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£100 Credit Check!!!

poppasmurf_bewdley
poppasmurf_bewdley Posts: 5,942 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
edited 16 June 2012 at 8:25PM in House buying, renting & selling
My son is coming out of the British Army soon, and he and his partner have been looking to rent a flat or house in this area.

They have been to view a property today. Rent is £475pm with a £500 deposit, both of which they were prepared for. However, they were also told by the Estate Agent that they want £100 each for a credit check.

When they told me, I exploded and said the Estate Agents were thieving bas**rds as it costs about a fiver to have this done. I know they have the money to pay but it really annoys me that my lad has just come back from Afghanistan and these creeps are trying to screw money out of him that he risked his life to earn while they sit in their warm little offices.

Is this normal? It's not something I've come across before. I said they should tell them to stuff the place and tell the Landlord he's lost a tenant because of the Agent's greed.
"There are not enough superlatives in the English language to describe a 'Princess Coronation' locomotive in full cry. We shall never see their like again". O S Nock
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Comments

  • G_M
    G_M Posts: 51,977 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Tenant vetting costs between £15 and £50 when done by specialist companies, depending on the type of vetting (if taking up references etc it is the top end, if just a credit search, the bottom end).

    eg ParagonAdvance

    But leting agencies have overheads so add on their own fee to cover their admin etc, as well as profit (yes, they are a business).

    So £100 is not unusual. Some charge considerably more!
  • The company you highlighted charge £8 plus VAT for a credit check.
    "There are not enough superlatives in the English language to describe a 'Princess Coronation' locomotive in full cry. We shall never see their like again". O S Nock
  • Primavera_2
    Primavera_2 Posts: 47 Forumite
    Yep, unfortunately it is completely normal. I've been with the same agents for nearly five years (never had any arrears or late rent payments) and they still insisted on credit checking myself and partner for the new property that we are moving into at the end of the month.

    Oh, but they did us a "favour" by reducing the cost to £100 from £180 for the both of us. :rotfl:
  • pararct
    pararct Posts: 777 Forumite
    Sadly this is part of the circus of renting property.

    Landlords place their properties with estate agents which is largely an unregulated industry with a view to them finding them tenants
    They then get to lump on a few fees to justify the little bit of work they do.
    It no accident many people view Estate Agents with the same reverence as the contents of their toilet bowl!!
  • G_M
    G_M Posts: 51,977 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    The company you highlighted charge £8 plus VAT for a credit check.
    Or £60 + VAT for full tenant referencing ...

    As I said it depends what type of tenant referencing is undertaken as well as which company is used, so my original figures where rough guides only.
  • G_M
    G_M Posts: 51,977 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Primavera wrote: »
    Yep, unfortunately it is completely normal. I've been with the same agents for nearly five years (never had any arrears or late rent payments) and they still insisted on credit checking myself and partner for the new property that we are moving into at the end of the month.

    Oh, but they did us a "favour" by reducing the cost to £100 from £180 for the both of us. :rotfl:
    I'm no fan of letting agents either, but in their defence, it may well be that the new landlord insists on an up to date credit check/references before he'll allow his agent to grant the tenancy - I know I would.
  • Primavera_2
    Primavera_2 Posts: 47 Forumite
    I completely agree. I don't mind the referencing at all, it's just the cost!
  • DVardysShadow
    DVardysShadow Posts: 18,949 Forumite
    .... Lets say a bottle of wine at Tesco is £9.99 and at the same time ASDA is doing the same bottle at half price, you don't have any right to walk into TESCO and call them "thieving bast**ds". You see what you like, you buy. You don't like, you go elsewhere, its as simple as that.
    You are right, you don't have the right to walk into Tesco and call them thieving b**tards. Waste of breath anyway. What you do is you nick them from Tescos and put them on the shelves in the £1 shop. Nothing about thieving b**tards that a bit of redistribution won't cure.
    Hi, we’ve had to remove your signature. If you’re not sure why please read the forum rules or email the forum team if you’re still unsure - MSE ForumTeam
  • G_M
    G_M Posts: 51,977 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    You are right, you don't have the right to walk into Tesco and call them thieving b**tards. Waste of breath anyway. What you do is you nick them from Tescos and put them on the shelves in the £1 shop. Nothing about thieving b**tards that a bit of redistribution won't cure.
    Or buy them half price from ASDA and take them back to Tesco for a (full price) refund....
  • david29dpo
    david29dpo Posts: 3,976 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    It would be wise for all LLs to vet there agent before giving them there business!
    I do this, as said above, I don't want excessive changes putting any of my future tenants off.
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