Estate agent trouble
Discussion
Hey everyone, I'm new to these forums so greetings fellow Piston Heads. 
Me and my wife have been recently been having trouble with (her) flat recently. She's been dealing with an estate agent who has ended up skimming £200 a month off the top of rent for a 3-bed place without our knowledge for around the last 3 years!!! He also let the house to a business (council funded After-Care programme for fostered teens) without our knowledge, and allowed them to paint the bedrooms when specified that no alterations of that kind were to be made without permission...
The biggest kicker is that when we recently asked the tenants to move out he deliberately went behind our back in order to tell them not to move out - this is when all of this information came to the fore
. We were planning to let my daughter and son-in-law move in, so they rented their house out in that belief, and have been forced to stay in our house since February. It's June now and they're still forced to live here, bearing in mind they have 2 small children 
- we're seriously considering legal action right now...
Do you think it'd be worth it in terms of legal costs/time, etc.? I know about the risk of them declaring bankruptcy, and my wife hates the hassle of anything legal, but I just don't like the idea of someone taking the piss to this extent - Apologies for length, and thnks for any help you can offer.
Me and my wife have been recently been having trouble with (her) flat recently. She's been dealing with an estate agent who has ended up skimming £200 a month off the top of rent for a 3-bed place without our knowledge for around the last 3 years!!! He also let the house to a business (council funded After-Care programme for fostered teens) without our knowledge, and allowed them to paint the bedrooms when specified that no alterations of that kind were to be made without permission...
The biggest kicker is that when we recently asked the tenants to move out he deliberately went behind our back in order to tell them not to move out - this is when all of this information came to the fore
. We were planning to let my daughter and son-in-law move in, so they rented their house out in that belief, and have been forced to stay in our house since February. It's June now and they're still forced to live here, bearing in mind they have 2 small children - we're seriously considering legal action right now... Do you think it'd be worth it in terms of legal costs/time, etc.? I know about the risk of them declaring bankruptcy, and my wife hates the hassle of anything legal, but I just don't like the idea of someone taking the piss to this extent - Apologies for length, and thnks for any help you can offer.
Puffing Devil said:
we're seriously considering legal action right now...
Do you think it'd be worth it in terms of legal costs/time, etc.? I know about the risk of them declaring bankruptcy, and my wife hates the hassle of anything legal, but I just don't like the idea of someone taking the piss to this extent - Apologies for length, and thnks for any help you can offer.
If you can prove the 'skimming' and misrepresentation then you have a case for damages. you should seek proper legal advice and appoint a solicitor.Do you think it'd be worth it in terms of legal costs/time, etc.? I know about the risk of them declaring bankruptcy, and my wife hates the hassle of anything legal, but I just don't like the idea of someone taking the piss to this extent - Apologies for length, and thnks for any help you can offer.
You should also report teh EA to his professional body!
Puffing Devil said:
Hey everyone, I'm new to these forums so greetings fellow Piston Heads.
Me and my wife have been recently been having trouble with (her) flat recently. She's been dealing with an estate agent who has ended up skimming £200 a month off the top of rent for a 3-bed place without our knowledge for around the last 3 years!!! He also let the house to a business (council funded After-Care programme for fostered teens) without our knowledge, and allowed them to paint the bedrooms when specified that no alterations of that kind were to be made without permission...
The biggest kicker is that when we recently asked the tenants to move out he deliberately went behind our back in order to tell them not to move out - this is when all of this information came to the fore. We were planning to let my daughter and son-in-law move in, so they rented their house out in that belief, and have been forced to stay in our house since February. It's June now and they're still forced to live here, bearing in mind they have 2 small children - we're seriously considering legal action right now...
Do you think it'd be worth it in terms of legal costs/time, etc.? I know about the risk of them declaring bankruptcy, and my wife hates the hassle of anything legal, but I just don't like the idea of someone taking the piss to this extent - Apologies for length, and thnks for any help you can offer.
What was the agreed rate and do you have a copy of all the paperwork?Me and my wife have been recently been having trouble with (her) flat recently. She's been dealing with an estate agent who has ended up skimming £200 a month off the top of rent for a 3-bed place without our knowledge for around the last 3 years!!! He also let the house to a business (council funded After-Care programme for fostered teens) without our knowledge, and allowed them to paint the bedrooms when specified that no alterations of that kind were to be made without permission...
The biggest kicker is that when we recently asked the tenants to move out he deliberately went behind our back in order to tell them not to move out - this is when all of this information came to the fore
. We were planning to let my daughter and son-in-law move in, so they rented their house out in that belief, and have been forced to stay in our house since February. It's June now and they're still forced to live here, bearing in mind they have 2 small children - we're seriously considering legal action right now... Do you think it'd be worth it in terms of legal costs/time, etc.? I know about the risk of them declaring bankruptcy, and my wife hates the hassle of anything legal, but I just don't like the idea of someone taking the piss to this extent - Apologies for length, and thnks for any help you can offer.
Cheers guys. Yes we have a copy of the contract. Agreed rate was £850 rising to £950 after 12 months (minus his percentage!!), actual rent he was taking was £1050 rising to £1100. The other claim I'm concerned about is the misrepresentation, we've ended up having four more heads under our roof, which has inconvenienced us AND them in all truth, and has definitely had an impact on our finances
The worry is that he simply declares bankruptcy or finds some other way to weasel out of paying, and we end up even more out of pocket after having to foot the legal bills... We've been warning her about him for ages, but she's wanted to keep everyone out of the loop - now I think it's gotten to the point where we simply have to take action.
The worry is that he simply declares bankruptcy or finds some other way to weasel out of paying, and we end up even more out of pocket after having to foot the legal bills
... We've been warning her about him for ages, but she's wanted to keep everyone out of the loop - now I think it's gotten to the point where we simply have to take action. Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff