Over at Property Tribes, Bill Rockett of Newcastle-based Rockett Home Rentals has been asking a pertinent question about applicants’ attittude to agents and their staff since the introduction of the tenant fee ban
He suggests that people are becoming more rude and abusive of late.
We would be interested to hear what EYE readers are experiencing.
“We are an independent letting agent and the following post is to see whether other agents are finding that applicants and tenants are becoming more rude, abusive and demanding since the Tenant Fee Ban. We feel they see no value in our service as there’s no cost to them.
Below is the transcription of a telephone call that happened in our office today between a potential applicant and a female member of our staff.”
Rockett Home Rentals, Debra speaking.
Female Caller – I’m calling about the house on Ashlands Avenue.
Yes?
Female Caller – Is it possible to view it today?
I don’t know if that’s available, let me just have a look.
Female Caller –OK.
Have you viewed anything with us before?
Female Caller –No.
Ashlands Road.
Female Caller – Um ‘cos we both don’t have any other days off.
You don’t have any other days off, OK.
Female Caller – No.
Just hold on a moment… let me see. I’ll just have a look at the diary. What time were you wanting to view?
Female Caller – Any time in the next 4 or 5 hours or this evening.
We haven’t got any evening viewings available sorry. We’re really busy at the moment! Can I just take some details from you? I have to take some details before we can arrange a viewing ok? Yes?
Aggressive male voice in background – Pass it here… No sorry, we just want to view the house.
Hi, yes I need to take some details.
Caller Interrupts – We just want to view the house. Well you’re not getting our details. We don’t have to give you any details.
Well I’m afraid you do for the safety of our colleague.
Caller Interrupts – Safety of the colleague?
We can’t just send somebody to the house…
Caller Interrupts – What does that mean, safety of the colleague? So what checks are you doing then before we go? What checks?
Well we need your contact number, your name…
Caller Interrupts – How are you going to check anything though?
Well we need your details.
Caller Interrupts – You say for the safety of your colleague so how you going to check anything?
We need to know, we would like…
Caller Interrupts – I can give you any details, I can tell you I’m Mr Smith, what difference does that make?
OK, I don’t think you really want to view this property.
Caller Interrupts – Just get your manager you stupid tw*t
You will not speak to me like that and you are speaking to the manager!
Caller Interrupts – Are you the owner? Are you the owner?
You are speaking to the manager.
Caller Interrupts – You’re an ars*hole. You’re a f*cking ars*hole
Colleague ended the call
Comments (26)
I thought with everything going on in the world that people would have learned to be nicer to each other. How wrong I was!
I have never had a call like this – if I did, they would get as good as they give – regardless of consequences.
The are trying to be the playground bully.
All the registering thing frustrates the sh** out of people.
If you record all calls you have their name and number at least with a voice recording. Then take their mobile/email to confirm appointment appointment or send details. For lettings
People don’t like giving details as they feel they are going to be sent spam etc.
Yes – agree with a comment above – that call could be handled differently.
Honestly can’t say that we ever really get calls like this nor have we seen any applicable increase. However, processes are processes- if they are not willing to do as asked then they are politely told we are clearly not the right agent for them and the call is ended. However, there are usually 2 scenarios we see play out:
-Doesn’t want to go through full registration of requirements: every single time this happens when they do eventually give in and do this it always ends up revealing the property they’re desperate to see is not write (dates don’t match, parking issues, furniture requirements, pets, etc)- our conversion technique on this is quite a simple question: Would you rather waste 2 minutes on the phone with me registering properly or waste an hour going to see a property that isn’t right for you? Works every time.
-I can only see at X specific date and time (usually either late at night, crazy early or on a weekend): We accommodate it of we reasonable can but we all know these appointments almost never convert People serious about a property, be it for sale or rent, will usually accommodate (where possible) the dates and times you offer you can do. I find this is often the best way to vet if someone is really serious.
I am sure the Government & Shelter are not helping. The shut down of the courts means that the bad tenants are able to stay put and decent tenants who want to move are being blocked by property not coming back to the market. It will also convince many more landlords to give up lettings and invest elsewhere as they are financially ruined by Government policies. The lack of turnover has taken away the opportunity for prospective tenants. Add to this the Conservative Landlord Bashing / Terresa May “hostile environment” being applied to Landlords many are selling up further reducing supply. As a landlord I had over 110 people wishing to view a flat in a 2 week marketing period. Needless to say most could not afford to pay the rent without assistance and therefore not insurable for rent guarantee. Only did 4 or 5 viewings in the end! All this pressure and frustration it causes tends to be expressed as anger. Those with a degree of sense realise that bad temper does not help you to encourage a landlord or agent to let a property to you! I guess the abusive applicants are too thick to realise they are, to a degree, architects of their own failure.
Yes…. every year, year on year, it has gotten worse over the past 20 years! The entitlement is at another level now and if you don’t respond within 5 minutes, then God help you! The wonderful world of technology has given us a world in which they don’t think of anyone outside of themselves and their needs, they can’t communicate effectively and everything should happen in 2 minutes flat!
