Tenancy Arrangement Fee. Do I pay it?

[ricochet1980]

Hi,

I've been renting a flat from an Estate Agent for 5 years now.

it was a 12 month contract, so I've renewed 4 times with no fees but for this most recent renewal. They've decided to charge me �82 for the Tenancy Arrangement Fee for the latest contract.

I've never paid this before and it doesn't seem fair to charge me for this 1 year out of 5.

I read somewhere that because my contract is with the Landlord and not the Agent then I can not be charged any fees by the agent, only by the LL. Correct or not?

Perhaps the bill was meant for the LL and accidentally found it's way to me.

Thanks!

[cassa333]

Ring them and tell them you have had the bill by mistake and see what they say.

As a landlord I get charged by the agent as well as the tenant getting charged. They are a rip off so changed my agent to someone I knew and it is a lot cheeper.

[Twenty20]

You can be charged by the agent even though the agent is working for the landlord but this must be agreed by you in advance - i.e. you should have been given terms and conditions to sign which would have stipulated the fees. Check the documents you signed, if no fee is mentioned then you shouldn't have to pay. The downside of doing this is that the agent will possibly try to get the landlord to evict you and get new tenants in who they can charge. A bit risky from the agent's point of view though as the landlord may drop the agent.

If you're not happy with charges that the agent is trying to make you pay then you can contact the landlord direct and put your case. The agent is legally obliged to provide an address for the landlord. I'm sure the landlord would rather keep the existing tenants (you) rather than lose money by having a void period until new tenants are found.