DON'T USE FOXTONS ESTATE AGENTS!!!!

[dorisfink]

Unless you enjoy being lied to. The BBC show on them couldn't have been closer to the truth. They are the anti-Christ, and probably the most unscrupulous estate agent in London. Their fee is ridiculously high, they'll lie to you about how long your lease has to be (coming from the States I assumed 12 months was the norm, but the norm is actually a 12 month lease with a 6 month break clause... meaning that after 4 months if you give notice, you can leave in 6 and so on).

My £210 per week flat is a complete shit hole. When I moved in the fridge was broken, as was the shower and toilet, and to this day there is no heater AT ALL. Not only that, the carpet which is full of burn holes (under the disgusting futon so I didn't notice until I moved in) is infested with moths. When the place came up for renewal they said the rent was going up to £235 per week, which I promply told them to shove up their ass. Also... if they manage a place... it's as good as having no manager at all (I tried the entire winter to get a heater and ended up having to buy one myself).

Also, they'll come into your flat without telling you. This happened to me today. They came in to 'take pictures to post on their site' and for some reason that involved them obviously standing on my bed or doing something that messed up the covers so badly that it looked as if I hadn't even made my bed this morning.

Don't get me wrong... I'm not against estate agents in general... I just used Lets Do Business in Fulham and had a great experience... but Foxtons is the WORST! If this post saves just one person the hassle I've gone through and will continue to go through I'm sure as I attempt to get my deposit back it will be worth it!!!

[dorisfink]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/4876542.stm

[dorisfink]

God I hate Foxtons!!

http://property.timesonline.co.uk/artic ... 32,00.html

[gmcn2003]

don't forget to say if you get your deposit back!!!

[riverghost]

Hot water is a legal requirement when renting a property. You can withhold rent until this is fixed. If they do not get it fixed you need to get hold of your local council and they will send someone out to do this, then bill the agency/property owner for the work done.

The quicker way to get this done is to mention this to your agent and that tends to get the ball rolling a lot quicker.

[brcn]

They are ridiclously expensive! and they dont do good for anyone.........

[oinkoink]

yeah foxtons suck!

[JM]

We recently were looking at a property to rent and made the mistake of going to Foxtons, firstly they told us that finding a property in our budget would be virtually impossible (£1300 for a 2 bed property) like we were scroungers. Then they called up and miraculously had 3 or 4 properties that suited our needs.....we wasted an entire evening looking at complete holes, not at all what we asked for, really small, dingy, miles away from the station and they kept trying to push them on us by saying that there has been alot of interest and we need to make a decision now!
But to be fair i cant say they were the only ones, we used a variety of the well known agencies and the service was shocking! We have finally found a property only after phoning up and complaining to the manager.

[Pennant The Tenant]

foxtons, like any agent shift properties for Landlords. If the places are a mess & the property is in general bad condition its down to the landlord.

[therealcleo]

True, but they don't have to peddle it as 'great condition' do they... as long as you know what you're getting it's no problem, but if not, argh!

Foxtons left one of my friends without a boiler (no hot water no heating) for a grand total of 87 days, from November to january last year - I had to buy him a hot water bottle in the end, poor lad!

from what I've heard they're not nice, and the couple of employees I've met were slimy mofos, too.

[alice83]

thanks for the info

[DoneAgain!]

Foxtons - A sad tale

Issues with 15 Chelsea Vista - Supposedly a fully furnished apartment at 850 GBP a week.

My wife, two month old baby and I arrived at the block of flats at around noon.

