Cheating Agent - of the holiday letting variety

[vetran]

Let the nice man from HMRC deal with them.

https://www.gov.uk/vat-record-keeping/vat-invoices

Only VAT-registered businesses can issue VAT invoices and you must:

issue and keep valid invoices - these can be paper or electronic
keep copies of all the sales invoices you issue even if you cancel them or produce one by mistake
keep all purchase invoices for items you buy

They have the right to enter almost anywhere, seize goods etc. The experience for the agent making 'honest mistakes' will be somewhat unpleasant, charging VAT without being registered is a mistake they really don't like! Do tell the county court they are under investigation by the vat man for charging VAT without being registered.

How to check your clients VAT registration number is correct? | Rouse Partners | Award-winning Chartered Accountants in Buckinghamshire

[scooterscot]

Jeepers they sound like complete crooks.

[lukemg]

Thanks for the update, if I ever needed any more reasons to never consider buy-to-let this would do it.
Never had my global index ETF do anything but churn money in my direction, it's never once phoned me to get the boiler fixed....

[scooterscot]

Cheating Agent - of the holiday letting variety

Finding someone you can trust is key. You see it in business all the time across industry. PM excepts to subcontract the responsibility as well as the job of course when it all goes pootong. Took us years to find someone trustworthy, and they're not cheap and even then we still provide gifts etc. It's important to stay involved. I reckon the surge in airbnb lets will tail off in the years ahead when folks realise the energy/effort required.

[deebeegee]

Only VAT-registered businesses can issue VAT invoices

Only problem is that they never actually issued a VAT invoice - if they would then I would have actually had a VAT registration number which obviously wouldn't have been theirs. All I have is an agreement that they would take a commission of 27.5% plus VAT and they had indeed subtracted 33% each month although not itemised. Still worth letting them know I suppose.

[scooterscot]

33%!!????

[vetran]

Only problem is that they never actually issued a VAT invoice - if they would then I would have actually had a VAT registration number which obviously wouldn't have been theirs. All I have is an agreement that they would take a commission of 27.5% plus VAT and they had indeed subtracted 33% each month although not itemised. Still worth letting them know I suppose.

I suspect if they presented it as VAT in the contract that is enough to upset them. At the very least they get a call at the best they get jail & you get 20% back.

[deebeegee]

33%!!????

I know! It sounds shocking but actually still quite a bit less than OneFineStay and a few others who take 50% + VAT
If they did the service they were supposed to (marketing, welcoming, cleaning, maintenance etc) then it would have been well worth it.

[deebeegee]

I suspect if they presented it as VAT in the contract that is enough to upset them. At the very least they get a call at the best they get jail & you get 20% back.

Blue touch paper lit. Standing back.

[deebeegee]

mini banana

well i finally got back most of my money including the dodgy VAT deductions.

after I'd spent ages getting together my witness statement and bundle of supporting evidence they failed to disclose any documents to the court by the deadline. It actually transpired that their solicitors office was shut down due to some other irregularity. You couldn't make it up. The agent appointed a trouble shooter to resolve several ongoing disputes and in the end we settled on an amount which covered the original debt but not my court expenses - I still would have lost more by losing a billable day so I agreed despite quite looking forward to having my day in court. There's also the real likelihood of insolvency so cash in hand was more attractive than the prospect of dealing with bailiffs and administrators.

not sure if anything will ever come from reporting them to the HMRC

in the meantime if anyone has a contract in London and needs somewhere nice to stay I offer a contractorUK discount