Any letting agents reading this?

benjus

I've just finished a tenancy with a LA. They were not terrible (fees and charges were acceptable, for instance - we simply didn't consider renting any properties through LAs with extortionate charges for tenants), but they did leave rather a lot to be desired. Emails were often ignored, and getting anything fixed required a fair bit of chasing. They also tried that trick of telling us to have the property, carpets and curtains all professionally cleaned when we left.

k0sh

If the property was professionally cleaned when you went into the property, then you should leave it in the same condition.

thesaint

k0sh wrote: »

If the property was professionally cleaned when you went into the property, then you should leave it in the same condition.

What about fair wear and tear?

benjus

k0sh wrote: »

If the property was professionally cleaned when you went into the property, then you should leave it in the same condition.

In addition to the comment about fair wear and tear - he check-in/out clerk should be able to determine the standard of cleanliness before and after the tenancy, and either it's clean enough or it isn't. Whether or not I have receipts for professional cleaning should be neither here nor there. In this particular case the check-in clerk had already stated that the property hadn't been cleaned to a high standard, so there was absolutely no reason for the LA to try that one on.

tim123456789

k0sh wrote: »

If the property was professionally cleaned when you went into the property, then you should leave it in the same condition.

In the sense that it should be similarly clean

but not in the sense that it has to have been cleaned by a professional

tim

Mozzanov

k0sh wrote: »

I am raising my head up to be shot at, I am an EA and LA.

Having read some of the LA bashing posts, I will just say that any high street agent has to take into account all of their overheads. Not just "the cost of paper and toner". We have to make at least 8k a month just to break even.
I have read several posts where LL's have made basic deposit errors which will cost them much more than instructing a LA would have.

The LA and LL managed to make enough mistakes between them, did they really need each other, I wonder? Everything about the deposit registration looks wrong, so probably the LL would have needed help there, but I'm not sure if the LA would have been much more use.

8k/month for what overheads? I still don't have a copy of my contract, so possibly the LA has even skimped on paper and toner. :P

I'm sure there are some good and reasonable ones. I can't say the LA I used was absolutely awful, just too expensive, especially for his competency level. That's life though, just normally hear complaints and not praise.

k0sh

Mozzanov wrote: »

The LA and LL managed to make enough mistakes between them, did they really need each other, I wonder? Everything about the deposit registration looks wrong, so probably the LL would have needed help there, but I'm not sure if the LA would have been much more use.

8k/month for what overheads? I still don't have a copy of my contract, so possibly the LA has even skimped on paper and toner. :P

I'm sure there are some good and reasonable ones. I can't say the LA I used was absolutely awful, just too expensive, especially for his competency level. That's life though, just normally hear complaints and not praise.

No contract? Then you should not be in the house!!!
The amount of incompetence reported here by LA's astounds me.

As for the cleaning debate. If only I had a penny for for every time a tenant has said "Oh, it was cleaner when I left the house than when I went in". This is rarely the truth. We do an pre vacating guidance letter that gives a full heads up. If the property is cleaned to the same standard as a professional clean then that is great.

If it is not, then a professional cleaner has to be engaged. The tenant cannot go back to the property to "finish off".
If a professional cleaner is engaged in the first place, then they can be re-instructed to clean it to the required standard. Retail oven cleaners are just not up to the task. We had one this month. When we sent them pictures of the disgusting oven they had left for us to sort out, then they stopped protesting.

The inventory clerk is paid by the landlord and tenant for his two visits respectively and so is considered unbiased. When we have been taken to arbitration, we have won our cases.

k0sh

overheads = shop rent, business rates, water, electricity, broadband, computers, software/hardware, marketing (just Rightmove can be 1k pm), phone bills, consumables, payroll, IT support.

benjus

k0sh wrote: »

As for the cleaning debate. If only I had a penny for for every time a tenant has said "Oh, it was cleaner when I left the house than when I went in". This is rarely the truth. We do an pre vacating guidance letter that gives a full heads up. If the property is cleaned to the same standard as a professional clean then that is great.

Fair enough... I guess the LA's letter was just a standard form letter, but it did annoy me. They seemed more concerned with getting receipts from cleaners than the actual condition of the property - and claimed the flat had been professionally cleaned for check-in, but the check-in clerk agreed with us that it was at best acceptable, and in parts pretty dirty.

Mozzanov

k0sh wrote: »

No contract? Then you should not be in the house!!!

I was kind of joking. I have signed a contract, just not been given my copy yet (as the LL wasn't available to sign it, so it was sent on to him).

Inventory? Such an awful job was done. They spotted a few crumbs in the oven, but missed some of the holes in the lino and a bigger hole in the wall.

The person doing inventory (this time the LL's employee, check-out was done by the LA) wanted to get away so quickly that it was a rush job. Luckily he left it with me (he thought it was to go back to the LA, and not the LL, and told me to post it), so I had time to do a proper one and make a photocopy. I missed a few things off - as the light wasn't working in the kitchen (at the time we were just under the impression it was a missing bulb), visibility of the kitchen surfaces wasn't good. It wasn't until the light fitting was replaced and I started cleaning it that I realised the previous occupants didn't know what a chopping board was for. I also missed one of the small rips in the lino.

k0sh wrote: »

As for the cleaning debate. If only I had a penny for for every time a tenant has said "Oh, it was cleaner when I left the house than when I went in". This is rarely the truth. We do an pre vacating guidance letter that gives a full heads up. If the property is cleaned to the same standard as a professional clean then that is great.

You wouldn't get a penny from me. :P I'm quite sure the property will be cleaner when I leave. I'm not saying it was incredibly dirty, but I will be defrosting the fridge-freezer properly and not leaving mould (that was a total pain to sort out due to the way the freezer drawers were constructed), plus a few other basics that were missed. Door handles are no longer falling off, holes in the walls (due to door handles, nothing to do with the other hole they completely missed) won't get worse as there are now door stoppers, etc.