Agent making contractor pay for CRB check

[BrokenGKey]

Wow, they will be expecting us to pay our own train fares to get to interviews next.

Aw heck... looks like your idea has caught on.....

[Bob The Drummer]

what does "payable at point of invoice" mean? Does it mean "Add the £23 to your first invoice"? Meaning, if you fail, you bear the cost but if you pass it will be refunded?

I spoke to the pimpette who placed the advert - she said they would reimburse the cost of the CRB check when the contractor submitted their first invoice.

Wow, they will be expecting us to pay our own train fares to get to interviews next.

And your own suit!

Perhaps I have misunderstood the sentiment of these 2 comments, but I don't think these are comparable to having to pay up front for the the CRB check. I've had several CRBs done by agents in the past, and it was never suggested that I should pay for them. Sure, I may well have effectively paid for them via the agents' margin, but it was never a front-loaded charge.

If this catches on, mark my words it will be the thin end of the wedge - prepare yourselves for an admin fee for each reference an agent checks, £1 fee for handling each CV submitted (due to the high volume of applications expected), hair gel replenishment fees, etc, etc.

[RichardCranium]

If this catches on, mark my words it will be the thin end of the wedge - prepare yourselves for an admin fee for each reference an agent checks, £1 fee for handling each CV submitted (due to the high volume of applications expected), hair gel replenishment fees, etc, etc.

Indeed. That is the way the lettings agents went a few years ago. It used to be the tenant paid the rent and the landlord bore the costs. Now the tenant pays for:
- ID checks (for every adult tenant) which have been marked up by the agency by about £50;
- credit checks (for every adult tenant) which have been marked up by the agency by about £50;
- deposit safe keeping services (which is taking the piss since they keep the interest);
- contract renewal fee (FFS!).

We're typically paying a few hundred pounds to the letting agents each time we move over and above the letting agent's margin on the rent.

The recruitment agents would, I am sure, love to be playing the same game.