Sick of Lettings Agents

JonnieHACK

Post removed due to creepy profiling of user in question.

sooz

JonnieHACK wrote: »

The currently manage 2 properties I know of (as my friends live there) that have SERIOUS damp problems and refuse to do anything about it, even after a report from environmental health .

JonnieHACK wrote: »

I'm totally blown away and so so gutted. That house was just perfect for us, and now we have to continue living on top of each other in our current small home.

I think you had a lucky escape. If they are THAT bad at managing properties, I would not want to have any dealings with them!

sooz

JonnieHACK wrote: »

She actually said the words " you either pay me and move in now or you simply dont get it".

This I really don't understand. If you had moved in NOW, how would she have had time to do your reference checks?

weegie.geek

JonnieHACK wrote: »

The currently manage 2 properties I know of (as my friends live there) that have SERIOUS damp problems and refuse to do anything about it, even after a report from environmental health

If this is true, why did you even bother going in to see them? Especially if you have a child.

Why would you even consider using a letting agency that has no regard for the state of their properties, and the health and safety of their tenants?

JonnieHACK

Post removed due to creepy profiling of user in question.

weegie.geek

JonnieHACK wrote: »

Why do you think? Because we are so desperate to move. I know a bit about damp and have access to a test meter. I'm not stoopid I would have checked the house first.

And besides the house we looked at was dreamy, with no problems.

Jut because they (and heres the key word) "manage" a couple of properties with Damp problems, the damp problem is the landlords responsibility. If the landlord wants to do nothing about it, the lettings agency sure arent going to pay for it. The lettings agency sit in the middle and collect interest for free.

"money for old rope" as my dad would say.

Today i searched EVERY letting agency on www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk and www.rightmove.co.uk" and theres nothing for us.

HELP

The letting agents act as a go-between between yourself and the landlord. They're responsible for making sure the rent is collected, and the landlord does everything they're meant to do. If either party doesn't fulfil their end of things, they're supposed to ensure they do. Chase you for the rent, chase the landlord to fix things that break.

Why bother going with a letting agency - and paying extra for it - otherwise?

You're desperate enough to find a new place to live that you'd happily use a letting agency that you know to be negligent in matters of health and safety?

What about other stuff like gas safety certificates?

Using a letting agency that you know to be useless is insane.

I appreciate that you've exhausted the possibilities of a whole two websites (!) but what's more important, your family's health or finding a place now?

I'm sure you could test for damp, but you can't test for a boiler that's about to break, or any of a hundred other things that could go wrong.

When I've been looking for a flat I've just gone for a walk around the area I want to move to, jotting down the numbers on the signs. I wouldn't advise you to limit yourself to checking on the net. If you do see one on the net, phone about a viewing, none of these !!!!!!s answer emails. :mad:

I wouldn't count out renting privately either, I've had less bad experiences renting privately than via an agency.

izzybusy23

JonnieHACK wrote: »

Why do you think? Because we are so desperate to move. I know a bit about damp and have access to a test meter. I'm not stoopid I would have checked the house first.

And besides the house we looked at was dreamy, with no problems.

Jut because they (and heres the key word) "manage" a couple of properties with Damp problems, the damp problem is the landlords responsibility. If the landlord wants to do nothing about it, the lettings agency sure arent going to pay for it. The lettings agency sit in the middle and collect interest for free.

"money for old rope" as my dad would say.

Today i searched EVERY letting agency on www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk and www.rightmove.co.uk" and theres nothing for us.

HELP

I posted on a recent thread about LA's not accepting a couple living together because one had good credit and the other bad. In that post I said how sick I am of LL and LA's treating people like scum and no better than !!!!!! on the bottom of their shoes.

Take heart in that this greedy madness will not and cannot continue. When the housing market crashes at full speed, those greedy sods will be grateful of anybody to rent their two bit houses, and then people won't want them because they will be able to buy their own.

What goes around comes arouund.. karma I think they call it.

I really hope you find somewhere really soon. It cost us £1550 to move into this place.. that was £800 deposit, £550 one months rent up front and £100 each for credit checks. Now, if somebody clearly hasn't got that money, how on earth do they find a home to live in? The whole BTL has gotten beyond a joke and is now built on just plain greed and full of self congratulating loathesome LL's who think they are 'clever' because they have bumped the market up well above the reach of most first time buyers.

JonnieHACK

izzybusy23 wrote: »

I posted on a recent thread about LA's not accepting a couple living together because one had good credit and the other bad. In that post I said how sick I am of LL and LA's treating people like scum and no better than !!!!!! on the bottom of their shoes.

Take heart in that this greedy madness will not and cannot continue. When the housing market crashes at full speed, those greedy sods will be grateful of anybody to rent their two bit houses, and then people won't want them because they will be able to buy their own.

What goes around comes arouund.. karma I think they call it.

I really hope you find somewhere really soon. It cost us £1550 to move into this place.. that was £800 deposit, £550 one months rent up front and £100 each for credit checks. Now, if somebody clearly hasn't got that money, how on earth do they find a home to live in? The whole BTL has gotten beyond a joke and is now built on just plain greed and full of self congratulating loathesome LL's who think they are 'clever' because they have bumped the market up well above the reach of most first time buyers.

Very well said :T

teabelly

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-16277908.rsp?pa_n=8&tr_t=rent
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-13796146.rsp?pa_n=9&tr_t=rent
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-9489201.rsp?pa_n=10&tr_t=rent

There are a couple of others further afield like Uttoxeter that might be suitable:
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-18820100.rsp?pa_n=1&tr_t=rent

The letting agent John German seem to have a few that look ok.

HTH :-)

Lizzieanne

We rent out a flat and have done so for nearly 3 years. We had a similar problem when we found our first tenants - it was about £150 for the reference checks. They couldn't afford it as well as all the other costs, so they asked if we would pay it for them. We were in the position that we really needed tenants and they really wanted the flat. We paid it, everyone was happy and we've had no problems from them at all. They were straight out of university and just needed a little help.

So, do you think it may be worth asking the Landlord? They can only say no, and you might be lucky.