1. There was no one at property management who confessed to knowing anything about our arrival.
2. I called the landline and mobile numbers for [name removed] (from Foxtons) and the mobile and landline numbers for [name removed] (from Foxtons) – Could not get through on any of the numbers – they all went to messaging.
3. Finally was given key by the property management office – about 20 minutes later – by this time, we had spent time in a cab and 20 minutes in the streets – so we had a crying baby who needed feeding.
4. [name removed] called just as we received the keys.
5. We managed to get all our luggage into the flat with the help of a member of the property management office – to discover a flat that was far below the expected level of cleanliness and maintenance:
a. The entire flat was dusty – carpets and floors dirty, particularly next to floor boards – hair on sofas and in toilet – second bedroom especially musty – there is absolutely no way that this flat has been professionally cleaned
b. No pillow or sheets on beds
6. I contacted [name removed] about the first impression of the flat and she said she would contact me immediately – this was around 12:30
a. Sofa set very dirty and stained
b. 3 out of 4 spotlights in hall not working
c. 3 out of 4 spotlights in bathroom not working
d. 3 out of 6 ceiling spotlights in kitchen not working
e. 11 out of 12 kitchen cabinet spotlights not working
f. At least one spotlight in second bedroom not working
g. No towels
h. Lots of scuff marks on walls
i. Have not checked crockery, cutlery, heating, water, air con, TV, etc.
7. As I hadn’t received a call from [name removed] I tried calling repeatedly – there were at least 10 phone call made to the various phone numbers given to me in [name removed]’s email
8. With no response from the letting agent for 2 hours, I took the taxi back at 14:30 to the hotel I had stayed at the night before.
9. I had organized for a cot and changing table to be delivered to the flat – which now has to be returned/rerouted at additional cost.
10. I had to take a taxi back to the hotel at a cost of GBP 70.
11. I took the day off to move into the flat – and Molten has therefore had a day’s lost earnings for nothing – If I move in tomorrow, it will mean another day’s lost earnings.
12. Another concern is that [name removed] has said that she “frankly believes the landlord” – so this puts us in a poor position with our word against his – I do have a witness to the poor state of the flat - the taxi driver who drove me there and helped with the luggage into the apartment. [name removed] (telephone [number removed]). Unless we walk though every part of the flat with the agent and mention it on the inventory and have this signed by both parties, there is a risk that we will get into a situation of our word against Foxtons/landlord at the end of the tenancy and get into a position where we haggle over the return of the full deposit.

A very trying situation so far. [name removed] is not answering my calls.
Still thinking of using Foxtons?

[stan tenant]

I would urge you all to avoid Ludlow thompsons as they are no better than foxtons.
I also believe they are the anti christ

[mixr]

I agree with you.I am going to contact watchdogBBC.Noone should meet this kind of agency.I will finish them.

[Bluey]

Don't hold your breath as its clear already been documentaries about poor practices of estate agents, including well known high street ones.

Interestingly, one of the undercover journalists who helped to expose them, posted her observation that some of the disappointment from tenants arises from excessive expectations.

"During our survey we found that the biggest problem that agents had was with people's expectations. No offence but most of the people who use Gumtree are antipodeans and what you don't realise is that property in London is very expensive. People when they first come here tend to convert their currency into £'s and expect the same standard as back home for very little. Unfortunately, properties in the lower bracket tend to be quite grotty."

Full post is here

http://forums.gumtree.com/topic1972.html

I think it might be legal to write to an agency insisting a repair is made within a stipulated reasonable period of time and if not done, get a few quotes, schedule and pay for the work and deduct it from the rent (but verify this first with Shelter or Citizen's advice first before doing it!).

It's a shame to have to do this when the landlord is paying good money to an agent to do this (anything up to 25% of the gross rental income by the time that VAT and additional charges are added to the management fee).

[mixr]

It is not about expectations.If you insist to repair something you got the answer -do it yourself.When you deduct money from rent you get threatening letters.What if you had leak from the roof and the agency wants you to repair it and to pay for it?
You are right -most people who rent in London are antipodeants.That is why agencies think they can do illegal business and rape you off from money.They think you no-one and you can do nothing .(this is what I got from agency).So do not give this crap about expectations.If you get electric shock in your flat you will know what I am talking about.

[Bluey]

It is not about expectations

There are two issues here. Poor service from Letting Agents when it comes to maintenance and repair issues and tenant expectations about the quality of property.

Tenants and Landlords should expect good service from the Letting Agents and it is a shame when this is not forthcoming as its a very expensive service.

