Agent charging check in and out fees

mbean

Hi there,


I'm in the final stages of renting a new property and am reviewing the tenancy agreement. I've noticed that the agent has included charges for both checking in and out, but the cost is "shared" between myself and the landlord. The exact writing is below.


"The Landlord and Tenant will be jointly responsible for paying the fee for the checking of the Inventory at the termination of the Tenancy"


The same is said for the check in being jointly responsible. Is this a fair request? There is no breakdown of what the Landlord is paying so am I looking at paying for both?


Many thanks for any advice!

need_an_answer

Its a perfectly reasonable request.How much is the charge for both?

You wont see a breakdown of the LL's charges but rest assured many LA's pass on similar if not higher charges to LL's for the privilege of marketing their property.

rtho782

Personally I don't agree it's fair. Checkin and Checkout are services to the landlord, not the tenant!

That said, it is, currently, legal.

mbean

Thanks for the super quick response!



The cost of the check in fee is lumped into the Admin/Tenancy Fees that they're charging so I have no idea what it actually is right now, whereas the check out fee is stated as £135.


I've been told it's more typical that the landlord and tenant pay for either/or, not both. Is that not the case?

need_an_answer

The LL will pay for the inventory to be compiled.(ive seen these charges range from£40 to well over £100 in some cases)
When the tenant moves in then a representative from the LA or inventory company will meet with the tenant and hand over keys and possibly walk through the inventory.The LL has little or no input in this .


on check out the inventory company will reassess the condition of the property v the original inventory and compile a report or feedback to the LL.

the splitting of how this is charged is entirely at the LA's discretion and in accordance with their terms and conditions.


Not all agents charge the same and some don't charge for check in if its a case of just collecting the keys.

There are so many different formats of doing it nothing is "just the case" as long as you are aware of the charges then that becomes the case I'm afraid.


The only thing to have done really was to query all charges before you agreed the tenancy as they do vary enormously in terms of what they charge,what you are expected to pay and how much input you get from the agent.

theartfullodger

There's nothing to stop you, the tenant, doing independent check-in & check-out reports & inventories & photos also, nor for you engaging someone to do them & informing landlord he will be paying some or all of those charges.


But a landlord might not take kindly to that...