[Piggythegirl]

I have recently viewed a studio apartment via an agency called SWO & Co. They have a registered address in Bayswater and they were listed on companies search. Although I 'Google Street Viewed' the address and it looks as if they're on top of a shop. No real advertising of the agency.
They have an 020 telephone number and there is also a mobile number.

I deal with a guy named Barry, he is Eastern European. He seems to be the only guy that answers the phones although on the company searches site it says that there are 3 employees and have been registered since 1995 ALTHOUGH, they have no website and the only email address is a btinternet one which has bounced by Mail Demon every time I've sent him additional enquiries.

ANYWAY - I viewed the property, perfect for what I want. I think it's realistically priced - not too good to be true? It's a TINY studio flat behind High St Ken priced at £150 pw exclusive of other bills and council tax. I mean, it's tiny - but perfect for me. I may sound like a paranoid freak but I noticed that the objects in the flat where still placed in the same places, like books and cigarette packs for example as they were in the photographs. He claims a woman lives there who is always travelling with work. He seemed calm and genuine and relaxed - not pressuring me into deposit or anything, he told me to take my time. ALTHOUGH another thing made me suspicious; when I asked him if he had had much interest shown, he said that he had but he had not bothered to email them back as he was already showing me.

I also called the local council so that they could provide me with council tax costs and the studio flat was the only one in the building (of 7 other flats) which was not registered as a residential flat thus they could not provide me with council tax costs as it was a business address. When I called Barry from SWO & Co to question this, he said that the flat used to be used as storage and that they were in the process of signing it back over as a residential property. I have no knowledge of how long does that take?

After he had left the property and we'd said our goodbyes "I'll be in touch, la di da", I came back after an hour and caught another resident as she was letting herself in the building and stopped to ask who her landlord is, she pointed to a sheet which was stuck on the wall of the entrance and it did say SWO & Co. When I asked her who her landlord was she replied Tariq. Now, I may get a friend to anonymously call the agency and ask for Tariq, just to double check- but I haven't done this yet.

Anyway, I contacted Barry two days later asking which arrangements they have in place with regards to keeping tenants deposits as I had a bad experience with the release of my last deposit via Imagine Homes and he said that they use the tenancy deposit scheme... so when I asked who I would have to make my deposit payable to, he said that it will still be SWO & Co then he will fill in all the necessary documentation and I will receive a certificate for the deposit scheme, etc. This makes me dubious.

I would appreciate if anybody has any advice with regards to any other precautionary measures; I am so paranoid of any scams and am trying my utmost to be completely alert, so it would be my worst nightmare for that to actually happen!

I am taking my boyfriend and my savvy father along to view it again tomorrow morning, then I asked Barry if we could go to his Bayswater office to do the docs, he said no probs.

Many thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings! I just think you can never be too aware...ya know?

Cheers.

[Piggythegirl]

Hello.... and also, huh?

[Miso Soup]

I wouldn't place any deposits. Sounds like someone's living there already and somehow this guy has access to the flat. Sounds like he'll take your deposit and run. I'd just look for another place!

Better to be safe than sorry!

[Piggythegirl]

Miso, thanks for your response, I've just read it! I actually went back to view and went to the offices and it's all legit. So I'm all settled and everything went smoothly. It was just a case of major paranoia on my part and I do feel a bit bad, but you can never tell these days!