# Foxtons, sub-letting and social housing.



## Mrs Magpie (Aug 17, 2011)

Yesterday I received a letter from Tania Gordon, manager of Dulwich Foxtons.


> Dear Sir or Madam
> *Corporate tenants urgently seeking properties - Loughborough Park, Somerleyton Road*



It goes on to say that Foxtons have worked with a company for a long time and what 'superb tenants' the employees of this company are and gives a number to ring. The thing that bothers me is that the houses in the roads mentioned are almost exclusively Housing Association and Council properties.

Either Tania Gordon is a rubbish estate agent who has no idea of the demographic of the area or this is dangling a financial carrot in an area that is the 5th poorest in Britain, enticing them to sub-let. Maybe there's a different reason for her writing to everyone on my estate, but I can't think of it.

This is about the 5th or 6th letter of this type I've received in the last couple of years and this one pisses me off no less than the first. Judgemental fingers are always pointed at social housing tenants who sub-let but never at the large companies who actively encourage them to do it.

Any other tenants in social housing had one of these letters?


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## Badgers (Aug 17, 2011)

Mrs Magpie said:


> This is about the 5th or 6th letter of this type I've received in the last couple of years and this one pisses me off no less than the first. Judgemental fingers are always pointed at social housing tenants who sub-let but never at the large companies who actively encourage them to do it.



Foxtons are awful cunts I am afraid.
Few people like estate agents as a whole but Foxtons are the scourge.
They just blanket everything, lie to everyone and have a strong legal team.

The Scientologists of the property world


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## Pickman's model (Aug 17, 2011)

they never write to me


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## Libertad (Aug 17, 2011)

Their cars burn well.


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## Plumdaff (Aug 17, 2011)

I live in Stockwell. To be scrupulously fair to the estate agents, one side of the road is mainly owner-occupier, but my side of the road and the vast majority of the surrounding area is almost 100% housing association. I have recieved numerous similar letters.


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## Mrs Magpie (Aug 17, 2011)

Badgers said:


> Foxtons are awful cunts I am afraid.
> Few people like estate agents as a whole but Foxtons are the scourge.
> They just blanket everything, lie to everyone and have a strong legal team.
> 
> The Scientologists of the property world


I already knew this but I'm glad it's not just me who holds this view.


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## Badgers (Aug 17, 2011)

It is big and clever to share the contact details of your enemies with them.
They are persistent and not needing to sell or buy a house never puts them off


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## Plumdaff (Aug 17, 2011)

dp


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## Badgers (Aug 17, 2011)

OFT high court order

Inside story

There is much much more of this stuff


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## IC3D (Aug 17, 2011)

Mrs M  Ithink you'll find the housing assoc rent out a bunch of the flats to private tenants as in my building therefore we get spamming from Foxtons about subletting (your area is in demand by ciabbatta munching suits etc and you can make loads o money) it bugs me


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## Mrs Magpie (Aug 17, 2011)

I'm quite active on the estate, and I don't believe my housing association do that, unless the corporate tenants are families of Latino, Somali, Bengali origin etc.


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## Greebo (Aug 17, 2011)

FWIW this entire estate has had similar letters from Foxtons a few times a year for the last few years. Half a dozen flats got bought under right to buy, but the majority (approx 200) are still council flats (ie not even HA).

The letters came from the Streatham branch of Foxtons, so I don't think it can be just one rogue branch or one dodgy manager.


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## editor (Aug 17, 2011)

Mrs Magpie said:


> Any other tenants in social housing had one of these letters?


Yes, and it went directly in the bin, accompanied by a string of expletives.


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## Mrs Magpie (Aug 17, 2011)

I'm a little more creative with bumph of this ilk. It goes through the shredder and becomes bum fodder for a family of guinea pigs on the other side of the estate.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Aug 17, 2011)

Mrs Magpie said:


> This is about the 5th or 6th letter of this type I've received in the last couple of years and this one pisses me off no less than the first. Judgemental fingers are always pointed at social housing tenants who sub-let but never at the large companies who actively encourage them to do it.
> 
> Any other tenants in social housing had one of these letters?


 
Only 5 or 5 in a couple of years?!

I get dozens of them.


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## marty21 (Aug 17, 2011)

no excuse  for estate agents to rent out properties of Council or HA tenants - it's not difficult to find out if they own the place - a land registry search costs about £3


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## Mrs Magpie (Aug 17, 2011)

marty21 said:


> no excuse for estate agents to rent out properties of Council or HA tenants - it's not difficult to find out if they own the place - a land registry search costs about £3


Quite. So Tania Gordon is either really shit at her job or really doesn't give a shit about the immorality of her actions.


