To not expect my letting agents to nearly make me cry!

[Feelingbetterslowly]

My mum has just died, and to help pay the mortgage until I have finished uni and am able to live in the house I am renting it out. I currently live on the other side of the country, so can't just "nip round" and make sure everything is ok before a viewing, and they know this.

It needs decorating and cleaning desperately, and also a new cooker putting in, so have arranged for a cleaner and decorator to come and do it over the next two weeks, and then they were going to take the pictures etc and start the viewings.

However, not only have the already taken the pictures while it is dirty and undecorated-they are already showing people around and then rang me yeaterday and gave me a massive earful about how disgusting the place was and how noone will ever want to rent it (bearing in mind this is AFTER I have just paid their £250 fee!) and started REALLY hassling me about the decorator.

I am so peed off, I didn't want anyone looking around it yet, and I especially don't want them telling me that my mum lived like a pig (which she didn't-she was very ill before she died, and was in hospital for six months, so we used it as a base camp when we came to see her so it hasn't been cleaned properly for a while, but that's hardly her fault!)

They now inform me today (after I rang them to see if the people delivering the cooker could have the keys, which OF COURSE is impossible for them to do, so I now have a five hundred mile round trip to get the fecking thing delivered!!) that a mattress has been sat outside the front door for the last three weeks!! WTF!! Why didn't they even THINK to inform me that it was there? And they have been showing people around this place!!???!

ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry, rant over!

Not unreasonable at all. Estate agents have cloth ears ime.

I assume you've already explained that you're having it cleaned/decorated - have you also told them you don't want anyone going round/photos taken until that's done?

I'd send them a strongly worded email (easier than phone ime if you're feeling a bit fragile) pointing out that:

• you have explicitly explained that you did not want any viewers yet - that they are not to show anyone else round without express permission from you
• that you have already informed them of plans to clean & redecorate, & as such were very concerned that this hadn't been communicated to the viewing team
• that photos need to be re-taken once cleaning/decorating already done as you had asked them not to do these yet - current photos will not reflect the property

I would also point out that as a remote landlord, you need to feel confident that your letting agents are operating as your eyes on the property - discovering that they had left a mattress outside the house without informing you has created concerns around how much this agency is capable of doing this.

Finally I would ask what the implications are if you decide you change letting agents. I suspect you would loose your £250, but it might at least make them take you seriously.

Bastards. Good points from funny but I wouldn't say 'what are the implications if I change agents'. I'd say 'Unless you start acting in agreement with our contract, following my instructions at all times, I shall have to switch agents.' If they aren't doing what the contract says, they are breaking the agreement and you are fully entitled to go elsewhere. Try CAB or Consumer Direct or Trading Standards for advice.

Oh, yes, edam's line is much better

This is awful. They need to start following your instructions. BTW on the subject of changing agents, yes you may lose some money but if they're this useless before someone rents, why will they be any better later on?

actually, they've breached the contract so you should be able to get the £250 back.

I would write a v strongly worded email/letter, and if you don't get a grovelling response, ask for money back. if no joy, you can call the credit card co (if you paid by card) or use the small claims court.

They are useless aren't they? I remember going to see a house as a prospective tenant to find the landlady in tears. She'd driven over to collect some post, realised the previous tenants had just left (not been informed by agents), that the house had been wreaked including tom cat piss all over the living room (not been informed by agents) and that the agents were showing tenants round (without informing her).

Then the agent turned up, saw us outside, not realising the landlady was inside and said 'sorry to show you this one, the landlady has let it get into a bit of a state'. I stood back and watched the explosion!

Thanks guys, you have made me feel so much better. The house is in West Yorkshire but I'm in Cambridge-poor landlady in your story millie! I am glad that it's only for three years, as if it does get bad then it's not for long, but i'm still really [scared emoticon]-I'm only 23 so I think they think that they can put me on the back burner, but I'll let them know I'm not to be placed there!!!!! Am studying land law next year, which encorporates letting, so that will shed some interesting light on it-he he!