I’m in the process of moving flat, and the credit/reference check is being done for the new place. The existing letting agent has emailed me to say, “We’ve received a request for a reference, that’s no problem but please give us £15 and we’ll forward it on.” Now it’s also worth saying I’ve been a very good tenant, rent always on time, no other issues and been very cooperative with late notice viewings etc.

It’s not a lot of money, but it’s really boiled my pi$$ as it seems to be extortion pretty much. Has anyone come accross this and weaseled out of it? If I had more time I could hit them with a data protection act request. Or do I go to the referencing agency and explain that I will not be paying the £15 and see if they’ll accept an alternative reference? Or bombers and wee in shoes?

pick up the phone and speak to them? Explain things as you have done above, lay on a bit of charm and see how you get on?

Fairly standard with letting agents.
I’m a LL and hate dealing with them. I don’t charge for references for any of my past tenants if they’ve been good. Havent had a bad one yet (touch wood) so havent needed to refuse to supply a reference.
Do the agents “manage” the property for the LL or just do the letting? If they don’t manage it then your LL should be providing the reference as they’ll have no knowledge of your payments.

They are just scum, simple as that.

OH rents a house out through them. The tenants signed up for another 6 months and the day after the agent phones up and starts pestering her to put the rent up (so they get more commission). She just said no.

I would do the above, if that doesn’t work then at least try and get a line in an email from them agreeing that you were a good tenant. Then forward the email to new letting agrncy. On principle I wouldn’t pay that either.

I got ours waived as ‘a gesture of goodwill’ after complaining. I wrote and asked where we’d signed to say this charge was applicable, was disappointed that after being accommodating regarding viewings (house was being sold) they still wanted to charge forty quid for 5 mins work. I may have mentioned ARLA too

If you are staying with the same agent they should take your current references and standing without need for new ones and charges.

Speak to them nicely.

Scan in their headed notepaper and write your own. Letting agents are of course, pathetically lazy, so it won’t get checked. 😀

Well I can give an update. I spoke to the referencing agency working for the new agent. They sighed when I explained, and said not to worry just send us a copy of your lease and proof (i.e.) bank statements that I’d paid the rent for the last few months.

I’m going to put in a data protection request with the old agent so I get a copy of everything the hold, so I don’t have to deal with again and it will take a fair bit of work for them to do and very little cost for me.

So everyone else works for free then?

Give the new LL a copy of the communication asking for £15, and ask do you really want a reference I’ve paid for?

So everyone else works for free then?

Nope. But when I’m paid to do a job involving a variety of tasks as standard, I don’t then charge to do each of those tasks.

So everyone else works for free then?

Every had an old employer charge a fee before giving a ref for your new employer? Why are letting agents different?

Is a tenant ref for a good tenant not just a standard letter anyway? Rent paid on time. No damage. No complaints from neighbours. Five minutes work.

What does the agent get the percentage of therent for if not for doing routine stuff like this?

But when I’m paid to do a job involving a variety of tasks as standard, I don’t then charge to do each of those tasks.

did you see the disbursements thread last week?

So everyone else works for free then?

No, but this is extortion. This is not in any agreement, it’s just that they know that a lot of people will be in a rush or feel pressured into paying it so they don’t become homeless. Over the year I have been in that flat they will have earned their fees for very little work, as I have always paid the rent on time and caused them no hassle. It’s pi$$ taking of the highest order, the wording of the email made it even worse.

The other aspect to this is that in Scotland letting agents are not allowed to charge tennants any fees, as happens in England. So the costs are built into the rent, but I think it will also drive letting agents to look for scams like this.

edit: fixed typo