When I started in lettings 20 years ago my boss told me it was hell with fluorescent lighting…. wonder what she would make of it now (she’s retired).
Latest threat, put in an email, was that if we didn’t give the whole deposit back they would leave a bad review (and leave one they did, over a £63 deduction from their deposit). Don’t even get me started on the amount of them that leave it without lifting a finger and then want to argue with you (and post everywhere about what robbing b**tards we are) when we take deductions from their deposit, because, you know, they shouldn’t pay anything now, even after they have had a full pack outlining what they need to do at the end of tenancy, including a video!
Although my favourite to date was the tenant that wished we all got Covid-19 and died in an email!
I also love the people who cannot compartmentalise, they are in a bad mood or something completely unrelated to us has happened to them and so they call and take it out on us… seriously, the problem is not the problem people, it’s your attitude to the problem.
This industry makes you tough and it’s like water off a ducks back these days to be honest, but it takes a very special (read that as you will) individual to stick it out across the year. I always say to the staff ‘do they know you?’ and they say ‘No’ and so I remind them that their opinion of them as a person (and personal they do get) means nothing on that basis alone.
I genuinely fear for the world our children will grow up in from what I see these days though…
It is definitely on the increase. Its not new, but its on the increase. When children are never told NO, they grow into adults that find that word impossible to compute. We are in the south east (not a huge company but managing around 800 – so not small). We have a team of 17 (including part timers) and been trading since 1986. We also run sales but that’s a conversation for another day! I think what a small part of the public (and more importantly successive governments and media – mention no names – the BBC!!) need to get their privileged/entitled little heads round is that we operate in the PRS – PRIVATE RENTED SECTOR – when you operate in a private industry you get to choose your clients (providing that discrimination is not part of your qualification process – last time I checked idiots are not a racial/religious/ethnic/gender orientated group – they come in every shape/size/colour/creed). Anyway, in this private sector you must compete with your local competition for the privilege to establish market position/share and build your relationships/business. Ofcourse you have to turn the other cheek when dealing with tricky clients (in our case nearly always tenants/prospective tenants) and train the staff to emotionally match/be empathetic etc etc. I have members of the team here that need to be told to hold back (you know the guys that want a scrap the minute the conversation starts), others that need to be more forceful (running round town in the middle of the night to cater for a tenant that found him on fakebook to let them in after they lock themselves out – which by the way the tenant google reviewed that “Tom was great but why oh why is there not a 24hours service to let you back in – 1 star” UNBELIEVABLE………..so that brings me onto reviews (sorry I ve started so I will finish) …………what an utter nonsense some of that is…………the restaurant trade is fighting back on this and its time we all did too! How many no shows do you all get? How many times are reviews utter lies? How many times does the reviewer say” in all my years of renting” (when they have rented for a sum total of a year or two and only ever from one agent) or ” it was filthy when I moved in and I left it perfect” WHEN WE HAVE PICTURES AT THE START AND END SHOWING WHAT DISGUSTING LITTLE PIGLETS THEY HAVE BEEN AND THE TDS RULE IN OUR FAVOUR, why cant we publish those pictures and shame these people. Its time we started to publicise the positive jobs/service that GOOD property managers make to this society and established/obtain the RESPECT deserved. Now, we are only talking about 5% of people that create all the noise, the empty vessels, the (as mum lovely mum would say) “know all, know nothing” people. The 95% are a pleasure and we are thankful for every last one of them. However, for the 5%, it needs to be arrested now. Fight the good fight and enjoy your weekends
You nailed it…. don’t forget the ‘my mum/brother/nan/grandad/aunt/Uncle Tom Cobly is a solicitor’! If I had a pound….
We deal with block management and we have this all of the time but think it has go worst since lock down. We get blamed for everything even when it has nothing to do with us!
“Stay Calm…Disarm”….difficult at times when the other person is effing and blinding but tends to work!
Yes agree – but on residential sales enquiries. We have experienced a few cases of increased rudeness from customers – mainly linked to when another agent hasn’t been complying with the covid appointment rules beforehand, so when we do comply and advise accordingly, the customer vents frustration at us about why we are behaving differently to another agent that clearly didn’t comply (like they think we are being difficult, when the reality is we are being the professional ones). Also had a few customers not liking that we ask the required Covid-19 questions and venting at us about the government requirements for appointments. It’s disheartening when all you are doing is trying to keep them and your staff safe from the virus whilst being professional in doing your job. But… at the same time we have had an increased level of praise and appreciation from customers who have been extremely grateful of the care and consideration we have shown them by the way we are behaving and complying. Written emails received thanking us. Strong defence and support from them of our procedures and an increased level of customer recommendation to others bringing in new business. So despite the handful of unpleasant situations, there is positivity for us too.
Sounds like a scene from Peep Show, Jez & Super Hands go house hunting LOL
Yes, some tenants have been rude in recent weeks but I think you have to counter that with the situations they find themselves in.
Firstly, they are probably under pressure to move for a variety of reasons – work, more outside space, schools. Secondly, if they are incorrectly promised something that doesn’t materialise and then constantly fobbed off with lame excuses that can agitate the situation and, finally, if they are treated with courtesy and respect, that too can create a situation.
