Those tender moments under this roof.

[reddragdiva]

Fuck!

Woke up nice and early, drank a pot of coffee, sat down on couch, fell asleep again, woke at ten. Before setting off down the bank to take out two thousand quid, I called the agent to verify all was on. The landlady has backed out. Calling another agent we knew the property was listed through, it turns out the landlady let it yesterday. (And never mind the holding deposit. It would be nice if our likely legal recourse included the opportunity to beat her around the head with a cricket bat.) So it appears we're back on the market. I have called our present agent saying we're frantically looking again and may have to arrange an extension on this place. At least it's unlikely the present landlord will say no to money.

I can't tell you how very pleased I am. Gazumped on a fucking rental, as redcountess put it.

Comments

[gothicat.livejournal.com]

Exactly what happened to us. The other agent it was let by wasnt OneStop was it? (or something like that)

[reddragdiva]

No idea. I blame the landlady, who was playing multiple agents off each other. Which makes sense from her perspective but is a bit shit from ours. Letting it to someone else when she or her agent has taken a holding deposit is technically illegal, but the only likely recourse is getting one's money back.

[gothgeekgirl.livejournal.com]

Well, crap. Have some TNT.

[hazyjayne.livejournal.com]

:(

*hands over cricket bat*

[tintintin.livejournal.com]

You could hold out for getting her blacklisted with the national association of estate agents or something? Certainly, I think there are ombudsmen that one could approach...

[girfan.livejournal.com]

That sucks! I hope you get the deposit back.:(

[reddragdiva]

Er, yes. Them keeping that would be cause for a world of shitrain on them.

[gths.livejournal.com]

Fucking bollocks.

[lovelybug.livejournal.com]

Fucking fucking FUCKING bastards.

Have a violent icon.

[reddragdiva]

That's just the icon, thank you darling.

[seph-hazard.livejournal.com]

Fuck!

[reddragdiva]

Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaark!

[realtan-dannan.livejournal.com]

That Stinks.

Hugs.

[jhaelan.livejournal.com]

Absolutely atrocious behaviour. Fuckers.

[elijahtc.livejournal.com]

Beats the grumpy post I wrote last night!

[baljemmett.livejournal.com]

That is a whole new world of suck, and not in a good way. I do hope you get to employ that cricket bat; even better if they have to buy it for you first.

[arkady.livejournal.com]

I'm beginning to wonder if I should start toting the sword and riding crop along with me when househunting. Just as a visual warning, you understand....

[reddragdiva]

I fear that might fail a reference check ;-p

[50-ft-queenie.livejournal.com]

Bloody hell! That sucks donkey balls.

Ouch.

[mouseworks.livejournal.com]

You will get back the holding deposit, won't you?

Pity caning for breach of promise isn't legal.

Do you have any idea of what the problem might have been?

[privateskylark.livejournal.com]

Wankers.

!

[lastaii.livejournal.com]

Arsebiscuits. I've never come across rental gazumping before. That's extraordinarily crap :$

Re: Ouch.

[reddragdiva]

Yes, because not giving it back would be grossly fraudulent and open landlady and agent up to a world of LARTs.

Unfortunately, the only likely legal remedy would be return of the holding deposit, which they have to give back anyway. Making it not really much of a "holding deposit." But anyway.

The "problem" was that she'd rented it the day before through a different agent. We found the property listed through three other agencies. Ten out of ten for business acumen, minus several million for ethics.

[hairyears.livejournal.com]

What, after taking the deposit?

A quick word with your local CAB might be in order. You won't get the place - and you don't want to enter into any contract with someone whose word and signature are worthless - but getting her blacklisted from, say, student rentals might be worthwhile. And you never know, there might be a viable case in the Small Claims Court for damages.

Meanwhile, it is your civic duty to prepare a circular letter to every single rental agency in London informing them that they must warn prospective tenants that their deposit does not secure a tenancy with this particular landlady. A press-pack with a 'human interest' story for the local freesheets will help them fill the space between the adverts, and might warn someone off.

The main thing is, her behaviour must incur a cost in time and hassle and reputational damage: if it's profitable to do this, whe will do so repeatedly.

[reddragdiva]

That does sound a worthy spare time project :-D

Re: Ouch.

[mouseworks.livejournal.com]

Think about it this way. If she was such a sleaze about renting the place, you won't have to have her as a landlady.

[redcountess]

I don't think she has any investment properties, this was her own home she was renting out, but a word with the CAB may still be helpful.

[ashbet]

I agree -- this bitch really needs a good thumping, and at least a reminder that this behavior is unethical *and* illegal.

I'm so sorry this happened :/

Wishing you luck finding another, BETTER, place . . . SOON!!!

**hugshugs to all three of you**

-- A <3<3

[reddragdiva]

I'm unlikely to bother too deeply as the Walthamstow CAB has a huge queue outside an hour before it opens. Unless there's any hassle getting our money back, of course.

[nictoupee.livejournal.com]

so you *will* get your money back?

fucking landlords. real estate is the devil's playground...

good luck with the next one...

and - DEPECHE! :D

[rosefox]

How appalling. Even in New York's crazy real estate scene, you don't hear about that sort of thing much. I am at least glad to know you won't be renting from an unethical backstabbing bitch.

Best of luck finding something else wonderful, and soon.

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

Cunt.

[reddragdiva]

There's no such thing as a "quick" word with the local CAB - there's long queues outside it every morning of every day of people with much worse problems, so this is unlikely to pass my botheration threshold. As long as they don't try to be arsey about our MONEY.

[secretlondon.livejournal.com]

ffs.