Tenancy Renewal - Letting Agents taking the ****

Haven't heard from our letting agents since the day I moved in 2 years ago. I did email them at 1 year saying do we need to sign a new contract but never heard a thing.

Any issues we've just gone direct to landlord including all the damp and mould problems to which it's still not resolved.

Letting agents are just thieves.
 
Liquid_Entity said:
Any issues we've just gone direct to landlord including all the damp and mould problems to which it's still not resolved.

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I know this well.
Garage ceiling is still falling down, 12 months on no fix.
Back garden fence still doesn't exist 12 months on. although they did bring round fence panels about 8months ago.
Bathroom still has no real ventilation(small window to the garage) and mould, 4 years nothing.
Conservatory still leaks 4 years latter.
Bedroom window outer panel is still broken 3 and a bit years later.

However I've said to myself I'm not moving again till I buy somewhere, hopefully this year. And they never bother us or inspect so that's kind of a bonus and it's cheap for the size.
 
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Same here, no decent ventilation in bathroom. Bedroom 1 has an actual damp issue which causes mould everywhere else. We've given up on him. It's his investment so we'll just ride it out until we can buy too. Hopefully soon.
 
Letting agents = scum , just go to landlord their contact details will be on your tenancy, get the LL to cut out the agent as they are getting ripped off too
 
gettothechopper said:
I gave up renting when our letting agents lied to our landlords about some rule that tenets who live in their property get "more rights" if you stay in a place for more than 4 years - so they "change" the contract amount of rent by £1 and make you sign up for a year - this only applies to people who moved in before 1989!!!!!! when I would have been 7 years old lol :p

our landlords would not take our word for it (after getting scared into it by the agent "OMG MORE RIGHTS OMG") and so we were forced into a 1 year jobbie - then tried to charge me £80 for doing it - I wouldn't drop it so got it down to £15 lol

I only agreed because I made the landlord agree we me that it was a load of nonsense but that we would all jump through the hoops of the idiot letting agents lolol

http://www.landlordlawblog.co.uk/20...n-a-property-a-long-time-gets-special-rights/

explains the nonsence

good thing was that it annoyed me so much I got off my bum and saved up a deposit and bought my own house - so they can all sod off :)
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The only real issue with long term tenants is that after 4 or 5 years pretty much everything that could reasonably be wrong with the property will be classed as wear and tear, meaning the landlord would seriously struggle to get there hands on any of your deposit.

Obviously not an issue if your a good landlord keeping the place in good condition... :p
 
I've spoken to the landlord on a number of occasions and he seems like a decent bloke. He's actually a lawyer so it'll be interesting to get his take on this, he's coming round for the first time in a week or two. I actually initiated this process by emailing him last week saying we'd like to renew our tenancy - I wasn't aware that by not doing anything it would continue on a rolling basis. Though a rolling basis isn't desirable for me at all currently as the prospect of having to move with 2 months notice is not ideal at all.

I've read through the tenancy agreement and there's no mention of this renewal fee anywhere so I am quite loathe to pay it without putting up some sort of fight. It is mentioned on the agent's website under 'Tenants terms and fees" but who knows when that could have been published.

The thing is had it been £40 or £50 then I would have probably paid it without much fuss, but £180 for a bit of photocopying really is taking the mick so I'm going to kick up a decent stink about it for sure.
 
I'm renting out my house and I pay the admin fee which was £100 +VAT for the initial tenancy agreement and £40 +VAT for the renewal.
 
Glaucus said:
Why would you even want to renew, not once have I done this.
Just go into a rolling month. No cost.
And it's hardly worst security, unless you are rubbish clients. Landlords want the money so aren't going to kick you out.

And the agency is probably talk utter ********* read your contract.
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It's worth pointing out that while a lot of people don't massively care where they live and could find an alternate flat pretty easily, a lot of people would be screwed if they got moved on by the landlord. Maybe school catchment areas or being close to school and work, close to a sick relative, all kinds of possibilities.

For the cost of £100-150 to make a year much more secure in terms of having a contract that is much harder to break with a full year before they can reasonably ask you to leave then I can understand why a lot of people pay. Ultimately for a landlord, if something happens in the area and house prices/rent shoots up, a 2 month notice period can mean a gain in money in kicking you out and finding a new tenant. Ultimately they can give you two months notice, immediately start showing it and have a tenant signed up for before you leave. If it then came to it, if there was zero interest they can just tell you they changed their mind and you could stay so they really don't have a lot to lose but potentially a lot to gain.

Here I've not heard from the letting agents a single time since moving in, no renewal no direct problems from them, though a crappy upstairs neighbour and the landlord/building manager not doing much about it has made it entirely unpleasant to live here for the past 6 months.

I left it to go rolling as I'm looking for a place to live so should they give me 2 months notice I'd either find another short term let of maybe move on a less than ideal bungalow purchase(crap knees, no stairs for me).
 
