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Renting / lettings agency


Dodgyknees

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Anybody rent? Wondering what the market is like elsewhere? I'm currently battling with our former lettings agency who have been very incompetent, but are now trying to deduct money from our deposit.

I'm blogging about it, so will post it here soon.

Wondering if others have had negative experiences?

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I've rented for the past 10 years and have never had any problems other than Landlords selling the property forcing me to move out.

 

Currently renting off my boss, penthouse apartment with huge discounts :D 

 

I think i've just been very lucky, hear lots of horror stories with renting but yet to experience anything. 

 

Why are they trying to deduct money from your deposit?

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I had problems after problems with estate agents but you're kind of stuck if you can't buy. I think the initial costs they want, the renewal costs and everything else under the sun is ridiculous. It's also not in their interest for you to stay in the property as they will make more money by renting it to different people as they get a new lot of fees. They'll also be pushing to increase rent regularly and don't care about tenants.

 

However, and I'm not saying this is a guaranteed way of avoiding hassle, I've found ditching the estate agents is much better! I've used Gumtree and private landlords and have had zero issues and am saving money. The landlord doesn't have to pay the estate agent a cut so my rent is cheaper, they just want reliable tenants and they aren't silly about initial fees etc, normally just wanting a deposit. Obviously ensure you get a contract etc and make sure everything is above board but I strongly recommend trying to find a private landlord and skipping the estate agents completely.

 

One final warning, I looked at four private landlord houses - three were barely fit for habitation so nearly gave up! But I found a three bedroomed house in Kings Norton, new build, garden, drive, ensuite etc for less than £600 a month and have lived here for over three years without any hassle whatsoever - on the one occasion there was an issue he paid for the repair immediately. He wanted to meet in person (obvious when looking around house too) and chat, one month rent as deposit and sign some probably printed off the internet contract! Easy.

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I rented for nearly 6 years before I purchased a new place a couple of years back. I had no issues whatsoever. The letting /estate agent I rented through was Steve Morris. I dealt with Steve personally and he is sound as a pound. I can't recall ever paying any fees (although I must have upfront). I certainly don't recall paying any lease renewal fees.

 

Recommend, and If I had a property to rent out I would use them

 

https://steve-morris.co.uk/

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Bastards in my opinion.

3 different agency's have tried to rip us off in different ways now, from the extortionate upfront fees for "financial checks", the last property we rented charged £150per person, so £300 for the two of us and then because I'm self employed they had to ask me to provide my books as proof of income, so I provide the documents and then pay them£150 for it.

I could carry on with 10 page long rant about them but id give myself high blood pressure.

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I've rented through a letting agent from a landlord I never met and (currently) through a private landlord who I met when viewing the place.

Absolute night and day.

The letting agent wanted to deduct money from my deposit for random things like a broken curtain and mould on the sofa, absolute blocks but I couldn't be arsed to fight it.

As steak Pieface alluded to, it's just your luck sometimes but I'll never use an agent again if possible.

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I could talk for ages and ages about the letting agents we had when I was at uni.

 

Completely ripped us off.

 

We fought and fought, with threats to go to the small claims courts and a 30 odd page letter from my mate (who is a Lawyer now, was training at the time)

 

Eventually we got half of our deposits back and decided we'd cut and run. God knows how many students they ripped off in the same way.

 

 

As an example, they wanted to replace all the mattresses in the property (which they aren't allowed to charge us for as it is general wear and tear) and charged us £100 each.

They "Couldn't find the doorbell" and charged us £40 each (there was 8 of us. That's £320 for a doorbell. It was one of those remote ones you can pick up from Wilkinsons for about a tenner)

There was a bar in the property. Like a bar somebody had built and put in the lounge. it was pretty cool. They charged us £80 each for the removal of the bar. Despite the fact it was there when we moved in, and there when we moved out in the exact same condition.

The list goes on and on and on. They were initially asking for more money from each of us because our deposits didn't cover it.

 

Absolute con artists.

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We're lucky now, moving into a beautiful house which will transfer to my partner and I when her grandad dies. 

 

Which doesn't sound lucky, but you know what I mean.

 

Anyway, we moved into this flat in 2013, we have been here for two years (we have moved out, sort of, just a few items to go). And paid £550 dep, £400 rent (which has since risen to £425), as well as £40 for the keys, £100x2 application, £50 for them to check our references. The place is a TINY one bed property, which they are now putting up at £450 (believe me, a rip off!).

