to think that renters get a raw deal

[Catza]

I am in a quite an interesting position as I am currently buying a house but need to rent in the meantime.
I noticed that the treatment of renters by EAs is vastly different from buyers. Nothing about my circumstances changed: my earnings are the same, my savings are the same, I have the same job and I am the exactly same person. Yet.. when I contact EA to view a property, they are polite and helpful. When I contact one to enquire about a viewing of rental, they treat me with high suspicion, write almost confrontational emails with a long list of demands and generally make me feel like a second class citizen.
OpenRent which I have used many many time in the past has done downhill massively as well. Landlords who book viewings but don't provide property address and then disappear. Many are "away next week" and promise to get back to me, then ghost even after chasing. This morning, I had to report yet another landlord to OpenRent for failing to respond.

If anyone has been in a similar situation, did you feel this too? Or am I being a bit too sensitive due to normal house buying stress?

AIBU = I have never experienced this myself
AINBU = yes, I also feel like I am being treated poorly as a renter by EA at the enquiry stage.

If someone has an excellent credit record and has paid a comparable rent elsewhere it’s none of your business what they earn.

Nasty, factually incorrect and uncalled for. Clearly an EA. You’ve just proven my point and you don’t even know it.

Just weird. That’s how I’ve got tenants over 8 years without raising rent.

@Disneycharacters yes it seems mad I know -it’s because we weren’t in a financial position to buy until past the age of getting a mortgage over a reasonable term due to having a business go bust - credit record wasn’t great for a while - and didn’t gave the deposits - also my H refuses to live anywhere that he doesn’t really like. I Would have compromised somewhat but he wouldn’t- we probably will buy if/when we inherit , but outright.

Ooh even we can’t get away with that - apart from when we moved to Denmark ! We rented a £2700 nice house us an agent and were not even referenced one bit - I kept thinking ‘why haven’t they asked me for employers/current tenancy’ details- but they never did - mind you it’s 3 months deposit there and we got fleeced when we left , you essentially have to redecorate top to bottom, restrip all the floors, basically it’s like doing a mini renovation and we didn’t have time after moving out -

Yet you still can't define what you actually do.

I am a chartered engineer, I work in the oil and gas industry. My specialism is offshore and subsea engineering. So yes, I know what a 'professional' is.

I found estate agents to be pretty polite whether buying or selling but utterly untrustworthy either way.

They were better when we were selling, but actually worse when they were our agents when we were landlords.

I am perfectly calm. I am highlighting inequality of access to information.
At the moment it seems as though landlords hold a wealth of information about renters, whereas renters often don't know who landlords are and any gaps in reliability or responsiveness often become apparent once renters are locked into a contract.
.

100% agree. I’m currently renting but owned in the past, and the difference in treatment is stark. Sometimes I wonder if they know that people can do both or even if they might be renters themselves? Like, just treat people with respect.

What are you talking about?
Do you think maybe I don’t know what my job is?

I don’t need to define what I do. I am simply telling you I know what I’m talking about.

Or maybe you want to discuss more how you’d get your tenants prosecuted under the Criminal Damage Act 1971?

Oh the landlord would sort the issue out I'm sure, then I'd sue the tenant. The contract is perfectly enforceable, I've done quite a few recovery of losses due to breach of contract and negligent behaviour by tenants. It's very effective in quite a few ways. If they don't pay they end up with a ccj and the bailiffs chasing them for the next six years. At least then other landlords know not to rent to them.

But this does not always follow. I rent but the agents only did the vetting and manage the contract. They also collect rent. But I deal directly with my landlord.

You would need to get a court order to debit their account without their consent - and they may simply not have it / move the money.

I think this is a great change. Reduces the incentive for landlords to/ agents to lie about the condition of property and conceal a problem that cannot be seen in a 15 minute viewing.

They could lie and lock you in for 12 months. Now you are free to leave.

Also I know MN is apparently a unique utopia where every single landlord that posts here is an amazing landlord that treats tenants well and looks after their property - but in the real world, I have rented for years. I have had corporate landlords and landlords with only one property. While mainly good experiences all problems I had were with smaller landlords who always threw a tantrum at dealing with issues with the property.

The same is true of people I know. My friend recently looked at a property with a broken window (from the outside). The landlord does not see why they should fix it and instructed the agent to just “get somebody in”.

I saw a property which had rotting skirting from a leak by the toilet and marks on the wall. I said I would take it if the landlord would attend to both those issues. Was told “no” but they “gave me permission” to pay to fix it myself. None of that would occur with a larger corporate owned property as they would have the money to fix it.

EAs run a business, objective is to make money. If you are a high end client they will focus on you more. Doesn't matter whether you are renting or buying. I would say the same for landlords, if you are spending top dollar they know they can't get away with bad behaviour.

It applies to every business. Not saying it is right but it is realistic.

@Disneycharacters There is a lot of truth to this, I find the way you present yourself really goes some way as to how you are treated. Showing you have some money is part of this.

There will be even fewer in 2030 if/when ECP C goes ahead.

I think dealing with some tenants can be quite hard work and property managers get to see a lot of poor on going behaviour from the same group as part of their management. As a LL I’ve seen a lot of PM’s up and leave their employment due to burn out or poor working conditions. Their agency Principals don’t treat them well.

A real estate agent only has to deal with a purchaser generally for a short period of time so it would be easier to put on a smiley face knowing dealings with an arsehole has an end date.

The agencies hosts gala award nights to celebrate the big achievers in the sales team. It’s all very flash and high maintenance whereas good PM’s are not recognised in the same manner….

It depends on the experience of the landlord and the agents as they vary. I have friends who rent out. They treat every renter as an individual. Some good/ bad. My son who rents reported the repair job to the landlord and advised him not to pay the full repair bill as he noticed poor workmanship. He pays rent on time and builds up that trust. In his block there are good/ bad tenants so it isn't all that one sided. My friend spent a considerable amount on repairs as 1 tenant was very disrespectful . Others leave and she writes a reference saying how good they were.

Hang on - in private property I thought repairs are the landlord’s responsibility. Since they own the property, they will want to see the repairs done properly.

Do you mean publicly rented property? There I gather the council or housing association does the repairs/suncontracts the repairs and they are cheap and a bodge job.

Don’t repairs differ between private property & council property?

It’s a massive risk for a private landlord to allow private tenants to repair things, as the tenants won’t have a clue and will do the cheapest/bodge job or never repair, as the tenant doesn’t own the place, has got no skin in the game.

Yes I experienced a letting agent behaving in a snooty way also. I dared to enquire about a long term let. The response was it’s up to the landlord I will not disclose such information. I just did not want to be moving my children to have to move again a year later, with schools to consider. Completely friendlier when it’s a buying situation I have found.

Just wait until you actually get in the buying process as all bets are off and you are treated with the utmost lack of respect regardless of any track record. It is all done digitally now so no hope of even speaking to your solicitor if you find it challenging as they say they cannot help until you do it digitally what they want.

I sympathise but I had a property I rented out when I relocated as I couldn’t sell it and trust me, you wouldn’t want to be a landlord either, when I sold that place it was the happiest day of my life. Never, ever again. Estate/letting agents and some tenants made it unbearable. I had my house trashed and very nearly my sanity. It’s a wonder anyone wants to be a landlord.

Yes, the landlord pays for the checks. That is why they ask so many questions as they pay per tenant on the tenancy agreement.