Any Experience With Estates and Management?

[ZaraW]

Due to be being unable to sell my flat (unless I am prepared to make a loss of 30% of what I have bought it for) I've been letting the property out for the last 10 years.

My lease states I have to pay a transfer fee once I find a new tenant which I have no problem with. Since last year Estates and Management have taken over the collection of ground rent and transfer fees. However, now they are demanding a consent to let fee. I can find nowhere in my lease that states I have to pay this and have never had to pay before they took over. I asked them to provide me evidence in the lease of where it states I have to make payment. I requested this information 7 months ago but they have only just got back to me once again stating I have to pay but not telling me why or where in the lease it states I have to pay.

They seem unprofessional and totally unorganised has anyone any experience of them?

TIA

They are a nightmare & a very expensive nightmare too.

I deal with the at work a lot.

If you are sure your lease doesn't require you to pay that particular fee write to them & say so, enclose a copy of the lease & say if they believe you do have to pay, they need to explain why.

Rip off merchants and so slow to deal with anything.

Even if your lease says consent is required (look for the bit about assignment, under letting/ subletting) the fee has to be reasonable, not their £120 to breathe fee.

NiceAcorns thanks that is my impression of them too.
I have sent them an email copying and pasting that my lease states there is a transfer fee and asking them to show me the consent to let fee as I can't find it they are just ignoring me and demanding money.
Fleuchamp thanks they want £165 my lease has never changed apart from the tenant's name and the dates they had a tenancy agreement.

My transfer fee was in the region of £300 around three years ago but the Office of Fair Trading reduced that fee by around 60%. Maybe they are looking at ways to get money back from what they have lost by this reduction?