It's also a shame when tenants don't choose regulated agencies that opt to follow the code of conduct, complaints procedures and protection of funds such as those that belong to ARLA, for example.

Nonetheless there are ways to report and address health and safety violations to bodies other than the letting agent that will make them buck up their act which are going to be much more effective than posting complaints on a forum.

But if an undercover journalist with no great liking for estate agents reports that there is a very frequent mismatch between what's actually on offer and tenants expectations, particularly with Antipodeans who enjoy a higher standard of accommodation back home for less money then that's good enough for me.

Add to this is Pennant the Tenants observations (love him or loathe him) of his experiences as a private landlord and you get to see a different perspective. He is frequently contacted by tenants who want to view properties out of their budget, expect Sky TV and broadband to be included and that routinely want to sublet the reception rooms to extra tenants. His phone will ring off the hook for his cheap properties that exclude bills (but if they include them at cost price, no-one phones him despite it costing the same overall)

Add to this any quick browse of the wanted ads to see how people routinely desire Zone 1 properties for Zone 5 budgets - the Gumtree is stuffed with fantasy ads.

Add to this some of the postings on this forum of tenants quoting rights that they don't have about obligations that the landlord doesn't have to fulfill and you get my drift.

I even had a debate once with a tenant who did a moonlight flit from a property, then went back to stay with his mates for more than a month, then getting miffed because the landlord challenged him about leaving his belongings there and not paying any rent. In his mind he had moved out, in anybody else's universe, he was living there.

So I am sympathetic about tenants who experience bad service from letting agents but there are many who are ignorant about their responsibilities and clearly the housing market in London is against them because of the shortage of decent, affordable properties.

[Bluey]

Unless we walk though every part of the flat with the agent and mention it on the inventory and have this signed by both parties, there is a risk that we will get into a situation of our word against Foxtons/landlord at the end of the tenancy and get into a position where we haggle over the return of the full deposit.

Duh! That is the point and purpose of the inventory - it requires to be validated before being signed. It is dumb for anyone to sign it before checking every element as once signed, it should be water-tight to use upon check out to determine deductions from the deposit.

Amending it to reflect reality (or not signing it) is your only redress against being held responsible for any damage and is far more effective than complaining on a forum.

If you signed it before checking it, then there isn't a mere risk that it is your word against the agency but the reality that you will be held responsible for all the defects.

http://forums.gumtree.com/topic27983.html

[therealcleo]

I've recently agreed to rent a flat with Rainbow Reid, and they get an independant inventory clerk to do the inventory.

At the time we first viewed the flat, I noticed several problems, which have already been reported to the managing agent - before we've moved in. On the day we've moved in, we go round with the inventory clerk (who has no interest either way, only in getting an accurate report of the state of the property) and we go over every inch of it with him.

Foxtons charge so much more than Rainbow reid, and yet so far, and from what I've heard of Foxtons, the RR service is infinitely better.

Sorry if that's not what anyone wants to hear!

cleox

[DoneAgain!]

Thanks for the comments received. Just a couple of clarifications on the notes received. 1. I was paying UK Pound Sterling 850 a week for a two bedroom flat - so not exactly the lower end of the market. 2. I asked to do the inventory with someone from Foxtons in attendance so that they could verify what was put down - seems sensible to me. Foxton's refused.

[pupito]

