Problem with letting agent

[Carlyle62]

I am fuming over a problem with a well known London letting agent. I am due to leave my unfurnished flat in central London at the end of March, and the agent has shown a couple of people round. A couple of weeks ago, early on a Saturday morning, I had a call from the porter that the agent asked them for a key to show someone round as they were in the building to look at another flat. I refused and asked them to make a proper viewing appointment.

Today the agent was to bring someone round, and I was going out for a while, but agreed they could come. On my return I learned that the agent didn't turn up and sent an email to the front desk to let the prospective tenant have the key to look around unsupervised. As the porter works for the letting agent and had received this instruction, he gave the keys. So someone unknown to me had the run of my flat, could have taken anything,or seen confidential files on my work (I work from home most of the time).

I was devastated (and shed a few tears),. I complained to a director of the agency, and he said they knew the prospective tenant, as they had dined together some months back. I said I would write a formal complaint and copy in the agent's professional body. I have not had quiet enjoyment of my flat (paying more than £3000 pm for the privilege),. What other redress do I have.

change the lock?

What other kind of redress do you want to have?

I would make a formal complaint to the company, on seperate grounds - the agent sending an unaccompanied viewer, and also that the porter handed over the key to a stranger without your permission. Give them an appropriate time to respond and then forward the complaint to the official body.

For the rest of your time living there refuse all viewings. Put that in writing and make sure that any relevant person has it - agent, porter etc.

You might want to post this in Legal there might be someone with experience there.

just had another idea

ask the director you spoke to for his house keys, and say you'll lend them to any of your chums you've had dinner with, who'd like a nose round

Oreocrumbs and PigletJohn

Thanks for replies. Have posted on legal as suggested, and yes, I expect the Director would be outraged if I behaved the way his agent did!

Feel a bit for porter, as he had email which said he had to hand over keys, and I think he thought I knew about it. The agent employs all the concierge staff and looks after the cleaning and maintenance eye, so he staff are put in a difficult position

To leave the porter out of things could you 'borrow' his copy of your key and not return it untill you move out. That way he can't be put in a position like that again.