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So I've just got off the phone to CountryWide and I'm flabbergasted!
Last May I rented a house in Milton Keynes via Taylors Letting Agent (also in Milton Keynes). I paid astronomical fees for the privilege! They were dreadful from the start.
They offered me a six month break clause but when I got my tenancy agreement it wasn't there and when I questioned it they denied all knowledge. I can't argue with the fact that I signed it (to be honest, I'd forgotten about the six month thing at the time I was signing it) but I HATE lying and they were lying!
Then they promised a load of work was getting done (to encourage me to move in) and it didn't get done. But nothing was on paper.
And when I paid my first month's rent and went to move in they informed my I must wait because decorators are in. I waited 2 weeks (that's nearly £500 in rent) and went to check and got told that they weren't finished so I couldn't move in yet. When I asked if they were going to deduct the rent for the period I wasn't living there they said NO!
So I just said I'll be moving in straight away then and the workers will have to work around me. I can't believe they expected me to continue to pay rent whilst not even living there!
They promised to remove a bunch of left over furniture which never happened and I ended up having to break down wardrobes and stuff by myself and take it to the tip myself.
In short.... Terrible.
It turns out Taylors are part of CountryWide (based in Leamington Spa).... And now I've come to move out it got worse!!
I found a new place to live and needed a reference. They charged for this, obviously, but then took AGES! I was ringing them, Homelet References were ringing them and the new agents were ringing them. We all got told different time frames and after nearly a week, when they told someone it would take a further three days, despite having "all the paperwork and everything they need already in front of them", I went nuts!!! After a heated phone conversation it was then done within ten minutes.... So why all the messing about?
Now to my main issue.
The landlady (who's been lovely) came to visit and said she didn't need an official checkout because she was more than happy with the condition and she'd tell them to release my deposit. The next morning she emailed them, and cc'd me too, so I knew it was done. That was Friday the 17th of May. On the same day countrywide sent me an email asking for my bank details but it went to my junk folder so I didn't reply until Saturday 18th May, and fully expected it not to be read until Monday. On Wednesday, the 22nd I rang up to check and he said, "oh.... Someone's moved it. Here it is. I'll do it now. It'll take 3 to 10 days." I find it RIDICULOUS to believe that someone just went in to his emails and picked mine out and put it somewhere else!! Somewhere he could apparently find it quite quickly, mind. Especially as his job is specifically to manage the houses in Milton Keynes and the email address I replied to was his actual name! But fine!! I did all that and sat back and waited.... 3 to 10 days....
I rang him again today, because something in my stomach just knew that it wasn't right.
I just wanted to know that it was in process.
But no!
It's now the 31st, so 9 days later, and he casually tells me there's a deficit on my account so he hasn't managed to get it started.
WHYYYYYYYYYYY THE HECK HASN'T ANYONE CALLED ME?
I don't know why there would be any problems because I've literally paid every amount they put in front of me from day one.
So how bad it this money they claim I owe them, which is delaying me from getting my £1384?
THIRTY SIX PENCE!!!!
They are claiming that last year I paid £49.64 of a £50 fee. A fee I know nothing about. And that apparently nobody noticed. Although, really, I know I shouldn't owe this! I paid all my bills and fees on time, every.... single.... time.
Apparently it will be quicker to agree to pay the 36p than have to wait for it to be disputed and I'm desperate, so I have agreed. But THEN I found out that, now the 36p is sorted they can now request my money.... IN 3 TO 10 DAYS!!
I don't live a life where casually waiting weeks and weeks for over a grand is no problem. I'm on the limit of my overdraft and using a credit card, both of which are because I thought I'd have my money by now.
Is there anything I can do? Can I sue them for stress, money issues, being useless? If he'd have told me A WEEK AGO that they needed 36p I would've just paid. But they've left it. Nobody there ever calls. I've done all the calling! And, not only that, it's a 36p I don't even think I am liable for. He actually told me it's happened a few times lately on other accounts so I'm thinking there is a problem their end and now I'm going without because of it. How is that even acceptable? Is there a way I can demand they pay now and get the deposit money back later?
I understand it's held in a government thing so that the process to get out out is the same regardless of how messed about the customer is, but I still think countrywide should be made to sort me out NOW and deal with anything else later.
I'm sorry this post is so long, I'm just so angry and upset. And I don't want them to get away with it, but I fear there's nothing I can really do.