[color=red][/color]
How can i word this sufficiently, estate agencies say "come on in the water is fine." I say "Yeah looks good i'll swim too!" then they jump out and the nasty surprise floats toward you. Yes kids thats the truth, i hate the blighters with an unconditional venom that boils in my veins. Apologies if this is wordy but i have a point i promise!
We went through an agency BRENTWOOD ESTATES and were introduced to a property that seemed good. But four long tearful months of nothing working, as the veneer of the "HIGH STANDARD" fell away like cheap wall paper, ah which there was and did fall away...anyway, the estate agency were fed up cos we kept complaining that the address and number of the landlord were fugg'n ooosless! and he didn't give an endangered monkies about our problems and so on and so forth.
However despite the condemned boiler, blocked fire exit, the non-working lights and leaking water from up stairs we thought we had a saviour in the shape of BRENTWOOD ESTATES, as they offered to terminate the tenancy through the break clause on our behalf. AAAW what lovely people NOT!
the shameless toads now are stating that we now have to pay the commission they would lose from us moving thats £900.00, but won't charge us if we go with them as a managing agency in one of their prpoerties.
It was never in the contract that the clause would incur this fee, nor was this mentioned before signing the dreaded paper!
We might be on the long road to court and myself and my fiance are really suffering the stress of the shambolic attitude of BRENTWOOD ESTATES! let the renter beware don't go to these fake smiling snakes.

Oh did i mention that they are not registeredwith ARLA, OEA, NAEA or NALS either, look at these associations if you have a crappy estate agency on your hands.
:evil:

[pupito]

I should have put this in last night, nice that i have the time...but just to any young renters out there please please be careful! Always take the time to think about what your accomodation needs are. Now i realise that college and university don't leave much room to choose good flats and that there can and is pressure to move in with mates in a joint tenancy, thats not necessarily a problem. Just look before you leap so to speak, please don't think of me as being preachy as everyones circumstances are vastly different i know I'm Irish and living in the uk and my better half and I are getting squeezed by the agency we went through.
Here are some points i hope will help.
1. research agencies on line find out if they are registered, look at ARLA, OEA, NALS and NAEA they have agency finders that can pin point agencies within a borough and even to within 1/2 a mile of certain postal codes.
2. Look at the properties on the web first. This can be tedious cos many are tempting and the next one always seems better. a good point is that if they have only a single photo on show be cautious if its just extior shots or a blurry shot of a kitchen or a chair in the corner of a room. This generally means something else is wrong with the place. However if in doubt view it they can't charge you for it (except SPACELET they are complete muckerfuggers and have a £60.00 viewing fee)
3. If you do go with a place read the contract through three times, they tend to hid terms in legal babble or get a free legal aid agency to look at it if your not sure most legal agents are free so use them! don't go to solicitors they can give free advice but then charge for extra srvices.
4. I should have put this before the last point ne'r mind, when viewing always check the following.
A. Lumpy patches on the ceiling, this means previous
water damage! and they try to cover the repair.
B. If the bathroom reeks of bleach and looks recently
cleaned, clean is good but bleach smells means bad
mould problems and poor ventilation in tne past.
C. If the walls around windows feel overly cold this means
heat loss and potential mould grow in the future
especially if theres no damp course in the brick work
older buildings have this problem.
D. If the place smells musty the second you walk in, do a
Fast U-TURN..mould again, it can be really bad form you
especially if you have breathing problems (ASTHMA)
E. Is the boiler certified usable? request a corgi certificate
thats shows boiler maintenance within the last six
months.
F. Talk to the neighbours! really i mean it! they can
sometimes offer points on the property SOMETIMES!
G. If the agent acts like a puppy humping your leg to get
you to sign, remember talking to agents is on your time
not theirs.. they just sit eating baps and talking crap
till you walk in.
H. Never view on your own second opinions count from
mates help and the agent is less inclined to pressure
you.
Well enough long winded talk please to any one who is in doubt about renting especially for the first time..think ahead, don't leave things last minute and don't take crap from agents they're just glorified sales assisstants and generally don't know alot anyway. till next time

Listen to Botch they are really good!

[Bluey]

they offered to terminate the tenancy through the break clause on our behalf. ...the shameless toads now are stating that we now have to pay the commission they would lose from us moving thats £900.00, but won't charge us if we go with them as a managing agency in one of their prpoerties. It was never in the contract that the clause would incur this fee, nor was this mentioned before signing the dreaded paper!

Letting agents receive commission from the rent from the Landlords - why would tenants have to pick up the costs of the management fees for the landlord for a legally terminated tenancy agreement!

