Housing Assoc - Leaving "admin" fees

robforcash

Hi,

My girlfriend is currently trying to sell her half of a shared ownership property. For Vale (you are better off living in a box then buying through them) to sell the propery they want a 1% fee, much like an estate agent.

Nearly all housing associations charge a flat fee of £400 for the pleasure, rather than 1%. All they do is post a photo on a webiste and write a few letters to a waiting list. My girlfriend had to pay to have the property valued (had to be a surveyor), pay for the HIPS and will have to do all the leg work with regards to viewings etc.

To me, this fee does not seem fair - £400 doesn't even seem fair, let alone the 1%. I understand estate agents charging the fee as they do actually undertake proper marketing, and will do all the viewings and will provide advice & help, but just wirte a few letters handing out my girlfriend's details will cost them about £50.

Based on
http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/before_you_buy/think_of/unfair-contracts do you think we could challenge the clause in the contract as being unfair, and therefore not have to pay a fee at all, or at least only a fee that accurately represents their costs. Especially as people who go into shared ownership properties in the first place aren't exactly rich...

I am at my wits end with Vale :mad: - they have been terrible all through her period there, and now they are trying to tie her with excessive costs...

Thoughts welcome

Rob

pinkshoes

I think you'll find some estate agents charge much more than 1%, and although in theory they do the marketing, you often end up having to do alot of the viewings etc... yourself.

There's less marketing involved in the HA, because they often have a list of people waiting to buy, so the sale may go through quicker than selling a normal house on market.

I'd say the 1% fee, although more than some HAs, sounds pretty fair!

PasturesNew

A fee such as this is also something you weigh up and agree too when you are making your choices when you buy.

Writing a letter might not seem a lot, but they have done the marketing to get that list together and there are staff costs and other overheads to produce the letter and to then discuss it with enquirers who phone/whatever. Added to that there will be other admin tasks you aren't even aware of, no doubt.