Complaints about RE Agents

No doubt many of you out there have experienced incompentence from Property Managers. Has anyone lodged a formal complaint with bodies such as comsumer affairs or REIV etc. Had any success ? (I'm in Victoria)
:(
 
I doubt you'd get much compassion unless they have done something absolutely illegal. Property managers seem to be allowed to be stupid.

My rental property management was recently sold and I had no choice in the matter. All prior agreements with the former pm were supposed to be honored by the new pm. Dream on.:eek:

My postage and petty fees were only $2.75 per month flat fee for the first ip and free for all the rest. I know this is a pretty good deal and had I have been consulted, I probably would have agreed to a small increase.

Yesterday I got my first statement, and I have been charged $3.03 per fortnight, per ip! This is substantial and will amount to 100's of dollars per year. When I rang up to complain, the pm said to hold on and she'd check. Twenty minutes later, someone else picked up the phone and I was still on hold. She asked what I was doing on hold and I explained the pm was sorting out a matter for me. I heard her ask the pm what was going on, and she was told to get my number and she would call me back.

Can you guess what happened next? Correctumundo, she didn't call back. Obviously, it was placed in the too hard basket.

I have also been inundated with letters, one for each and every ip promoting their sales and management team. They are spam letters and I don't appreciate my letter box being crammed full of them.

I am voting with my feet and getting a new property manager. Here's the clincher though: They made up their own rules when the rent roll sale went through, and I have to give 90 days ( yep, a quarter of a year ) notice to change pm's. Fortunately, my new future pm has half a brain so I look forward business with her later this year.:)

Oh yeah, I forgot the complaint's from my tenants; they can only make direct debits via internet banking into the real estate agency's website. No cash is accepted over the counter. One of my tenants is in default and I would imagine, it is due to the fact she doesn't have a computer? The agency is currently lodging legal documents for her eviction. I wonder who the magistrate will side with?
 
Hi Brenda

I am voting with my feet and getting a new property manager. Here's the clincher though: They made up their own rules when the rent roll sale went through, and I have to give 90 days ( yep, a quarter of a year ) notice to change pm's. Fortunately, my new future pm has half a brain so I look forward business with her later this year.

did you sign a new agreement on change of agency? Any time I get notice of a sale of rent roll I treat it as if I elected to change PM and will go along and interview the new PM. If they don't pass the test then I move the properties.

Where the move is engineered ie they send out agreements and have not told you that things are changing/moving, I normally don't sign the new agreement just in case they don't measure up.

If nothing else by following these steps the new PM understands you are serious about your properties.

Cheers
 
If the agent is a member of the REIV (not all agents are) you can speak to them. Below is an extract from the Consumer Affairs Website you can call this number and you can also lodge a complaint online. http://www.consumer.vic.gov.au


Complaint about a Real Estate Agent

Before submitting a complaint, you should attempt to resolve the dispute with the real estate agent and call the Estate Agents Resolution Service Helpline on 1300 737 030.


A similar situation we are dealing with at the moment. Agent A sold rent roll to Agent B. Landlord not happy with Agent B and changed agents. New Agent C received the file only to find out that the tenant has been in the property for 4 months, no bond has been paid and rent is 3 weeks in arrears.

Unfortunatly a few dodgy agents give the rest of us a bad name.:mad:
 
Several years ago we experienced problems with the management of an IP, tenant disappeared and, on examination of statements, due to a typographic error in dates, some rent had been entered as collected when it was not.
I had no luck with REIWA (of course) because they are an industry body. However, I went to Consumer Affairs, they have a section dealing with landlords and property management. End result was a full audit of the REA business (uncovering some fairly dodgy dealings I believe!), them paying us what the tenant had defaulted on and refunding all property management fees.

You just need to go about it properly.
Good luck
 
Thanks for your comments and advice.
Yes, stupudity does seem an acceptable bench mark for PMs.
However, I believe these people are governed by an Act and code of conduct!!??
Being the eternal optimist, I'm hoping that if you go about it the right way you might just get satisfaction.
They charge a fee for a professional service..........call me old fashion, but I figure when they don't deliver a professional service, they shouldn't get paid!:)
Will talk to consumer affairs as a first base.
 
My rental property management was recently sold and I had no choice in the matter. All prior agreements with the former pm were supposed to be honored by the new pm. Dream on.:eek:

I am voting with my feet and getting a new property manager. Here's the clincher though: They made up their own rules when the rent roll sale went through, and I have to give 90 days ( yep, a quarter of a year ) notice to change pm's. Fortunately, my new future pm has half a brain so I look forward business with her later this year.:)

Oh yeah, I forgot the complaint's from my tenants; they can only make direct debits via internet banking into the real estate agency's website. No cash is accepted over the counter. One of my tenants is in default and I would imagine, it is due to the fact she doesn't have a computer? The agency is currently lodging legal documents for her eviction. I wonder who the magistrate will side with?

Brenda,

Firstly, unless you have signed an Management agreement with the original agency in recent times then a new agreement would have been needed to be signed with you with the new company. If they haven't followed the correct process you are not obliged to provide 90 days notice. Sounds pretty ordinary to me. Besides, where have you signed an agreement for them to charge you rates different from your expectation. They can only charge you what is agreed to in writing.

