100% lettings valuation accuracy
0% lettings fee satisfaction
Aug 04,2013
Aug 04,2013
15
people found
this helpful
this helpful
After experiencing management problems with my property by Countrywide agents, R.A. Bennett & Partners, (Stratford-upon-Avon), resulting in the tenants receiving compensation, I terminated the business contract a few weeks prior to its end, effectively removing Countrywide from any further role of managing the property.
On making a written request for the return of the £150 ¢â‚¬ËœReserve' held by Countrywide I was informed by the ¢â‚¬ËœResidential Lettings Manager', that I would be charged a ¢â‚¬ËœCease Management Fee' of £600 and as the tenants were now making rental payments directly to my account I would also be charged two months ¢â‚¬Ëœmanagement fee' because of what she termed as a statutory periodic contract otherwise known, according to the manager, as a ¢â‚¬Ëœrolling month to month'. Although undisclosed, this appears to be in reference to the ¢â‚¬ËœTermination of Contract' clause where by Countrywide may secure a further two months management fee even though no new tenancy agreement had been signed.
Two months later, exactly to the day, an invoice arrived requesting payment for £787.80.
This consisted of £600 ¢â‚¬ËœCeased Management Fee', £183 ¢â‚¬ËœLetting and Full Management Fees' and £4.80 ¢â‚¬ËœTenancy Deposit Scheme Payments'.
At this point I should mention that Countrywide belong to the ¢â‚¬ËœThe Property Ombudsman' scheme and as members are obliged to follow the ¢â‚¬ËœCode of Practice for Residential Letting Agents', particularly with reference to what is required in the ¢â‚¬ËœTerms of Business' contract that Letting agents sign with clients.
My ¢â‚¬ËœTerms of Business' with Countrywide had an issue date of ¢â‚¬ËœDec 05' and was signed in February 2006 and nowhere in it was there mentioned a ¢â‚¬ËœCease Management Fee'. Under the ¢â‚¬ËœCode of Practice for Residential Letting Agents', Section 3a, ¢â‚¬ËœYou must ensure that the client understands your Terms of Business, that all fees and charges are clearly stated'. Further on, Section 3m, ¢â‚¬ËœThe Terms of Business must include clear and accurate information regarding the circumstances under which either party to the contract may cancel or terminate the arrangement and they must actively flag what liability for fees or charges may be incurred in those circumstances'.
The above clauses clearly indicate that Countrywide were in conflict with the TPO code of practice concerning the issuing of a ¢â‚¬ËœCease Management Fee'. It must be remembered, despite when your ¢â‚¬ËœTerms of Business' was signed, ¢â‚¬ËœThe Property Ombudsman' will review a complaint against a Letting agent with the relevant ¢â‚¬ËœCode of Practice' that was current at the time of the problem occurring.
In this case the ¢â‚¬ËœCode of Practice for Letting Agents, amended 1st January 2012' was current.
When reading a ¢â‚¬ËœTerms of Business' contract you will discover that the clauses are quintessentially for the benefit of the Letting agent rather than the client, however my ¢â‚¬ËœDec 05' copy did have one clause: ¢â‚¬Å“Should there be a legitimate and enforceable breach of terms by CRL, a landlord may terminate this contract forthwith and no further fees will be payable ¢â‚¬Â
As Countrywide's ¢â‚¬Ëœmanagement' had placed me in jeopardy of possible legal action by the tenants I exercised this clause to dismiss them. (I was in breach of ¢â‚¬ËœThe Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, Section 11 c' , whereby as landlord, I had failed to provide proper heating to the property because Countrywide had failed to make repairs). In my opinion this clause revokes any other clause in the ¢â‚¬ËœTerms of Business' and therefore the two months 'management fee' would have to be annulled.
On the basis of the above I wrote to Countrywide, (Stratford-upon-Avon), stating these arguments and also reported further failures which came to light after taking control of the property. I also requested the return of the ¢â‚¬ËœReserve' which they still held. Despite writing twice over a period of a month to the ¢â‚¬ËœLettings manager', she chose not to respond. I therefore opted to use Countrywide's in-house complaints procedure and through further correspondence the £787.80 invoice was withdrawn and the ¢â‚¬ËœReserve' returned to my account on agreement that I withdraw my complaints.
