I’ve read a few different reports covering the same story, and they’ve all been written with the same dull edge, with complete disregard to the comic value. Either my sense of humour is totally off the mark (which i’ll tell you right now, is positively impossible) or those reporters are just straight up ‘booshy’ (Urban Dictionary ‘word of the day’).

Landlord threatens tenant

Mark Fortune, 42, a very successfully landlord in Edinburgh, lost his temper after his tenants fixed a broken lock and a shower, and then asked him to pay the £160 repair bill. Mark’s natural instinct lead him to shout and swear, threatening to kick one of the tenants. He then heightened the level of his threat by saying, “You go and find out who my friends are, OK? Three of them have just been locked up for shooting somebody.”

Weird. You’re all thinking what I’m thinking, right? Exactly how stupid are his friends? Surely only one of them needed to shoot. I’m assuming the process of shooting the poor somebody was over-engineered by breaking it down into three tasks. One held, the other aimed, and the one with the long straw got to pull the trigger. Anyways, I digress, I’m no hitman.

The last time I threatened to kick someone was when I was 8 years old. My class-mate stole my crowned champion conker that I had preserved in a bottle of vinegar for over 2 weeks. It had 12 victories under its belt. Needless to say, my adolescent mind was livid. But long gone are those days. I can’t even remember the last time I heard someone threaten to “kick” someone else.

If that wasn’t premature enough, Mark dug deep into his bag of arsenal and pulled out ghetto variations of two classic threats we all grew up on as children, but Mark managed to strategically merge them together, resulting in, “Do you know who I am? My friends are bigger than yours” All Mark really said was, “I have three very stupid friends. Combined together, they managed to collect enough braincells to pull a trigger”

I’m not disputing Mark’s incentive for getting aggravated. I can definitely see where he’s coming from. However, let’s be adults. Even temporarily hijacking the mindset of a teenager going through puberty would have been a step-up.

Regardless, I thought the landlord’s antics were amusing. Perhaps the take-away from this story is to keep cool, refrain from taking the law into your own hands and acting like a premature monkey (no matter how frustrating times get).

As a result of Mark’s actions, he was taken to a small claims court, where justice was served. He was fined £650 for disturbing the peace, making threats, and deceitfully impersonating a baby.

How to report a threatening landlord

Being threatened by your landlord is no different than being threatened by a random Joe. There is no special routes or governing bodies for tenants to go through. If your landlord is making genuine threats to the safety of your well-being, you should file a report to the police. If you want to take matters further, you can take it to a small claims court. For free legal advice, I would talk to Citizens Advice.

Tenant’s Right To Live In Quiet Enjoyment

Just like to also mention that tenants have a legal right to live in quiet enjoyment. That means landlords are NOT allowed to harass their tenants, which includes landlords requiring permission before entering the premises.

Out of curiosity, has anyone here been threatened before, either by tenant or landlord? Tell me your story. If there’s no reason to laugh, I won’t, I promise…

Related posts:

Ajay Ahuja Has Threatened To Take Legal Action Against Me
Mark Sawyer Of Property Association Has Threatened To Take Legal Action Against Me
I Got Threatened By An Estate Agent

In the Urban Dictionary, I’m what is known as a “wasteman” (definition from Urban Dictionary: someone who does nothing with their life, most of the time a drunken fuck up, sitting on couches in the alleyways of the London streets), so I’m able to endure all kinds of daytime shit on TV. I think it may air again during prime time (but I’m not sure when) for the nine-to-five mugs grafters. If you missed it, don’t worry about finding out when/where/how because you can watch it below.

What is a fake landlord?

A fake landlord is someone that pretends to have authorisation to let a property, in which they actually have no authority over whatsoever. The fake landlord will take viewings, take a deposit and usually one month’s rent upfront (more if their lucky), give the tenant the keys, and then drive off into the sunset, never to be seen or heard from again.

Shortly after, the real home owners/occupiers will return home and try to use their keys to enter the property, only to find the locks have been changed, and their home has been taken over by strangers.

How do fake landlords do it?

They usually target properties they know will be empty (e.g. when the occupants are on holiday). They will then force entry into the property, change the locks, and start marketing the property to prospective tenants as if it’s their own.

It’s an extremely easy trap for tenants to fall into, especially novice tenants that are unfamiliar with the letting process. When a “fake landlord” has accessible keys to the property, and convincingly takes viewings, everything appears unsuspecting. What makes the charade more believable is that the landlords are known to provide fake letting agent documents.