 

During the period of living here, we have had a lot go wrong in the property:

 

Toilet started leaking water, they told us not to fix it but then didn't get anybody sent out for weeks, leaving the area around the toilet a mess. (18 months ago)

Cold water tap in bathroom broke, still not been fixed. (12 months ago)

Toilet wouldn't fill (cistern), still not been fixed - even though we have called on numerous occasions. (6 months ago)

Large bedroom window refuses to open, noticed by the lady who came for our six month check (8 months ago), and has not been followed up.

 

Just some of the problems we have tried to sort out, but they do not get back to us!

 

Just last week they called to arrange a viewing, I told them it would not be possible on the day. The lady on the phone said she would go check with those wanting the viewing (as to a new day to come) and would ring me back. I heard nothing and rang them back two days later, she was not in that day but they took a message. The next day there was a knock at the door and it was her doing the viewing, even though I had said we would not be available (we were in, but were packing!).

 

I refused to answer.

 

So, this week they do a final check and say "Oh, the toilet is broken" - erm yep. We told you. "Oh the window is broken..." etc etc. And then get a letter the next day saying they are to deduct £280 out of our **** deposit. 

 

As you can imagine I am livid. Absolutely livid. I have sent a really angry letter to their office and am awaiting reply. Oh and at the same time I have called them up on different numbers and made some viewing appointments. Don't piss me off f*****s.

Edited by DK82
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My experience of estate agents -

When mg dad died 3 years ago, my mom put the house on the market a few months later, had numerous agents give her guide prices from £130/45k, we went with the price of £140k with the agent saying, and I quote "I will sell your house in 4 weeks"

After 2 weeks we had 7 viewings but no offers, the agent then phoned up my mom and said "you should drop the price by 10k, you will get a quick sale", which translated to "drop the price so we can get the commission now".

Lettings - ive already mentioned the extortionate fees for pointless"financial checks", when we rented our first place, a shitty 1 bed flat, when we moved me gave the electric company the final meter readings, our agent needed to confirm these readings, after moving they assured us they had verified our readings and confirmed them with the electric company. Imagine our surprise when3 months after moving out we got a bill for £340 because our agent hadn't given the electric company the final readings.

We moved into a 3 bed house, all seemed well at first but as winter come the house got damp and had serious damp problems, mould in every room and it was a health hazard, this went on for months, we moved in and out whilst the landlady sorted out the damp (which was never resolved so we moved out) but we got a letter from the agent saying our rent was being increased because the house was being upgraded!

Id rather walk over a mile of broken glass to find a toilet than piss on a burning estate agent.

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  • 2 weeks later...

So today I was supposed to be moving in to my new flat. The landlady for my current property decided she wanted us out so she could sell up and to avoid stress we took a place across the road for convenience.

 

The flat was bigger and obviously more expensive but it would do at a time when you just want to avoid stress and have somewhere decent to call home. Me and my Girlfriend have been having a rough time lately so we just wanted somewhere to get our heads together, anyway. 

 

So the arrangement was that we would have this weekend to move in with our tenancy starting on the 2nd. We offered to start the tenancy earlier but both the landlord and two members of team Foxtons (From here on out know as team ****) said that it was fine for us to have the keys early.

 

So yesterday I call up just to check that the move in pack will be available to collect this morning. The lettings manager who we dealt with was on holiday so the next stop was the lady in charge of closing the deal. I get through to her and ask about the pack to which she replies "Our understanding is you will get the keys Sunday morning". After explaining to her the agreement we had in place she said she would call the land lord to check. At 6pm I call back as she hasn't gotten in touch, no answer, so I call the main office and find out she has gone home. Now the third member of team **** tells me to come down to the office at 9am this morning and the keys will be there, no problems. 

 

I get there and low and behold the keys are waiting there for me, Excellent! until........

 

We get to our new flat and as we walk down the road I joke to my girlfriend "Wouldn't it be funny if our landlord was still there in his little Y Fronts asleep".......

 

We open the door and what are we greeted by? The exact thing I had been joking about. Our little Italian landlord in his tidy whiteys, porky belly and matted greasy chest hair. The place stinks of fags, has not been cleaned and has numerous bits of furniture that was supposed to be removed still littering the property. He then tells us he leaves for Italy Sunday afternoon.