It must be said that those who are at odds with Countrywide or with any other agent who is in the TPO scheme should go to the homepage of ¢â‚¬ËœThe Property Ombudsman' and read the ¢â‚¬ËœCode of Practice' that relates to the agent , whether it be a ¢â‚¬ËœLetting agent', ¢â‚¬ËœEstate agent', etc. The ¢â‚¬Ëœrules' are compiled in easy, understandable English and if there is a point which you are unsure of, you can write and ask for clarification. It is also advisable that if you cannot reach an agreement with your agent, then place your complaint into the in-house complaint procedure of the agent. If after they have investigated you are still not satisfied, you can appeal to the next stage which usually is ¢â‚¬Ëœdirector' level.
If you still remain dissatisfied you can take your issue directly to ¢â‚¬ËœThe Property Ombudsman'. The agent may try to dissuade you from doing this by citing ¢â‚¬Ëœlegal action' but the Ombudsman is there to help resolve issues without the need of this.
On making a written request for the return of the £150 ¢â‚¬ËœReserve' held by Countrywide I was informed by the ¢â‚¬ËœResidential Lettings Manager', that I would be charged a ¢â‚¬ËœCease Management Fee' of £600 and as the tenants were now making rental payments directly to my account I would also be charged two months ¢â‚¬Ëœmanagement fee' because of what she termed as a statutory periodic contract otherwise known, according to the manager, as a ¢â‚¬Ëœrolling month to month'. Although undisclosed, this appears to be in reference to the ¢â‚¬ËœTermination of Contract' clause where by Countrywide may secure a further two months management fee even though no new tenancy agreement had been signed.
Two months later, exactly to the day, an invoice arrived requesting payment for £787.80.
This consisted of £600 ¢â‚¬ËœCeased Management Fee', £183 ¢â‚¬ËœLetting and Full Management Fees' and £4.80 ¢â‚¬ËœTenancy Deposit Scheme Payments'.
At this point I should mention that Countrywide belong to the ¢â‚¬ËœThe Property Ombudsman' scheme and as members are obliged to follow the ¢â‚¬ËœCode of Practice for Residential Letting Agents', particularly with reference to what is required in the ¢â‚¬ËœTerms of Business' contract that Letting agents sign with clients.
My ¢â‚¬ËœTerms of Business' with Countrywide had an issue date of ¢â‚¬ËœDec 05' and was signed in February 2006 and nowhere in it was there mentioned a ¢â‚¬ËœCease Management Fee'. Under the ¢â‚¬ËœCode of Practice for Residential Letting Agents', Section 3a, ¢â‚¬ËœYou must ensure that the client understands your Terms of Business, that all fees and charges are clearly stated'. Further on, Section 3m, ¢â‚¬ËœThe Terms of Business must include clear and accurate information regarding the circumstances under which either party to the contract may cancel or terminate the arrangement and they must actively flag what liability for fees or charges may be incurred in those circumstances'.
The above clauses clearly indicate that Countrywide were in conflict with the TPO code of practice concerning the issuing of a ¢â‚¬ËœCease Management Fee'. It must be remembered, despite when your ¢â‚¬ËœTerms of Business' was signed, ¢â‚¬ËœThe Property Ombudsman' will review a complaint against a Letting agent with the relevant ¢â‚¬ËœCode of Practice' that was current at the time of the problem occurring.
In this case the ¢â‚¬ËœCode of Practice for Letting Agents, amended 1st January 2012' was current.
When reading a ¢â‚¬ËœTerms of Business' contract you will discover that the clauses are quintessentially for the benefit of the Letting agent rather than the client, however my ¢â‚¬ËœDec 05' copy did have one clause: ¢â‚¬Å“Should there be a legitimate and enforceable breach of terms by CRL, a landlord may terminate this contract forthwith and no further fees will be payable ¢â‚¬Â
As Countrywide's ¢â‚¬Ëœmanagement' had placed me in jeopardy of possible legal action by the tenants I exercised this clause to dismiss them. (I was in breach of ¢â‚¬ËœThe Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, Section 11 c' , whereby as landlord, I had failed to provide proper heating to the property because Countrywide had failed to make repairs). In my opinion this clause revokes any other clause in the ¢â‚¬ËœTerms of Business' and therefore the two months 'management fee' would have to be annulled.
