Gillian

I totally understand that the end of tenancy experience was bad for you, but you’ve got all your deposit back (thankfully!) so why waste more time and money going after the idiots that caused you such grief? Life’s too short, so let it be and move on. Not worth going after them through small claims or lawyers (but it IS worth writing to local Trading Standards and telling them of your experience).

I’m a landlord and I’m going through a situation right now which is sucking up masses of my time to deal with, again caused by a so-called lettings agent called Taylor Tate Limited of http://www.taylortate.com. Everybody beware of this company, they are a bunch of shysters.

I placed and advert on Gumtree and within a few days received an enquiry from this company claiming they could let my property out in a week on a no let, no fee basis. I rejected their advance at first on the basis I did not want any agents acting on my behalf. Frankly they are ALL useless!

Then this guy, John Phillips from Taylor Tate Limited, got back to me and said he would only charge me £500 plus VAT to let the property. I thought why not, nothing to lose. How wrong was I!!

The long story short is this: the agent was instructed by me to find FOUR sharers. They found FIVE sharers and proceeded to mislead me into agreeing a tenancy to five students. Now anybody that knows even a little about HMO regulations knows that a property of 3 storeys or more, with 5 or more sharers forming 2 or more households is an automatically licenceable HMO, with all the expense of sinks, fire doors, fire alarm system etc etc.

Well apparently Taylor Tate didn’t know this and then tried to dupe the prospective tenants into signing up to an agreement illegally by signing only four persons but he told them “it would be okay to move 5 people in, just don’t tell the landlord”. This is an illegal act and I was liable for a fine of up to £20,000 plus all the rent paid by the tenants was returnable!

So the five boys paid Taylor Tate nearly £5,000 and so far they’ve only got back £2,046, a loss of just under £3,000! Taylor Tate are refusing to refund them all their money back and threatening legal action against me for breach of contract. Of course there was no valid contract so I’m not going to pay them any of their fee for non-performance. I’ve lost no money other than the fact I could’ve had four rent paying tenants in the property a week ago, so until I find some new tenants I’m losing money.

To summarise, everybody (landlords and tenants) beware of Taylor Tate at http://www.taylortate.com as they are fraudsters, pure and simple.

All the best with your claim if you do decide to take it further Jay.

keep up the good work
steve
legal 4 landlords

thanks for your reply, sound advice, unlimited liability scares the shit out of me, thought when the kids flew the nest my worries would be over
oh how wrong could i be.

thanks again

Alan

Could be just the rent – could be uninsured losses should they burn the place down. If you feel benevolent then your Son yes – mate no way! Would you like to be responsible for your Sons friend should he do a bunk or his friends wreck the place after a party?

Being a guarantor is all very nice till things go wrong!

You really need to sit down with them and discuss the situation AND the friend needs to find their own guarantor as it seems they will be jointly and severally liable – ie if one buggers off the other has to find the entire rent or daddykins will have to pony up the dough!

Good luck.

Jools