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Is there anyone on here who know anything about this? My daughter lets a house and lives in a rented flat and has a few problems, mostly with the agency that is supposed to manage the letting of her house.

where abouts are you BG?

my ex works for the CAB in housing and has also worked as a property manager, she has also just added the housing law section to her law dergree.

I can ask if she'd be willing to help...which part of the equation is your daughter having issues with?

Pm me if you'd like me to ask.

Oh I don't think it's a big enough thing to go asking your ex, tbh.

It's just, things like - when she first signed up with the agency (5 years ago) who manage her house, the contract said she should give them 6 months notice to end their agfreement - does this still hold?

The problem is that she feels - and I agree - that she's being ripped off over repairs etc. She's like to give the agency the boot and manage it herself. She's up north (Southport) but we live only 15 minutes from her house (Poole, Dorset) so I can easily pop over there to check anything the tenant is having problems with, or show round prospective tenants etc. And if she were not paying exorbitant fees every month, she could afford the fuel to come down more often either to check on the place, or to do minor repairs and decoration in between tenants - that would have the bonus of being able to visit family and friends more often as well!

A frinstance - she agreed to have 2 doors replaced as they had holes in (they've always had holes in but....) .. the agency suggested she have all 4 doors replaced so they would match. She never actually agreed to this but neither did she say an unequivocal no - but now she has an invoice for replacing 5 doors as they've done the hall cupboard as well! Plus, there's another £50 for removing repainting and replacing the doorstops!
So a bill she had expected to be about £500 (or £600, I forget) including VAT - which I feel is astronomic for replacing 4 doors! has now become £800!! AND the invoice has come from a different company which doesn't have a VAT no on the invoice, AND this bill is not itemised!
Quite apart from the question of the number of doors - how can replacing doors require replacing of doorstops? And even if it did, there are only 4 doorstops maximum - the cupboard doesn't have one!

And so on.

Hi all,

I have had experience with letting agents. Like all trades or services. the details in their contract is worth reading. Obviously, they have quoted or sub=contracted the work out. No doubt, there will be a "Kick back!" for the agent in there somewhere. Also, I would read the terms for allowing them to actually subby out to any non-approved tradesman or company. As, you didn't directly employ them.

Regarding the actual non-itemised bill, send a polite reply requesting an itemised bill. The problems that arise with agents is that eventually you realise you employ them to take the hassle and grief out of dealing with tenants and repairs, they actually cost you way too much. By the most-part, some of my clients have decided to manage their own property's to take the expensive cost out of the equation.

Once the repairs and general condition of the property has been brought up to a reasonable standard, then, maintaining it isn't too hard. As long as you vet and get a sizeable bond of them Generally, you don't want social tenants and under 25's without a job. That will separate the wheet from the chaff so too speak.

Cheers Greg!

There's no shortage of potential tenants at present, and as we live in an area of relatively high employment that helps. They tend to be people relocating who take it on for 6 to 12 months while they decide where/whether they want to buy. And it's a fairly nice area with very few 2 bed houses available at all.


I think these agents are greedy and stupid. Of course you expect they'll be getting a rake-off, and of course the job will cost more than it would if we were getting something done to our house, but they are taking the piss and thereby doing themselves out of a cushy job!

Greg,

I would disagree with regard to the social tenant, with social tenants the government pays the rent and you can get it paid straight to you.
The most trouble my ex got tenant wise when she was a property manager was from the so called professionals (late paying rent, or not even paying rent) she always advised landlords to consider benefit tenants as a. the rent would always be paid and B if any damage to the property was done and the cost was above the deposit paid they would always pay up.
The amount of times she went to court to get further payment from in individual and lost was about 75%.
Oh and i believe the max you can ask for is two months and don't forget this has to be kept in a registered account approved by the TDS (tenant deposit scheme)

Oh and re the doors any good PM would have sent a copy of the quote not estimate to your daughter for her to say yes or no.

Is her agent ARLA registered? if so complain to them they have a code of conduct, if not give them one months notice ( i take it she gets paid monthly?) and find a good agent that is ARLA registered.

Look to see who has the most "to let" boards up and ask for their T&C's.

In most situations Oooop North, well South Yorks, all major repairs like doors are down to the owner/management company!
The tenant would do decoration and any minor plaster damage etc., stuff like doors would be part of the structure, but check the contract as I suppose this could vary.
The owner usually does not like to move on things like this too quickly, so may need reminding!
This is exactly what I have just gone through with my daughter Joanne.

Howard - my daughter IS the owner, and she was happy to replace doors, but the agents exceeded their remit!

I should have left the question of the place Lucy actually lives, which is rented, to a seperate thread to avoid confusion!

I would disagree with regard to the social tenant, with social tenants the government pays the rent and you can get it paid straight to you.

Yes but if they skip and don't tell anyone, you end up with an ampty property and money to pay back for the period since they left! Daughter is looking into a scheme where the Housing Association rents the house from the owner, and takes acre of all the management and repairs.

Sorry about the confusion Bobbie, it's a combination of my age and not reading it correctly!

Dooooohh

Hi all,

Well Robbi, up here, where there are a high percentage of social tenants. They tend to trash the place, do a midnight flit! Leave the place in a right state and leave the gas and electric meters with high debts on.

You forget up here and wales, the social benefit system is bursting with people

As BG just said, for those reasons, what I suggested was a "Suggestion" my old fruit... Maybe in big city's there a scruplious professionals who deceive the landlord or leasing company. Personally, I don't get involved in that trouble. Just a lowly heating engineer

Have heard nightmare stories over a cup of coffee in my suppliers amoung the tradesmen. Alas, it is getting worse. Yes, aware of the bonding scheme and how it is suppose to be run. One letting agent up here didn't put said bonds and the last month's collection of rent into bank. He pocketed the lot and went bankrupt, in other words done a runner - scroat

Greg,

i don't disagree, the problem is that for every respectful social tenant, there are several disrespectful tenants that do exactly what you have said, which in turn wrecks it for the few that do care.

Oh and as to the TDS, yes the ex heard of several companies that did exactly that. it is difficult for the individual that have only one or two properties to let, you are at the mercy of letting agents.

The ex used to have her own company, and she was extremely ethical but unfortunately was crushed by the big boys.

and with the way the legislation is moving there is more and more red tape to cut through, the gov are doing this to clamp down on the rogue landlords that let uninhabitable properties, but these guys know how to circumvent law, leaving the honest landlord in the s**t