Reply to: letting agent 'Martin & Co'

[scooterscot]

WOW

Today I learned this company were charging my tenant a PCM rate greater than I understood as is written on my statements to me. Okay only by £15 more. Is this not criminal? It's obviously not a typo either because their contract specifies the correct rate.

[minestrone]

As you know I am local, a lot of my friends have had bad experiences renting their places out in the area because of the letting agents on Kilmarnock Road. I can recommend a couple of independents.

[scooterscot]

Just start cataloguing times when they have not given you a reasonable level of service then write them saying that you are forced to leave the contract. And also you should be reading your contracts.

Well they did not pay me the rent since August. That's Mk 1.

[I just need to test it]

Just shared this with the disgruntled landlord I mentioned earlier.

He just shrugged and started telling me his latest gripe - his newest tenant is a bankrupt but his agent did not carry out the standard checks (though they charged for them). He says he won't dump the agent because "They're all as tulip as each other". He's on a bit of a downer.

[minestrone]

Just start cataloguing times when they have not given you a reasonable level of service then write them saying that you are forced to leave the contract. And also you should be reading your contracts.

[scooterscot]

Almost 1000 pound to change the poor management of my property.

Where You continue letting to a Tenant or Occupier who We iniroduced then You will be liable to pay Us a Tenant Finding fee calculated on a notional 6 month tenancy term starting on
the date that Our Agency ends with the fee becoming payable on that day. If the tenancy terminates sooner than 6 months ofter Our Agency ends then We will make a pro-roto refund of the fee.

[Scrag Meister]

British Gas Landlord Pro and a really accommodating tenant is what you need.

My tenant has replaced a faulty electric shower, I paid for the shower, he put it in at no cost.

Popped in once since March when I let it to them, and I reckon they have done 10k worth of improvements, They have made it lovely and homely, and always said it would be a long term let.

[minestrone]

I'll head down now and sort them out for you for half the finders fee.

[scooterscot]

My am I super flying TNT with this lot.

I'm trying to change the management of the flat. They're claiming it's their tenant I'm using, and as such shall have to pay a finders fee. I retorted, it's my house you're using!

I await their special finders fee calculation.

[minestrone]

I have done a prototype for something similar, it's plan c though as plan b is looking like a goer.

[scooterscot]

A Scottish mate is forever moaning about his agents (he's tried a few) and he blames crap customer service north of the border.

Mine (Temples, in Cheshire) have been pretty darned good. My only gripe has been their willingness to charge more if they have to do more than normal yet they don't give me a reduction in months in which they do naff all. But I grudgingly tolerate this as I don't want to face the experiences described by some on this thread.

They've got you over a barrel, especially if you live abroad.

Wish someone in silicon valley would do a airbnb.com equivalent for long-term lets, 3% commission all round employing local trades people as required. I do get naffed off myself with agents collecting 12% off my monthly rent for picking up the phone and giving me a hard time.


Come on, who's up for it?

I'll fund the project to a point,

need a business plan,
a coder

[I just need to test it]

A Scottish mate is forever moaning about his agents (he's tried a few) and he blames crap customer service north of the border.

Mine (Temples, in Cheshire) have been pretty darned good. My only gripe has been their willingness to charge more if they have to do more than normal yet they don't give me a reduction in months in which they do naff all. But I grudgingly tolerate this as I don't want to face the experiences described by some on this thread.

[minestrone]

All these chain letting places feck you over, they just hire in completely inexperienced office juniors to manage the accounts. Always go with someone local.

[Basil Fawlty]

We ended up spending as much time managing them as we would have managing the properties ourselves.

This has been my experience with every letting agent (not just Martin & Co) I've used. I spend more time managing the agent than I do when I manage the properties myself.

[RetSet]

Experiences over the last year letting a property in Glasgow have required more input than I would like to give. From trivial maintenance decisions to poor service in general. The last two months of rent have not being paid now (the tenant has paid), is the company in trouble? I don't know. Do others here have experiences of them to speak of? It's becoming tiresome now.

Yep. I used to use Martin & Co in Nottingham (Friar Lane), and Leicester.

Both became complacent after a few years (and we were amongst the first clients for the Leicester branch). We ended up spending as much time managing them as we would have managing the properties ourselves.

We sacked them both (several months apart) and have replaced them with two fabulous local independant agents.

Avoid.