"share Of Admin Costs"

[Fawkandles]

Hi

Just got a letter off of Reed Reins scumbag letting agents about my tennancy agreement that is ending soon. I will type it out for you, and your opinions about my options arising from it would be most welcome.

Dear Fawkandles

From our records we see that your tennancy is due to end on 02 March 2011. We have written to your landlord to ask if he is agreeable to the tennancy continueing for a further period.

If the tennancy is extended you will in due course be asked to forward payment of £75 as your share of the administration costs.

We cannot accept telephone instructions

END

So, its my understanding that I pay rent to these idiots, and they give most of it to the landlord, keeping some for costs and some for profit. Right? So why should I pay "a share of the admin costs"?

I ALREADY PAID YOU!!!1!

What can I do about this? Its a matter of principle and I refuse to be ripped off.

The sneaky bastards have put in some optional tickboxes about agreeing to an extended tennancy, and presumably agreeing to the fee, and then a dotted line for my signature.

:angry:

[BlinkTooFast]

You have at least four options

1. Pay it
   
2. Don't renew the contract but continue to live there anyway, in which case the agreement reverts to a sort of two month rolling contract (probably - mine did for just over 5 yeras with RR)
   
3. Renew the contract but refuse to pay the fee and hope you don't get a bad credit rating or evicted
   
4. Move house
   

As ever, none of the above constitutes legal advice, don't come running to me if you're thrown out by the scruff, etc etc

[plummet expert]

You have at least four options

1. Pay it

2. Don't renew the contract but continue to live there anyway, in which case the agreement reverts to a sort of two month rolling contract (probably - mine did for just over 5 yeras with RR)

3. Renew the contract but refuse to pay the fee and hope you don't get a bad credit rating or evicted

4. Move house

As ever, none of the above constitutes legal advice, don't come running to me if you're thrown out by the scruff, etc etc

The above is basically right.

Letting agents tend to behave as if a fixed term contract MUST be renewed. It does not need to be and a tenant cannot be forced to sign a further fixed term after the first one expires. Letting agents are much naughtier than any solicitors here, as they see it as an opportunity to charge another pointless fee for simply pressing a button on the computer to produce new agreements for a further (legally unnecessary) fixed term tenancy.

The fact is you may continue the tenancy on the expired fixed term agreement you signed in the first place - which will then be called a 'periodic assured shorthold tenancy', running from month to month. The risk is that you will be served with a notice which will put up the rent, or worse still, a two month notice to quit entitling vacant possession to the LL. But a letting agent cannot do any of this without the Landlord agreeing. You can give a months notice at any time of course if it's a periodice tenancy, with the notice expiring on the rent date of the the month.

There can be no bad credit rating over this unless you do not pay and it is on a database of dodgy tenants which is not quite the same . There has to be a CCJ to affect your credit really. The rest is titttle tattle.

Edited January 6, 2011 by plummet expert

[Live Peasant]

Ignore it. I've never had a follow up, never had any bad credit rating as a result etc. They are 'inviting' you to pay as they can't demand anything.

[Superted187]

Would agree with everyone else. My year long tenancy agreement expired in September. My Landlord (who is also my neighbour) told us of the options, that we could either pay £75 for another fixed term contract, or keep it rolling but be aware of the reduced notice period.

We left it rolling (I'm not going to pay some facktard EA money for doing nothing!!) Seemed like a no brainer for us as it's only a small place with not a lot of things in it.

[porca misèria]

One thing to add to what everyone has said. If you have contact with your landlord, it might be worth a word with them. They might be grateful to you for explaining about rolling contracts that avoid arbitrary extra payments to an agent. Best of course also to back it up with information they'll trust: find something published by a reputable source, maybe point them to landlordzone, convince them it's perfectly normal and not you trying to swindle them in a legal minefield.

[Number79]

One thing to add to what everyone has said. If you have contact with your landlord, it might be worth a word with them. They might be grateful to you for explaining about rolling contracts that avoid arbitrary extra payments to an agent. Best of course also to back it up with information they'll trust: find something published by a reputable source, maybe point them to landlordzone, convince them it's perfectly normal and not you trying to swindle them in a legal minefield.

the ll may even welcome it if the ea's are charging him the same amount as well.

[Fawkandles]

So this rolling contract thing, is this some sort of general law that allies to people in my situation? Like a default setting?

Thanks for all your responses. Very reassuring. I look forward to writing a sarcy letter informing them that I invite them to pay a share of my gas bill!

[Rozza]

So this rolling contract thing, is this some sort of general law that allies to people in my situation? Like a default setting?

Thanks for all your responses. Very reassuring. I look forward to writing a sarcy letter informing them that I invite them to pay a share of my gas bill!

1) Its the law that applies to all AST's, so when you fixed period ends you are legally entitled to remain living there unless given notice so long as you continue to pay the rent, the terms remain the same. Estate Agents know that lots of people dont know this so effectively threaten you with "you will lose your home" even though its a total lie

2) Dont bother, speak to landlord, sort out periodic tenancy with them and cut out the middle man, far nicer all round. and then just forget about the EA existing, its what i did. Albeit in my situation i was still getting renewal letters 18 months later for an original 6 months fixed term, so after a year of not having a contract it was about to expire... jokers

[Fawkandles]

Thanks again for the help.

Noted. i will just ignore the agent, or inform them that "I cannot accept correspondence by mail"

[tim123]

Thanks again for the help.

Noted. i will just ignore the agent, or inform them that "I cannot accept correspondence by mail"

LOL.

Though that's unreasonable. There are good legal reasons why they cannot accept phone agreements. The same does not apply to mail

tim

[bazzer]

Hi

Just got a letter off of Reed Reins scumbag letting agents about my tennancy agreement that is ending soon. I will type it out for you, and your opinions about my options arising from it would be most welcome.

Dear Fawkandles

From our records we see that your tennancy is due to end on 02 March 2011. We have written to your landlord to ask if he is agreeable to the tennancy continueing for a further period.

If the tennancy is extended you will in due course be asked to forward payment of £75 as your share of the administration costs.

We cannot accept telephone instructions

END

So, its my understanding that I pay rent to these idiots, and they give most of it to the landlord, keeping some for costs and some for profit. Right? So why should I pay "a share of the admin costs"?

I ALREADY PAID YOU!!!1!

What can I do about this? Its a matter of principle and I refuse to be ripped off.

The sneaky bastards have put in some optional tickboxes about agreeing to an extended tennancy, and presumably agreeing to the fee, and then a dotted line for my signature.

:angry:

as already mentioned by others, just ignore it. I've never paid a renewal fee after the 6 months initial contract has expired, I jsut ignore the letters and stay in the house and continue to pay rent. Neither the EA or LL will want to cause a fuss as they won't want to risk it being void, assuming you are a good tenant of course!

[Lagarde's Drift]

So this rolling contract thing, is this some sort of general law that allies to people in my situation? Like a default setting?

Thanks for all your responses. Very reassuring. I look forward to writing a sarcy letter informing them that I invite them to pay a share of my gas bill!

Hey Fawk,

Google rolling periodic tenancy and that's what you will go on when your AST expires. You could also sign a new AST with the landlord behind the agent's back and just tell them later, that will affect the LL's relationship with the scumbags but that is not your problem.

I note that LL's that send out these letters never point out the alternative options, they always imply (but not state) that your options are to either pay up or get out.

Edit: p.s. I had to educate my LL about this, so yours may not even be aware!

Edited January 11, 2011 by Cash with Nowhere to Go

[Fawkandles]

He originally ignored me and just expected rent ... but a letter from my council's environmental health department changed his tune