Tenancy agreement says bills are NOT included, Zoopla advert & estate agents said they ARE included

theartfullodger

canaldumidi said:

Artful you often offer good advice but with a tendancy to over-react...

Letting agents tend to use a standard agreement as was almost certainly the case here. Yes, they should have amended it before passing to the OP, but they are after all only human and hence make admin errors.

(can't beieve I'm sticking up for an agent!).

They have acknowledged and corrected the error. Good for them!

Thanks:

But I repeat. To be a lettings agent in England requires no qualifications, no training, no criminal records check:  The whole office could be (entirely legally) staffed with ex-prisoners on early release from their sentences for GBH & fraud.  Yes, really!

Any over - reaction in that please?

Best regards all..

canaldumidi

theartfullodger said:

canaldumidi said:

Artful you often offer good advice but with a tendancy to over-react...

Letting agents tend to use a standard agreement as was almost certainly the case here. Yes, they should have amended it before passing to the OP, but they are after all only human and hence make admin errors.

(can't beieve I'm sticking up for an agent!).

They have acknowledged and corrected the error. Good for them!

Thanks:

But I repeat. To be a lettings agent in England requires no qualifications, no training, no criminal records check:  The whole office could be (entirely legally) staffed with ex-prisoners on early release from their sentences for GBH & fraud.  Yes, really!

Any over - reaction in that please?

Best regards all..

I don't dispute that, but it's a separate issue.

In the context of the OP's problem your post jumped to a conclusionand was an over-reaction.

And just to play devil's advocat, agents do have sign up to an ombudsman scheme and abide by the relevant Code of Practice - even if they are ex-prisoners....

Sandtree

Montarivo said:

UPDATE

The estate agents have amended the agreement to reflect the terms stated in the advert - it was a simple administrative mistake! I really appreciate all the replies in such a short time and thank you to anyone who was willing to help with this.

Luckily in this case I was wrong to assume the estate agents were trying to stitch me up, but you can never be too sure!

Thanks for the update, too many stories are left unfinished, and good to hear it was a basic admin error as most of these things are rather than... 

theartfullodger said:

So you now know you are dealing with a bunch of cheating toads.  

user1977

theartfullodger said:

canaldumidi said:

Artful you often offer good advice but with a tendancy to over-react...

Letting agents tend to use a standard agreement as was almost certainly the case here. Yes, they should have amended it before passing to the OP, but they are after all only human and hence make admin errors.

(can't beieve I'm sticking up for an agent!).

They have acknowledged and corrected the error. Good for them!

But I repeat. To be a lettings agent in England requires no qualifications, no training, no criminal records check:  The whole office could be (entirely legally) staffed with ex-prisoners on early release from their sentences for GBH & fraud.  Yes, really!

Any over - reaction in that please?

Are ex-prisoners more or less likely to make drafting errors in tenancy agreements?

YoungBlueEyes

Staff could be ex-prisoner… poss an English professor or law professor caught having some adult fun with a student…  but with a remarkable gift for letters and numbers and a pedantic exactitude in general. In which case the advert could be right. 

Oh, it was!

Robbo66

theartfullodger said:

canaldumidi said:

Artful you often offer good advice but with a tendancy to over-react...

Letting agents tend to use a standard agreement as was almost certainly the case here. Yes, they should have amended it before passing to the OP, but they are after all only human and hence make admin errors.

(can't beieve I'm sticking up for an agent!).

They have acknowledged and corrected the error. Good for them!

Thanks:

But I repeat. To be a lettings agent in England requires no qualifications, no training, no criminal records check:  The whole office could be (entirely legally) staffed with ex-prisoners on early release from their sentences for GBH & fraud.  Yes, really!

Any over - reaction in that please?

Best regards all..

Same as most other business and professions, a letting agent may not legally be required to gain a qualification but the industry is heavily regulated with more regulation due to come. You really have to stop banging that drum, recently there have been members of the police jailed and sent to prison, school teachers prosecuted for indecent assault against children, doctors & nurses prosecuted for similar and worse the list goes on. Your hatred of Letting agents really just detracts from some of the advice you give which is generally helpful

elsien

user1977 said:

theartfullodger said:

canaldumidi said:

Artful you often offer good advice but with a tendancy to over-react...

Letting agents tend to use a standard agreement as was almost certainly the case here. Yes, they should have amended it before passing to the OP, but they are after all only human and hence make admin errors.

(can't beieve I'm sticking up for an agent!).

They have acknowledged and corrected the error. Good for them!

But I repeat. To be a lettings agent in England requires no qualifications, no training, no criminal records check:  The whole office could be (entirely legally) staffed with ex-prisoners on early release from their sentences for GBH & fraud.  Yes, really!

Any over - reaction in that please?

Are ex-prisoners more or less likely to make drafting errors in tenancy agreements?

Depends if they went to Eton or not? 

molerat

The big red flag here is the council tax.  The contract cannot override the law and in law, except in limited circumstances, you are responsible for the council tax.  If it is not paid it will be you the council will chase and take to court.  They will not go after the LL as it (generally) is nothing to do wit them.  Be aware !

canaldumidi

molerat said:

The big red flag here is the council tax.  The contract cannot override the law and in law, except in limited circumstances, you are responsible for the council tax.  If it is not paid it will be you the council will chase and take to court.  They will not go after the LL as it (generally) is nothing to do wit them.  Be aware !

Though to complete the story, if that happened the tenant could go after the LL for re-imbursemet- via the courts if necessary.

lincroft1710

user1977 said:

theartfullodger said:

canaldumidi said:

Artful you often offer good advice but with a tendancy to over-react...

Letting agents tend to use a standard agreement as was almost certainly the case here. Yes, they should have amended it before passing to the OP, but they are after all only human and hence make admin errors.

(can't beieve I'm sticking up for an agent!).

They have acknowledged and corrected the error. Good for them!

But I repeat. To be a lettings agent in England requires no qualifications, no training, no criminal records check:  The whole office could be (entirely legally) staffed with ex-prisoners on early release from their sentences for GBH & fraud.  Yes, really!

Any over - reaction in that please?

Are ex-prisoners more or less likely to make drafting errors in tenancy agreements?

Now if they had been naughty lawyers you would hope they would not make drafting errors