Fake Britain takes a look into ‘Fake Landlords’

Nasty stuff. As you saw, the end result leaves tenants in an extremely awkward situation and homeowners left temporarily homeless while their homes were invaded by strangers.

How to avoid the “fake landlord” trap

Unfortunately, the feature on Fake Britain failed to get the story from the tenant’s side. But my gut instincts tell me they were careless and missed out on the obvious tell-tale signs something dodgy was occurring, hence why I said it’s easy for novice tenants to fall into the trap.

If you’re looking to rent a property, it might be worth noting down the following points in order to avoid a fake landlord:

• Talk to the neighbours – don’t feel uneasy about approaching the neighbours. It’s perfectly normal for perspective tenants to talk to the neighbours, especially to find out about the local area. While you’re there, enquiry about the landlord. The neighbours will most likely know if the property is legitimately being rented to tenants.
• Ensure landlord provides all legal documents – a landlord is legally required to provide a Gas Safety Certificate and Energy Performance Certificate for the property.

  Firstly, most fake landlords won’t provide these documents. More importantly, you shouldn’t be letting from anyone that doesn’t provide them.

• Ask for references- ask the landlord for the details of the previous tenants. You’re more than entitled to ask for references, just like many legitimate landlords ask for references from tenants.

  If available, follow these references up.

• Enquiry about utility services- investigate which companies supply the gas, electricity, and water. They’re perfectly valid questions, and most landlords expect to hear them from perspective tenants. The landlord should be familiar with these details. If they’re not, it could be a signal that something dodgy is going on.
• Tenancy Agreements- probably one of the more obvious aspects, and most fake landlords will provide a Tenancy Agreement as part of the charade since they’re so easily obtainable. However, if a landlord doesn’t insist on a Tenancy Agreement then something is clearly wrong. Either he/she is among the band of the most irresponsible landlords on the planet or something unsavoury is taking place. Either way, stay well clear of landlords that don’t require a Tenancy Agreement contract, much like the landlords that fail to provide the Gas and Energy certificates.
• Good landlords ask questions and require references- since the recession, landlords have become increasingly thorough with their vetting process. Tenants falling into arrears is becoming a real problem for landlords.

  If the landlord doesn’t ask tough questions about employment, previous rental history, and require proof of ID, then it sends a clear signal, and it’s not a good one.

• Tenancy Deposit- deposits MUST be secured in a Tenancy Deposit Scheme by law. Always ask which authorised deposit scheme your landlord will be putting your deposit into.

  It’s another one of those details a fake landlord can easily make up after investing 2mins research on Google. However, it’s always best to enquiry as you never know how stupid these people can be.

• Land Registry- if you really want to be sure you’re not being taken for a ride, you can always go onto the Land Registry Website and pay £4 to get the title register and make sure the landlord actually owns the property.
• If they’re representing a letting agent- this one is kind of a no-brainer, but I thought i’d throw it in anyways. If you’re dealing with an agent, make sure you actually visit their high-street shop to make sure everything is legitimate. Many of these fake landlords impersonate letting agents.

If anyone has any more tips I can add to the list or has first hand experience involving fake landlords, don’t be shy to take the spotlight via the comment form below…

Related posts:

Beware Of Dodgy Tenancy Applications Via Email
Tenancy Deposit Scheme For Landlords
6 Lies Commonly Told by Landlords

Admittedly, the video tugged on my heart strings a little, so I felt compelled to spread the word.

I’m sure thousands of people are in the same situation as the woman in the video; struggling to deal with debt, and not knowing what to do. I imagine it’s the idea of “not knowing what to do” which would scare me the most, and i’m sure that’s the reality for many. I genuinely believe that educating may make the situation more bearable, if only a little.

If anyone is currently dealing with debt and not sure which way to turn, I would recommend connecting with Shelter – they offer free expert advice and explain your options.

All I can say is, don’t wait until it’s too late.

Your thoughts?

I’d be curious to hear any thoughts on the video, or even the general situation…

Related posts:

I Can’t Afford My Mortgage Payments, What Can I Do?
I Want My Fucking Rent
Sale-And-Rent-Back Scheme

Here’s a list of commonly known scams that tenants have fallen victim to:

1] Let and run

This is when a con-artist masquerades as a landlord by breaking into an empty property, and then attempts to rent it out as their own. The con-artist will then get the tenant to hand over cash, covering the deposit and initial rent payment, at which point he/she will disappear into the sunset.

