Mumsnet community outraged by couple facing £150 tenant referencing fee

It may not be the most obvious forum to discuss agents, but you can certainly trust Mumsnet to open up some forthright debate.

Take this, from yesterday, concerning a couple being charged a non-refundable £150 fee for reference checking, despite being highly unlikely to get the tenancy.

The writer – mother of one of the tenants – said the practice is “fundamentally very immoral”.

We would be very interested in your views.

“I realise that agencies need to make money and in general I think they serve a purpose and are not rip-off artists, but…

“My daughter is looking at a flat to rent at the moment. It’s perfect for her and her partner, but has had a lot of interest.

“The agency has said that they are going to do referencing checks for everyone interested, at £150 per person, then present details of the people who pass to the landlord, who will select who he actually wants. The unlucky competitors won’t get any sort of refund.

“It won’t surprise any of you to hear we’re in SE London!

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for my daughter to do this, as she is disabled and her partner is on a low income, meaning they would get partial housing benefit.

“I don’t think there is any chance of them being chosen over professional couples with a decent income.

“I also think it’s fundamentally very immoral for the agency to be planning to make a couple of thousand pounds knowing that most of their clients will not be getting the flat…

“She really wants to try though as it would be perfect for them. Do you think there’s any chance of making a deal with the agency that if (when!) they don’t get the flat, the referencing can stay valid for e.g. 3 months so that they can look at other places with that issue out of the way?

“£300 is quite a chunk out of their limited savings if they don’t get the place- they have got a decent deposit and first month’s rent but it’s impossible to save any more significant amounts.”

That post quickly drew a mass of responses, mostly expressing outrage and disgust but some offering genuinely helpful advice.

An earlier post on Mumsnet complained about persistent touting letters being received by someone with a property on the market with their preferred agent.

“I don’t doubt that this [touting] is common practice, but it is really unpleasant … If we had wanted to use them, then we would have done so in the first place.”

The responses included one that suggested the unwilling recipient should name and shame the touting agents on Twitter.

Which she did.

Originally posted here.

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