Being Ignored by our Letting Agent

ScottRosam

Hi All,

We have been sending emails to our letting agents for the last 2 months and are being ignored (we CC in 2 other of their email addresses).

We visited their office, and they said no-one from "Letting" was available but assured us someone would be in touch. (They never did).

Everytime we try to call, no-one picks up.

I feel we may need to take this further if it persists, but the TPOS will only take complaints that have gone through their complaints procedure (which won't happen as they won't respond).

The source of the complaint was that I was landed with a £1,200 gas bill after 3 months as the letting agent gave us a random gas meter reading in the inventory, the picture they took of the gas meter looked nothing like ours and was taken deliberately poor to obscure the numbers.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,

Scott

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

Are you the LL?

Pixie5740

Did you take a note of the meter readings yourself when you moved in turn gave those to your gas supplier?

Is there a photo of the gas meter in the check-out inventory which shows a different meter to the one shown in the check-in inventory?

eddddy

At this stage, I'd say it's not so much a case of making a complaint, as trying to find out what's happened, and getting the bill corrected.

Have you provided any readings for your gas supplier? Perhaps double check with the gas suppler that you are reading the right meter, and ask them to check that your opening reading is the same as the previous account holder's final reading etc.

TBH - if the gas supplier looks at past meter readings / gas usage for the property, it should be pretty obvious if a meter reading is 'out-of-line' by £1000 worth of gas. So that might be a helpful starting point.

ScottRosam

Hi All,

Thanks for the replies. I have resolved the issue with the Gas supplier. However I am really annoyed that they are not responding after 2 months, its as if Letting Agents can do what they want and not take responsibility for anything.

I guess I'll just just have to bite my tongue and live with it lol.

I am disputing a renewal charge that they never advised us on as well, and they are ignoring that too. Looks like I'm just going to have to pay (reluctantly)

Thanks anyway guys

Scott

eddddy

ScottRosam wrote: »

I have resolved the issue with the Gas supplier.

That's good. So what is your goal in complaining?

With some types of companies, they may make a "good will gesture" if you complain, because they want to keep you as a customer. But I doubt that would happen in this situation.

ScottRosam

We paid for them to do the inventory, they just make up numbers and whatever. Ignore us when we request the landlords last meter reading. Continue to ignore us...

There is no monetary "Goal", perhaps I'm just old fashioned, I just don't like paying a company then being continually ignored. However, as I said in my previous post, I will take your advice and leave it there and pay their weird hidden fees, thanks Eddy

G_M

Gas bill is resolved. Either move on, or make a stink and watch your tenant/agent relationship plummet to yet lower depths. What's the point?

Re the renewal notice, read:


* Ending/renewing an AST: what happens when a fixed term ends? How can a LL or tenant end a tenancy? What is a periodic tenancy?

dc197

If you really want to take it further, write them a letter.

Guest101

ScottRosam wrote: »

We paid for them to do the inventory, they just make up numbers and whatever. Ignore us when we request the landlords last meter reading. Continue to ignore us...

There is no monetary "Goal", perhaps I'm just old fashioned, I just don't like paying a company then being continually ignored. However, as I said in my previous post, I will take your advice and leave it there and pay their weird hidden fees, thanks Eddy

You're not really paying them though, the LL is....

Pixie5740

If the check-in inventory was wrong, the time to highlight it was when you received the inventory at the start of your tenancy and went around the property checking all the information on it was accurate. So that was the time to bring the gas meter to the attention of the letting agent.

As for the renewal fee if you weren't told about it prior to signing another fixed term and there's nothing in your contract about it then I wouldn't pay it. That said, you don't need to renew and could just let the tenancy become periodic (as explained in G_M's links).