2] No need for a deposit

In this delightful scenario, the landlord won’t ask for a deposit, he/she will instead request the details of a Tenant Guarantor. Then, when the Tenancy Agreement comes to an end, the guarantor will be held reliable for very expensive, and generally unnecessary repairs.

3] Unprotected deposits

Since 2007, landlords have been required to protect the deposits their tenants hand over into one of the three Government approved Tenancy Deposit Schemes.

The legislation was put into place because there were often disputes between landlords and their tenants about whether the deposit should be returned.

However, according to Shelter’s findings, many landlords are still avoiding complying with their legal requirements, and then keep hold of the deposit at the end of the tenancy for no good reason.

4] Unjustified charges

Some landlords and agents will charge tenants with unjustifiable fees. It’s important to remember that charges which are not in the Tenancy Agreement and which have never been agreed to cannot be enforced- prior agreement is required.

It’s also common for Tenancy agreements to include clauses for charges which are void and illegal under the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts legislation. If you’re unsure about a charge you are being forced to pay, please seek legal advice.

Another common scenario is when letting agents charge a Tenancy Renewal Fee, when it was never agreed to.

5] Renting with the intent of renting to others

This is exactly as it sounds. A con-artist rents a property so they can show it to other prospective tenants. They’ll collect first month’s rent and the security deposits and any fees or charges they can squeeze out of their victims before running out of town.

6] Renting on behalf of the owner

This scam is similar to the previous one but there’s one major difference: the con artist claims to be helping someone else rent the property. They use the excuse that the landlord is sick, overseas, or just too busy to do it themselves. Once the con-artist collects first month’s rent, a deposit and fees they skip town.

7] The overseas Landlord

These scams typically takes place on the internet and the scammer doesn’t need to be present and may never have been to the property.

The so-called “landlord” will advertise properties they don’t own on UK based websites and claim they’re an overseas landlord.

They get the tenant to transfer money into their foreign account and make a runner, never to be heard from again. These con-artists are near enough impossible to track down.

8] Nigerian Rental Scams

These Nigerian scams are classic and have been around for years. I think almost everyone with a email account would have received spam email from a “Nigerian Ambassador” at some point.

There are so many variations of this scam, I would just avoid any deals that involve an overseas Nigerian landlord trying to rent their property.

Preventing Rental Scams

Here are a few ways that may help tenants avoid falling victim of rental scams:

• Ask the landlord for photo ID e.g. Driving License, Passport
• Ask for details of previous tenants for referencing
• Ensure the landlord is meeting all legal regulations. Genuine landlords will meet all legal requirements, in particular the Gas Safety Certificate and Tenancy Deposit Scheme
• Ask the local neighbours about the landlord/neighbourhood- this is perfectly normal for prospective tenants
• Take note of how familiar the landlord is with the property e.g. does he/she know where the water, gas and water meters are.
• Always double check the terms and conditions in the Tenancy Agreement and any agreement you may have with letting agents. If there is anything you are unclear about, it’s always best to get it checked by a trained professional.
• Avoid paying any upfront fees without viewing the property and meeting the landlord at the actual property

Have you been a victim? Do you have any other suggestions?

I’m just curious if anyone reading this has fallen victim to a rental scam? If so, what happened? Also, is anyone aware of any other rental scams commonly used to trap tenants? And finally, does anyone have any further tips on how to avoid rental scams?

Related posts:

Landlord Guide On Protection Against Bad Tenants
Landlord Searching For Perfect Tenants
Landlord Guide On Referencing Tenants

IMPORTANT

1] The good landlord will have a valid Gas Safety Certificate and provide the tenant with a copy.

2] The good landlord will have a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) to hand during viewings, just in case the tenant gives a shit about it (which they won’t).

3] The good landlord will secure the deposit in a Tenancy Deposit Scheme and mention this during the viewing.

4] The good landlord will ask for references from employers and/or previous landlords.

5] The good landlord will use a written Tenancy Agreement.

6] The good landlord will be friendly and won’t come across as an arrogant pompous-arse prick.

7] The good landlord will ask for proof of ID

8] The good landlord won’t have negative reviews on landlord rating websites like Love your landlord.

9] The good landlord will fix anything broken BEFORE any contracts are signed

10] The good landlord will have smoke alarms that are powered by the main electrics (not battery powered).

