Did you rent from a rule breaking letting agent?

CreditCrunchie

I wasn't responding to you but to jj who seems to believe non property owners are morons

jjlandlord

Heliflyguy wrote: »

So a holding deposit might not be a fee but it is a charge.

A deposit is not a charge, and it's not even a cost.

Moreover, any holding deposit is the first money you would be handing over: If you're happy you do, if you're not you don't. It's not something you'll be discovering down the road.

the_salmon

This is timely as I am going through this now.

So after negotiating that the LA would waive a renewal fee and we would have 6 months then on to a rolling contract, we thought we had cracked it.
The £200 holding fee was paid which covered the credit check for 2 of us (I am sure it really cost £200 to send 4 automated emails and check our credit history).
Following this payment, if we decided not to proceed then we had lost the £200, they then introduce an 'exit fee' of £60. No mention of this previously and its not 'optional'. The website just states 'fees apply'.

Its this behaviour of charges for everything, charges for sending out a piece of paper, charge for paying on a card (they even charge me to give them money), it just sickens me. I know not everyone is like that, i own a property and my LA that manage the property for me are brilliant, do not have all the excessive charges for either me or the tenants.

jjlandlord

Another thing that strangely does not seem obvious:
They are often fishing e.g. with that 'exit fee' mentioned above and waiting for suckers to bite.

Them saying so, does not make it so and it is perfectly acceptable to tell them to stick it up their a...

the_salmon

jjlandlord wrote: »

Another thing that strangely does not seem obvious:
They are often fishing e.g. with that 'exit fee' mentioned above and waiting for suckers to bite.

Them saying so, does not make it so and it is perfectly acceptable to tell them to stick it up their a...

Well we are still in negotiation over this and have not paid the remaining deposit and 1st months rent yet. Simple fact is me and the G/F want this house, she wants me to back down, but I want to take the approach which you kindly suggest, however I may be forced to accept it (now I am off to find some trousers to wear....)

CreditCrunchie

Had a reply today from the advertising standards agency which I thought night interest anyone in the same boat. I encourage you to report any agents who do not list fees on their websites, the ASA is looking into them

Dear Ms,

Thank you for contacting the ASA.

I understand that you’ve raised concerns that the advertiser is not making clear that additional fees apply to their service. You’ve referred to content that appears on Rightmove, their own website and in their shop window.

I should clarify that the ASA isn’t entitled to regulate shop window displays and point-of-sale material. However, issues such as this are often covered by legislation. You may wish to contact the Citizens Advice consumer service for free, confidential and impartial advice on consumer issues in relation to this specific content. You can contact their helpline on 08454 040506 (Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm) or you can find further information at https://www.adviceguide.org.uk.

In relation to the appearance of the advertisers listings on Rightmove, we do not propose to take further action in relation to this content. CAP guidance on this issue outlines different expectations for letting agents own websites and internet portals such as Rightmove. We note that the guidance states (on page 6) “Rightmove, Zoopla and Primelocation will insert a hyperlinked “fees apply” statement next to the rental price in their full page ads. This will link to a pop-up page containing generic information about the range of fees that could be charged”. In this way, the listings on sites such as Rightmove only have to make clear that additional fees may apply, rather than listing the actual fees specifically. We note that in the listings that we’ve been able to locate, the claim “fees apply” is included below the weekly/monthly payment costs of the property, and that this links through to a pop-up that contains generic information explaining that additional fees may be applicable. As a result, we do not consider this likely to breach our Code.

However, the content of the advertisers website is likely to be a problem under our Code because the fees do not appear to be listed in accordance with the guidance referred to above. I’ve therefore passed this part of the case to our Compliance team, which will follow it up.

The Compliance team doesn’t report to complainants or publish the details of its work but it will address the problem and will do its best to achieve a positive outcome. When an advertiser refuses to co-operate fully with the Compliance team it can, for misleading ads, consider referring the matter to the Office of Fair Trading.

Our website, https://www.asa.org.uk, contains information about the ASA and the work we do, including the results of investigations into other complaints.

Kind regards,

**Names and emails removed

southoftheriver

I pulled out of renting a property because after asking the letting agency for all the charges they kept adding more on. Of course they didn't have a list or anything. But that only worked because I had the option and time to move elsewhere, it isn't always simple. I hate greedy letting agents with a passion. Am moving again later this year and aim to approach a landlord directly to avoid them.

gary224

My agent, in East London, based in Stratford.

They done may bad things but the most illegal was......

They did not clean the place before i moved in although they charged the landlord heavily for this and my contract demands a fully cleaned house before moving in.

but charged about 200 to landlord for cleaning that they did not do.

the_salmon

southoftheriver wrote: »

I pulled out of renting a property because after asking the letting agency for all the charges they kept adding more on. Of course they didn't have a list or anything. But that only worked because I had the option and time to move elsewhere, it isn't always simple. I hate greedy letting agents with a passion. Am moving again later this year and aim to approach a landlord directly to avoid them.

I wish my girlfriend would let me take on all the agents in Leeds!!! I am still holding off paying my £60 exit fee which has been sprung on me before we have even moved in!!

I pulled out of 1 property due to the renewal fees (£50 for us and £50 for the landlord just to reissue a contract every 6 or 12 months with no option of a rolling contract), I have since noticed the house has come off the market but hasnt been let, hope the landlord is happy with his/her choice of agent because they cost them a tenant.

I hope this campaign really works and shows the robbing agents for what they are, if they could bill you for a phone conversation with them they would!!!

sunflower1283

The last estate agents I went through to let a flat didn't tell me at all upfront about their fees and I reported them to shelter wales and they've done nothing about it.