To be really frustrated with London estate agents?

[AbsentmindedWoman]

70% of the property I call about, is already gone. Adverts get relisted automatically on Rightmove, Zoopla and Gumtree despite being taken off the market a week ago. I'll call about a place and they'll start talking about something £300 more than my budget. FFS.

Am I missing something? Is there a better property portal for London rentals?

Where do you rent through in London, if you're there? What agents are decent?

You have my sympathy- they are incompetent and awful. All I can say is you need to be ruthless. Don't pop into 'just see' a place that doesn't fit your requirements. You give an inch, they take a mile. You have to be tough and constantly put your foot down.

Also, when you agree on a place, get everything in writing. If you agree to something on the phone, send a follow up email saying "thank you for agreeing to X'.

I've had several estate agents in London lie and backtrack on what they said (including picking up the keys and having the flat filled with junk from the last tennant that they refused to remove), and only rectified it when I threatened to go to the ombudsman with the emails I had showing that they had agreed and were now lying.

It's so frustrating! Good luck!

And avoid Foxtons at all costs!

As a general rule they are gits, with the rental market being so in demand in London they don’t need to fight for their commission, as there will be scores of other potential tenants knocking down their door.
They're all pretty awful I'm afraid, and then they'll charge you a small fortune for fees..!
I don't have much advice apart from just keep being persistent and don't let them get you down, move quickly and be as cut throat as you can.

Are you on local Facebook groups or next door for the area you want to love? Some direct properties come up on those.
And I agree. Avoid Foxton's. They are the worst.

Yeah I've had my own run in a while back with the aforementioned estate agents! Never again!

The fees are awful too. One of the better agencies I did a viewing with did say they are refundable in the event the landlord doesn't like the look of you after you've submitted all your references etc - but some of the others just hold onto a holding deposit of £500+. It's insane.

We need more laws protecting tenants, we are pretty helpless when trying to secure somewhere to live, it's infuriating. You need a place to live so you end up having to suck up the ridiculous extra fees.

Off to view more this afternoon. I bet the place that looks reasonable in the photos will have morphed mysteriously into a hovel by the time I set foot through the door!

Whichever area you're looking at, you should contact the local agents - preferably in person if at all possible, as decently priced stuff goes very quickly. You're always going to be taken more seriously if you walk through the door - the amount of people registering by phone was incredible, and if someone walks through the door just after you've taken on a great flat, well those phone registrations aren't going to get a look in. If the agent knows you, knows you're serious and reliable, well they are more likely to think of you when something does come up. I used to work in a London EA and the lettings dept in my old office used to rarely advertise stuff, as people would come in, the staff would know of something they had just seen, and would take them round ... and the client would take it. So no advertisement at all. Obviously some companies are better than others, but to be honest in my experience they are all pretty much the same. It's the agent, not the agency, that can make the difference (not that that helps, sorry!) So I would advise trying to pop in, be friendly (even if it has to be through gritted teeth) and make them remember you (in a good way!)

As a landlord our experience with Lettings Agents is not good either.

We had a viewing at our property with a letting agent who had only dealt with DH. I arrived separately from DH (before him) as I was coming straight from work. The Letting Agent was telling the prospective tenants to lie to DH about their work etc within my earshot as he must have thought I was another tenant (especially as I hadn't brought my keys to the property).
Imagine his horror when I had a quiet chat to DH when he arrive and then DH introduced me as his wife and co-owner of the property.