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Scan the old contract modify the date print two copies. speak to landlord direct about it see what he says. Luckily my current place landlord is a lawyer so he write his own contract. Well he takea a generic one and crosses some things out and pens in some other paragraphs. Recently put up rent by £100 and was forced by law to put my deposit in to some scheme and dropped off a thick generic "these are your renter rights" gov issue document.Didn't pay anything for the contracts,how it should be.
 
As others have said, try deal with the landlord direct and see if he want's to cut out the EA.

He already has a contract that they did so can just change the date :p

I'm quite lucky as my landlord used to rent and knows how much the EA can be a pain in the rear so pretty much said he would like to keep them out of it (which was fine by mine!).

Had an issue at my old flat with the EA and something going "missing" on check out (We put it in the cupboard and they took it out and said we lost it), Landlord decided we should be paying £50 for a new one (it was a shoe rack) where I told them to shove it.
Did an hours research at work as I knew what it looked like and had to phone up a fitting company, managed to speak to a women who's son was going through the same thing (result!) and said to send them the picture of what we had at checkin and if they wouldve installed the £50 one the landlord said.

In the end I paid £25 for the correct one and the EA asked "so are you going to order it and drop it off?" :mad: She got a strongly worded e-mail about how I've just done her job for her and they should take it out of my deposit like it says in their contract! This was after a month of chasing for the deposit.
 
Romans in Reading are the worst for this. They charged about £200 each year to 'renew the contract', and when i wanted to change a name on the contract (towards the end of its life), they charged me £550! Its a total con.
 
MonkeyMan said:
Speak to the landlord but another option is just to leave the tenancy as is and then at the end it will switch to a periodic tenancy.

Did it in my last two places, I refuse to give rip off letting agents money if it can be avoided so just ignored their letters and let the tenancy go to a month to month contract.

Edit: As above check your contract first.
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When you were given a Shorthold Tenancy Agreement you should also have been given a Section 21 "notice to quit letter" specifying that you had to vacate the property after the assured term (12 months). Both of these documents would normally be reissued if the tenancy is to continue. If you didn't have both, the Agent / Landlord may face problems getting you out.

However, speak to the Landlord, they often have absolutely no idea what Agents do, allegedly on their behalf. If you are and have been a good tenant, have paid on time and look after the property, they would almost certainly rather have you stay on rather than pay the costs and risks associated with a new tenant - some of whom are also scum.
 
drunkenmaster said:
For the cost of £100-150 to make a year much more secure in terms of having a contract that is much harder to break with a full year before they can reasonably ask you to leave then I can understand why a lot of people pay
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I've been kicked out twice in the last 18 months because the landlord sold the house, both inside the initial 12 month contract. And the place before that was almost repossessed by the courts as my landlord wasn't paying the mortgage.

Having a fixed term tenancy is no more secure than being on a periodic AST. Renewals are purely a money making scam for letting agents.
 
No rent change so that is pretty good. I guess if I renew for 12 months then the rent is locked in for that time, whereas if I let the contract continue as periodic it's at the mercy of the 2 month notice period?
 
Skeeter said:
I've been kicked out twice in the last 18 months because the landlord sold the house, both inside the initial 12 month contract. And the place before that was almost repossessed by the courts as my landlord wasn't paying the mortgage.

Having a fixed term tenancy is no more secure than being on a periodic AST. Renewals are purely a money making scam for letting agents.
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Then you did it wrong, it's an absolute right to keep your tenancy. Unless it's in your tenancy then a landlord can't show buyers around your property(he can ask your permission and you can grant it). The contract is completely valid and unchanged except for the name of landlord on contract. If you have say 8 months left and the landlord sells, then you have 8 months more to stay, simple as that, a new owner can't kick you out because property has changed hands.

http://www.landlordlawblog.co.uk/20...-their-landlord-wants-to-sell-their-property/

1/right to stay unchanged by landlord selling
2/ don't have to show people around unless in tenancy agreement you signed
3/terms of tenancy are unchanged when place is sold
4/no requirement to sign a new tenancy agreement with new owner.

YOu will see places listed on rightmove/elsewhere for sale as purely investment properties, or existing tenant in place, etc. Even seen a few saying, investment opportunity, no viewing possible.

A new contract absolutely makes certain of your rights, if you had a tenancy agreement and got "kicked out", you didn't need to leave, listen to anyone telling you that you had to leave, sign a new contract or basically do anything. Literally nothing at all changes with regard to your tenancy agreement if the property is sold except in very specific circumstances... IE, government buys up properties to lay a new motorway/railway line you can be forced out in such a situation.

EDIT:- not entirely sure what would happen if a bank repossessed. I would think that one, a bank would be very happy to have the income rent from it... because if they weren't being paid the mortgage effectively they now are, but I would think it counts as a simple change in owner and the bank couldn't just kick you out.
 
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