They probably can't even claim this from the landlord, either, if they are now out of contract with him but that's up the terms and conditions between agency and landlord (i.e. nothing to do with you).

If, for example, a tenant is in arrears, the landlord is still usually responsible for paying fees to the letting agent but tenants are not responsible for the costs that should be incurred by their clients (the landlords).

You've indicated that there's nothing in the contract to make you pay this unfair charge. Contact the free advice line on the Shelter website or go to your local citizens advice bureau. Post your situation on the general forum of Landlordzone.co.uk which is visited by housing experts - they give good, well informed and free advice.

Make sure you keep good records of all your contact with the letting agent and that you put your communication to them in writing.

I'd be inclined to write a letter outlining the fact that you do not believe there is a legal basis for the fees that they are charging for the loss of management fees from the landlord, nor are you contractually obliged to use their services for your next tenancy. Invite them to notify you of the exact legal basis for this request for £900.

If the situation is as you describe, the moment that they kick off any legal challenge, they will either be advised at the outset that they have a hopeless case or it will fail.

If you are having problems recouping your deposit, then seek advice how you can sue them through the small claims court. Your position is strengthened if they didn't bother with an inventory.

[tonners]

totally agree - we rented a flat on short-term rental (4 weeks) from Foxtons. The price was exhorbitant (£600 pw for 2 bedroom) but we were desperate.

On the day we moved in there was a huge rat in the kitchen. Given that my wife is 7 months pregnant and I have a 2 year old son I refused to put their health at risk and we moved out.

They sent their own contractors and they verified there were 2-3 rats in the property (5 days later). however they did not try and treat the problem.

Eventually after repeated phone calls they contacted us 11 days later to say the landlady assured them she had resolved. They have been unable however to tell us what work had been carried out. Given that treatment often involves laying of poisons we are unwilling to go back in until they can tell us exactly what has been done, am really concerned that this could present real danger to my young son.

To date Foxtons have refused to refund any of our money and are insisting they can hold on to the full amount paid. This despite the fact that it took them 11 days to get the problem sorted and they still cannot tell us what has been done!

We are currently taking legal proceedings, but for one of the country's biggest estate agents am totally disgusted.

Will never ever use this bunch of sharks again.

[pupito]

The advice is very very much appreciated thank you. Its been a trek, the last four months have drained me and my partner to the point that we saw almost no way out. Not that one could tell from my emm overly excitable first post, aint technology grand!
The last post I sent in I hope went some way in helping someone and the advice you guys have given has made me feel better and that theres a way out, however, rats! and lots of them thats outrageous! i'm so sorry to here that those gits did basically nothing to help. Agencies and landlords are an unholy union that cannot be denied.
I actually read that the basic training for agents is so short, that its scary to think how little they know, except squeeze hard earned moola from us decent folk. Making up stuff about properties advertising places that do not exist. It is unreal and yet it goes on. I feel so sorry for people who travel to britain with no english and no idea that some spotty barely out of his teens moron is going to suck the little cash they have out of their pockets. Its the non registered ones to watch out for as they pretty much do as they please.
Well we're gonna move and i say FCOFF to the agency and the landlords nonsense. Good Luck to all who are at the hands of the evil ones.

till next time
PUPITO...

[dbkr]

Well there are clearly enough stories on here to made it adamantly clear that nobody should use Foxtons, but I'll post my own experiences if only to keep the thread where people will find it.

I almost ended up letting a flat from them, but walked out after reading the contract. Probably the worst of the lot was reading that I'd be be charged for the landlord to check the inventory at the end of the tennancy, which of course is outrageous. Of course the agent had told me that there were no hidden fees (when questioned, he responded, "It's not hidden, it's in the contract"), but was essentially lying through his teeth.

Their standard contract appears to be written by a 15 year old, and seemed to me (although IANAL) to contain so many ambiguities.

However, in the end, I just wasted a lot of their time and money, so I'm quite pleased, in a vindictive kind of way!