CAUTIOUS

1] The good landlord would have made an effort to make the property clean and presentable for viewings. If the property looks like shit, feels like shit, and smells like shit, the tenant can take a stab in the dark and assume the landlord is…

2] The good landlord will have landlord building insurance.

3] The good landlord will offer a 6-12 month agreement if the tenant and landlord are complete strangers to one another. Anything else would be weird and irresponsible.

4] The good landlord will be easily contactable and quickly responsive before, during and after any viewings.

5] The good landlord will require a Tenant Guarantor.

6] The good landlord will draw up an Inventory Form.

7] The good landlord will request a Tenant Credit Check

GOOD SIGNS

1] The good landlord will know the details of the companies currently supplying the utilities e.g. Gas, electricity, and water.

2] The good landlord will know the property’s tax band and monthly rate.

3] The good landlord will ask if the tenant smokes.

4] The good landlord will ask if the tenant has any pets.

5] The good landlord reads this website and enjoys it.

Conclusion

I’ve put each point under a level of importance according to my personal beliefs and expectations. Of course, other landlords/tenants may rate the points differently.

The beauty about the points listed above is that they can ALL be answered BEFORE any contracts are signed. That’s useful for obvious reasons, but primarily to help inform tenants on whether their prospective landlord is a scumbag or not.

Almost certainly, if a landlord doesn’t adhere to all the points in the IMPORTANT section, the tenant should run a mile and not look back unless 1) they have a shotgun in their hand 2) the landlord is ridiculously hot and slutty looking.

Gimme some mo’

Have you got any more “good landlord” guidelines? If so, hit me with them…

Related posts:

Landlord Changes Locks To keep Scumbag Tenants Out
Give Prospective Tenants The Benefit Of Doubt At Your Own Risk
I Use Facebook To Reference Prospective Tenants

Over the 2 years they’ve been my tenants I didn’t encounter a single problem, and that’s quite rare from my experience. I seriously don’t want to see them go, but it’s out of my control. Their family is growing and they need more space. I did suggest for them to store their youngest child in the garden shed to create extra living space, but they weren’t playing ball.

Anyways, when they surrendered their tenancy, they handed over the most professional and clear notice I have ever seen. This is what my tenant gave me:

I was impressed, so much so that I thought i’d post it up here, so other tenants can use it if they wish (there’s a downloadable version below).

I didn’t ask my tenant where he got it from, but I assumed it was a template he had found online. Of course, a surrender of tenancy letter doesn’t need to be so elaborate; all can be said in one sentence- that’s what my previous tenants gave me. However, I like this elaborate version because it’s concise and transparent, so it avoids potential misinterpretations.

I actually tried Googling for other Surrender Of Tenancy Letter templates to see how it compared, but I couldn’t find any. Mind you, I did only look for 5 mins, and I got majorly bored after that. Or perhaps I failed because the market for a template of something so mundane and pointless does not exist. Perhaps. Actually, most likely.

What is a Surrender of Tenancy letter?

It’s a mutual agreement between landlord and tenant to end a tenancy. This is called ‘surrender’. To be valid, both sides must agree, and it’s always best to put what’s been agreed in writing so everyone knows where they stand. If the tenancy is joint, all joint tenants and the landlord must agree to the surrender.

Does anyone know of any templates available online? Also, has any landlord received a surrender of tenancy like that before, if not better?

Important: If you decide to use it, make sure you print two copies – landlord and tenant should each keep a copy.

Download

Here’s a copy of the Surrender Of Tenancy Letter. Feel free to use it.
Surrender Of Tenancy Letter

Related posts:

Can My Tenant End A Tenancy Agreement Early?
Tenants Without A Written Contract- Verbal Tenancy Agreement
Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement

Of course, his overused dick will probably turn green and drop off in a few years, then he may regret his lifestyle choice. But Probably not. For the sake of ease and relevance, I’ll refer to him as Freddie Mercury for the rest of the story.

Over the weekend, my mate Freddie Mercury braved 3 local letting agents, ploughing through the catalogue of available stock. Before committing to any viewings, he wanted to look at all the properties available so he could organise all the viewings for one day.

While flicking through the stock and being conveniently chilled by the cheese and chive sweat pearls collapsing from the overcrowding agents foreheads, he noticed that a few agents were advertising the same properties. Granted, that’s perfectly normal, because unlike when you’re a selling a property, there isn’t a penalty fee for landlords multi-advertising across different agents. But the interesting thing was the agents had different pricing structures.

