Watchdog/Brendan Kiely

LandyAndy

Danny1963 wrote: »

No-one ever been ripped off by the Kielys. Many thousands of people have done very well out of the Kiely's over the years and will continue to do so. We aren't bothered about the minority of shysters and whingers we brush aside on the way

That's very quick off the mark of you.:rotfl:

Were you expecting a bit of negativity on internet fora today?

You seem very caring.

fluffy70

Danny1963 wrote: »

No-one ever been ripped off by the Kielys. Many thousands of people have done very well out of the Kiely's over the years and will continue to do so. We aren't bothered about the minority of shysters and whingers we brush aside on the way

Danny Keily by any chance? :rotfl:

rentergirl

ARLA published a report today where they felt that they manage themselves. Surprise, surprise...Letting Agents are out of control: unregulated and untrained. The government disdain regulation even in cases as blatant as these. Agents should be professionalised, regulated and imprisoned for scams like the one on Watchdog. It's not the worst I've heard of...

theartfullodger

Danny1963 wrote: »

No-one ever been ripped off by the Kielys. Many thousands of people have done very well out of the Kiely's over the years and will continue to do so. We aren't bothered about the minority of shysters and whingers we brush aside on the way

Gee, thanks Danny for your informed & considered advice!!

Can you kindly point us to the evidence for your statements, in particular

Many thousands of people have done very well out of the Kiely's over the years and will continue to do so

So pleased to see this commitment to ongoing quality support for your local community.

Could you also kindly advise if your comments refer to those landlord, tenants and repair-men would are lucky enough to have dealings with Bentley Residential Lettings

(Note the reader: Great! This thread should now carry on for many years giving good, positive publicity to the much respected and admired Kiely's!! Aye, right.... ..)

Further quality advice here...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2012/04/brendan_kiely.html

princeofpounds

I know this puts me at odds but why do we need every little step legislated for us? Theft and fraud are one thing....

No, not so much at odds. There is legislation to cover this already, it did appear to be a case of fradulent activity as the law defines it.

If anything I was moaning about the fact that, for whatever reason, there is no practical protection or enforcement. I can't claim I have any great suggestions for that at the present time. But I do know I'd like to see Kiely (And/or his people) in jail and his house confiscated.

Buying or renting a house is a big commitment, and I don't understand why so little value is placed on research and understanding, expecting instead that a detailed process is turned into a smoothie?

I am surprised as well. But the truth is that no-one ever really teaches people how to rent effectively. You don't learn it from your parents, most of whom are in owner-occupier housing or council house. Your school doesn't teach you. Universities make a half-baked effort sometimes. The government doesn't teach you.

Of course it's not necessarily the responsibility of any of these groups, apart perhaps from parents. But realistically speaking there are limited options to educate yourself about rental rights apart from forums like these, the shelter website, and maybe the odd superficial govt-produced leaflet. All sources you generally only come into contact with if you know where to look.

And of course when it comes to things like deposits and recovering them, it requires a knowledge of consumer protection law and the small claims court process. I reckon less than 5% of people in this country have even heard of moneyclaimonline.

And even if you do win, I would imagine that enforcement is like getting blood out of a stone. Dodgy agents typically liquidate companies and 'hide behind the veil of incorporation' when the claims mount up, which is one reason I am not surprised Kiely seems to have had a succession of companies.

I hope people deal with me fairly, but we have no real right to that.

Well actually you should do, under consumer legislation, much of which is based on the principle of fairness, from the 'Treating customers fairly' of the FSA right down to the 'Weights and Measures' rules which make sure the greegrocer isn't nobbling you on your cucumbers.

When registering with an agent applicants should be asking for details of any or all charges in writing.

And you would probably shut out half the rental market to you right away. Particularly the segment of the market which caters to the poor and desperate.

Agents can behave in an oligopolistic manner because property is heterogeneous and illiquid. That's a posh way of saying that in the narrow window you have before becoming homeless there might only be one or two suitable properties for you.

They might even be on with the same agent. That means that although the market appears competitive, it is inefficient because there are momentary local monopolies that can occur.

I am very much a red-blooded capitalist, but a proper understanding of capitalist theory tells you that not all markets are equally efficient, and that provides niches ripe for exploitation.

BitterAndTwisted

theartfullodger wrote: »

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2012/04/brendan_kiely.html

Good Lord! Check his photo. You can tell he's bloody dodgy purely from that !!!!!! facial hair. He looks like some night-club bruiser tidied up quickly for a court appearance. If I saw him coming towards me on the street I'd cross over to the other side. Which possibly explains why he gets other mugs to do his dirty work for him. Any prospective tenant who caught sight of him would do a runner before they handed over their precious cash.

theartfullodger

Thank you for your kind concern & polite question.

Regarding anonymous persons (sorry I am unfamiliar with the expression you use ) before we go further, who are you please? From your remarks you can't I'm sure be so cowardly not to tell us.

Cheers!

BitterAndTwisted

I admire hard-working and successful businesspeople but not swindling criminals who prey on the unsuspecting and the disadvantaged. Jail would be too good for them.

Now that Watchdog has been broadcast perhaps the Police and Trading Standards will have a very close look at these filthy shysters. I do hope so. What's that "Proceeds of Crime" legislation? Perhaps some restitution could be had. I'd like to see that smug, ugly git having to live in one of his manky old properties and getting ruthlessly ripped-off on the way.

Callie22

I don't think it's quite fair to say that people don't educate themselves about renting - when they enter the rental market most people (wrongly) assume that it's well regulated and that they'll be treated reasonably well as a customer and that they'll have some redress if things go wrong. The reality is that as a tenant you can be in a very vulnerable position, particularly if you're on a limited budget. You've generally got a limited amount of time to find a property, and it's very rare that you're in a situation where you have a lot of choice - most people need to stay in a certain area or need certain things (parking, a shower, a downstairs loo, x number of bedrooms, a LLwho'll take a pet for example) which mean that a lot of rentals have to be discounted. Although people say 'shop around and don't use agents if you're not happy' if they're the only place that have got a property that takes a pet then you're stuck. When things go wrong there's often little you can do - a few years ago I reported an LA to the Property Ombusdman. Without going into details they'd behaved appalingly, lied, cost us a lot of money and put my partner and I in a position that (no exaggeration) could have killed us. The Ombudsman agreed with our complaints but the only result was an offer of £100 compensation - not much of a slap on the wrist for the LA.

I've been renting a few years and I've learnt an awful lot, but I'm constantly surprised at how little most ordinary people know about the rental market. They don't understand the fees you pay, they don't understand how LLs can get away with renting out filthy properties, they don't understand about inspections, or how LLs can get away with not doing repairs. As a tenant you are often 'trapped' in a contract, and you often have to balance the cost of moving again with the problems in a property. Equally, when you're going into a rental you're often in a position where you have no choice but to pay the fees - if you're a week or so away from having nowhere to live then you pay up, regardless. It does scare me how every move is a leap into the unknown, and how powerless you are as a tenant.

juggedhare

bmar71n wrote: »

if all estate and letting agents were required to be a member of a professional body this would not happen. It is always agents that are not part of bodies that make the whole industry look bad

You mean like Solicitors and Accountants and Doctors are all required to be members of Professional Bodies.

<cough>

JH