City and bloody Urban letting agents strike again

[denny]

My letting agents today tried to blag me into signing a new shorthold tenancy agreement rather than just renewing the existing one - this would tie me down to that flat for another six months minimum with no get-out clause. It's bad enough that the current contract has a two-month notice period, I absolutely am not getting tied into anything longer-term than that for no good reason.

I don't have any idea if I'll want to move inside that time-frame - depends when the settlement comes through, and how long it takes to find somewhere nice to buy, if that's even possible in this area with my budget - but I'm fed up with their shitty sneaky fucking tricks. Gah.

Anyway, I told them I'd rather move out tomorrow than sign the piece of paper they were claiming I had to sign. I must have looked convincingly annoyed because they phoned the landlord (supposedly) while I waited, then took the six-month bit out of the contract and re-printed it. I've signed now, I just hope there aren't any more sneaky fuckwit ideas in there.

If they actually did their job in any useful respect I might have a bit more time for them, but my kitchen blind still hasn't been fixed. It only fell on my fucking head on the day I moved in... that's over a year now. Bastards.

Comments

A cynic writes...

[babysimon]

Yeah, but if they get you to sign a new AST they can make the landlord pay a fee (and if they're feeling particularly cheeky they can make you pay one too).

I'm sure on that level they really are doing their job...

[sepheri.livejournal.com]

Letting agencies, one of the best reasons to get a mortgage ever.
Not that that is even possible these days.

[(Anonymous)]

Absolutely true providing you own the freehold: If you're a leaseholder you've probably got more a slightly different type of parasitic scum to deal with.

[ciphergoth.livejournal.com]

We resisted when our letting agents asked this of us, and we were basically successful - we never actually got around to signing and sending in the revised contract (!) but the upshot was that we were on two month's mutual notice. We just said over the phone "but that's crazy, you're saying that in every year we stay with you there's only four months of it we can move out" and they couldn't say with a straight face that that made sense, so they gave in.

[djlongfella.livejournal.com]

re blind...

Pity you are a reasonable trek from me, would be happy to make suitable nuisance of myself in order for them to fix the blind..

[dennyd.livejournal.com]

If they don't fix it this month, I'm going to write to give them notice that I'll be getting it done by external professionals, and taking the cost out of next month's rent. They can see me in small claims court if they don't like it.