General (main property discussion here) - Dodgey letting agents

Does anyone know if there is a "body" that you can go to if your tenant does a runner owing one months rent, they have caused damage well exceeding the deposit money and your agent messes around giving you the deposit back (held pre new laws) saying its been posted etc etc and finally had to go to the office and have a row to get my money back. Then find that he has ripped you off on electrical certification charges (huge amount of money), says he has written letters when he hasnt, did not notify utilities suppliers, I suspect he let my tenants their new flat etc etc. He is not ARLA registered.

I'm sorry to hear of your experience. I don't think I can help with your problem, but I feel like having a gripe myself because I'm not happy with my letting agents either. They allowed one tenant to get 5 weeks in arrears before they told me, and when she took off, they then took another eight weeks to find another tenant, saying they had an obligation to other landlords with flats in the same building(for whom they were also agents) to offer any prospective tenants the choice, and for saying I'm paying them for the service, I don't think they were acting in my interest at all! And then when pressed about the chasing up the arrears, they simply say the tenant's 'disappeared'. And as well as that, they are still holding the deposit and are not transferring it over to me to cover the arrears. So to anyone out there, what are my rights regarding the deposit held by the DPS?

It is very simple do your own letting. It is not hard and agents are taking your money for nothing. I actually enjoy letting my own properties as I get to meet all types of people and you can make up your mind.