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## marty21 (Aug 17, 2011)

Mrs Magpie said:


> Quite. So Tania Gordon is either really shit at her job or really doesn't give a shit about the immorality of her actions.


both


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Aug 17, 2011)

Mrs Magpie said:


> Quite. So Tania Gordon is either really shit at her job or really doesn't give a shit about the immorality of her actions.



I've often been tempted to save all the letters up and return them to Foxtons but end up binning them.


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## editor (Aug 17, 2011)

Mrs Magpie said:


> I'm a little more creative with bumph of this ilk. It goes through the shredder and becomes bum fodder for a family of guinea pigs on the other side of the estate.


If it were possible, I would have liked to have made it into a paper plane, set fire to it, lob it out of the window and have it accidentally set fire to one of those 'wacky' Foxton's Minis.


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## Mrs Magpie (Aug 17, 2011)

marty21 said:


> no excuse for estate agents to rent out properties of Council or HA tenants


You work in housing marty. Is it worth lobbying the management of my HA to issue a 'cease and desist' type notice on Foxtons and their stooges?


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## Badgers (Aug 17, 2011)

Mrs Magpie said:


> You work in housing marty. Is it worth lobbying the management of my HA to issue a 'cease and desist' type notice on Foxtons and their stooges?



Just do it. Pile on the shit as much as you can.


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## Mrs Magpie (Aug 17, 2011)

editor said:


> If it were possible, I would have liked to have made it into a paper plane, set fire to it, lob it out of the window and have it accidentally set fire to one of those 'wacky' Foxton's Minis.


Careful now, you could be looking at four years. I wonder what Tania Gordon is risking? I don't suppose a conspiracy charge could be cobbled together?


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## marty21 (Aug 17, 2011)

Mrs Magpie said:


> You work in housing marty. Is it worth lobbying the management of my HA to issue a 'cease and desist' type notice on Foxtons and their stooges?


yep, whether the HA will do it is another matter though - might be worth seeing if they have an housing investigation team - most large ones will have one


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## IC3D (Aug 17, 2011)

editor said:


> If it were possible, I would have liked to have made it into a paper plane, set fire to it, lob it out of the window and have it accidentally set fire to one of those 'wacky' Foxton's Minis.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Aug 17, 2011)

It's not just Foxton's but I can't remember who else does it, but Foxton's is definitely the worst


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## Mrs Magpie (Aug 17, 2011)

Metropolitan, marty. Big.


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## Mrs Magpie (Aug 17, 2011)

marty21 said:


> yep, whether the HA will do it is another matter though - might be worth seeing if they have an housing investigation team - most large ones will have one


I've emailed them


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## spanglechick (Aug 17, 2011)

i ass ume it's just a mailshot and they don't know what kind of properties they're sending it to. I've had similar letters everywhere i've lived.

I'd guess that if you approached them they'd ask to see proof of your owning the property.


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## Mrs Magpie (Aug 17, 2011)

I might just ring them to find out if that's true.


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## Mrs Magpie (Aug 17, 2011)

spanglechick said:


> i ass ume it's just a mailshot and they don't know what kind of properties they're sending it to.


Delivered by hand on an estate. The two roads they name in letters is wall to wall social housing.


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## spanglechick (Aug 17, 2011)

Mrs Magpie said:


> Delivered by hand on an estate. The two roads they name in letters is wall to wall social housing.


yeah - they're always delivered by hand. but the poor scrotes sticking them through the letterboxes have sod all to do with the estate agent. I know an urb who used to deliver that kind of mail, cash in hand.


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## DaveCinzano (Aug 17, 2011)

Tania sounds like a real blast:



> *Tania Gordon, Lettings Manager*
> 
> I graduated from university in 2005 and began my Foxtons career as an Office Co-ordinator at the Putney office. One of the best things about the role was that I was part of a fantastic office, helping to make it run smoothly. However, it also gave me the opportunity to experience the ins and outs of working in an estate agency, as well as a true insight into how all aspects of the business work together to make Foxtons successful.
> 
> ...









Foxtons Dulwich

29-35 Lordship Lane,
Dulwich, London SE22 8EW
T: 020 8613 6200
F: 020 8613 6201
E: Dulwich@foxtons.co.uk


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## spanglechick (Aug 17, 2011)

unfortunate photo - she looks like she's doing a 'belm' face.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Aug 17, 2011)

Mrs Magpie said:


> Delivered by hand on an estate. The two roads they name in letters is wall to wall social housing.



yes, but lots of flats have been bought and sold off


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## Mrs Magpie (Aug 17, 2011)

Very few actually.


