estate agent fees in london

[kdawg]

I am moving to London soon. I called an estate agent in London to help me find somewhere. They are charging �320 + vat fee. Any experience I have had in the past with estate agents, a a fee is never mentioned and its usually doesn' t involve the tenant being paid by the Landlord to the Estate agent. I think this is extortionate. Is this standard practice?

[bednobs]

is it for renting or buying?
if its for buying, the seller pays the estate agent
if its for renting then the estate agency/letting agent usually charges a fee for credit check of the tennant 320 seems steep but not unusual

[wildwood]

I am no fan of Estate agents but you asked for their service, they set their fee - you accept or decline. Only you can decide if the fee they charge offsets the value of your time to look around and find something suitable yourself.
It would be extortionate if getting a property can only be done through an Estate agent, but you are free to look around yourself. Ring around. Some specialise in rental property and may not charge anything or very little as they have a high turnover. Good luck with finding something suitable.

[jenniprice]

Hi
I used to work in an estate agents and we didn't charge to have people on our books-we needed them to sell/rent properties!

I presume if it's a company offering special service, like personal shopper then this fee is probably what it is.

If I were you I'd just ring round estate agents yourself and ask to be put on their books in case any prop's come up.

Or check out www.rightmove.co.uk or www.gumtree.co.uk