Rar

[hils]

Apparently our letting agency has written to us saying we owe them a £425 'service charge' that we have to pay by the 24th of this month

Bullshit!

Even if we do owe them this money for whatever reason they can't demand that sort of money and just give us a week to pay

Comments

[daniramble.livejournal.com]

Whaa?!

That's just... A weeks notice?

[hils.livejournal.com]

Exactly! And they're threatening us with legal action if we don't pay. Pfft!

[flickums.livejournal.com]

My letting agency did the same thing in my final year at Uni. I paid them all the rent I owed them and asked them if the figure was correct. They said yes and then sent me a letter saying I owed them just under £400 which if I didn't pay by that afternoon would result in legal action.

Have you called them and demanded to know what the fuck they're playing at?

[hils.livejournal.com]

Jacqui is going to talk to them today. I'm at the parentals as I have my interview this afternoon

[http://users.livejournal.com/woman_of_/]

A week's notice at this time of year! Full of Christmas spirit they are not!

[hils.livejournal.com]

Exactly!

[jacqui-hw.livejournal.com]

It's a quarterly charge. We'll owe them it every 3 months.

[hils.livejournal.com]

Ok, fuck that. Let's move.

[padfoot-uk.livejournal.com]

How about writing back and saying you first require a re-written contract - surely they're bound by the same law that you are once it was signed - and THAT won't happen before Christmas.

[hils.livejournal.com]

Well they're claiming it's in our contract already, but Jacqui can't find any mention of it. It's annoying that I'm not going to be back in York until tomorrow evening. Bloody interview

Yeah, this is a charge they're going to be making every 3 months. I think it's time to move.

[kazzy-cee.livejournal.com]

It should have been in your original lease, and yes if it was there they can only give you 1 week's notice as you have had information about it in the lease. Check the small print.

Often they will have something that doesn't even specify how much it is, but there should be something somewhere with the figure on subsequent statements and communications from your leaseholder.

[hils.livejournal.com]

Grr! So annoying. I don't even know if this is a standard thing or whether we should start looking to move. I don't recall having to pay a service charge (which we will apparently have to pay every 3 months) in any of my other rented properties

[kazzy-cee.livejournal.com]

Depends on the lease. When we rented many years ago we had to pay a service charge that was built into the lease contract. It was standard practice, so I can't see that changing. You may have perhaps missed an agreement letter explaining it or bringing it in?

The best service charges will be the same instalment each quarter or half year. The worst ones (which we had in one flat) are ones that can change the payment without notice at any time or include a share of any maintenance bills that come in which can be crippling if major work has to be done e.g. a roof or window replacement.

[hils.livejournal.com]

Ah well, we'll have to see what happens I guess

[robhu.livejournal.com]

Are you still living at that awesome place on top of all the shops?

[hils.livejournal.com]

Yup!