Can any accounts dept types explain this to me please?

[sticksantaupyourchimney]

Because it is driving me nuts. How come, if I pay my rent to the letting agency by standing order they can pay it to the landlord on time, if I pay it one day late by a cash deposit directly into their account with the correct references, etc, attached and provide them with proof of payment, it takes them 3 weeks to pay the landlord?
Oh and please don;t post smugly that I should 'just pay by standing order' - eveyr single month is a struggle to get paid by the people I work for and sometimes I am a day late which means standing orders bounce...

no idea. Have you asked the letting agency why they take 3 weeks to process this? If it were always 1 week (or 4 weeks) late, I would guess that it is an automated thing where they send out one cheque/transfer/bacs thingie a week or per month. If payments miss the boat, not included until the next pay run? Perhaps the cash is dealt with on a different cycle?

Logic says that this is just ridiculous and putting you in a poor position with your landlord. I wonder if you landlord would prefer to you to pay them direct and cut out the middle man costs and wasted time? Probably a dumb thought as a know letting agencies are useful buffers bt renters and landlords, but in your case the buffer is more of a delayer.

Sorry no use at all - but can empathise and agree it is stupid!

I think this is more a problem for your landlord than you. The word 'agent' is significant here. If the landlord wants someone to act as his agent in receiving rent (among other things), then you discharge your obligation to pay rent to the landlord by paying it to the agent. What happens after that is between the landlord and his agent.

Unfortunately the landlord doesn't see it that way (and is not the most, er, patient of people).THe agency also have a tendency to make mistakes and fib (either saying I haven't paid when I have, or that I paid by cheque and they have to wait for it to clear...)
No wonder I ahve hypertension, really

If you have proof of payment can't you send a copy to the landlord to show him that it's the letting agents that are causing him problems. That way they can't get away with lying to him.

Sadly the landlord (being about 100 years old and bad-tempered) insists that everything is my fault because I don't pay by standing order. Thing is, I do try to pay by standing order, but when companies who owe me money lie to me about having done a BACS transfer into my account, then the standing order bounces and I have to go scurrying round the loan sharks in order to make the cash payment the next day. My problem is that I really don't see why it makes such a difference to the letting agency's paying the landlord, how the money is paid to them (when it is paid with correct references and in on the due date) that they can take so much longe to pay it.