anyone rented through Flatland in London?

joolsybools

I have rented through many agencies and have NEVER had to pay a fee upfront. You should not need to pay an agency upfront, the fee is only normally payable when you sign and pay the deposit and first months rent.

Belle888

I had a really positive experience with Flatland. I was unsure what to expect, however I had done my research on the internet and looked at several services, all of which had similar properties to the ones I was interested in at Flatland, and all of which were charging double the fee. I went in to see them at their offices, and needed to be moved in to a property within a week. I also had the additional dilemma of a very tight budget and no UK guarantor (I have rented in the UK years ago whilst I was here on a working visa, however I am currently here travelling and that usually doesn't work in your favour when it comes to renting a room!)

The agent at Flatland spent a good deal of time with me, considering my preferences and budget and even suggesting places I wouldn't have considered (which included the one I am now renting, and quite happy in!). Yes, the fee is upfront, however they know their landlords/properties well, and I was given an appointment for a viewing straight away, with 3 more the following day, plus contact names, maps and detailed instructions on how to get to each property.

I would recommend Flatland to anyone who is looking...and would advise that you do your research online first as to what type of property you are looking for, budget, area etc. as it will make it much easier to pinpoint what you are after and avoid wasting time running around London!!

bitsandpieces

Belle888 wrote: »

I would recommend Flatland to anyone who is looking...and would advise that you do your research online first as to what type of property you are looking for, budget, area etc. as it will make it much easier to pinpoint what you are after and avoid wasting time running around London!!

If you're doing good research beforehand - definitely recommended if looking in London! - then why would you need to pay an agency a fee before you've even found a place?

Anyway, striking how many new posters are showing up to praise an agency with an unusual business model...

cla85

Hi all, as many others, I used Flatland services to find accomodation, and I must say that thier help as been great. The agent that received me as been totally polite and kind, and on the very same day I'd visit them , she found me 3 landlord contacts, as she was ready to give me more (we waited because we had the Easter Bank Holiday rubbibg thruogh). Anyway one of those first contacts is my actual Landlord, wich I am very happy with. I surely do reccomend Flatland to anyone looking for accomodation, they do have a lot of properties for every need, and they are really willing to help.

Thanks Flatland.

Claudio.

Aiste1207

I used Flatland to find my room. I never used agencies before, so when I was asked to pay the upfront fee I thought this was a common practice. I lived not in London at the time, so I didn't have much time for a search - only weekends and with a demanding job on weekdays I didn't have time to look through the advertisements myself, so the agency service was very useful indeed.
The fee I thought was quite high, because rooms/flats in London are on a very high demand and it doesn't take long to find one, so three months service you pay for is useless.
Having said that my room is lovely and I wouldn't have found it on my own.

Frenchtenant

Hi,
I am French and when I came to London, I only had one day to find a flat. I went early in the morning (9.30 am), and Aliette welcomed me well.
She speaks French so it was a nice surprise.
She found me 10 viewings.
So, in the evening, I was exhausted but I finally found a flat which match with my criteria.
Plus, I made the rental contract directly with the landlord, so there was no other agency fee.

If you don't have much time, Flatland is a good option.
However, before coming to flatland, i think you must have an idea of what type of property you are looking for and what is your budget in order to make a selection of all the properties available they have.

Braca

I was looking for room for more than 3 weeks on free web sites like Spareroom, Gumtree, Easyroommate.. And visited the office of FlatLand because a girl told me about them. Myra was very nice and gave me a voucher with a discount for the services. I haven't money with me so I decided to came back in another time. Still looking with the free websites, but I had a bad experience, almost a scam and I returned to FlatLand. I paid the service and in the same day I looked 4 differents rooms very close to my work, they weren't very nice and a little bit up of my budget. I came back at the second day to see other rooms, no luck and I came back to the office and a Mr. of the staff made some phone calls and told me about a new room, he recommend me go to see it probably will go at the night. I was so lucky! The room is in a great location (just 15 minutes walking to my job), big, sunny, everything is clean and the Landlords are so lovely people. And the best.... I'm paying less than I thougth! I'm glad that I choosed FlatLand and I will recommend to my friends!

stalky567

:AI was very happy with the fast and efficient service of Flatland, the agent was really fantastic and really helped me out! My budget was very low and he gave me good advice, as well as helping me with a map if I needed and directions. They also know their clients so you feel much safer. Thank you Flatland for helping me out!:cool:

bitsandpieces

Again, it's striking how many new posters are signing up to report their positive experiences with this business.. Especially if looking with a low budget, I'd be really cautious about paying a agency before you're found a rental with them.

The normal business model is for a tenant to pay agent's fees (if there are fees) after finding somewhere to rent with them. This means that - assuming they find the tenant a place - they get paid, but tenants don't risk paying out upfront and not getting anything useful from the agent.

stalky567

Re: the above message, There was in interesting article today in the Evening Standard on p.22 as well as a short note in today's Metro on p.49, you'll find them interesting reading...