Problem with Letting Agent

[sun]

Dear Forum member, Please advise me what can I do with my LA?

I gave my property to one of the well known LA on full management . The tenancy started from 29 August 2009. I find my LA very ignorant,never replied for 2-3 months, do not want to update account which we agreed.
The contract LA made not given to me to sign. They are asking me £400+vat to cease management and keep the tenents.

Here is what I wrote to them and have not received any satisfactory reply:

1.I was not been posted or e-mailed the documents of Tenancy agreement and inventory reports until 4 December 2009. which suppose to be done at the start of tenancy.

2.The terms of tenancy I agreed was 1 year,But in the contract it is for 2 years.

3.Breach of terms and condition:In your terms and condition, I can see that if the expence goes beyond £200+vat, the landlord needs to be informed, however I have been completely ignored. Moreover the guarantee of the appliance becomes invalid by getting them repaired locally. Inspite of all this,I continued with a view that I would be looked after.

4.Huge Communication gap: As this is the main problem I personally feel so far, ignorance of e-mails, ignorance to inform the damage, ignorance to avoid where account needs to be updated. I was not given any reply to my e-mail sent on 10 May 2010.

My e-mails were completely ignored, it took more then 3 months to get reply for my last e-mail sent on 29 March 2010. I am surprised that when it came down to charge extra money I got prompt reply.

Why it took months to get an reply?
why the essential documents were not given any priority to be sent to me at early stage?
Why the work carried out without my consent?
Why the account statement was not updated?

I am sure you want me to follow terms & condition of your business but at the same time these terms and condition should be applicable to both side. I don't think that management has followed its own terms and condition of business and delivered me service with a vision to continue this business with me.

Please reply back to me within 7 days so that necessary arrangement with be made accordingly.

[LENWELL]

Originally Posted by sun

Dear Forum member, Please advise me what can I do with my LA?

I gave my property to one of the well known LA on full management . The tenancy started from 29 August 2009. I find my LA very ignorant,never replied for 2-3 months, do not want to update account which we agreed.
The contract LA made not given to me to sign. They are asking me £400+vat to cease management and keep the tenents.

Here is what I wrote to them and have not received any satisfactory reply:

1.I was not been posted or e-mailed the documents of Tenancy agreement and inventory reports until 4 December 2009. which suppose to be done at the start of tenancy.

2.The terms of tenancy I agreed was 1 year,But in the contract it is for 2 years.

3.Breach of terms and condition:In your terms and condition, I can see that if the expence goes beyond £200+vat, the landlord needs to be informed, however I have been completely ignored. Moreover the guarantee of the appliance becomes invalid by getting them repaired locally. Inspite of all this,I continued with a view that I would be looked after.

4.Huge Communication gap: As this is the main problem I personally feel so far, ignorance of e-mails, ignorance to inform the damage, ignorance to avoid where account needs to be updated. I was not given any reply to my e-mail sent on 10 May 2010.

My e-mails were completely ignored, it took more then 3 months to get reply for my last e-mail sent on 29 March 2010. I am surprised that when it came down to charge extra money I got prompt reply.

Why it took months to get an reply?
why the essential documents were not given any priority to be sent to me at early stage?
Why the work carried out without my consent?
Why the account statement was not updated?

I am sure you want me to follow terms & condition of your business but at the same time these terms and condition should be applicable to both side. I don't think that management has followed its own terms and condition of business and delivered me service with a vision to continue this business with me.

Please reply back to me within 7 days so that necessary arrangement with be made accordingly.

Hi, Sorry to hear you are having problems. The main issues sound like a lack of communication on the part of the letting agent. I would first check to see what trade bodies the agent is part of and consider complaining to the trade association if no action is taken. The main trade associations are:
www.arla.co.uk
www.nalscheme.co.uk
www.rics.org
If they aren't members of any trade association i would simple regard this as a 'breach of contract' matter and deal with it accordingly ie, give them an opportunity to put right the breach and if they don't terminate the agreement and consider action to recover management fees etc.
Hope this helps, good luck!

[sun]

Thanks, I asked them twice,which professional bodies they belongs to? They never replied to me.

However I found out they are members of ARLA.

what do you advice in the Part 4 of complaints to ARLA – What resolution would you like?

As I wrote to LA that because of poor service I can not continue with them and asked them to send me keys and papers they are holding. They are asking me 400+vat to cease mgmt. contract.

Regards

[Springfields]

Originally Posted by sun

The contract LA made not given to me to sign. They are asking me £400+vat to cease management and keep the tenents.

If you are in contact with the tenant I would speak to them direct and ask for payments to be made directly to you in the future and ask the agent to prove their case in writing for the sum of this money due.

If they have no signed contract stating the amounts owing, the request for these fees is unreasonable.

If they are a corporate, large independant or franchise I would call/write to the HO and make a complaint. In this type of set up at the hint of a complaint were there is a margin of error they will always rule in the favour of the client.

Call and speak to ARLA they are very helpful and put everything in writing, including any emails/letters from your agent which you find to be furthering your point as to how they are providing a poor service as an agent. Include the fact that you only agreed to a 12 month let and the contract double that. Do you have anything in writing to say you only wanted a 1 year term?