Any Estate Agents on here ... advice needed ?

[Eagle Slayer]

Today me and my GF viewed a house and liked it and decided we would like to lease it ..... before closing time we paid £390 cash to the estate agent ... £195 each for "admin and credit check" on us ..... we had to sign a form showing what we would need to pay at the time of moving in if checks on us were ok , we are now having serious doubts and wondered if we phoned the estate agent first thing in the morning what the chances would be of recouping our money back would be ? They only took a copy of ID from my GF so had no details of our employment which we were due to complete tonight on forms they gave us so assume they couldnt have started their checks yet ? Thanks for any advice

 

[beorhthelm]

im no estate agent, but this has come up recently and its f***ing disgusting they charge that much for a service that cant cost them more than a tenner. and they've charged you each.

then they wonder why people think they are money grabbing scum.

 

[Eagle Slayer]

Another Estate Agent charges £250 for a combined credit check , couldnt believe when £390 was asked for . Hopefully we can cancel and recoup money back but knowing them i wouldnt hold out much chance ?

 

[StonehamPark]

Hopefully you can get your money back, and for future reference to anyone looking at renting. 9x out of 10 you can print off your own credit scores and avoid some heavy fees. Sign up for the free experian or equifax trials and print off your documents.

 

[middletoenail]

I've just paid £300 for two of us, I hate the bastards. If a credit check with Experian costs IRO £5 there is no reason why they should charge that much.

I'm also resigned to the fact that no matter how much I take care of my new flat, that when I leave I will not recoup 100% of my deposit!

 

[redneb]

I've just paid £300 for two of us, I hate the bastards. If a credit check with Experian costs IRO £5 there is no reason why they should charge that much.

I'm also resigned to the fact that no matter how much I take care of my new flat, that when I leave I will not recoup 100% of my deposit!

why? It should be in a deposit protection scheme and the landlord\agent has to have good reason to keep it. They also have to jump hoops to do so.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Another Estate Agent charges £250 for a combined credit check , couldnt believe when £390 was asked for . Hopefully we can cancel and recoup money back but knowing them i wouldnt hold out much chance ?

Which lettings agent are you using?

 

[Eagle Slayer]

Which lettings agent are you using?

Howard and Co ....... in Worthing

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Howard and Co ....... in Worthing

Okay. I have to say I really feel for you. Renting from an agent seems a right rip-off and even when you're in you seem to have little security. Everything seems weighted against the tenant. Good luck.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Today me and my GF viewed a house and liked it and decided we would like to lease it ..... before closing time we paid £390 cash to the estate agent ... £195 each for "admin and credit check" on us ..... we had to sign a form showing what we would need to pay at the time of moving in if checks on us were ok , we are now having serious doubts and wondered if we phoned the estate agent first thing in the morning what the chances would be of recouping our money back would be ? They only took a copy of ID from my GF so had no details of our employment which we were due to complete tonight on forms they gave us so assume they couldnt have started their checks yet ? Thanks for any advice

In response to this I guess the key will be in the wording of the form you signed. You seem to suggest you are only liable if you successfully rent the place so ringing first thing should mean you get your money back.

 

[Eagle Slayer]

In response to this I guess the key will be in the wording of the form you signed. You seem to suggest you are only liable if you successfully rent the place so ringing first thing should mean you get your money back.

The form we signed showed the cash totals for monthly rent , deposit , amount to be paid in advance etc . I was pretty sure the agent said if we didnt pass the credit check we wouldnt be able to the £390 refunded ..... hopefully the checks havent taken place yet , assume the shop shut at 5/5.30 and we went in there around 4pm .

We were due to take completed forms regarding housing history, employement , bank details etc at 3pm tomorrow, plus forms of ID

 

[nwgull]

Wankers. The estate agents round my way (Manchester) charge landlords £500+VAT to market a property, and also charge the tenants an extortionate amount for these credit refs as well. Rather than being ripped off again, I am letting my flat via an online agency, which charges a mere £40 to have your ad on Rightmove for a month, all you have to do is provide your own pics and description, easy enough. There are a few legal things you need to be aware of as a private landlord, but nothing that can't be found online fairly easily, including standard tenancy agreements, so they really are taking the piss charging what they do IMHO.

