Singing Pig

O.K. Hope 3, as Aldric has said above, you have received your rent, albeit slightly delayed because of this agent's *** up. They are not holding you to anything unreasonable except that they expect their agreed fee for finding you this tenant. So this should be paid and you should walk away. Next time you want a tenant finding, use another agent.

P.P.

Hi

I haven't read all the lengthy posts in this thread but i get the jist of the conversation.

In the past I dealt with a rogue letting agent. In the final 12 months, the service went down hill.

Unfair admin costs, not collecting rent on time, unnecessary work carried out to properties and there is a mountain of other stuff that would take hours to explains.

So in short, it came down to this simple fact:

the financial and EMOTIONAL costs of perusing the agent for unfair costs was TOO HIGH.

Solution: Found another agent, transfered all properties one by one as the tenancies elapsed.

I've never looked back. Now into bigger profits, and less stressful times. I'm glad I decided to simply let got and move on.

I may even have added another 5 years to my life span, who knows.

 

I would like to thank you aldric, Pilcher and Public Angel for your responses and you  all make useful comments about the situation I was not expecting such a spiritual angle in the responses and I was surprised but pleased with these view points.  I will pay the fee, but I cannot walk away from the lies they have told so I will forward the details of my complaint to the ombudsman.  I am sure I will save many others.  

I agree with you deciding to pursue this matter. But, also, couldn't you Name & Shame this agent on this forum which would be helpful for other SPs to avoid them.

Regrettably, naming and shaming this agent on a public board is not wise. Although, the facts as stated may be perfectly true and provable in a court of law the cost of defending such a post against a clain for libel could well be high. Furthermore, such an action will also involve David Beard, our respected board operator. David will not wish to risk substantial legal costs on what a poster claims are satisfactory grounds of proof and will invariably be obliged to remove the post therefore. Such information can only be circulated by private messaging.

P.P.

I am inclined to agree with Pilcher in respect of not naming and shaming, I would prefer to have their practice scrutinised by the ombudsman.  I have learned that there are early warning signs as a novice I did not pay heed to them. Big learning curve for me.

 

 

My tenant is responsible for keeping the garden tidy. Do I need to supply the gardening equipment lawnmower etc.  I have rented the property fully furnished but I am not sure if these things should be included. 

My tenant has said that there is condensation and that she has had to mop water from the window sills.  We have never had a problem with condensation in the past (40 years)  (and I am not sure what the solution is or who to call.  She said that the house is not that cold. It has been suggested to me that because it is an older property and it has been empty for some time that this may be the cause and that the house may just need warming.  Failing this who can I call to remedy this problem.

The tenant has also complained that sunlight shines through the front door and says that there are small gaps where the door does not fit perfectly flush to the frame which makes it drafty.  I brought the door 2 years ago when I refurbished the house so I am really not in a hurry to buy a new door.  I stayed at the property myself during the refurb and did not really regard this as problem but I was thinking to fit a draft excluder to the frame. will this suffice?

Finally, I brought the tenant a set of drawers for her son's room, she said that they were 'beautiful' but that they were too large for the room and that she is using it in another room for her books.  She sent me a picture of another set of drawers for me to buy but I refused. I offered to exchange the first one but she declined but I feel that she complains about every single thing and always refers back to this.  

 

 

 

 

Hi Hope 3,

Is she a good tenant?  Does she pay her rent on time?  Does she respect the property?  If the answer to these questions is "yes", then these are small prices to pay to keep her happy IMHO!  You can send a gardener round to mow the lawn once a month for a nominal cost if needs be.

(If the answer is "no" you can use these requests as leverage to bring her back on track).

 Remember, as a LL you are a "service provider" and tenants are your "clients".  I am afraid this does involve dealing with these niggly things on a daily basis if you are managing the property yourself.

I recommend www.myhammer.co.uk because you can post any job on there and tradespeople bid on your job which means you get a very keen quote.  (no I don't have an affiliate link - I am just very happy with the results from it ) and I believe it to be a very useful resource to LL's as it is free and you are under no obligation to award the job if you decide the price is not right.  You can also set the maximum budget.

Good tenants are worth their weight in gold and I endeavour to keep them happy (within reason of course).  Post these little jobs on my hammer and see what you get back in the way of quotes.  Ask her to source the set of drawers she wants (agree a budget with her) and then look on ebay for something that fits the description and be done with her whinging!   Resolving her issues promptly will give her less chance to complain and it will make your life a lot easier.

I would get these jobs done and then send her a box of chocolates thanking her for her patience.  I doubt she will complain again as she will think you are the nicest LL in the country!