Kind regards,
Paul
Last May I rented a house in Milton Keynes via Taylors Letting Agent (also in Milton Keynes). I paid astronomical fees for the privilege! They were dreadful from the start.
They offered me a six month break clause but when I got my tenancy agreement it wasn't there and when I questioned it they denied all knowledge. I can't argue with the fact that I signed it (to be honest, I'd forgotten about the six month thing at the time I was signing it) but I HATE lying and they were lying!
Then they promised a load of work was getting done (to encourage me to move in) and it didn't get done. But nothing was on paper.
And when I paid my first month's rent and went to move in they informed my I must wait because decorators are in. I waited 2 weeks (that's nearly £500 in rent) and went to check and got told that they weren't finished so I couldn't move in yet. When I asked if they were going to deduct the rent for the period I wasn't living there they said NO!
So I just said I'll be moving in straight away then and the workers will have to work around me. I can't believe they expected me to continue to pay rent whilst not even living there!They promised to remove a bunch of left over furniture which never happened and I ended up having to break down wardrobes and stuff by myself and take it to the tip myself.
In short.... Terrible.
It turns out Taylors are part of CountryWide (based in Leamington Spa).... And now I've come to move out it got worse!!
I found a new place to live and needed a reference. They charged for this, obviously, but then took AGES! I was ringing them, Homelet References were ringing them and the new agents were ringing them. We all got told different time frames and after nearly a week, when they told someone it would take a further three days, despite having "all the paperwork and everything they need already in front of them", I went nuts!!! After a heated phone conversation it was then done within ten minutes.... So why all the messing about?
Now to my main issue.
The landlady (who's been lovely) came to visit and said she didn't need an official checkout because she was more than happy with the condition and she'd tell them to release my deposit. The next morning she emailed them, and cc'd me too, so I knew it was done. That was Friday the 17th of May. On the same day countrywide sent me an email asking for my bank details but it went to my junk folder so I didn't reply until Saturday 18th May, and fully expected it not to be read until Monday. On Wednesday, the 22nd I rang up to check and he said, "oh.... Someone's moved it. Here it is. I'll do it now. It'll take 3 to 10 days." I find it RIDICULOUS to believe that someone just went in to his emails and picked mine out and put it somewhere else!! Somewhere he could apparently find it quite quickly, mind. Especially as his job is specifically to manage the houses in Milton Keynes and the email address I replied to was his actual name! But fine!! I did all that and sat back and waited.... 3 to 10 days....
I rang him again today, because something in my stomach just knew that it wasn't right.
I just wanted to know that it was in process.
But no!
It's now the 31st, so 9 days later, and he casually tells me there's a deficit on my account so he hasn't managed to get it started.
WHYYYYYYYYYYY THE HECK HASN'T ANYONE CALLED ME?
I don't know why there would be any problems because I've literally paid every amount they put in front of me from day one.
So how bad it this money they claim I owe them, which is delaying me from getting my £1384?
THIRTY SIX PENCE!!!!
They are claiming that last year I paid £49.64 of a £50 fee. A fee I know nothing about. And that apparently nobody noticed. Although, really, I know I shouldn't owe this! I paid all my bills and fees on time, every.... single.... time.
Apparently it will be quicker to agree to pay the 36p than have to wait for it to be disputed and I'm desperate, so I have agreed. But THEN I found out that, now the 36p is sorted they can now request my money.... IN 3 TO 10 DAYS!!
I don't live a life where casually waiting weeks and weeks for over a grand is no problem. I'm on the limit of my overdraft and using a credit card, both of which are because I thought I'd have my money by now.
Is there anything I can do? Can I sue them for stress, money issues, being useless? If he'd have told me A WEEK AGO that they needed 36p I would've just paid. But they've left it. Nobody there ever calls. I've done all the calling! And, not only that, it's a 36p I don't even think I am liable for. He actually told me it's happened a few times lately on other accounts so I'm thinking there is a problem their end and now I'm going without because of it. How is that even acceptable? Is there a way I can demand they pay now and get the deposit money back later?
I understand it's held in a government thing so that the process to get out out is the same regardless of how messed about the customer is, but I still think countrywide should be made to sort me out NOW and deal with anything else later.
I'm sorry this post is so long, I'm just so angry and upset. And I don't want them to get away with it, but I fear there's nothing I can really do.
Kind regards,
Paul
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