Help with Letting Agents

[mojojoejo]

Well, not sure if this thread is as much about venting as it is advice (although any of the latter which is sensible won't be turned down)

I rent a place which is very nice, but the letting agents aren't the best in the world. By this I mean they seem to pick and mix what they want to fix and what they don't want to fix when it comes to house maintainance, but today they took the cake. We had a letter through about 3 days ago asking for a meeting with ourselves and the chap from the agency, so we phoned up and advised no as we weren't in this evening. My flatmate comes home steaming mad because he had a phone call from the letting agents saying he turned up, let himself in to find no one home. Now we specifically told him on the phone we would need to reschedule and that no one would be home. I don't let much get to me but this has got me really mad at the moment - because not only do they not do any repairs to the place we need (electrics in the bathroom are unsafe, clogged up drain in the garden which we've tried to unclog and they won't do anything about) but they just let themselves into my home after we said no. When we signed for the place they also refused to give original copies of the contract either, instead we've got photocopies (which I'm sure isn't allowed either).

GAH! What's the point in paying rent when you have no rights and the letting agents seemingly nothing to make them honour their obligations?!

 

[mojojoejo]

I work for a lettings agent.

1. Providing we give the tenants 24 hours notice we can let our self into the property. Its in the contracts the tenants sign, whether your there or not, we can enter the peroperty with the keys we hold. We obviously don't normaly do this and try to sort out a time thats convenient with the tenant however sometimes a time cannot be made and we will say we are going on a certain day at a certain time. Tenants pay the rent yes and you have rights but the property isn't yours and as managing agents we are required to do inspections, etc..

And if someone calls up advising that that time and date for a meeting is not suitable and cancels it (because you are allowed to do that as standard in these contracts arent you?) and then the letting agents ignore it and just turn up anyway.

Just annoying that we seemingly have no rights to privacy in our own home.