Cancelling estate agent contract - anyone managed to do this?

[Joytotheworld2021]

We're about 8 weeks into a 20 week estate agent contract. We would really like to get out of this contract if we can. We had verbal agreement to a 12 week contract but missed the 20 week part in the scanned faint copy of the contract they sent us to sign. They wanted a percentage fee based on asking price rather than achieved. They agreed to change this verbally but it wasn't in the contract and we spotted this and got them to alter it but somehow missed the length of the contract.

The service from the estate agent has been woeful. I have no confidence they will ever sell our house. Has anyone ever managed to get an estate agent to agree to call it quits before the end of the contract? Thanks.

Bump?

It's definitely possible.

Are they registered with the property ombudsman? I wouldn't actually go to the ombudsman (not least because you're meant to go through the estate agent's own complaints procedure first), but the ombudsman's code of practice is pretty detailed - so I'd take a look at where your estate agent is failing in that regard and drop them a casual email about it. I.e. not happy with your service because it's not in line with points X, Y and Z on the code of practice - rather than go through a formal complaints process, shall we just mutually agree to part ways? I imagine they'd agree to that quite readily!

Thanks very much Power

Yes I did it. The original agent did lovely photos and then...nothing. I got fed up, cancelled and then engaged the services of another agent. They had some sort of clause about a sale within a certain time period etc, but never came back to me. The second agent wasn't as good a photographer but they actually did viewings for me and helped me sell!

I did. My first estate agent had a clause in the contract about 4 weeks notice or an administration fee of £300. We paid the fee as we just wanted out.

We did. We were so fed-up with having no viewings that I went into the EA office pretending to be a potential customer. They had a huge map of the county on the wall and I said I was looking for properties in a particular village (our village). They said they didn't have anything, so I said 'erm actually yes you do, you have ours'. I told them we were removing our property and not to send us a bill. (this was before the Internet so no one would have known our property was on the market, other than chancing upon the for sale board). We sold very quickly with the next agent.

Thanks very much Power Bobbin fig and Super.

I followed Power's excellent suggestion of contacting the ombudsman. They said, based on our description of the very poor service, we would have sufficient grounds for complaint which would warrant the contract being cancelled. However, this process would obviously take time and the branch has wasted too much time already. Best approach would be to contact the Head Office, tell what the Ombudsman had said and suggest that it's in the best interests of everyone to cancel now. The person I spoke to in Head Office was very understanding and said she would speak to her manager and the cancellation department. Unfortunately they also need to liaise with the branch to progress the matter. So, nothing definite yet - as my husband said, it's still entirely possible that they will say no, but I have more hope than I had yesterday. Thanks again everyone