Letting Agencies: Is this bang out of order?

[Andy C]

Hi,
Im in my second year at uni and managed to find a great house for this year, balcony, wooden floor, great view of bath, garage. Im very keen to keep the house for the rest of uni as love it.

So, this is the time you need to tell the letting place we want to stay in the house so they don't market it as much. So i call them and get "no, hes selling next year". Which makes my heart sink as he has said nothing about this and was planning to stay.

So i call him to see if theres any way i can persuade him to sell in 1 or 2 years later. So i start by starting to clearifing hes selling to which he responds "no, i plan to see in next 4-5years but not anytime soon as price will go out when the south gate development is done (2010ish).

Now, this although very relieving has pissed me right off, everytime i deal with this letting agency i get problems, like the time they lost my standing order form

Had i not called the landlord i would be looking for a house actively and wasting my time when there was no need. Do you think this is out of order and if so, is there means to complain?
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99 RS125 --> 02 SV650s --> 03 Speed Four --> 92 RXS100 --> 93 CB400sf --> 01 CB600f Hornet

[thegubner]

Yeah its out of order, but they all are.


Me and my missus lost a deposit once, because we smoked in the house.

Despite there being nothing in the contract regarding smoking, and the fact that there was an ash tray in the house when we moved in, AND the fact the ash tray was on the inventory.

We had a six month contract and only smoked in the front room, I was in the house for about 10 hours a day, 8 of which I was asleep and not smoking, the missus worked all day and probably had about 4 fags a day in the front room, it was the only room we smoked in, they said the whole house needed decorating and we were never meant to smoke.


We tried to get the deposit back but to no avail.

Bastards.

[EuropeanNC30R...]

[Duckyboos]

[scorps]

now i paid full six months rent up front and moonths deposit, i am relinquishing the house a month early as anothe property has come up which we have the chance to buy, landlady has managed to get new tenents a month early too so i have tld her i expect the final month and deposit back, shes fine with that although its the agency who has my money, i shall see what they have to say as the property is in better condition than it was when we moved in, I am furious that i had to actually pay half of the inventory before i moved in the dam place as it is, i will let you know how i got on
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Do not presume that I am male.

[Duckyboos]

[JonB]

[Tarmacsurfer]

[Itchy]

regarding deposits ,

the law changed last April.

All landlords must take out insurance and or deposit in a trust (think of it as an additional tax for the landlord to pay ie for you to pay in an increased rent),

I can't be bothered to type it out so read about it

here:

https://www.chelmsford.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=13880

precis:

if your land lord does NOT comply you are entitled to 300% of the deposit back( though watch out its considered taxable income under tax law). Its supposed to settle disputes , I spent about 2 days in February writing letters to people with rental income accounts, alot of them didn't comply.

If they don't ask them to comply they have about 2 weeks to comply as said if they don't comply you get 300% deposit back, you are allowed to demand a written confirmation that it has been insured and or put into trust.


NL actually did something right for once shock horror and it is to protect tenants from scuzzy landlords than I have experienced too in that Landlords often see deposits as THEIR money not money held in trust.....

And it saves on moving out going back a few weeks later and trashing the property.


EDIT take LOTS of photos when you first move in lots and lots and lots of photos btw, amusingly with bad landlords you can get your deposit back hammer them with legal fees for trying to steal from you and the go back 2-3 months later and trash the place!.

note the harsh cynicism here yup had many deposits stolen in my time , even in completely unfurnished houses. as said thats what prawns and water cress seeds are for.
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Spain 2008France 2007Big one 2009 We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will. In the end, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.

[thegubner]

[thegubner]

A tipper load of rubbish in the back garden also works a treat I hear .

[Fortuna]

[Andy C]

[Shay HTFC]

But how much do you pay?

£45 a week with a view over Birmingham (Was in the first row of houses in Gravelly Hill)

When you start paying £80+ for some 'pad', then you are no longer a student, but one of 'the other ones' (i.e the ones everyone laughs at for being snobs )

Its like en-suite at uni. The en-suite dorms were so boring and anti-social compared to the '9 people per shower' communals!