Estate Agent Withdrawal Fees? After a year and NO offers?

Dandie84

Hello! I'm completely new to the forums!

Just wondering if anyone has any advice. We put our flat up for sale a year ago, and since then we've had three viewers and no offers at all.

We've decided that it might just be best to keep the flat and get on with life, so today I emailed the estate agent to find out their procedures for us to withdraw.

They came back and said that we would need to pay a withdrawal fee of £250 + VAT.

I've been over the contract again and can't see anything at all about a withdrawal fee, and in any case, after a year and almost no interest I can't really see how they can charge?

Any advice would be great, sometimes it feels like swimming in glue getting through the selling process!

Thanks!

Kayalana99

Hiya, maybe you should email back saying that you have your contract in front of you and could he please highlight where it states you have to pay withdrawal fee's?

If he keeps saying he wants the money ask him to rise the price of the flat to 1million and tell him to refuse any offers made below :-D

Ok im being stupid but I'd just leave it on and not accept offers *if* any.

Dandie84

Thanks! We did consider just leaving it on until they finally get fed up, but at the same time, we'd like to be rid of them forever!

Kayalana99

I'm sure someone with more experience will be along to offer better advice.. *whistles*

giddypenguin

Kayalana99 Hiya, maybe you should email back saying that you have your contract in front of you and could he please highlight where it states you have to pay withdrawal fee's?

Seems like good advice to me, request a meeting with the manager and take your contract with you.

googler

If there's genuinely no mention of a fee on withdrawal from, termination of, or cancellation of the contract from your side (however it may be phrased), then I don't see how the agent can expect you to pay it.

Is there ANY mention of how you or the agent proceed to cancellation?

Make a copy of your contract, take either the original or the copy in to the EA (keep one safe), and ask them to compare it to the copy they have on file. If they match, ask them where the contract specifies the withdrawal fee, since you can't see it.

Lastly, maybe they introduced the withdrawal fee as standard after you had signed, and they haven't realised you contract pre-dates this?

Dandie84

It's very odd, I've been over the contract again and there's no mention at all of withdrawal fees. The only thing I can see is if you try and withdraw before the end of the ten-week contract then you're liable to pay, but we're nearly at a year, so far beyond that! Thanks for all your advice!

k0sh

No need to take your contract with you.
Just go to their office (if it is busy then all the better) and ask them angrily and loudly where in their contract does it stipulate the exit fee.

I would not be surprised if they have lost your contract. Even if they still have it, they will not be able to point out the offending clause, because it does not exist (if you have read it right).

Most EA's I have come across will wither at a direct confrontation.

alecha

Dandie84 wrote: »

Hello! I'm completely new to the forums!

Just wondering if anyone has any advice. We put our flat up for sale a year ago, and since then we've had three viewers and no offers at all.

We've decided that it might just be best to keep the flat and get on with life, so today I emailed the estate agent to find out their procedures for us to withdraw.

They came back and said that we would need to pay a withdrawal fee of £250 + VAT.

I've been over the contract again and can't see anything at all about a withdrawal fee, and in any case, after a year and almost no interest I can't really see how they can charge?

Any advice would be great, sometimes it feels like swimming in glue getting through the selling process!

Thanks!

Hi, the above advice is good. Go into the office and ask where it says you have to pay. Take a copy of your contract with you. If it's not on your contract, it won't be on their identical copy.

I'm in the business and my advice would be:
Write to them and tell them that you are giving them their stipulated two weeks notice to discontinue marketing your property. Also mention that their contract to market your property expired many months ago. It did!! Most agent's contract will be for 16 weeks max. Yours was only 10 weeks. After the contract time, or two weeks prior to it ending, you have to give 2 weeks notice and tell them to stop marketing it. That will be in the contract. But there won't be a fee.

Three viewings over a year is terrible. Don't just leave it on with them, get rid of them. I can't think why it has not attracted more viewings. I'd also wonder about the value. Has the value changed since they put it on? It's been a year so I would have thought it would have. Go to property websites it's advertised on and look for a price comparison report. This is open to the public on the main sites. Not sure if I'm allowed to mention the best, even though it's not connected in name to my company.

When you do get shot of them, hunt around for better deals. There are agents out there who charge 0.75% + vat, half the regular commission, often online, but there are ones who have local representatives in the area so you're dealing with a person, and they market it online for you. The only difference is that they don't have High street shops on every corner, which is how they pass the saving onto clients. I'm not in your area, so this is just objective advice.
Good Luck