Have I been conned by letting agent?

Dear all, I need some help and advice desperately and urgently as I feel as if I am being exploited by an letting agent. My property in Dover was not selling so I placed it with a letting agent as I do not live locally.

The agency offers a scheme where they pay contractors upfront and agree a monthly rental split with the landlord to recoup the debt. This seemed ideal as various certificates were required, except that there have never been any discussions with me about the split. The tenants had paid three months rental in advance which was swallowed by the agency as well as the follow-up monthly rents.

Although the October statement indicated that £78 was due to me there was no deposit into my account and my text was simply ignored. The tenants have now paid the final sixth month rent and to date I have received no rental.

I have had a continuous battle with the agency. The estimates from the contractors were excessive for small jobs and my objections either received no response or some fabrication was offered. The invoices were simply paid. The building contractor had agreed with the agent to reduce his bill by a measly £100 and he had additionally agreed with me to put a skirt on the front door without cost to me as “he needed to keep landlords happy.”

The adjusted invoice showed £65 for the front door and the £100 was never deducted. My request for a refund was initially ignored. When I persisted the letting agent fabricated roof repairs done as a favour to him which should offset the amount owing. The cost of the repairs quoted as £300 became £400. He knew the process of informing landlords about required work. There had not previously been any mention of roof repairs and the photos provided had been taken by the gutter cleaner and showed no evidence of repair work to the roof.

The gas engineer seemed clueless and in my presence stated that a new pump was required for the boiler. I showed him that there was no credit on the pay as you go meters but he nevertheless assessed the boiler and provided a gas certificate. He instructed a company to replace the pump. The tenants arrived in mid May, fed the meter and reported that the boiler was not working. The company attended and they found a break in the circuit. I refused to pay for a pump which had been a wrong assessment and the two invoices were nearly half the price of a new boiler. No response.

The electrician produced an estimate for nearly £2.500 which was not itemised. I requested an itemised invoice which set out the EICR work, a new double oven and he had included a small sum for transporting the appliance. In October my statement included an invoice from a different contractor for the removal of “electrician appliance and packaging” in May. This agency simply deducted this from the rental despite my objections.

The tenants moved into the property in May 2023 and for over two months I received no agreement or details about the tenants. I threatened to take action as it was illegal to sign a contract in my name with no information about the tenants or my contractual obligations. I had twice made it clear that I did not want council tenants as Dover instructs tenants not to move and it took me nearly eight months to evict a council tenant. I don’t know whether this is a council tenant.

When I was finally provided with the agreements, I found that the agency had created a six month AST. I was concerned that I would receive no rental for the duration of the AST so I instructed them to serve a Section 21 notice. I gave the agency two months notice as well but received no acknowledgement. They were reluctant to serve the Section 21 and when I asked for details that it had been properly served, no precise details were given. I was later advised to seek a possession order if the tenant failed to move. I have now received the first inspection report which states that the premises are tidy and the tenants are happy. I still have no proof that the Section 21 has been served although I was charged for the service and I am concerned that the agents can request compensation for tenant finding if the tenants are still in situ.

I have informed the agency that I will be complaining to the PRS and seeking further advice and assistance. No response from the Agency. The PRS indicated that I could complain but their process is drawn out and eight weeks should elapse from the formal written complaint to the agency before referral to the PRS. This will be far too late.

This has been an appalling experience. I am retired and the financial impact has been devastating during the mortgage hikes. I am really at a loss how to progress this and I would be grateful for advice from anyone who has had similar experience so I can move matters on.

Thanks,

Linda