Letting Agents

[Johnmelad502]

I have been doing a few small jobs over the past four weeks for a local letting agent, they have not paid me a penny as yet and owe me about £350.00.

This is by no means a small company, but I am now starting to worry. I have a list of three quotes that they have accepted and several more that they want me to do quotes on.

Are letting agents generally slow payers, or should I now cut my losses and set them adrift?

 

[yaleguy3]

Most I have waited from letting agents is about 2 weeks.

They are paying you from deductions they make from the Landlords rent account so they should actually be in front.

 

[Gasguru]

Some agents can take months to pay.

If they really don't want to pay just stand outside and tell potential tenants/landlords/vendors etc what crooks they are. Failing that threaten to signwrite the shopfront saying the same.

Always worked for me

 

[HERTS P&D]

Hey John how are the Google Adds going?

As for letting agents, they normally pay within 28 days, so it will be worth you holding on for a bit. As once they know that they can rely on you, then you will get all of the call-out work and have first chance to quote on any new work. Also you could get more work from recomendations from the letting side which is passed onto the sales side. People selling and buying wanting work done.

Andy

 

[iaith]

All agents are different. just have a chat person to person , and tell them you need the money for your cash flow, they've probably got more than 350 quid in their tea and biscuit kitty.

 

[kirkgas]

i have found them a mixed bunch with respect to the amount of time they take to pay, but the are all usually a few weeks min, depending on the agreement with the owners it can either be a deduction from the rent (which is in advance so there is no reason for you not to get paid immediately) or they pay you once they have received the monthly factoring fee from the owner, then usually in arrears, they will never pay you from their money and risk getting bumped, best you can do and have a chat to ask what the payment terms are meant to be (should have been the first conversation TBH) some guys have started work for agents on the promise of loads of repeat business, but the reality is the work is crap, owners never want to spend a penny on their properties, so if you start work and start to note all the NCS/AR and plumbing/electrical probs that have never been noted before you are known as a pernickity tradesman who ends up going to the bottom of the phone list, as the agent and owner want to spend £0, (harsh but true for a lot of agents) if you demand payment withing 14 days with surcharges applying etc they simply wont give you any work

 

[1john]

Always have in your terms and conditions that payment is due woth 7 days of completion of work, I would rather not work for a letting agent by choice and to get around this I ask for payment to be made on the day of the job, normally they look for some other mug, if they dont then I get the job and get paid.

 

[Boilerman2]

Unfortunately you can't do very much regarding legal action untill the debt is at least 60 days old and then it depends on how much you need to retain the agent as a client!!

 

[1john]

You gotta be desperate to work for someone who you know isn't going to pay you for as long as they can prolong it though :S