 

So I call up team **** and speak to their Property Manager (How many managers do these clearings in the woods have??) She informs us that our tenancy doesn't start until Monday which i'm fine with, I know this, I just thought it would have been nice to have the weekend to move and that all 3 people would stick to their agreement, but its all good.

 

However when I inform her that he has no plans to leave until Sunday afternoon and that it would be rather difficult for this 6 hour deep clean that they promised to take place they start getting rather worried. 

 

All in all a shit start to the weekend. I fully anticipate the smell of cigarettes penetrating all of my furniture that I will have to move across the road on the Monday as I tip toe around half deconstructed bits of furniture.

 

This situation goes on.....

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Property Redress Scheme
 

By law, Property Agents are required to join a government authorised consumer redress scheme. The purpose of this is to give consumers of the Property Agent an escalated complaints procedure if they are unhappy with how their complaint has been dealt with by the Agent.

 

This was mentioned on the news this morning. I've never used this service but it might be relevant to some of you.

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  • 1 month later...

Sorry to hijack a thread, but does anyone have experience of renting out their own house?

 

I currently share my house with a lodger. It's fine, I get a nice bit of pocket money as a result and it's helped with paying off a few debts.

 

But I don't intend to have another lodger going forward, so once this guy moves out I don't want to have another one.

 

So what I'm considering is renting my house out and living somewhere else. I'd rent an apartment or something at first with the goal of buying a new place to live in eventually but keeping hold of my current house as an investment.

 

I'm a bit confused in the details of it though, primarily around tax.

Depending on how much tax I pay, it may not be worth me doing it, in the short term.

 

My main question is do I have to pay normal income tax on the rent I would receive (less deductions)? If so that makes it a pretty unprofitable exercise for me.

 

Secondly, I've read that I could form a company to own the house and that way i'd only pay corporation tax on any profits. But would there be complications in setting that up that would, again, mean it was pretty unprofitable?

 

I don't really care about making any money on it at this stage. I just don't want to be losing a load of money by doing it

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Well, you *should* pay tax on it but i know plenty of people who don't declare it, Plus you would need to switch the mortgage to a buy to let one, which will be a higher rate. Plus all manner of different insurances

 

You've probably seen this already

https://www.gov.uk/renting-out-a-property/paying-tax

 

As for the company, a lot of contract workers do that (two of my mates do). I don't think its that difficult to do but i'm no expert

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Yeah I have a friend who has a couple of properties with his dad and he doesn't declare the income.

Don't think I'd want to take that risk though. Plus its not the right thing to do ;)

As long as I'm not making a significant loss then I'm happy to do it the right way. But that doesn't mean I want to pay more tax then I have to.

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Slightly OT but I have a mini rant.  

I'm on secondment so I've been renting a place in North West London for the past 4 years.  Work are paying for it (as I maintain my normal home too down in Portsmouth).  I put in the notice (2 months) and the next thing I know is that the landlord turns up. A day later the letting agency people turn up complete with cameras and funky wall measuring gadgets.  They apparently have 6 people lined up for viewings, meaning they've put the flat on the market well before I leave the place.  They then said they'll be arranging viewings on weekends and probably quite imminently.  They have to give 24hrs notice but it's taking a bloody liberty.  I've still got 2 months to go on the contract! I've not even started to take out my stuff and now I feel as though I'm obliged to maintain a show home (whilst I'm here anyway) to complete strangers. Ggggr!  

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Slightly OT but I have a mini rant.  

I'm on secondment so I've been renting a place in North West London for the past 4 years.  Work are paying for it (as I maintain my normal home too down in Portsmouth).  I put in the notice (2 months) and the next thing I know is that the landlord turns up. A day later the letting agency people turn up complete with cameras and funky wall measuring gadgets.  They apparently have 6 people lined up for viewings, meaning they've put the flat on the market well before I leave the place.  They then said they'll be arranging viewings on weekends and probably quite imminently.  They have to give 24hrs notice but it's taking a bloody liberty.  I've still got 2 months to go on the contract! I've not even started to take out my stuff and now I feel as though I'm obliged to maintain a show home (whilst I'm here anyway) to complete strangers. Ggggr!  

Time to take up a hobby - something like indoor naturism (that should be more than they've bargained for!).

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