[Bluey]

I almost ended up letting a flat from them, but walked out after reading the contract. Probably the worst of the lot was reading that I'd be be charged for the landlord to check the inventory at the end of the tennancy, which of course is outrageous. Of course the agent had told me that there were no hidden fees (when questioned, he responded, "It's not hidden, it's in the contract"), but was essentially lying through his teeth.

Their standard contract appears to be written by a 15 year old, and seemed to me (although IANAL) to contain so many ambiguities.

I am not defending letting agents who I believe largely offer poor value for money to both landlords and tenants whom they both tend to charge for their services - what a coup...

Tenants, like the previous poster, need to ask the letting agent what the initial charges are and check if and there are any renewal fees and so on.

I've not heard of agencies charging a check-out fee to tenants - that's usually billed to the landlord (perhaps this company bill both tenants and landlords for this) - but I am not surprised that they try to squeeze out this type of fee.

If it's not present in the contract, then the tenant hasn't authorised them to charge it - they can't present a bill without the tenant previously signing for it. If a letting agency charges a fee to renew the tenancy agreement, just tell them no thanks, and find another property though I suspect this is a common charge.

However, I've looked at many contracts from Letting Agents and found them to be virtually indistinguishable for their terms and conditions, though their charges may vary, that I'd be surprised if DBKR would find a clearer and less ambiguous contract or tenancy agreement in other places.

While the agent sounds wheedling, if indeed it is in the letting contract, it isn't hidden. More fool the person who signs it without reading or understanding it.

[therealcleo]

surprise surprise, more bad stories about Foxtons.

The inventory clerk (independant) who checked us in to our new flat said she'd heard so many horror stories from friends about Foxtons that she wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.

It's a wonder (and a crying shame) that they're still in business.

[Meridian27]

Hey all,

Totally agree with all the rants here against estate agents, think they are a bunch of snakes in the grass too...

However, one point. we also hit the roof when we found the 'tenants pay for the check out of inventory at the end of the tenancy' clause... and we were told this was standard practise. I phoned around to about five different estate agents in the same area, and all confirmed this. The landlord will pay any costs relating to the initial inventory, and any problems arising, but if someone needs to come and do a thorough inventory check at the end of your tenancy (which is sometimes to your advantage) then the tenants pay for it... the point is though to get it in writing from your estate agent how much (roughly) they expect this to cost... the estimated cost varied from agency to agency... glad to say ours was the cheapest in the area.

[mindstep]

You can always book an Independent Inventory Clerk to check your inventory on your behalf and who will produce a report which you can use if an unfair claim is made against you. Go to http://www.inventoryclerk.net

[The_Dude]

being an uninformed foreigner, i made a BIG mistake: i rented a flat thru them... how stupid of me !

first, i had to insist heavily to get a breakclause in the contract, and paid 3 times too much for their fees.
but the real sh*tshow was at the end of the tenancy: these guys will make people visit the flat even on sundays for the last 2 months while you still live there, and one of them even called me at 9.30pm for their visits. It was daily harassment for 2 motnhs. Of course, the landlord was asking so much to relet it, there would be so many visits...

My experience is that a landlord who uses them is best avoided! in total, at least 6 agencies were touring that bloody place everyday for 2 months, most of them without even telling me (the porter told me otherwise i would have wondered why the light was on and the chair moved....). Note that Islington Council doesn't care at all about that tyoe of trespassing.

At the end, i had to take legal action against the landlord to get my deposit back. And that's the ray of hope in my story:
www.moneyclaim.gov.uk
i didn't know this site, it is FAB ! taking the matter to the Court was a lot less stressful than dealing with these people. Once he saw the letter from the court i got a cheque (with fake deductions for lamps that were already broken, but since there is no inventory given by Foxtons, what can I do?)

Last advise: look on rightmove and findaproperty. If a flat is also advertised by foxtons, avoid it regardless of what other agency is avertising it !

Now can somebody tell me how such a criminal organisation operate in broad daylight in a G8 country?

