and through.

adg1

gregdedman wrote: »

...but then the agent told me that they didnt have an EPC done on the place and that this would delay my moving in.

The agent only need to have proof the EPC has been instructed to proceed with the letting.

MANN are pretty useless from all accounts.

Was the Sutton branch covering Guildford???!!

Brb

adg1 wrote: »

The agent only need to have proof the EPC has been instructed to proceed with the letting.

MANN are pretty useless from all accounts.

Was the Sutton branch covering Guildford???!!

Disagree

"You must make the EPC available free of charge to prospective tenants at the earliest opportunity. This should be when they are first given written information about the property or view it, and before any rental contract is entered into."

Source: http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/957171.pdf

tbs624

adg1 wrote: »

The agent only need to have proof the EPC has been instructed to proceed with the letting.

AFIAA this was only the situation prior to April 2009 - as Brb says, it must be available prior to the marketing of the property.