Tenancy renewal fees

[LeatherspoonGlittersmile]

Using an agency supposedly gives you a bit of protection from dodgy landlords. But the fact of the matter is if you have signed a lease, the flat is yours until you either break the terms of the lease or the lease runs out.

Normally when a lease is about to run out the land lord will have to give you due notice. So you can't find your self on the street on Wednesday because your lease ran out on Tuesday.

My feeling on this personally is to up sticks and find a new place to live. With a longer lease. I'm not sure why being a student means you have to move around a lot. I never had to.

[MreAnderson]

In an ideal world I would deal directly with a landlord, especially one recommended by someone familiar with them. However, it's not always that easy, especially when under time contraints on finding a place.

I agree that signing a contract for a period, that you know you will be staying in the area, gives you added protection and security.

I am a grad student, so have moved each time I have studied at a different Uni for different degrees. Sometimes a number of times during the course of a degree (halls ---> shared house etc.).

I received the documentation through today (half of which is wrong and needs correcting). There is a paragraph in the new contract (the first agency I signed a contract with was taken over - so some of the terms have changed) stating that a £75 pound "inventory charge" will be payable on moving out.

This isn't a cleaning charge if cleaning is required (e.g. place I lived in last year - cleaned it well - no charge and got full deposit back). This is a charge for them just to check the inventory and see if any cleaning is required (if cleaning is required an ADDITIONAL charge will be payable).

I assume they make money when someone moves in, when someone signs a renewal, when they check an inventory, if cleaning is required plus a chunk of the rent each month. Not a bad business to be in. And I thought that regular (property purchase) agents were a waste of space and made money alot of money for doing very little! These guys take the biscuit.

I have never come across anything like this. Seriously considering not signing and moving on.

Has anyone else come across such a charge?

[ivorBiggen]

It's pretty standard unfortunately if you're living in London. Practically every letting agent I visited at the start of the year not only charged you a £50-75 fee for renewing your contract but most also charged a £50-200 fee for simply setting up the tenancy.

It's **** and it is daylight robbery but there is nothing you can do about it besides cutting out the letting agents and dealing directly with landlords. This is better imo but you've already moved into the place so unless your willing to move and take the time to find a place with a decent landlord then your screwed.

The place I'm at now harge a £75 termination fee at the end of the 6 months which we spotted before signing the tenancy. We argued about it for ages but in the end they basically said you have to pay it or else you don't get the tenancy.