On the basis of the above I wrote to Countrywide, (Stratford-upon-Avon), stating these arguments and also reported further failures which came to light after taking control of the property. I also requested the return of the ¢â‚¬ËœReserve' which they still held. Despite writing twice over a period of a month to the ¢â‚¬ËœLettings manager', she chose not to respond. I therefore opted to use Countrywide's in-house complaints procedure and through further correspondence the £787.80 invoice was withdrawn and the ¢â‚¬ËœReserve' returned to my account on agreement that I withdraw my complaints.
It must be said that those who are at odds with Countrywide or with any other agent who is in the TPO scheme should go to the homepage of ¢â‚¬ËœThe Property Ombudsman' and read the ¢â‚¬ËœCode of Practice' that relates to the agent , whether it be a ¢â‚¬ËœLetting agent', ¢â‚¬ËœEstate agent', etc. The ¢â‚¬Ëœrules' are compiled in easy, understandable English and if there is a point which you are unsure of, you can write and ask for clarification. It is also advisable that if you cannot reach an agreement with your agent, then place your complaint into the in-house complaint procedure of the agent. If after they have investigated you are still not satisfied, you can appeal to the next stage which usually is ¢â‚¬Ëœdirector' level.
If you still remain dissatisfied you can take your issue directly to ¢â‚¬ËœThe Property Ombudsman'. The agent may try to dissuade you from doing this by citing ¢â‚¬Ëœlegal action' but the Ombudsman is there to help resolve issues without the need of this.
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Latest Reviews
28th Jul 2016
reviewed by 'Michael'
24th Jun 2015
reviewed by 'gwyneth'
Opening Hours
Address
Countrywide Residential Lettings
24 Sheep Street
Stratford-upon-Avon
Warwickshire
CV37 6EG
01789 267 670
Performance statistics
| Services | Valuation Accuracy | Fees Satisfaction | Min Price of property reviewed | Max Price of property reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lettings | 100% | 0% | £695 | £875 |
Review statistics
| From Landlords | From Tenants | From Vendors | From Buyers | Other | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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- Block Management
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Jul 28,2016
Jul 28,2016
0
people found
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Promised call backs that never happen, 15 issues in 2 years none resolved in a timely fashion, one issue been going on a year and we have been without a shower 2 months...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
N/AAttached Filesnbsp;
Comment on agent fees
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Jun 24,2015
Jun 24,2015
1
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Everything was awful from the get-go.
1. We were asked for a £200 non-refundable deposit and told this would cover the agency fees. Once it was paid, we were told that we actually owed another £300. Our agent, Will Burden, went back on this and claimed that he ...
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“These are the quintessential sharp practice agents. Absolutely extortionate. Read ......”
Apr 27,2015
Apr 27,2015
3
people found
this helpful
this helpful
These are the quintessential sharp practice agents. Absolutely extortionate. Read the small print. They assume the tenants are their property. They handle all tenant issues hopelessly and revert back to the landlord anyway. They have no hands on but use a call centre and stop ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
This would take too long.... not one good word to say about them...Attached Filesnbsp;
Comment on agent fees
Extortionate
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Aug 04,2013
Aug 04,2013
15
people found
this helpful
this helpful
After experiencing management problems with my property by Countrywide agents, R.A. Bennett & Partners, (Stratford-upon-Avon), resulting in the tenants receiving compensation, I terminated the business contract a few weeks prior to its end, effectively removing Countrywide from any further role of managing the property.
On ...
read full review
read full review
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No fees information available
Kindly note that legally, letting agents need to publish information about their tenancy fees, government-approved redress schemes and client money protection schemes on their website and on third party websites (on which agents are listed). For properties to lease/rent in England, agents need to keep this information up to date and precise on allAgents or specify within the property description.
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