Rent standing order

theartfullodger

Hey, result!! Good news, well done...

rpc

They are letting you off due to goodwill, not through any contractual or statutory obligation.

You may actually have found a decent letting agent. Please check under the stairs for a flying pig.

ceh209

sorry, they're going to let you off a whole month's rent payment because someone put the wrong date on the standing order form? :rotfl:

If you want to post the agent's name, this may do wonders for their business! (though they may experience some cash flow issues )

jjlandlord

steeley83 wrote: »

I thank you for all of your input on this but I think it shows how one should never rely on an internet forum for a definitive answer as they can quite well be incorrect - as is shown here.

It was not incorrect: You owe the whole of the rent.

Now, as with most things in life you have to possibility to discuss with the other party and they are free to agree to anything (and no-one has a crystal ball to predict what will happen)

What you said suggests that they in effect agreed to give you 1 month free. This is obviously their right. Personally I find that extremely generous, though. You are quite lucky.

Salohcin

I am a bit disappointed by some of the replies here (such as those by G_M and Fire Fox) for taking an automatic negative critical view of the OP.

Whilst it is normally your own responsibility to submit standing orders many letting agencies do not allow the tenants that option, insisting on doing it themselves (and then failing to do so). It's happened to us twice now with different LA's and there isn't much you can do except* - after the first time - be aware of how rubbish LAs are, keep a check on the bank account on the date rent is due and double check that the standing order has been set up.

*In an ideal world the LA would allow you to set up your own standing order, but last time we moved we were rebuffed when we asked if we could do it ourselves...only to have to do so anyway after they cocked it up.

jjlandlord

Salohcin wrote: »

In an ideal world the LA would allow you to set up your own standing order, but last time we moved we were rebuffed when we asked if we could do it ourselves...

It's your bank account, you always 'do it yourself'. Some LA require that you let them send the form, but nothing prevent you from amending once it's been set up.

Yellowstar_2

Salohcin wrote: »

I am a bit disappointed by some of the replies here (such as those by G_M and Fire Fox) for taking an automatic negative critical view of the OP.

Whilst it is normally your own responsibility to submit standing orders many letting agencies do not allow the tenants that option, insisting on doing it themselves (and then failing to do so). It's happened to us twice now with different LA's and there isn't much you can do except* - after the first time - be aware of how rubbish LAs are, keep a check on the bank account on the date rent is due and double check that the standing order has been set up.

*In an ideal world the LA would allow you to set up your own standing order, but last time we moved we were rebuffed when we asked if we could do it ourselves...only to have to do so anyway after they cocked it up.

Likewise my old LA insisted that they set up the SO for the rent. And then sent me a snotty letter to ask why the rent hadn't arrived, and telling me the severe consequences of not sending them the outstanding rent immediately. They also tried to charge me £25+VAT for sending that letter.

Actually - I had filled in all the details on the form they gave me correctly, and the rent had left my bank account as per their instructions. I checked that with on-line banking on the due day. The LAs had set up the SO so that the rent left my account on the day the rent was due. It then took a few days to arrive (as these things can do between different banks). The LA panicked that the rent hadn't arrived and sent a snotty letter.

I wrote back immediaetely to say that I've checked with my bank and the rent definitely did leave my account on the day they instructed. The LA apologised to me over the phone and acknowledged that this was a result of the instruction they gave, and would take no further action.

But then the rent still didn't turn up. And I got another snotty letter a few days later (which they also tried to charge me for!). Confused, and a bit worried now, I called my bank to get them to confirm the account details that the SO was sending my rent to. When I called the LA to confirm these were correct, you could almost hear the penny drop and a <facepalm> as they dug out their photocopy of the SO form they sent my bank. It turns out that the agent had a typo on the form. That's right, the agent hadn't filled in their own bank details on their own form correctly. They had instructed my bank to send the rent to the wrong account details.

Bravo, LA.

I did, however, get a very nice apology letter from them, which they did not have the cheek to ask me to pay for!

dkmax_2

jjlandlord wrote: »

It was not incorrect: You owe the whole of the rent.
...
What you said suggests that they in effect agreed to give you 1 month free. This is obviously their right. Personally I find that extremely generous, though. You are quite lucky.

The OP never said they didn't owe the whole of the rent nor have they subsequently said they were let off anything. You appear to be reading in your own interpretation. The OP said from the very outset "If I owe it then I will pay it."

Furthermore, it is perfectly reasonable that if an LA obliges a tenant to complete a pro-forma standing-order instruction and insists upon returning it to tenant's bank, then any consequential losses (above the tenant's contractual obligations) should be borne by the LA.

jjlandlord

dkmax wrote: »

nor have they subsequently said they were let off anything

OP said: "After a phone call to the person dealing with this matter it turns out I will not be asked to pay the outstanding due to the nature of their error."

dkmax wrote: »

The OP said from the very outset "If I owe it then I will pay it."

There is no 'if', is there?

Salohcin

jjlandlord wrote: »

It's your bank account, you always 'do it yourself'. Some LA require that you let them send the form, but nothing prevent you from amending once it's been set up.

The problem is that they never even manage set it up, and it's hard to amend something that doesn't exist.