Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Harringay estate agents: #lettingfees transparency
Inspired by this @guardian article about tenancy fees and transparency I thought I'd dig in to our local estate agents' websites to see how openly they were advertising their fees. In no particular order (and apologies to anyone I missed):
Anthony Pepe
Castles
Winkworth
Hane
Wilkinson Byrne
Paul Simon (yeah, I couldn't find where they detailed their fees so I presume that they don't charge them).
Do click through to the original listings.
Four years ago it was about £120 every twelve months so the inflation on letting fees, which everyone who doesn't own or rent from the council pays, has been 40%. Every. Year.
This affects the majority of our neighbours and will affect our children. It's almost spivery that they've become addicted to and it's only getting worse. These are eye watering amounts for preparing some paperwork and making some phone calls. It's almost as if they employ solicitors to do it.
Tags for Forum Posts: estate agents, letting fees
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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Cheers! Ammended!
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Permalink Reply by matt on
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Why would anyone use a letting agency, including the landlord, who also gets charged by these thieves. No doubt gumtree does the same job as Loot used to. Once upon a time most corner shops (including along GL) posted little cards in their windows for rooms/houses to let, charging the advertiser about 50p!
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Permalink Reply by Antoinette on
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Landlords use letting agents so they don't have to deal with their tenants...no 3am calls about water leaks etc
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Permalink Reply by Steve Hatch on
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Matt, I really thought better of you! Here's a quick question.... And before you answer, I'd respectfully invite you to consider the following:
I've invested 22 years of my life - running a reputable local estate agency in the area that I have grown up in. I have invested my life savings into this local business and in the last 22 years, I've shared my intimate knowledge of the area, openly shared my belief and pride in the area, introduced countless numbers of your neighbours to the area, supported local schools, planted trees in an entire road, helped the community clear a path in the snow so that local school children and their parents could get to school safely, paid for a Harringay school playground area, and continually sponsored the local junior school that I myself attended. There are countless other things, but we never really make a song and dance about it!
So here's the big question... How much do Castles Harringay/Turnpike Lane branch charge tenants? Any idea? Seeing as you've branded us as thieves!
Well it's £80 pounds - that's it - the reference fee alone. So how about a bit of local of support for the local businesses that quietly go about doing their best. Yes we get paid for what we do, but we go all out to do a great job 'for a very fair fee". Much of what we do comes with absolutely no charge, or conditions attached, like free valuations and confidential property advice, you may recall this comes with absolutely no strings attached, just local goodwill and the hope that someday it will lead to a heartfelt recommendation, or someone returning to us in the future. So as much as I like you personally and respect that you have a view... I have to say that I find this a ridiculously unfair sweeping statement at best. P.S. Most Landlords and tenants use professional agents because we are self-regulating via compulsory membership to the property ombudsman. Gumtree is a cheap option and sometimes it's great, but sadly many tenants also get ripped off for thousands of pounds in fraudulent tenancies.
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Permalink Reply by John D on
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Have to support Steve on this. A few years ago he did a valuation for me at no charge. As a result, Castles will get the business when I come to sell.
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Hi Steve, good to hear from you! I was reacting to the other fees John has helpfully posted which are outrageous. Yours sound very reasonable. There are also many lettings companies that merely set up to take advantage of a desperate London housing market who I wouldn't touch with a barge pole. Take care. Matt.
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I think people use letting agencies because they feel it's more 'legal' and trustworthy, and that their rights as a tenant will be better protected as opposed to renting a property via a private, one-off arrangement.
I agree Osbawn. The fees are completely unreasonable imo but that's not going to change anytime soon. Tenants rights in the UK are practically non-existent compared to other parts of Europe.
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And that is why Haringey have set up their own lettings agency. There are three groups on the buy side of the London property market; owners, social renters and private renters. All three in very different boats and nobody sticking up for the private renters. We think it's nasty when the Tories hit the disabled because they don't vote for them but all parties hit private renters.
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Permalink Reply by WightmanPaul on
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The English system of government by influence has, since feudal times, been based upon the ownership of property. It's no accident that the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors has its HQ in Parliament Square.
tenant (n.)
early 14c., "person who holds lands by title or by lease," from Anglo-French tenaunt (late 13c.), Old French tenant "possessor; feudal tenant" (12c.), noun use of present participle of tenir "to hold," from Latin tenere "hold, keep, grasp" (see tenet). Related: Tenancy. Tenant-farmer attested from 1748.
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Just a side note John, we are currently £190 cheaper than Haringey Council - not many people realise this, so it might be worth a mention.
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Castles win. Don't they? I hope more people see this.
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