At the end of the day a lot of it comes down to staff training and coaching. If that is not there and the staff are ill-equipped for these situations, whose fault is that?
It would be interesting to do a poll and see how many frontline staff were in the business in 2007/8, the last time we experienced a tense and uncertain environment.
Train you staff, maintain coaching and offer guidance and you should not experience these situations.
This is nothing new, it will continue and all I say to the team is do not let this upset you. It’s not just because of Covid and our company policy is no viewings on the day they call. By and large most people are polite and grateful but there will always be a certain sector of society that will behave like this.
Absolutely agree that the level of abuse has increased markedly since lockdown. I recall reading at the time that Covid and lockdown would result in people being more considerate to others – unfortunately not a bit of it.
We’ve witnessed not just a return to the previous levels of abuse from (some) landlords, tenants and applicants but an increase – a noticeable increase. Speaking with others this appears to be the case throughout the population not just for lettings or agency or property, but right the way across the board.
Whether it is because there are more telephone or keyboard warriors who are more abusive when not having to be face to face, I don’t know ?
We’ve been getting calls like that for years.
Wow, just wow.. I have to say that I consider myself really lucky that we do not get calls like this. Maybe its the town we are in (a laid back town on the south coast) but this is shocking. I get that demand is high and stocks are unbelievably low right now, but do potential “tenants” really believe they will win the trust of an agent by speaking to them like that? Surely it is about building a relationship/rapport so that the agent WANTS to find you a home and calls you first? Like I said, maybe I am just lucky but if anyone ever spoke to me or my colleagues like that, they would find the call ended immediately.
It’s true and it’s not just tenants. The “public” have become more rude since Covid but TT’s mainly because of the TT fee ban, maybe they’re stressed – but who cares. Just be nice! It’s a lot easier. The Tenants have become more “entitled” , and have the attitude along with it. Kill it with kindness and smile – they hate it. If however, you do choose to answer them back in kind they just call you “unprofessional” or threaten you with the Ombudsman. We’re past caring now, and dictate when they can view. If they can’t make it then it’s their problem.
We operate in a south coast town and since lockdown have experienced an influx of folk from London and a desperate shortage of property for rent. Many applicants seem to think that because they are from London they should be able to view today, because they are only here for the day? We have a pre viewing questionnaire to try and sort out the **** applications- those with no jobs, no income etc. They then get cross when we ask them to complete the questionnaire having initially only completed the parts they felt like completing. As far as applicants are concerned covid is over and have no regard for our staff.
It’s just another sign of extreme pent up demand and frustration from applicants so keen to move.
There’s no excuse for the behaviour / language of the applicant, but the manager(!) could have dealt with that call in a much better way.
Yes we had many people over the years i had one threaten to come down and smash my face in. They aren’t educated enough to understand what is needed and why, so when you try to ask queations they get very aggressive and abusive. It means they will never view and never rent a proeprty. There are a lack of properties so Landlords can hang on . Thankfully we have virtual viewings on a face2face platform so we don’t always have to actually meet them. Yet you can still look them in the eyes and qualify them and provide documents.
Totally agree, it’s got even worse since COVID-19, the anger when we won’t book a viewing in when we already have 5 booked and a waiting list of 15+ is ridiculous.
We have also found that negative reviews have increased from people who enquire about a property that we have a deluge of enquiries for that we just haven’t been able to respond to quick enough.
Some landlords, particularly retired ones, have been completely devoid of any understanding of the difficulties we have been working under. I’ve had to point out many times that some of our experienced staff haven’t been able to return fully due to childcare issues and they just don’t seem to care.
It’s not just rentals. With the sharp incline of activity and high volumes versus Covid safety measures and employers not really in a position to increase staff levels at this time (who knows when a new lockdown could occur) is seeing angry viewers not getting ‘when they want’, Gazumping at levels never seen before and basically restless buyers, many of whom do not want to adhere to PPE requirements and either object or insist ‘they were’nt told’. All staff are working their socks off. Buyers have turned from kind, calm people (immediately post lockdown) into demanding, frustrated demons right now! Perhaps now their little cherubs are back at school, we’ll see less stress? Sellers on the other hand appear very happy, very grateful and fee levels are increasing.
However, we are already expressing no staff holidays next March as the stamp duty holiday is due to end. Please All conveyancers do not holiday in March 2021, it’s going to get heated as folk chase SDT deadlines…
I blame Nichola Sturgeon.
Sounds a bit fishy to me!
I completely agree. We have calls like this on a weekly basis from applicants but the existing tenants are the most abusive we find. I had to remind two tenants yesterday that they need to remain polite and if their abuse continued I’d have to end the call.
I also think that since the tenant fee ban when we have had to increase our landlord’s fees, they have become way more abusive than the applicants and tenants combined!
we’re all just trying to do our best for people! None of this was our decision.
We are seeing much more aggression and abuse from tenants yes. More are frustrated and lack of property and difficult getting passed checks and most fail, and just generally unhappy with life people taking it out on agents.