Tenancy Extension Fees

pernaros

I have been renting my current flat for 1 year and I have now received a letter from the agent advising me that I must pay £70.50 to extend my tenancy further. The only work this involves for the agent, as far as I can see, is issuing the new contract, this cannot cost £70.50, can I refuse to pay it under the same terms as is used at the moment to stop the banks charging huge fees for late fees etc.

TheWoot

Sadly i am unable to help you with this but i wanted to let you know, as a landlord i have just been asked to pay £70 to my letting agent to extend my tenants contract. So all in all they are probably receiving over £140 between landlord and tenant for printing out a new contract. I am in the wrong line of work. Good luck !

Gillan

I'm afraid you probably will have to pay. I'm a landlord too and because I foolishly signed the agent's Terms and Conditions I am stuck with paying £1128,00 to them!!
In fact it is not even necessary to renew a tenancy as it automatically becomes a 'periodic' tenancy. Complain to the agent and to any association like ARLA they belong to. It's unfair like the bank charges, but they still get away with it. I'm fighting.

clutton_2

i never charge my tenants lease renewal fees

inmypocketnottheirs

clutton wrote: »

i never charge my tenants lease renewal fees

Neither do I. My tenant is renewing at the end of this month, just printed him off a fresh contract.

[HTML]In fact it is not even necessary to renew a tenancy as it automatically becomes a 'periodic' tenancy. [/HTML]

But a periodic tenancy means that the tenant can give one month's notice and the landlord two to quit. Both parties may want a fresh agreement for either 6 or 12 months.

thesaint

pernaros wrote: »

I have been renting my current flat for 1 year and I have now received a letter from the agent advising me that I must pay £70.50 to extend my tenancy further. The only work this involves for the agent, as far as I can see, is issuing the new contract, this cannot cost £70.50, can I refuse to pay it under the same terms as is used at the moment to stop the banks charging huge fees for late fees etc.

Check your paperwork and see if you agreed to pay the fee. If you agreed to pay the fee, then you have to pay it. If you didn't agree then you don't have to pay it.

If you don't pay it and the landlord would prefer a tenant who will sign another fixed term, then the landlord will evict you.

Gillan

But it is the agent rather than the LL who is charging. The agent can't evict you.
If we sign, we pay or take the consequences, but that doesn't mean it is a fair charge does it?

Eskimo12345

This makes interesting reading, myself and my two housemates are in the same boat, but newmans want £80 off us :mad:

I'll see if I can find our copy of the contract. The landlord has left a load of her stuff there (can only use half the double garage) so I may be able to use that to blag some leeway.

jamesd

You could always contact the landlord and tell them that you're happy with a statutory periodic tenancy so you can both save money long term.

inmypocketnottheirs

jamesd wrote: »

You could always contact the landlord and tell them that you're happy with a statutory periodic tenancy so you can both save money long term.

But this means that the tenant can be served two months notice to quit. Is this what you want??

jamesd

That's up to the tenant and landlord, who gets one month, to decide. If they are happy with each other it makes no great difference. If they aren't, a six month or one year contract is helpful but it's not that long before it ends. I do prefer statutory periodic, since it avoids the regular hassle and uncertainty of renewals. Uncertainty is bad for both, since the landlord generally wants the tenant to relax and settle in thoroughly and stay a long time.