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BigSmurf
Posts: 2 Newbie
Hi All,
Hope someone is able to give me some advice on this please?
I've been privately renting for just coming up to a year. First time I've rented in nearly 25 years, so I'm still getting up to date with the current rules and so on. I've always paid rent on time, been a good tennant etc etc.
My Landlord has just changed the managing agency from Fenn Wright to another agent. My deposit has been moved across and I've just received the renewal documentation from the new managing agent.
As well as a gentle rent increase of £15pcm, the new agent has also invoiced me £140 for the renewal documentation, with a 'good will' deduction of £50, so £90. However in the new contract, going forward it will be £140.
I understand there is usually a charge from the managing agent for this and also realise this is seen almost universally as a giant rip-off. However, as far as I am concerned, my signed agreement to cover this charge was with Fenn Wright, not with the new agent? Fenn Wrights contract said the charge would be 'a maximum of £140'.
I don't want to be awkward for the sake of being awkward, but we're nearing the middle of the school holidays and I'm a single father. That's a lot of money to be giving someone for 10 pre-formatted pages and 5 minutes on mail merge, when I'm taking my 5 year old on days out because we couldn't afford a holiday abroad this year.
So I'm thinking of gently debating the payment with them and offering a 'good will' payment of £45? I've also briefly considered amending the future renewal costs on the new contract (to £90) and signing them, but again, this seems to come off to me as 'being difficult'.
So what do you think? Should I just pay it or see if I can barter with them a little?
Kindest regards
Smurf
Hope someone is able to give me some advice on this please?
I've been privately renting for just coming up to a year. First time I've rented in nearly 25 years, so I'm still getting up to date with the current rules and so on. I've always paid rent on time, been a good tennant etc etc.
My Landlord has just changed the managing agency from Fenn Wright to another agent. My deposit has been moved across and I've just received the renewal documentation from the new managing agent.
As well as a gentle rent increase of £15pcm, the new agent has also invoiced me £140 for the renewal documentation, with a 'good will' deduction of £50, so £90. However in the new contract, going forward it will be £140.
I understand there is usually a charge from the managing agent for this and also realise this is seen almost universally as a giant rip-off. However, as far as I am concerned, my signed agreement to cover this charge was with Fenn Wright, not with the new agent? Fenn Wrights contract said the charge would be 'a maximum of £140'.
I don't want to be awkward for the sake of being awkward, but we're nearing the middle of the school holidays and I'm a single father. That's a lot of money to be giving someone for 10 pre-formatted pages and 5 minutes on mail merge, when I'm taking my 5 year old on days out because we couldn't afford a holiday abroad this year.
So I'm thinking of gently debating the payment with them and offering a 'good will' payment of £45? I've also briefly considered amending the future renewal costs on the new contract (to £90) and signing them, but again, this seems to come off to me as 'being difficult'.
So what do you think? Should I just pay it or see if I can barter with them a little?
Kindest regards
Smurf
0
Comments
-
The agent is irrelevant. You did not sign anything with them.
Why not just go rolling monthly and not pay anything?0 -
Hi All,
Hope someone is able to give me some advice on this please?
I've been privately renting for just coming up to a year. First time I've rented in nearly 25 years, so I'm still getting up to date with the current rules and so on. I've always paid rent on time, been a good tennant etc etc.
My Landlord has just changed the managing agency from Fenn Wright to another agent. My deposit has been moved across and I've just received the renewal documentation from the new managing agent.
As well as a gentle rent increase of £15pcm, the new agent has also invoiced me £140 for the renewal documentation, with a 'good will' deduction of £50, so £90. However in the new contract, going forward it will be £140.
I understand there is usually a charge from the managing agent for this and also realise this is seen almost universally as a giant rip-off. However, as far as I am concerned, my signed agreement to cover this charge was with Fenn Wright, not with the new agent? Fenn Wrights contract said the charge would be 'a maximum of £140'.
I don't want to be awkward for the sake of being awkward, but we're nearing the middle of the school holidays and I'm a single father. That's a lot of money to be giving someone for 10 pre-formatted pages and 5 minutes on mail merge, when I'm taking my 5 year old on days out because we couldn't afford a holiday abroad this year.
So I'm thinking of gently debating the payment with them and offering a 'good will' payment of £45? I've also briefly considered amending the future renewal costs on the new contract (to £90) and signing them, but again, this seems to come off to me as 'being difficult'.
So what do you think? Should I just pay it or see if I can barter with them a little?
Kindest regards
Smurf
Renewal fees come up frequently on the forum, in fact you're the second poster today.
1) You never had a contract with Fenn Wright. Your contract is with the landlord.
2) Your tenancy doesn't change just because the landlord has decided to change letting agents.
3) There is absolutely no legal requirement to sign a new fixed term contract every 6 months/12 months/whatever. A periodic tenancy is a perfectly valid choice. You can accept the £15pcm increase without agreeing to another fixed term, you just start paying it.
As always, read G_M's Ending/Renewing an AST: what happens when a fixed term ends? How can a LL or tenant end a tenancy? What is a periodic tenancy?0 -
Thank you both for your input. I hadn't intended to be lazy with the searching, in fact I've googled my particular situation a few times with no luck, leading me to posting here as I've found the members of this forum to be so helpful in the past!
I'll do some research around the periodic tenancy. With a 5 year old, I don't suddenly want to find myself in an akward situation where I've got a months notice to leave with no recourse.
Also noted in the new agents paperwork, they have a charge for moving to a periodic tenancy as well. :mad:0 -
Thank you both for your input. I hadn't intended to be lazy with the searching, in fact I've googled my particular situation a few times with no luck, leading me to posting here as I've found the members of this forum to be so helpful in the past!
I'll do some research around the periodic tenancy. With a 5 year old, I don't suddenly want to find myself in an akward situation where I've got a months notice to leave with no recourse.
Also noted in the new agents paperwork, they have a charge for moving to a periodic tenancy as well. :mad:
That's impossible, the minimum notice is two months and actual eviction is approx. 4 more after that.
Irrelevant what they want to charge you. A SPT begins by law automatically. It cannot be prevented0 -
Don't query the charges, don't do anything to draw attention to the situation. Just wait for it to roll on to a periodic tenancy and then it'll be too late for them to charge you anything.Also noted in the new agents paperwork, they have a charge for moving to a periodic tenancy as well. :mad:0
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