Admin fees for renting.

Benji

Caveat_Mortgagor wrote: »

I cant believe everyone has said just pay it,

Fees for agents are rarely negotiable, they are market driven and agents know that they have no need to drop the fees because no one in the area will be charging significantly less, and they have the property you want.

Hopefully the above shows I am no agent-lover!

However, your idea of the agents costs and expenses are hugely wide of the mark. Sure they make good money, would we begrudge them a wage?

mynameisclare

jjlandlord wrote: »

You are not obliged to renew: You can just remain in occupation and let the tenancy become periodic.

One of my boyfriend's previous agents charged him a fee at the end of the fixed contract to be able to stay on as periodic. Then of course they gave him his notice the second the cheque cleared :mad:

Unfortunately there isn't anything you can do about it, as they're all pretty much the same.

jjlandlord

mynameisclare wrote: »

One of my boyfriend's previous agents charged him a fee at the end of the fixed contract to be able to stay on as periodic. Then of course they gave him his notice the second the cheque cleared :mad:

Unfortunately there isn't anything you can do about it, as they're all pretty much the same.

Yes there is something you can do: Do not hand over money just because you are asked to!

Frankly, if you are asked to pay such a fee and do pay it, you deserve what's coming to you...

Namaste75

...thought I'd share this

Tenants Application Fees (2 people): £240
Inventory Fee, Check In and Tenant Deposit (Bond Fee) (payable with
Holding Deposit Funds: £180

That's a whole wodge of cash even though we've agreed to a 12 month tenancy in return for a 25 quid reduction in monthly rent.

Monthly rent is £1150 - so the agent is making a nice sum on management fees.

I intend to ask for a reduction but there seems to be some mixed views on this thread - anyone care to give me a starter for 10?

cheers

Namaste75

littleboop

I'm also being charged a ridiculous amount of fees for moving into a new property with my partner. Its a nice flat of £475 a month and the only one available to move into in the next few weeks in our price range so we had to accept.
The LA has now quoted us £490 of fees just to move in, more than a months rent!
They say this breaks down as:

£150 to prepare the contract
£50 per tennant admin fee
£75 per tennant referencing fee
£90 checking-in fee

I can't walk away as we have already given £200 initial payment to take it off the market (which will be taken out of our admin fees) and we won't get this back if we walk away. And like I said there was literally no where else available. We have to move in the next few weeks as my partner starts work in a new town. Originally we were due to see 8 properties in 1 day but that went down to 3 properties because they all went within the few days between organising viewings and the viewings! If the property moves that fast we are worried we don't have any bargining room with the LA as there will be plenty of other people willing to pay instead.

We have been saving so hard and should be happy about moving but its making me so upset that they can charge so much of our savings for doing nothing.

littleboop

As an update from what I posted before, I rang up the LA to ask them what these fees were actually paying for. Even though I'm still very annoyed with this scam, I managed to stay polite throughout the phonecall. Which is more than I can say for the LA.

From the moment I mentioned the fees, the woman practically bit my head off, immediately stating very angrily that they do not reduce fees. I hadn't even mentioned reducing them, all I had asked was what work was involved on their part to come up with these figures. She then said that we can either pay up or not move in and they will keep the initial payment. Either way they will be making hundreds off us so they don't seem to care.

She justified the fees by claiming that they offer exemplary service but considering the only contact I've had with them is yelling at me when I dared to ask what I'm paying for, I'm not sure where the "exemplary" bit comes in.