Scandalous letting agent charges

Hi can anyone give me some advice?

I am currently in a year fixed term rental agreement which is up at the end of March 2015.

We've had a letter from out letting agent stating'' if we want to extend our stay at the property and renew our tenancy for a further fixed term the cost will be £160.12 + 20% vat, but they are going to absorb the cost of re-referencing us themselves - (normally £30 each on top)...so kind of them.

So they want to re-reference us after only 1 year, and currently residing in the property.

And how much does it cost to photocopy a contract and amend a few sentences???

I have not yet contacted them, as I was livid when I got that letter, and we want to go onto a rolling month by month contract, as my partner may be transferred with his work within the next 6 months and we don't want to be tied to a contract we may not be able to fulfil.

I did not see anything in the letter to say that option was available.

So, have I got to hold my hands up for this daylight robbery, or is there a way around this. The agents are members of ARLA.

So Forum friends, any ideas?

You have a legal right to simply go on to a rolling tenancy but then you run the risk of being given a months notice. However, most landlords won't be foolish enough to kick someone out who is paying the rent and looking after the property.

Thanks for replying.

Yes we're paying the rent ok and just had our most recent inspection a week ago with no issues. I thought that we could just roll the contract but I am concerned that in that case the letting agency might be awkward, and still ask for some sort of unjustified fee.

The flat is unfurnished, and where I am nearly all are furnished, and that's what renters expect, so they were more than pleased to rent to us as we wanted unfurnished, after just coming out of an unfurnished house in Hillsborough.

You have a legal right to simply go on to a rolling tenancy but then you run the risk of being given a months notice. However, most landlords won't be foolish enough to kick someone out who is paying the rent and looking after the property.

Not quite. OP has the right to continue on a rolling tenancy (and give one month's notice ending on the last day of a rental period should they wish to leave), but the landlord has to serve TWO months' notice, ending on the last day of a rental period, after which (if OP chooses not to vacate), the LL must seek a court order for possession, which gives the tenant a couple more months' grace, as it were.

"if we want to extend our stay at the property and renew our tenancy for a further fixed term the cost will be £160.12 + 20% vat"

Your answer, if you decide to provide any, could be that you do wish to extend your stay, but not with another fixed term, then no fee is due (assuming the text above is a quote). That's you moving to SPT. The Landlord may like that too... the Agency might be charging all players.

However, if you want another fixed term, and you may, then you will probably have to pay a fee of some kind. Is that an outrageous amount for another year of security? I don't know as it's subjective. If they're not charging you for referencing, they probably won't be doing it truth be told.

Thanks all, I feel a bit happier now x

Hi can anyone give me some advice?

I am currently in a year fixed term rental agreement which is up at the end of March 2015.

We've had a letter from out letting agent stating'' if we want to extend our stay at the property and renew our tenancy for a further fixed term the cost will be £160.12 + 20% vat, but they are going to absorb the cost of re-referencing us themselves - (normally £30 each on top)...so kind of them.

So they want to re-reference us after only 1 year, and currently residing in the property.

And how much does it cost to photocopy a contract and amend a few sentences???

I have not yet contacted them, as I was livid when I got that letter, and we want to go onto a rolling month by month contract, as my partner may be transferred with his work within the next 6 months and we don't want to be tied to a contract we may not be able to fulfil.

I did not see anything in the letter to say that option was available.

 

So, have I got to hold my hands up for this daylight robbery, or is there a way around this. The agents are members of ARLA.

 

So Forum friends, any ideas?

It's called "trying it on." the letting agents are asking you to pay money for something you have legally if you just do nothing. See Alice BB's spot-on advice.

Which letting agent is trying this scam?

Yes it's a lovely try on isn't it? Especially as we may be relocating with partners job. So I'm going to take advice given here, and tell them we want to go onto a rolling contract and see what their response is.

Yes it's a lovely try on isn't it? Especially as we may be relocating with partners job. So I'm going to take advice given here, and tell them we want to go onto a rolling contract and see what their response is.

No doubt they will throw themselves around a bit and say the landlord won't be happy, but just smile politely and say that's a risk you're happy to take. Might also be worth communicating directly with your LL to let him know what's happening. He will appreciate being kept in the picture, and it might just save him from some dodgy unwarranted fees, too...

No doubt they will throw themselves around a bit and say the landlord won't be happy, but just smile politely and say that's a risk you're happy to take. Might also be worth communicating directly with your LL to let him know what's happening. He will appreciate being kept in the picture, and it might just save him from some dodgy unwarranted fees, too...

I was about to make this exact same point. I'm a landlord and get annoyed by getting charged for a tenancy extension too. I'd never ask a good tenant to leave so would be very happy to save money by moving to a rolling contract. It's a poor show to charge both parties so much for minimal paperwork which the agent should do for free in return for knowing they will get their fees for another term

Thanks for more replies guys. Unfortunately only my landlords name is on the contract, so I have no way of contacting him directly. However I am certainly going to tell them we need a rolling contract......light touch paper and stand back. :-)

Thanks for more replies guys. Unfortunately only my landlords name is on the contract, so I have no way of contacting him directly. However I am certainly going to tell them we need a rolling contract......light touch paper and stand back. :-)

By law, you must have an address where you can serve notices on your landlord. If you make a formal request in writing for your landlord's contact details they have to give you it within 21 days.

Unfortunately they can use a forwarding address instead of the address they live at...such as an estate agent. So this might not help but is definitely worth a try.

You can also find the address of the owners of a property by purchasing a copy of the title register online from the land registry for £3. This might give an old address for the landlord if he's moved since registering it, though.

I would also like to know who this dodgy-sounding estate agent is. Could you please PM me if you don't want to put it on a public forum?