Here are the real figures for two of the agents that offered the same property:

Freddie had a choice between paying two different amounts for the same product. Bearing in mind, these agents were approximately 5mins drive away from one another. That’s not a great deal, unless you drive a Hummer.

The admin fee rates included the same services – one wasn’t providing more than the other. I don’t know if the difference in rates are upsetting or amusing. Either way, it seems as though neither agent had done any local research on local competition. There shouldn’t be such a big divide for the same product in such a close proximity.

The difference between £150 and £120 may not seem like a big deal. But it is, so shut your piehole!

Pound for pound it seems like a small hit to take, but when you convert to percentages, it’s a huge 25% difference. But the real kicker is the reoccurring Renewal Fee condition Agent 2 enforces.

Obviously Freddie viewed the properties being advertised with Agent 1. It’s not really a case of which price is “fair” (regardless of the blog title), it’s more of a case of one agent charging one hell of a lot more than the other!

The point is, have a quick scour through your local agents before you commit, because you may find conflicting rates for the same properties.

Related posts:

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Quick reminder of why I believe Tenancy Renewal Fees are unfair

Yes, i’m a broken record, I’ve already said this crap so many times…

The agents already make money for managing the property, and they already charged the landlord a premium to find the tenants! The agent has already been paid a lot of money for their services! They’re not providing any additional services for allowing the same landlord keep the same tenant after the fixed term in the tenant agreement.

In a lot of cases, letting agents charge both landlord and tenant for renewing an agreement. Why? I don’t agree with the fee, but if they’re going to charge renewal fees, why charge both landlord and tenant? It’s like they’re double charging.

Let’s not forget, the labour behind a tenancy renewal…

How A Tenant Avoided Renewal Fees

In this instance, I’m helping my friend, the tenant, avoid the renewal fee. In the past, as a landlord, I also avoided the fee, Avoiding Tenancy Renewal Fees.

My friend’s Tenancy Agreement is approaching the end of the fixed term, but fortunately both he and the landlord are happy for the tenancy to continue as is.

The landlord uses a letting agent to manage the property, so for the tenancy to continue, the agent wanted a new tenancy agreement signed up, which they charged a “tenancy renewal fee” for. I’ve seen some agents charge £90+ for that privilege. What a joke.

Anyways, my friend received this letter from the landlord’s agent…

My friend asked me if there was anyway he could avoid this fee because he also thought it was unjustified. I told him to send them the following email, and see what happens (I was probably more curious than he was):

Hey,

I don’t need any of the terms and conditions in the existing tenancy agreement to change, so I’m for the tenancy to become periodic, avoiding any additional labour.

I’m happy to discuss this directly with the landlord if there are any problems with this arrangement.

Kind regards

As the email clarified, if the tenancy becomes periodic, there’s no extra work required, consequently the agency can’t charge for any labour. It was also important to specify that my friend is happy to discuss this with the landlord, incase the agents try and pull a fast one e.g. completely refuse the idea without even discussing it with the landlord.

The agents responded with something like this:

Hey [insert tenant name],

We’ve discussed this with the Landlord and he is happy for the tenancy become periodic.

Kind regards,
Agent.

Fair play to the agents, they didn’t dismiss the idea, they were cool with it. A lot of agents probably wouldn’t have played ball so easily. Although, I’m not entirely sure if they still charged the landlord a renewal fee. It wouldn’t make much sense if they did.

Yeah, so that’s how it all went down.

A quick reminder of what a periodic tenancy is…

At the end of the term if the tenancy agreement is not renewed, it then becomes what is known as a Statutory Periodic Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement. The terms of the original tenancy agreement still apply, but the tenancy continues on an agreed period by period basis.

But, remember…

Some landlords legitimately wouldn’t be happy with the idea of a tenancy becoming periodic, which is completely understandable. Most landlords would prefer securing long-term agreements, so this option may not always be approved by the landlord. Tenants may also want a more long-term arrangement secured on paper, so they can’t be unexpectedly asked to vacate the property. But the advantages of a periodic tenancy is that it offers more flexibility to both landlord and tenant. And if both tenant and landlord are both happy with the agreement, there’s no reason why a periodic agreement couldn’t last for years. The odds are that if the landlord and tenant want the tenany agreement to continue, they’re both happy with one another anyways.