Secondly, have you agreed to this tenant being evicted. If not, why are they doing this without discussing with you and getting your approval?

I'd be trying to move on prior to 90 days, that's a long time to be mis managed.

Call me if I can help.

Kev
www.gogecko.com.au
 
Secondly, have you agreed to this tenant being evicted. If not, why are they doing this without discussing with you and getting your approval?

Get on this one PRONTO! As someone who is a tenant and went thru the exact thing in February this year. I'm still literally paying for that ****-up by that PM!

I had a fabolous relationship with my landlord/lady. They didn't want me to move... and as soon as they had found out that the PM was evicting me... they rang me up personally and begged for me to stay. So I did.

They also fired the PM and rented privately (directly) with me.



As for the internet banking, why is that such a problem for this tenant? I'm self employed in a predominately cash based industry yet I can still do internet banking. Internet cafes or access to the internet is pretty much everywhere... even in small towns (and i have been to some really small towns due to my work). At the same time, it does suck that they don't allow other options like money order, bank cheque and cash.
 
As for the internet banking, why is that such a problem for this tenant?


OMFG, you can't be serious :rolleyes: . Just maybe, some people (wisely, some will say), prefer not to rely on the internet for banking. Just maybe, .............nah, forget it, the fact is that no-one here has the right to question that tenants reasons.

:cool:
 
OMFG, you can't be serious :rolleyes: . Just maybe, some people (wisely, some will say), prefer not to rely on the internet for banking. Just maybe, .............nah, forget it, the fact is that no-one here has the right to question that tenants reasons.

:cool:

You might be right, however this is an investor forum and I would imagine forumites are looking at their best interest, and direct debit is a good option.

Internet banking is the preferred option by the vast majority of tenants for paying rent. It's simpler, cost effective and you don't have to leave home.

Real Estate agencies are being backed into a corner. Our insurance companies are now saying they won't insure us if we accept cash. Like it or not, and the jury is still out for me too, the internet is the future. It's scary to think how life will be in 10 years.

Be careful not to be left behind Peggle.

Kev
www.gogecko.com.au
 
OMFG, you can't be serious :rolleyes: . Just maybe, some people (wisely, some will say), prefer not to rely on the internet for banking. Just maybe, .............nah, forget it, the fact is that no-one here has the right to question that tenants reasons.

:cool:

I agree Peggle, if I was the tenant it would be a huge problem for me, as I don't do or trust internet banking, and I think I would only choose a letting agent that WOULD accept cash.
 
You know you can set up direct debit via a bank not the internet :) It's the same exact thing as "internet banking" IMO as you are still setting up a direct debit from one account to another ... also what about the other options of bank cheque and money orders ?? Why won't the PM accept those methods of payment if they won't accept cash ??

Granted, I would personally like a PM that gives plenty of options in the way a tenant can pay rent just in case someone is so paranoid about the internet.
 
GCG,

You're right, it is just "in you opinion" and you're perfectly entitled to it, however, it doesn't make it right for anyone else ;)

:cool:
 
Well, I'm signed up all the documents for a new pm and will be posting them off today.
I have included copies of leases I have, latest inspection reports, and insurance policies.
The only record I have of any management agreement I have with the original PM is a PAMD form 22 signed in 2001 with an expiry of 2006. This was only for one property, and the others were just assumed when ever I bought them.

The PAMD form nowadays is form 20a. I have no copies of these in my files which either means I never signed any, or the pm never returned copies if I did sign them.

As to the tenant not paying rent; I instructed them to evict way back in February as I had visions of renovating and increasing the rent. I was told she was asked to find somewhere else to rent, but I got a sob story (via the PM) that the tenant had small children and couldn't find anywhere in her price range to move to.
She has now ceased paying "any" rent and is in arrears since 13th June.

Yesterday I received a letter, dated a week ago, from the PM that a claim has been lodged to evict and should be heard within the next two weeks.

I have been waiting 4 days now for my PM to return my telephone messages. All I get when I ring is an answering machine. This management is a joke.
 
I have been waiting 4 days now for my PM to return my telephone messages. All I get when I ring is an answering machine. This management is a joke.

I waited 7 days for the same after contacting the PM 5 times in 7 days & after the 7th day, sacked the PM - the ironic part the only time the PM rang me back was 20 minutes after I sent the termination letter. Hopeless!
 
I waited 7 days for the same after contacting the PM 5 times in 7 days & after the 7th day, sacked the PM - the ironic part the only time the PM rang me back was 20 minutes after I sent the termination letter. Hopeless!
Revenge will be sweet. My new pm is going to do up 4 letters of dismissal for me (one for each IP) and will send direct to the old PM. :D

PS: I forgot to mention, the new pm is only going to charge me 6% plus GST as opposed to the old one who charges 8% GST. :)
 
I find that mt PM are quick to call for when they need you, but I have on two occasions called for some reason, have left a message and have never had a call back.

The service never used to be like this but this REA has gotten rather big and now have a huge rental division.

This is in the eastern subs in Melbourne.
 
Back
Top