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Austin and Wyatt High Charges on Missed Appointments
shinydiscoballs
Posts: 26 Forumite
I have just received a £60.00 deduction from my deposit after renting a house for over a year.
I missed two appointments when they came to inspect the property, so they have charged an admin fee of £30.00 each.
OK I shouldn't have missed the appointment, but I object to a £30.00 admin fee for what exactly? I just think it seems a bit steep and I don't know who or if its worth complaining about it.
Surely the fees shoud be in the contract I signed for the property so I can agreed to pay them.
Thanks!
I missed two appointments when they came to inspect the property, so they have charged an admin fee of £30.00 each.
OK I shouldn't have missed the appointment, but I object to a £30.00 admin fee for what exactly? I just think it seems a bit steep and I don't know who or if its worth complaining about it.
Surely the fees shoud be in the contract I signed for the property so I can agreed to pay them.
Thanks!
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Comments
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You are paying for the inspectors time attending the house. If you had been in they wouldn't have charged you. But it's probably 90 mins to do an inspection including travelling time, but in your case, 4 and a half hours. That's three hours that the guy from the LA could have been doing something else. These guys don't work for nothing and £30 is reasonable. Some will charge you a lot more.Eat vegetables and fear no creditors, rather than eat duck and hide.0
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If you've wasted someone else's time without a good reason or contacting them to postpone or re-arrange the appointment who do you think should pay for that?
Every time someone shows up to carry out an inspection the landlord gets charged for it. It's very rude to just not be there when an appointment has been arranged without contacting them in good time. Do you think it's fair that the landlord should incur a charge when you have been the cause of it?0 -
OP - I agree with B&T's comments above but...
Were the fees specified in any of the paperwork you received at the start of the tenancy?
Were the appointments made by letter from the LA/LL - if yes, did the letter flag up a potential fee if you failed to notify the LA/LL that you couldn't be at the property?
How was the first missed appointment dealt with at the time? Were you reminded that you may incur a fee if it happened again?
Was your tenancy deposit scheme registered btw?0 -
They would accept one missed appointment, but it's the second one that likely ticked them off....
Like a speeding ticket, it's easily avoided.
It is hardly fair that the landlord pay for, or for the Agent to spend time, revisiting 3 times because of the tenant failing to turn up?
So when it comes to complaining this is their way of complaining to you
Stop! Think. Read the small print. Trust nothing and assume that it is your responsibility. That way it rarely goes wrong.
Actively hunting down the person who invented the imaginary tenure, "share freehold"; if you can show me one I will produce my daughter's unicorn0 -
Surely it partly depends on how these appointments came about? Our inspection dates are apparently set months in advance, the date is unmovable (although we can request to arrange a specific time) and if we're unavailable then the LA will use their management key to gain access... so if we're not there then I certainly wouldn't expect a fee to be charged!
However, if we made an appointment and agree to be at the property on a certain date & time... that could be an entirely different matter!You were only killing time and it'll kill you right back0 -
The date is not "unmovable", despite what your LA may have lead you to believe. It is reasonable for the inspection to be on/at a mutually convenient date and time, especially if the T wishes to be present.girl_withno_name wrote: »Surely it partly depends on how these appointments came about? Our inspection dates are apparently set months in advance, the date is unmovable (although we can request to arrange a specific time) and if we're unavailable then the LA will use their management key to gain access...0 -
propertyman wrote: »They would accept one missed appointment, but it's the second one that likely ticked them off....
Like a speeding ticket, it's easily avoided.
It is hardly fair that the landlord pay for, or for the Agent to spend time, revisiting 3 times because of the tenant failing to turn up?
So when it comes to complaining this is their way of complaining to you
LA/LL still need to have made the potential penalty fee ( and its actual amount) clear to the T from the start.0 -
The date is not "unmovable", despite what your LA may have lead you to believe. It is reasonable for the inspection to be on/at a mutually convenient date and time, especially if the T wishes to be present.
Funnily enough I normally wish not to be present, since if I'm available at home during the day then that probably means I'm studying for exams! We asked if the inspections can be moved one month forward or backwards (as half of the inspections each year fall during exam times), and the response was as above... set in advance, unmovable!You were only killing time and it'll kill you right back0 -
girl_withno_name wrote: »Funnily enough I normally wish not to be present, since if I'm available at home during the day then that probably means I'm studying for exams! We asked if the inspections can be moved one month forward or backwards (as half of the inspections each year fall during exam times), and the response was as above... set in advance, unmovable!
They are talking crap to make their lives easier at the detriment of yours. You have the right to refuse an inspection completely if you wish.0 -
They would get away with notification of a likely cost given that, unless we are told differently, the OP simply could not be bothered to turn up, call cancel or explain.
I am all against arbitrary and excessive charges, except when the chargee has no thought or regard for the other person's time and task and inconvenience."Till the pips squeak"
Stop! Think. Read the small print. Trust nothing and assume that it is your responsibility. That way it rarely goes wrong.
Actively hunting down the person who invented the imaginary tenure, "share freehold"; if you can show me one I will produce my daughter's unicorn0
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