Suspicious estate agent - Advice?

[Carl]

Hi all. I'm in a bit of a weird situation and wonder if ya'll had any advice on it?

After viewing properties for other a month, taking a huge amount of time and stress, I finally found one that I really, really liked.

I viewed the property on Saturday 29th August. The tenants gave me the number of the estate agent.

The first time I called about the property I was answered by a man who sounded confused. I said I wanted it, he said they would call me back.

Tuesday I have received no call back, so I call them again. Somebody else answers, and has no idea who I am.
I explain that I want the property, and she says they'll call me back.

I get a call later that day off yet another person (Shon, or sean), who invites me to come to the office the next day.

The next day, I am on my way to the office and I receive a call from Shon confirming.
Yet when I get there, he is not there. Instead there is a girl called Fatima who is nervous, unsure,
can't type properly and doesn't know much about the business.

Sat on the other desk is a man who seems to know more and have authority, though I have no idea who he is.

We go through the application process where I show my wage slips, passport etc. In the UK we have to pay
application fees, because letting agents are an unregulated shark industry. So I hand over £200 with the application.
This was done in cash because they don't even have a card machine. (For a business that takes such large transactions this is strange.)
They say they'll be back to me soon.

I wait 5 days, and I call fatima again because I have received absolutely 0 contact. She says she sent an email so that I could reply and provide more detail.
This is BS - there is no email anywhere to be found.
I say send it again, but she doesn't seem to know how to use email.

Instead she asks me the same questions that I already filled out on the application form.
After 5-6 questions, it was apparantly done. Sorted - application gone through that very same minute.
What? I thought it took a few days?

Now I have been trying to arrange an appointment yesterday to find out what on earth is going on.
Fatima kept saying send the £650 deposit and the £650 first month's rent by bank transfer.

Obviously, I'm not sending any more money until I can read through the contract and make sure they are using
a deposit protection scheme, and also talk to someone who actually has a clue.
I asked Fatima about this - she said it just goes straight into the business bank account. She didn't know
anything about deposit protection. (If they do not use one, this is actually unlawful).

So I called today morning to arrange a time to come into the office and discuss properly. She said come in for 11.
I turned up at 11, and nobody was there, the shutters on the business were down. I rang two of the numbers I had,
including Fatima's number, and got no answer.

Then I rang Shon, and he told me a bit more of the story: Everyone is running late and schedules are messed up
because the director of the company has recently gone on holiday with no notice. Later into the conversation
instead of 'holiday' he says "left the country", which to me suggests more than just a holiday.

We have arranged to meet at 9PM tonight. But now I am really having a bad feeling about this (I had a bad feeling ever since I first went to the office).
It sounds like they are about to go out of business. Yet I've already put £200 into the application.
In the contract it states that this is non-refundable, so there is pretty much no way to get it back short of violence, which is clearly not worth £200.

I would like to get in touch directly with the landlord and skip these fools altogether, but they are the only
ones with his details.

Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts? It feels like I'm walking into a trap.
I really want this to work but at every turn this agent company is proving itself to be a total shambles at best,
and at worst an outright scam operation. If it's the latter then they are doing a terrible job.

The whole situation is getting ridiculous and I'm getting really stressed and angry and just want to get it done. At the same time, this could be my downfall.

 

[Lilou]

I would like to get in touch directly with the landlord and skip these fools altogether, but they are the only
ones with his details.

Perhaps the tenants can give you the contact information for the landlord? Or at least pass your contact information on to the landlord. Maybe they are not aware of the mess at the lease agent office.

 

[luke wilson]

- Do you have contact details for the current tenants? Talk to them, get the landlord details off them.
- Search google for other peoples experience of this estate agency.
- Before handing cash over, you need to see a contract of tenancy and read through it. You also need to know what will happen with your deposit and who will be looking after it etc.

Estate agents are slimy and will usually employ scare tactics to rush you handing money across.

Btw, the last time I dealt with one, I had to hand across the money in cash, it was a reputable one with an established brand name though unashamedly blood sucking I.e. charged you fees at every turn. Nonetheless, I saw all necessary paperwork beforehand so the whole transaction was legally binding.

PS: They ran a background check through an external agency (which cost more money). Does yours not require this? At my current place, I deal privately with the landlord but even she as standard procedure runs background checks on new tenants.

Its strange that yours are taking their time given that usually they want the deal done quickly.

 

[Laura]

I would do one of two things, maybe both at the same time.

Check the property records and find the name of the owner and contact them directly.

Find a reputable estate agent, tell them your experience, ask if they can act on your behalf, give them the address.

Don't deal with these other jerks again at all. That is just TOO shady.

And kiss your 200 bux goodbye.

 

[casper]

My advice to you would be to find a law in which you write what is required to make a real estate agent (agencies) and to show Fatima and others.
Invite the inspection, because there did not seem to "clean" work with them, I would not have any more business with, see whether the property that you like maybe in some other agencies.

 

[Carl]

Cheers for the quick replies. I am currently trying to contact the tenant who has just moved out in order to get the details of the landlord.




They are difficult to find any information on. No accounts filed and they have no website, but they do have a Facebook page. It looks like they have been okay to deal with in the past. Now however, it's a different story.

PS: They ran a background check through an external agency (which cost more money). Does yours not require this? At my current place, I deal privately with the landlord but even she as standard procedure runs background checks on new tenants.

Yes, this was partly included in the £200 app fee. I know they used an external credit/application checker because I now get marketing calls from that agency offering insurance etc.

Its strange that yours are taking their time given that usually they want the deal done quickly.

That's the weirdest thing. I'm a customer who is 100% interested in what they have to offer, and they still can't get their act together in the most basic way.

I would do one of two things, maybe both at the same time.

Check the property records and find the name of the owner and contact them directly.

Find a reputable estate agent, tell them your experience, ask if they can act on your behalf, give them the address.

Don't deal with these other jerks again at all. That is just TOO shady.

And kiss your 200 bux goodbye.

This seems like the soundest course of action now. The land register says that the whole building (consisting of 3 flats) is owned by one person. He still lives there, and also has an Arabic name (may be friends with the dodgy estate agent).
Well, it can't hurt to go up there and talk to him when I get chance.