A letter from an angry reader:
Editor's note: this correspondence in no way expresses the views of Carry On Langport's news team. Tip: this is best read with Victor Meldrew's voice in your head.
Dear Sir,
In the national news a few weeks ago my wife Margaret and I heard how the government is doing something bloody useful for once. It's clamping down on fees at letting agents. About time to. The amount of money we have to pay them up front on top of the first month's rent and the deposit is bloody criminal.
In the national news a few weeks ago my wife Margaret and I heard how the government is doing something bloody useful for once. It's clamping down on fees at letting agents. About time to. The amount of money we have to pay them up front on top of the first month's rent and the deposit is bloody criminal.
A perfect Langport example of this has popped up on line in recent weeks. For the two-bedroomed flat pictured above on The Hill - see how much one letting agent wants to fleece the prospective tenant by.
Look at this - it's bloody unbelievable. I have copied and pasted these fees from a website which I believe is called 'giveustheshirtoffyourback.com'
____________________
Tenant Fees
Administration fee £150
Tenant Credit and reference check £45
Guarantor credit and reference check £45
First month's rent £550
Minimum security deposit £650
____________________
This means anybody wanting to rent here will need to pay £1,440 up front. That's before the poor buggers have even started thinking about council tax, gas, electricity, water, internet & TV licence.
See how they rip us off.
Financial advisers say applicants should question letting agent fees "every step of the way" and we agree, these fees highlight the advantage of seeking out a private landlord or telling letting agents where they can stick their fees. I mean how in the name of bloody hell does the so-called 'admin fee' cost £150???!
I tell you what, next time I send a letting agent an e-mail about renting - I'll attach an invoice for 200 quid for the time it took me to type it and click 'send'....and see what they think of that. They can pay for the bloody electricty I used while I was using my computer too.
I tell you what, next time I send a letting agent an e-mail about renting - I'll attach an invoice for 200 quid for the time it took me to type it and click 'send'....and see what they think of that. They can pay for the bloody electricty I used while I was using my computer too.
This article is by no means intended to single out the landlord of the above pictured property. He/she will have valid reasons for wanting to use an agent.
It's to simply highlight the fact that the agents must think we're bloody stupid. That 'admin fee' probably involves sending off a couple of E-mails and reading the replies - and how exactly does a tenant & reference check cost £45? - the same could be said for the guarantor's credit and reference checks.
I'm glad the government's trying to do something about these incredulous fees. People already struggle enough to scrape money together to start renting a place without being fleeced like this.
Merry bloody Christmas.
Yours faithfully,
NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED.
It's to simply highlight the fact that the agents must think we're bloody stupid. That 'admin fee' probably involves sending off a couple of E-mails and reading the replies - and how exactly does a tenant & reference check cost £45? - the same could be said for the guarantor's credit and reference checks.
I'm glad the government's trying to do something about these incredulous fees. People already struggle enough to scrape money together to start renting a place without being fleeced like this.
Merry bloody Christmas.
Yours faithfully,
NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED.
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