[therealcleo]

TheDude - I've come to the conclusion that Foxtons trade entirely off two main things:

a plethora of advertising, so that people new to the UK or even new to the London housing market assume they're the best because they're trumpetting their services from almost every available marketing medium; and

people with more money than sense who think that paying more for the same service means getting a better service. Assholes.

personally, it's the first group I feel sorry for. As for the second - they deserve to be robbed blind!

cleox

[reach4thelasers]

Estate agents are the scum of the earth - even worse than traffic wardens!

[smashedblueeggs]

We went travelling and wanted to rent out our house while we were away. We were forced to use Foxtons in the end due to another agency falling through at the last minute. Not only did Foxtons lie about sending us regular statements by e-mail ("Yes, absolutely, we can do that" . . . [2 months later] "No, we never said that") and took an extortionate amount of money for the privilege of doing next to nothing, they then lost all our keys. They refused to keep us updated and said they had sent them by post, but hadn't sent them by recorded delivery because, quote, "then we would be responsible". What were we paying them for? To top it all off, the girl in the management office, Natalie, sounded like she was 12 years old (would you trust your property to a 12-year-old?) and was completely unable to deal with me effectively, making me more and more furious rather than using any skills to have a two-way conversation. Please, please, please stay away from Foxtons.

[Bluey]

being an uninformed foreigner, i made a BIG mistake: i rented a flat thru them... how stupid of me !

first, i had to insist heavily to get a breakclause in the contract, and paid 3 times too much for their fees.
but the real sh*tshow was at the end of the tenancy: these guys will make people visit the flat even on sundays for the last 2 months while you still live there, and one of them even called me at 9.30pm for their visits. It was daily harassment for 2 motnhs. Of course, the landlord was asking so much to relet it, there would be so many visits...

My experience is that a landlord who uses them is best avoided! in total, at least 6 agencies were touring that bloody place everyday for 2 months, most of them without even telling me (the porter told me otherwise i would have wondered why the light was on and the chair moved....). Note that Islington Council doesn't care at all about that tyoe of trespassing.

At the end, i had to take legal action against the landlord to get my deposit back. And that's the ray of hope in my story:
www.moneyclaim.gov.uk
i didn't know this site, it is FAB ! taking the matter to the Court was a lot less stressful than dealing with these people. Once he saw the letter from the court i got a cheque (with fake deductions for lamps that were already broken, but since there is no inventory given by Foxtons, what can I do?)

Last advise: look on rightmove and findaproperty. If a flat is also advertised by foxtons, avoid it regardless of what other agency is avertising it !

Now can somebody tell me how such a criminal organisation operate in broad daylight in a G8 country?

Sorry to hear of your experiences. I am not qualified to give advice but you will find the Shelter advice site and free advice line very helpful.

Two things to note for the future - tenants are given a right to peaceful enjoyment of their accommodation and landlords/letting agents cannot enter the property without permission (even if they give notice and even if there is a clause in the AST about this). Therefore, you didn't have to put up with constant viewings.

Also, my understanding is that landlords without inventories tend to lose the small claims court action. Therefore, you could have probably insisted that the landlord reimburse the deposit in full (though of course there's always a risk that it would go to court and you may not win, or you may win but the landlord doesn't pay up).

Finally, look into the Tenancy Deposit Scheme which has recently came into law (it didn't apply retrospectively). This has been introduced to deal with rogue landlords and requires them to insure or lodge the deposit with a third party that now has a complaints procedure in place.

[Bluey]

We went travelling and wanted to rent out our house while we were away. We were forced to use Foxtons in the end due to another agency falling through at the last minute. Not only did Foxtons lie about sending us regular statements by e-mail ("Yes, absolutely, we can do that" . . . [2 months later] "No, we never said that") and took an extortionate amount of money for the privilege of doing next to nothing, they then lost all our keys. They refused to keep us updated and said they had sent them by post, but hadn't sent them by recorded delivery because, quote, "then we would be responsible". What were we paying them for? To top it all off, the girl in the management office, Natalie, sounded like she was 12 years old (would you trust your property to a 12-year-old?) and was completely unable to deal with me effectively, making me more and more furious rather than using any skills to have a two-way conversation. Please, please, please stay away from Foxtons.