Not all agents charge renewal fees

There are agents that don’t charge tenancy renewal fees, so it maybe worth looking for those rare gems. Some agents are even willing to drop the renewal fee in order to get your custom, but you’ll probably need to haggle and be aware of tenancy renewal fees to start with. If you manage to swing this deal, it’s worth getting it confirmed on paper.

Most of the times the renewal fee clause is burried with in the small print, and often slips the agent’s mind, so you probably won’t hear about it until it’s time to renew. Funny that. So it’s best to always enquire about it if they don’t mention anything.

Related posts:

Letting Agents Tenancy Renewal Fees
The Origins Of Tenancy Renewal Fees
My Friend’s Landlord Is A Rude Bitch And Her Tenancy Agreement Is Junk

The obvious way to completely avoid tenant admin fees is by not using a letting agent at all. That’s a no-brainer. Avoiding the use of an agent would mean the tenant would have to communicate directly with the landlord, which isn’t a bad thing…

Advantages of dealing directly with landlords

A lot of people believe it’s a lot easier dealing with letting agents because they “take care of everything”. While that can be the case, there are also a lot of desirable aspects of dealing directly with a landlord:

• A letting agent acts as a middle man, so information has to go through him/her before it gets to the right person. That’s long, slow and boring. No one wants to wait for a message to travel across a chain of people.
• With one less person in the chain, there’s less chance of getting lost in translation.
• Agents want to get the most rent out of tenants because it reflects directly on their commission. So it’s quite likely that tenants can get a better rate if they deal directly with the landlord.
• Let’s face it, it’s difficult to trust an agent so you never know where you stand (rightly or wrongly so).

Why tenants (and landlords) don’t need letting agents anymore…

• Before social media and classified websites really took off, letting agents had the upper hand of being able to reach a large network of local people through their various marketing tactics. But now we can all update our Facebook, Twitter and Myspace statuses and inform a network of local people that we have a property for let, or we’re looking for a property to rent. It’s free, affective and extremely powerful.
• The growth of online classified websites have rocketed, and the best one’s are free and receive terrifying levels of traffic e.g. Gumtree.
• Letting agents aren’t a necessity for landlords/tenants anymore, they’re a luxury. Money is tight, so everyone wants to save where they can. Avoiding the use of letting agents can be a big saver for both tenants and landlords, so it’s a no-brainier that they’ll be sacrificed.

How To Avoid Tenant Admin Fees

Here is a small list of techniques tenants can use to find rental accommodation without having to pay an high-street letting agent admin fee…

Find a letting agent that doesn’t charge a tenant admin fee

First and foremost, let me clarify, it is possible to find agents that don’t charge tenant admin fees, although they’re probably not all that common. But it’s worth asking/looking around.

Some agents have embraced quirky little policies that ultimately means the tenant initially pays an admin fee, but has the opportunity to get it returned. For example, Property Genius said they do the following:

Each tenant pays £75 but instead of paying for a fee, it gets added to their tenancy deposit. If they move-in, they get it back with the rest of the deposit. If they fail to take the property on move-in day, or fail the references, then the £75 is non refundable and they lose out. We feel this gives the landlord security, while essentially being free for tenants.

So, as long as you don’t waste the agent’s time, they will return your initial fee, which is pretty fair.

Negotiate with letting agent

Some times you can catch an agent on a desperate good day and they may be willing to waive the fee. It’s always worth haggling. Remember, agents make their money from the landlords, so they’re often willing to let the tenant’s fee slide.

Classified websites

This is by far the most affective way of finding rental accommodation without the helping hand of a letting agent. There are an abundance of landlords who themselves are avoiding letting agent fees by marketing their properties for free on classified websites. Those websites are the best places for prospective tenants to find properties and communicate directly with the landlords.

Here’s a list of websites that have properties available for rent:
Gumtree
Free Letting
Craigs List
Loot
Letmatch
Let a life
House Find UK
House Ladder
Net rent
House Refer
Vitual Letz
EZ Let
Spare Room
Flat Mate Rooms

Local Papers

I had a look in my local paper just before writing this post, and it had 3 full pages of local rental accommodation listed by private landlords.

Clearly landlords are still utilizing the good old local paper. Tradition still rocks.

Ask friends and family

Word of mouth will never stop being useful. Ask friends and family if they know of anyone who has a property available for rent.

