To think home buyers get treated better by estate agents

[Polarbearflavour]

DP and I are buying our own home. DP lives in military accommodation at the moment but owns a paid off flat and I’m renting my own one bedroom flat.

I can’t believe the difference when looking to buy! Estate agents are much more polite, return phone calls and treat us with more deference.

When looking to rent my current place, I viewed so many flats, never had phone calls returned, treated a lot less respectfully, messed around etc.

I am a customer in both respects but only ever get treated like a customer when buying not renting. Find it very odd!

Renters are treated like absolute shit

You’re not their customer when buying. The seller is paying them. You’re also not their primary customer when renting - their contract is with the landlord.

I think with renting they know they'll be able to find a tenant quickly, I rented for over a decade and it was always a fight to get a property. The housing market is quite slow at the minute (I think) so they are probably more inclined to treat buyers well.

I'm not sure how it works exactly, but I assume they make a tidy bit of commission on sales, so are more keen to chase up leads. Also, renting a place out is a lot easier than selling it, when they didn't get back to you it had probably already been snapped up - my dad is a landlord and he meets a couple of tenants before deciding who gets the flat.

My friend was treated like shit when buying her house and I was treaters well when I rented, I think it sometimes just comes die. To the estate agents themselves

**comes down

Oh and every estate agent said in a smug kind of way “we don’t accept DSS” as though people who claim benefits are scum. But if you have a “good job” in an office you are magically seen as being “better” than somebody who receives benefits.

Well they’re evaluating your ability to pay rent based on a monthly salary, so yeah?

I own a house but needed to rent as I’ve moved job, I rang and asked the estate agents about houses to rent that took dogs...all told me to check the website...the ads very rarely mentioned if pets were allowe but nobody seemed to actively help me..it was as if they didn’t want my custom...I’m sure when I ring them because I’m ready to buy a property they will be falling over themselves to help...not because they care but because it will carry a bigger commission

Most of us are only a paycheque or too away from being on benefits ourselves! It’s how letting estate agents, most of whom won’t be on amazing salaries either acting all smug about “not accepting DSS” which in itself is an outdated term.

I was treated really badly by letting agents, not all, but most. Rented a house advertised as unfurnished, occupied when we viewed, when we rented there was furniture and rubbish left by the owner. We complained and the agency said ‘the owner can do what he likes with his house’ When you rent you aren’t the customer, you have few rights, you can quickly be replaced. There’s a housing crisis, good property is in high demand. Buyers market is different. I do think that lots of people look down their noses at renting too.

Many landlords won't want tenants with dogs, so the agent can't produce properties that do not exist.

When you buy then it is all up to you about pets, smoke etc.

When I lived in London, we paid £1100 a month in rent between us. We had good jobs. Yet still treated like scum! If we are paying, surely we are customers?

When I changed my address the other day, the bank assistant said in a really snooty way “oh are you still renting then, that’s a shame” I wondered if she was able to buy a property living and working in London on her salary.