Features

Problems with rental agencies

A HOUSEWIFE WHO desperately wanted a house to rent is outraged at the manner in which she was treated by the operators of a rental agency.

She is of the view that from the outset they had planned to cheat her because they had no intention of renting her any house.

The woman's ordeal began last month when she contacted a rental agency and was told that they had houses for rent. They asked her how much she could afford to pay and when she told them, she was informed that she had to pay a fee of $700.

Reasonable

"I thought the fee was reasonable so I went to the rental agency, paid the $700 and got a receipt. I told them I was looking for a three-bedroom house and at first I was told that the prices they had for such houses were $30,000 monthly, but I would have to pay a security deposit of $30,000. They even named the places where the houses were located.

"I told my husband about the house and he was quite willing to pay the rent if the house was suitable. I called the rental agency and asked when we could inspect the houses, and I was then told that the security deposit had doubled because they were now taking two months' security deposit.

Cheated

"When I called another time, I asked them when I could view the house and it was then I was asked if I had children. They said if I had children then they could not rent me the house. I then demanded my $700 fee because I felt cheated as so far the rental agency had not done any work for the $700. They have refused to return my money.

"Last week I was telling a relative about my experience at that rental agency and my relative told me he had a similar experience. I don't think this rental agency should be allowed to get away with the way they treat innocent people."

There have been numerous complaints about some employment and rental agencies which have been accepting fees but have not been providing the relevant service.

If you are having a problem with the operators of the rental agency then you could report the matter to the police or the Real Estate Board. Some of these rental agencies are not registered with the Registrar of Companies or the Real Estate Board, and are therefore operating illegally.

It is a breach of the Real Estate (Dealers and Developers) Act for a person to engage in the practice of real estate without being the holder of a licence. A person who is found guilty of such a breach may be fined a maximum of $50,000 in the Resident Magistrate's Court.