I got a new flat about 2 months ago with my partner.. we stayed with his letting agents, as they ahs been good to him in the past, and he knows the owner and has done some work him. They gave us the keys to look round, and we went straight back, gave them £100 down payment on the flat and said we would move in in 3 weeks. AT the time I confirmed with the letting agent how that the deposit from the previous property would be transfered, and the total cost for us to move in would be another £375 (rest of first months rent @ £475). They did show good will, and let us move stuff in early, and actually didn't start our contract until a week after we'd moved our stuff in, which I realise now, was actually totally wrong of them, as they are not the owner. They were no longer going to be our letting agents anymore, as this was a finder fee property and we would have a new landlord. I was quite concerned about this at first, not wanting the lose the security of going through a letting agenct. This was until they started to mess us about. I took in half of the next months rent, two weeks early, so that I knew we were up to date - I was told - oh, this is the rest of the deposit - thanks!! I clearly stated that NO- this was not the rest of the deposit, it was half of april's rent, and this was actually stated in the accompanying letter. I was then told that we still owed £250 deposit, as the deposit transferred was less than thdeposit on this property and we owed £117.50 in fees for their service.
I walked out very confused, and a little anxious about where I was going to find the money. So I contact the actual landlard - who was VERY - he explained he had no confidence in the letting agents and was very understanding about the charges of alomost £400 being dumped on, after we had moved in.. and was very shocked that we hadn't signed a contract yet. Luckily, he is a wise and fair man, and advised me not to discuss my converation with him, with the letting agents. The letting agents sent us out the contract twice, each time wrong, until we were asked to scan and amend the contact ourselves. I did this on my afternoon off, and took it to the letting agents. They told us that until they recieved the full amount from us, they could not send the contracts out. So I made sure that the rent and deposit had been paid, but withheld the fees. I explained this to my landlord, who agreed that this was wise. The letting agents continued to harass us, saying the landlord was getting irrate,and they could not send the contracts until we had paid them a fee etc. He even said that the landlord had just been in the office, when I knew the landlord was on holiday!! Amusingly, they may have got their money, if they had spoken to me politely, and taken the opportunity to speak to me, instead of requesting my partnet - who is a JOINT tenant!!! The way it was handled just got my back up even more. I knew they were guarenteed about £400 from my landlord for finders fees and advertsiing (which they had not done!).. and they wanted to charge e Nearly £120 for:
Not showing us round the property?
For sending out two incorrect contracts?
For the time I had spent re-writing the contract?
They still contued to harass my partner.. even though he gave them my mobile number to contact me... stating that it wa me who ahd a problem with the charges.
Eventually the landlord went into the letting agents and demanded his money, which he knew they had (he didn't tell them this) - the letting agents just hadn't recieved our fee. They took half the money off him for costs anyway, but only after he refused to leave until he had his money. Luckily, the landlord then told me straight away, as he was concerned I was getting very stressed about the whole situation. I was now in the position that:
I had paid my rent & deposit
I had not signed an agreement for fees with the letting agents
The letting agents were not my landlord and had nothing to do with myself or the property anymore.
Last week, my partnet agin recieved a phone call off them demanding fees, he asked had they spken to me - refering to his previous conversation with them , where he had ask them to contact me on my mobile as I had some issues to raise! The response was very much.. ermmm.. no.. ermmm.. do you have the number again please?
They rand me immdialtely, saying that they had been told I would pay the fees.. lol
The conversation went someting like this:
me: I am slighly affornted that you did not tell me the full amount of costs before i moved in.
LA: what do you mean?
ME: I was told the deposit would be transferred.. I was told the all I ahd to pay to move in was the first months rent minus the £100 downpayment..
LA: you wouldn't have been told that, you would have been told that you needed to pay the deposit and fees
ME: well, I wasn't.. I specifically asked how much I would ahve to pay to moved in..
LA: ermmm...
ME: I am happy to look at it if you can send me and break down of your costs
LA: ermm.. what do you mean?
ME: A break doen of your costs...
LA: I don't understand what you mean?
ME: Iw ould like to know why I am being charged £120. WHat services have you provided? I would like a break down of your costs?
LA: Well, that is our fee
ME: What is your fee for?
LA: That is our fee?
ME: Yes, but what is your fee for?
LA: Well.. ermm.. writing the contract
ME: I wrote the contract
LA: Well, that is our fee
ME: I showed myself round the property, I wrote the contract, and I am actually quite offended about how this situation ahs been handled.
and so on and so on... round and round in circles...
SO I left the conversation, with the letting agent going to look at their files, to check I did re-write the contract.. and they haven't got back to me yet... If they send me a lesser bill now.. I am quite inclined to send them an invoice back, for my time (which is considerably more an hour than theirs!)...
ANy advice.. it is near an end now.. but I just though I would share.. sorry to babble on!!
Letting agents - money grabbers 
SERVICE 