Also, I'll only be charging my tenants the cost price of the reference check, which is also submitted online for £30.

 

[pishhead]

Go in first thing just ask them if they have done the credit check yet, if no ask for your money back, surely they can't say no.

 

[middletoenail]

why? It should be in a deposit protection scheme and the landlord\agent has to have good reason to keep it. They also have to jump hoops to do so.

Doesn't work like that mate. You get back what the letting agent decides, if you want to challenge it you need to go through a arbitration org. You may get it all back but it's not easy!

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

When I rented in my second year at university, we had trouble with our gas hob. It was putting out gas, but not lighting. I called the agent, as you are recommended to do with gas, and they sent an engineer round. He fiddled around and found nothing wrong. We were charged £85. Now I know it was in the small print that if you get a call-out and the appliance turns out to be okay, you, not the landlord, get charged, but with all the fuss they make about gas safety, what would have happened if I had ignored it? I just thought it was unreasonable. Whing for President, you will presumably be renting in your second year, as you're at the same university, give me a PM, and I'll tell you the agent. Don't want to mention them on here.

 

[Triggaaar]

I'm also resigned to the fact that no matter how much I take care of my new flat, that when I leave I will not recoup 100% of my deposit!

Just don't pay your last months rent, then make sure you clean the place properly.

 

[cjd]

Just don't pay your last months rent, then make sure you clean the place properly.

Hmmmm........understanding your view, but just so people know what happens in these cases, the rent anyone doesn't pay, is not paid to the Landlord from the deposit, until it has gone through the TDS system. This often takes 3-6 months. The agency lose nothing......the Landlord has to wait until the TDS judgement to receive his outstanding rent.

 

[Triggaaar]

Hmmmm........understanding your view, but just so people know what happens in these cases, the rent anyone doesn't pay, is not paid to the Landlord from the deposit, until it has gone through the TDS system. This often takes 3-6 months. The agency lose nothing......the Landlord has to wait until the TDS judgement to receive his outstanding rent.

Is that the case even if the tenant says to the agent/landlord that they're to use the deposit as rent (ie, they don't want the deposit back)?

 

[nwgull]

Is that the case even if the tenant says to the agent/landlord that they're to use the deposit as rent (ie, they don't want the deposit back)?

When the landlord puts the deposit in a protection scheme, it's done online and both landlord and tenant are given a password. If the landlord is happy to return the full deposit, they just log on and release it to the tenant. Likewise if the tenant accepts that they don't want the deposit, or part of it back, then they can log on and instruct that the deposit is released to the landlord as appropriate, in which case he/she can have it straight away. I know this as it happened to me, with a tenant not paying her final month's rent. She just released the entire deposit amount to me. The only time that judgement is required is when the landlord and tenant are in disagreement.

For those of you renting. Make sure that your landlord has put your deposit into a 3rd party scheme. There can be some fairly harsh penalties against them if they fail to do this within a couple of weeks of receiving it.

 

[scooter1]

When the landlord puts the deposit in a protection scheme, it's done online and both landlord and tenant are given a password. If the landlord is happy to return the full deposit, they just log on and release it to the tenant. Likewise if the tenant accepts that they don't want the deposit, or part of it back, then they can log on and instruct that the deposit is released to the landlord as appropriate, in which case he/she can have it straight away. I know this as it happened to me, with a tenant not paying her final month's rent. She just released the entire deposit amount to me. The only time that judgement is required is when the landlord and tenant are in disagreement.

For those of you renting. Make sure that your landlord has put your deposit into a 3rd party scheme. There can be some fairly harsh penalties against them if they fail to do this within a couple of weeks of receiving it.

Thats the case with a private letting, but is it the same when going through an agent? I temp'd for a lettings agent a few years ago, and he didn't put the deposits into the government scheme, they just sat in one of his many bank accounts. Letting Agts are a nightmare, its always either the Landlord or the tenant that pays - whilst the agent just sits and collects their %.