Letting Agents/Estate Agents - All snobby or the select few?

Ste.phen

SimpleSam06 wrote: »

So you moved house every four or five months on average? :eek:

I'm guessing the landlords may have switched agents too?

Shadowless

colosseum wrote: »

For starters it means ... breaking a contract willy nilly.

Are you for real? Every rental contract I've ever signed has been a fixed term lease. This tenancy legislation for some inexplicable reason makes several provisions about notice that are all completely redundant because LL's realised they could side-step the issue with a fixed term lease. This means it's up to the Tenant to find a replacement that the LL then has to ok otherwise it's bye-bye deposit.

Every LL or EA I've dealt with have been gangsters as far as I'm concerned.

jesus_thats_gre

SimpleSam06 wrote: »

So you moved house every four or five months on average? :eek:

No, I lived in 4 different houses. I have had dealings with numerous other agents while viewing houses (the OP mentioned agents not turning up to viewings or being rude) between those 4 houses.

Not turning up to appointments, practically calling me a liar when I called to confirm appointments to view a place (arrange on Saturday – apparently no appointment was made), given the third degree about where I work, name of company, area I work in…ok, those questions are fine, but when enquiring about a house first off, and the tone of voice…like I was something from the bottom of her shoe!??

In all those dealings, I have not had a single problem with a letting agent or landlord. Maybe I was just lucky.

antoinolachtnai

Shadowless wrote: »

Are you for real? Every rental contract I've ever signed has been a fixed term lease. This tenancy legislation for some inexplicable reason makes several provisions about notice that are all completely redundant because LL's realised they could side-step the issue with a fixed term lease. This means it's up to the Tenant to find a replacement that the LL then has to ok otherwise it's bye-bye deposit.

Where in the legislation does it say that the terms don't apply if there is a fixed term lease?

Ste.phen

There's a way out of fixed term leases if you manage to find someone who'll take over the lease for the duration (assuming you're not clearly taking the piss with someone the landlord genuinely believes to be an unsuitable tenant), but otherwise a fixed term lease is fairly enforceable, I imagine.

kersti

In my own experience dealing with agents here is a waste of time - so much so that I've half considered setting up a letting-only agency myself (still finding it hard to find out exactly what I'd need to do).

Part of the problem is that the market has grown dramatically whereas the rules and regs haven't caught up - new legislation is going to enshrine things like access to hot and cold water 24/7 and make a microwave part of the basic rules, but to be honest you're dealing with different levels there.

I've rented furnished places and so far there's no telling what that means. Some with vacuum cleaner, some without - so you end up buying one and then having to find some way of disposing of it when you get to a new place that has one, or you have to fill up the non-existent storage spaces with your landlord's supplied sub-standard goods. But if others are doing without hot and cold water or access to heating then who am I to complain about paying for storage space for my landlord?

I took my last agent to the PRTB for giving me an invalid notice, we even had the hearing (after 6 months wait) and the agent had the cheek to complain that it wasn't fair that they were expected to know all the laws that pertain to letting! That hearing was in May, we're still waiting for the final official outcome but it's clear that the PRTB is swamped and as a result a lot of valid complaints will just get dropped.

My current agent is just about to get the boot - landlord is coming around to do a direct contract.

blondie83

LadyE wrote: »

Seriously, there has to be some decent ones around??

I am currently looking for a 3 bedroomed place to live in South Co Dublin, and when I have called up a few adverts on Daft,the number was to estate agents.
The way they treat potential renters is a disgrace! Not turning up to appointments, practically calling me a liar when I called to confirm appointments to view a place (arrange on Saturday – apparently no appointment was made), given the third degree about where I work, name of company, area I work in…ok, those questions are fine, but when enquiring about a house first off, and the tone of voice…like I was something from the bottom of her shoe!??

I have a good, professional telephone manner, and no strong accent, so how dare she treat me like that!!!

And also, whats the deal with charging ME €200 “Administration Fee” – Is this standard, esp because the adverts on n Daft!???

Ive also emailed about 5 different places..not one single reply…grrrrrrrrrrrrr

Can anyone recommend a decent estate agent in South Co Dub?

LadyE the name of this agency didn't start with "M" did it? That admin fee sounds familiar! We're having terrible trouble with our acency at any rate - 3 weeks out of our house and still no deposit back - it's just getting ridiculous, really they've tried everything under the sun to stall it and keep coming out with random new things we have to do before we get it back:(

nadin278

Those are absolutely normal questions. Agent needs to know, where you work, is it suitable area for you. DOnt get me wrong, but sometimes people ring up make an appoitment and dont show up, because they just realised that area is not suitable for them. Its waste of time, so please dont take that personally, when letting agent is asking all those questions, in a maner that seems to be not very friendly. They need to know that you are serious about the property, that you know the area etc.




given the third degree about where I work, name of company, area I work in…ok, those questions are fine, but when enquiring about a house first off, and the tone of voice…like I was something from the bottom of her shoe!??