Embrace Social Media

Update your Twitter, Facebook and MySpace statuses. Inform your local world that you’re looking for rental accommodation. You maybe surprised to find out how small this world really is.

Market yourself

I recently posted an example of how a lady, looking for accommodation, successfully marketed herself on Gumtree as an extremely appealing tenant. Her advert received thousands of hits.

It was an affective way of grabbing the attention of landlords. You can see the article here, Landlords And Tenants Shouldn’t Neglect The “Wanted” Section.

I’m not entirely sure of the success off her campaign, but I’m confident it was a success.

Letting agents aren’t completely useless

I know it may seem like I’m crafting a witch hunt against letting agents, but that’s genuinely not the case. Letting agents have their uses, which can’t be replaced. For example, if a landlord doesn’t want the hassle of managing their property, letting agents are perfect (if you don’t mind paying the premium). That’s actually the core revenue stream of letting agents, and they’ll never lose that because it can’t be replaced in a digital/virtual form.

However, for tenants, I think agents are starting to lose their usefulness. Unless letting agents eradicate the tenant admin fee, I actually can’t think of enough reasons why a tenant would want to embrace the services of a letting agency, especially when it’s so easy to find accommodation without one.

What agents need to understand is that if they have prospective tenants on their side, landlords will have no choice but to use agents. But with pricing structures which include silly tenant fees, I see little hope.

Related posts:

Extortionate Letting Agent Application Fees
Finding Tenants Using A Letting Agent
Finding Tenants Without A Letting Agent- An Update (Part 2)

Most high-street letting agents charge both tenants and landlords fees, which actually makes no sense to me. I understand why agents charge landlords, but why the tenants? It’s like car dealerships charging someone a premium for buying a car. In fact, it’s like any consumer being charged to…errr…consume.

I know that the local agents around where I live charge tenants approximately £100. At least it was that last time I checked about a year ago. I’m not entirely sure if that’s a pretty standard rate across the country, or whether it drastically varies. Actually, I’m going to stop writing this post right now, and quickly throw the question out there on Twitter (quite a few Letting Agents follow me on Twitter)…

A few hours later…

Right, I’ve got a few responses, and here they are…

Ok, so it seems as though the prices do vary, and the premium is justified as “admin costs”, which I still don’t fully understand. What admin work is actually done for tenants to justify a £50 – £200 fee? Let’s not forget, the client is the Landlord, and NOT the tenant. So is it just me, or is it odd/unfair that a tenant has to pay a premium when Landlords are already paying through their noses for a service?

Renewal Fees

What’s more frustrating is that a lot of agents charge tenants the same admin fee again if a tenant decides to stay in a property longer than the fixed term in the tenancy agreement. The cost is commonly known as a “renewal fee”

So, for example, suppose I’m a tenant and a letting agent finds me a property, which I sign a one year contract for. If I decide to stay in the property for longer than a year, I have to pay the admin fee again. Seriously, WTF?!? What extra admin work actually has to be done? IT MAKES NO SENSE TO ME, especially when the Landlord also has to pay a renewal fee (but that’s an entirely different rant all together).

I just assume that a lot of agents don’t even know WHY they charge that admin fee, they just do it because all agents do it.

If I were a tenant…

Assuming I was adamant on using a letting agent to find a property to rent, I would do the following:

• Rates obviously vary from agent to agent, so I would get quotes from all local agents to see which one offers the most competitive rate
• Agents themselves have told me the rate is open to negotiation, so I would try and get the lowest rate possible
• If rates seem excessive, I would ask the agent what exactly I’m paying for. If the figures don’t stack up and I feel as though I’m being taken for a ride, I’d probably walk out based on principle.
• Find out exactly what the implications are regarding the extension of the tenancy agreement e.g. If I decide to stay in the property longer than the fixed term, am I liable to be charged another admin fee? Some agents don’t charge a renewal fee, some do, it’s best to find out. Moreover, if the agent says there is NO renewal fee, I’d get that in black and white. Remember, you’d be a fool to trust a fool.

I’d just like to say many thanks to those on Twitter that responded to my question. It’s a bit of a shitty situation actually; they were kind enough to respond, but I’ve kind of stabbed them in the back by saying it’s a bullshit fee. Sorry, guys.

Love and Peace.

Related posts:

An Example Of How Much Extra Letting Agents Charge
Lies That Letting Agents Feed Prospective Tenants
Finding Tenants Without Letting Agents Does Work- Here’s A Success Story