Perhaps you could take them to the small claims court (moneyclaim online website) for the cost of replacement keys/locks? Have a look at advice sites that tell you how to take a company to court for unsatisfactory service.

[cwfnatsec]

CLASS WAR PRESS RELEASE:

Picket Foxtons: Islington Branch, 3 pm March 3rd:

Monday March 3rd at 3pm sees Class War's picket of Foxtons in Islington, in a demonstration against the greatest con-men of our time - estate agents.

We've been ripped off by them, and are sick of them driving up house prices in our part of town.

So come along and tell one of the worst of the lot, Foxtons, what you think of them.

Foxtons Islington branch at 355 Upper Street will be picketed from 3pm - 7pm on Monday 3rd March.

There is however a lot that can be done before then (and afterwards!) - and not just towards Foxtons. Many estate agents routinely break the law by placing advertising signs without permission on council property, and sometimes on private property. One very simple way to fight back against the damage estate agents are doing to our communities is simply to take these signs down where ever you find them. Don't let them advertise - illegally - over-priced properties in your community.

Take these signs down, and return them to the estate agents concerned - the bigger this campaign gets, the better it gets for us, and the worse it gets for the likes of Foxtons.

Lets get busy!

NOTES:

The BBC TV Whistleblower programme found agents putting forward false offers, faking landlords' signatures and falsifying documents to inflate property prices.

Foxtons are here to drive up house prices, it's their avowed intent: their founder Jon Hunt, who sold up last year and pocketed £370 million, liked to talk of 'going to war' for his sellers. Foxtons takes a bigger commission than any other agent to flog each house which it justifies by promising to wring from a buyer the highest possible price.

QUOTES:

"Some of the people I hate most in the world are estate agents. I hate generalisations, but all estate agents are slimy, money obsessed, lying idiots, who went to public school, but still didn't get any A levels and so have to do an essentially unnecessary job for too much money. It's not a generalisation. Show me one estate agent who isn't like that and I will show you an estate agent who has lied to you to convince you that he isn't like that and has thus confirmed just exactly how much he is like that in reality." Richard Herring

"For those of you who don't live in London and have no intention of ever living in London: well, lucky you. Lucky you for not having to put up with......extortionate house prices, but mostly lucky you for not having to put up with Foxtons, the people who sell those houses for extortionate prices." Bryony Gordon

Email: londoncwf@yahoo.co.uk
http://www.classwaruk.org/
http://www.myspace.com/fkfoxtons

[Sanne]

When I was looking for a flat, I didn't use Foxtons because of the horror stories I heard. I went to see a place that had one agent's sign out front. When I went back in the afternoon to see the flat with the agent who had put up the sign, their sign had been knocked down and a Foxton's sign was put up in its place. The agent I was told me that it happens all the time. We visited another property that her agency had listed and their sign had been replaced by a Foxtons sign, with her agency's sign tossed in the rubbish bin. I don't know if that's their practice or just a rogue agent but it seemed very unethical

[jennyjane]

OMG it's so funny to read this thread!

Terrible things have happened to these poor people, you should read my thread - Brighton and Hove - that took place at the back end of the 80's so some 20 years later, Foxtons still hasn't improved!!!!!!

[paulx2]

CRIKEY!!! This sounds like someone else I should be avoiding when renting a flat. We rented one through Home2u Estate agents and pretty much the same thing. Try to confuse you by using different people for the same thing so you never know who to deal with. Increase the rent after 6 months but give it you cheap when you originally sign knowing that you are always reluctant to move and even if you do they get more "reference check" money (£60 per head). They also never displayed a gas certificate in the property we rented. Also they use an extremely dodgy inventory procedure so you are even charged for "damage" on things that are not on the inventory. We are still awaiting our deposit even though we have in principal agreed on deposit refund amount. Maybe not as bad a FOXTONS but i feel that you should think carefully before getting in with home2u!!