Letting agents messing us around

Davesproson

Hi guys,

Some help please.

So we saw a property about 6 weeks ago, went for a viewing and put in an offer, we were accepted.

We then paid our £260 application fees and again were told we had been accepted, the ad for the property and the agent told us it was available on the 31st of May, we asked if we could move in on the 1st of June they said yes.

About 2 weeks later, we get a call and are told that the current tenants have the property til the 28th and so they normally advise 7 days after incase anything needs repairing, cleaning etc.

We were annoyed as we had booked time off work for the move that couldn't be undone, and had also paid for a removals company on that day.

Fast forward to today literally 2 days before and we are having to call the lettings company daily, the manager promised to call us back before 5.30pm and hasn't, they're now saying they don't have a confirmed move in date, our tenancy at this property ends on the 5th and we need to be out as the landlord has new tenants coming in.

I'm going to call the estate agent tomorrow but don't know what rights I have or what to say, I have a 3 year old boy and 8 month pregnant wife who potentially will have no home in a week, are the letting agents liable to pay me compensation etc?

Any help is appreciated.

Dave

cooltt

Davesproson wrote: »

Hi guys,

Some help please.

So we saw a property about 6 weeks ago, went for a viewing and put in an offer, we were accepted.

We then paid our £260 application fees and again were told we had been accepted, the ad for the property and the agent told us it was available on the 31st of May, we asked if we could move in on the 1st of June they said yes.

About 2 weeks later, we get a call and are told that the current tenants have the property til the 28th and so they normally advise 7 days after incase anything needs repairing, cleaning etc.

We were annoyed as we had booked time off work for the move that couldn't be undone, and had also paid for a removals company on that day.

Fast forward to today literally 2 days before and we are having to call the lettings company daily, the manager promised to call us back before 5.30pm and hasn't, they're now saying they don't have a confirmed move in date, our tenancy at this property ends on the 5th and we need to be out as the landlord has new tenants coming in.

I'm going to call the estate agent tomorrow but don't know what rights I have or what to say, I have a 3 year old boy and 8 month pregnant wife who potentially will have no home in a week, are the letting agents liable to pay me compensation etc?

Any help is appreciated.

Dave

If you have signed a tenancy agreement with a start date of June 1 you can go to the property and move in.

If you signed nothing then you have no rights i'm afraid. I suspect this is the case?

Davesproson

Unfortunately that is the case, with previous tenancies we were invited in after the application, signed the required docs and paid the deposit and first month's rent we'll in advance, however with this, we were told we wouldn't pay this until we got the keys and would sign and pay on the same day.

It's been a total nightmare.

Thank you for the reply though I imagine we would just have to hope and see

cooltt

Davesproson wrote: »

Unfortunately that is the case, with previous tenancies we were invited in after the application, signed the required docs and paid the deposit and first month's rent we'll in advance, however with this, we were told we wouldn't pay this until we got the keys and would sign and pay on the same day.

It's been a total nightmare.

Thank you for the reply though I imagine we would just have to hope and see

Terrible service, this is why they have an awful reputation.

If they are still going to let you the flat a few days late then get that TA signed asap. Once you've moved in you can then address the additional expense of having to live somewhere else before move in and try get some compensation out of them.

Can you take all your things to self storage in the mean time? Just do with the bare essentials? Stay with family or friends?

GrumpyDil

Sorry but why would there be any question of compensation?

Until the tenancy agreement has been signed there is no tenancy and hence no compensation.

Housebuy12345

What’s happened in the four weeks you’ve known that you couldn’t move in on the 1st?

When will you sign the tenancy?

nyermen

"Don't have a confirmed moving in date" - if they can't give you any indication, eg. sorry there's more work to be done it could be a few weeks, then I wonder if the previous tenants are staying put. In which case, the landlord has to go to court to evict, it could be months (+ possibly significant repairs to the property after eviction). You may need to set an ultimatum and if you don't get a decent response, go looking for somewhere else.

Edit: Let me correct myself from "could be months" to "will be months" if they are staying put...

steampowered

As 1st June is tomorrow, you have no time to be mucking around waiting for the manager to call you back.

I would physically go to the letting agent and sit in their office until the situation is resolved.

If you are not going to be able to move in on the 1st, you have a difficult choice between:
1) Staying put in your current property (and being liable to pay compensation if the new tenants don't move in.

2) Going to some form of temporary accommodation, or staying with friends and family, until you find another property.