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Querying estate agents fees

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Comments

  • rosamundie
    rosamundie Posts: 15 Forumite
    Edddy - I must point out that I am not trying to `defraud' anyone. Challenging a bill is not fraudulent - I am posting here to have my case peer-reviewed. If I wanted to commit fraud I certainly wouldn't write about it on a public forum, lol.

    I realise I have very little choice but to pay up and take on board the points made that I am paying for an agent's contact book and brand.
  • davidmcn
    davidmcn Posts: 23,596
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    edited 18 May 2018 at 1:03PM
    rosamundie wrote: »
    I'm also keen to flag up the slippery practice of agents insisting that house seller's buy an EPC; I';ve been paying for them for years but I only just found out (because an EPC surveyor told me) that they are valid for 10 years, even if the householder has made energy improvements.
    Fair enough, but in this case apparently you didn't end up paying anything for an EPC anyway, so why are you expecting some sort of compensation?
  • hazyjo
    hazyjo Posts: 15,468
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    rosamundie wrote: »
    Thank you for your replies.

    I accept that I will have to cough up, however I see nothing wrong with querying the price I am paying for a somewhat inferior service.
    Not sure why it was an 'inferior service'. Because of the EPC? Okay, so that was a mistake, but that's about it. You withdrew the property before they had a chance to act for you from what I can tell.


    Searches are obtained through your solicitor, not your EA. Not sure why you're blaming them for this. Every area is different and, yes, some may take up to 6 weeks (which is what they may have said, who knows).


    No, it is not up to the EA to find out what the buyer does for a living - nor is it their job to tell you!


    Did you use a solicitor? It's sounding a bit vague as you seem to talk about yourself and the EA and nothing about your solicitor.
    2023 wins: *must start comping again!*
  • need_an_answer
    need_an_answer Posts: 2,812
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    rosamundie wrote: »

    I'm also keen to flag up the slippery practice of agents insisting that house seller's buy an EPC; I';ve been paying for them for years but I only just found out (because an EPC surveyor told me) that they are valid for 10 years, even if the householder has made energy improvements.


    Again that information is quite easily obtainable online regarding the validity of the EPC and the timeframe it covers.

    Property agent will not insist you have a new EPC,but they may offer the choice if there has been s significant upgrade and the rating will improve.
    You are not obliged to accept a new EPC if the current one is within 10 years old,if you have then again its only fair that you should pay the EPC surveyor the fee to re evaluate your property.

    For someone who claims such a knowledge of property you don't appear to have done much of your own research into what is required and when.
    There are some things you must leave to professionals to advise on ,but whether to re evaluate an EPC within the 10 years is a pretty easy decision for anyone with "property knowledge" to make themselves.
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  • eddddy
    eddddy Posts: 16,288
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    rosamundie wrote: »
    I must point out that I am not trying to `defraud' anyone. Challenging a bill is not fraudulent...

    You're correct - challenging a bill is not fraudulent.

    But in your first post you seemed to say that you and the buyer had made an agreement not to tell the EA about the transaction.

    That's not challenging a bill, that is planning a deception.
  • rosamundie
    rosamundie Posts: 15 Forumite
    edited 18 May 2018 at 2:02PM
    Need an answer - to the contrary, I have never claimed any great `knowledge of property'. I have bought and sold quite a few but only in a personal capacity. Indeed, I have only just discovered, after paying for scores of EPC's, that they are only required every 10 years (I learnt this from a conversation with an EPC surveyor not an estate agent). I do maintain that this isn't common knowledge but it should be. I am also not a very good negotiator, but there we are.

    I really believe that an agent's job is to do basic due diligence before showing a prospective buyer a property - that is, find out if they are a cash buyer or need to get a mortgage, if they are in rented and some very basic idea of their circumstances to save people's time being wasted. This really only requires a basic conversation.

    Please be reassured that as soon as an exchange goes through on a property, estate agents can easily find out, (judging by my experience) therefore it's pretty impossible to `defraud' them. On many occasions, a good agent is invaluable steering a sale to conclusion - on this occasion I would have preferred to pay them but not have them involved as the buyer and I communicated very well and having a middle-man might have de-railed things again.

    I fully accept I have to pay this bill and thank everyone for their very helpful comments. I can only apologise for the outrage, passions and palpitations my question has caused to some commentators.

    It is heart-warming that this much maligned and hard-working profession has so many supporters on this forum.
  • need_an_answer
    need_an_answer Posts: 2,812
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    rosamundie wrote: »
    considering I am a long-standing customer of theirs and am in the property business.

    My apologies for assuming you would know about an EPC given your above comment.
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  • davidmcn
    davidmcn Posts: 23,596
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    rosamundie wrote: »
    It is heart-warming that this much maligned and hard-working profession has so many supporters on this forum.
    I don't think any of us are saying that they fully deserve to be paid that much, just that they're legally entitled to it (and are used to chasing up reluctant clients who don't pay). The time for negotiation is before you sign up with them.
  • need_an_answer
    need_an_answer Posts: 2,812
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    Nobody stood over you and forced you to sign the contract,you were well aware that if they found you a buyer the fee would be payable.

    Actually I do agree the full fee is payable as I said earlier you need one motivated purchaser and in my mind that's what Hamptons introduced to you.

    It could be argued that they are incredibly good at their marketing and targeting of purchasers.

    I once bought a property before it hit the EA's books solidly,I was on a mailing list to be contacted if something matching my requirement became available. I don't believe the EA had a lot of input and I guess the vendor still paid their bill for the sale.
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  • When I asked the agent what the prospective buyer's job was (trying to do due diligence as anyone can walk in off the street and say anything), I was told he was `in the Pilgrim Brethren;. I replied that I had asked what his job was not his religious persuasion.
    What the actual? What would you have done if they'd said "!!!!!! star", or "professional hitman", or "traffic warden"?

    BTW, it's probably "Plymouth Brethren", not that it's any of your business at all.
    The agent was unable to tell me anything about the family at all so I had to resort to Google to find out their business, I was then able to reassure myself by doing a company search. I do accept you sent me reassurance from their mortgage broker but finding out basic details of potential buyers is surely an important part of the agent's job.
    Blimey. All I ever care about is if they're good for the money. And that's all you should care about, too.
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