I think it's wrong that agencies charge tenants when they take a let. My last one charged £100 or so, the next one will be charging £45 for references/credit check and £125 or so for "legal documents" - this seems to me to just be opportunism. Whatever business you're in you have to do legal docs and other things, you shouldn't slap the tenant with it, especially when you're getting a nice wedge from the landlord.

Should be outlawed, just as they outlawed employment agency fees to job applicants (in England).

Hi there,

Yes, I do agree that they should be outlawed. I remember when letting agencies used to charge prospective tenants upfront just to join the books and look at flats. When this was outlawed they then changed to charging a fee if the tenant took a flat.

Some agents advertise and don't say that there is a fee until the end. It's not enough to say that the tenant is warned as we spend time and money on answering these ad's.

The charges on tenants keep mounting up. When I started renting there was no inventory fee etc. Keeps getting worse.

Kindest regards,

Simple because they can - my company makes a point of not doing this as I personally have been on the receiving end of this practice in the past and feel it is a total rip off by dodgy estate agents.

Seems it's charge for everything and anything city now for tenants.

My latest - is the most absurd yet in my 25 years renting - this country and elsewhere - and it's all changed since last year.

Have posted before on this.

£175 + VAT for checks.
£ 10 for bank status report
£ 45 for reference from previous agency
£ 65 + VAT for checkout fee
____

£295

Then 2 months rent + £200 (!?!) in advance on top - bankers/building society draft only allowed!

Various charges including 3% over base rate per 7 days for any rental not received, even if not your fault. And other crazy clauses to get money out of you - which are not passed on to landlord.

Asked for 1 year rental - insisted on it - now told that they will only do six months after I'd been assured 1 year - and already paid for checks and references.

Oh, £48 + per 6 month renewal.

Dirty practices - for sure - as I wasn't told of the extra costs until I'd agreed on the property!

All this for a small studio flat!!!!

Never again, private landlords only for me - and I only rented from LA because I'd had problems with LLs selling-up all the time and thought LA might have more stable LLs on books - alas - even when they tell you - the LL has no intention to sell - they've been wrong.

Why do they charge this way - because they can - and once one does - they all do - and then you're in a bind - as that's what's happened to me.

Rentals up - yes £25 on average from a year-ago.

This studio definitely up £25 per month on last year.

Is it happening throughout the country?

Just got told by the agency I am renting through that they want a chunk of my money..
They are not even going to be the letting agent, they just did the advertising....
They quoted 1 weeks rent or a little over £200 for doing nothing.
Now the LL is already paying them to draw up a contract etc, I wonder if I have any recourse to them if he starts to break the law?

I rent direct with my landlord. Have never been charged for new contract etc. however he now has an office of staff and I think its only a matter of time before he joins in on the act.

We rent through an well known LA, though my LL who we know well says they are a waste of time & if it was not for the hassle would deal direct (they are away a lot) I spoke to him about these checkout fees that I've heard about on here, he told me if they tried to introduce via a new tennancy aggreement to tell him & he'd ask them to withdraw it or facing loosing his business

So I'd love it see my EA try it on