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## grit (Aug 17, 2011)

marty21 said:


> no excuse for estate agents to rent out properties of Council or HA tenants - it's not difficult to find out if they own the place - a land registry search costs about £3



Its far far cheaper to just do a blind mailshot...

I'm surprised at peoples outrage at this, the UK is the worst country I've lived in for post and telephone spam. I deal with them all the same straight into the bin or hang up immediately.


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## marty21 (Aug 17, 2011)

spanglechick said:


> i ass ume it's just a mailshot and they don't know what kind of properties they're sending it to. I've had similar letters everywhere i've lived.
> 
> I'd guess that if you approached them they'd ask to see proof of your owning the property.


I don't think Estate Agents are that scrupilous tbf - reminds me of a classic rent scam that is still going the rounds, and has happened in Council Properties .

Person A rents a property - pays the deposit, first months rent - sorted.

Person A then rents the property out - via gumtree, standard, etc - Person B agrees to let it, pays rent , deposit,etc, Person C does the same, as does Persons D, E, F, G , H , They are all told to pick up the keys and told the property will be available at a certain time - B,C,D,E,F,G,H all turn up - Person A disappears with loads of wonga -


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## marty21 (Aug 17, 2011)

grit said:


> Its far far cheaper to just do a blind mailshot...
> 
> I'm surprised at peoples outrage at this, the UK is the worst country I've lived in for post and telephone spam. I deal with them all the same straight into the bin or hang up immediately.


but when they get replies - they should check then that the person has the right to let the flat.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Aug 17, 2011)

Mrs Magpie said:


> Very few actually.



That's good.  I hope she stops wasting paper then and starts looking into the properties she's chucking her junk mail into


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## vauxhallmum (Aug 17, 2011)

I get them all the time, from all sorts of nasty bastard agencies. I just always assumed the leafletted the whole area, just in case. It's a total mixture where I am.


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## wemakeyousoundb (Aug 17, 2011)

Mrs Magpie said:


> <snip>
> Tania Gordon is a rubbish estate agent <snip>


this is it 


Mrs Magpie said:


> Any other tenants in social housing had one of these letters?


I've had them in the past.
Thing is they probably blanket mail the whole area, and if contacted would probably say "we're trying to contact the peoplke who bought their flat of the council"
evil scum the lot of them


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## Mrs Magpie (Aug 17, 2011)

They've blanket mailed an area that is almost exclusively Social housing though. The roads named in the letter are about 99.9% social housing. Council, Guinness Trust and Metropolitan Housing Trust.


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## wemakeyousoundb (Aug 17, 2011)

Mrs Magpie said:


> They've blanket mailed an area that is almost exclusively Social housing though. The roads named in the letter are about 99.9% social housing. Council, *Guinness Trust* and Metropolitan Housing Trust.


yep


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## Mrs Magpie (Aug 17, 2011)

If I lived in an area of mixed private and social housing I wouldn't give it a second thought other than mild annoyance. The fact they are clearly targeting a poor area that is pretty much exclusively social housing makes me incandescent with rage.


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## Puddy_Tat (Aug 17, 2011)

I'd assume it's a random mailshot. I live in an ex council flat and as far as I know, such things get sent to all the residents here (it's a fairly mixed street)

Considering the number of checks that letting agents do on tenants, do they check that the intending landlord actually owns the place before they let it? I've never been a landlord so wouldn't know, but would have thought they would be letting themselves in for problems if they don't check and the real owner turns up and asks wtf is going on...

(just noticed this is a Brixton forum not a housing one - I blame the tiny pale grey text - so my experience from darkest Berkshire may not be so relevant)


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## grit (Aug 17, 2011)

Mrs Magpie said:


> If I lived in an area of mixed private and social housing I wouldn't give it a second thought other than mild annoyance. The fact they are clearly targeting a poor area that is pretty much exclusively social housing makes me incandescent with rage.



You are making the assumption that, that level of thought is being given. There is most likely no "targeting" its just a blind mailshot, like any other.

In fact it doesn't make any commercial sense for them to target a poorer area, its less commission for them.


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## TruXta (Aug 18, 2011)

DaveCinzano said:


> Tania sounds like a real blast:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I don't believe for a second that a human being wrote those words.


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## TruXta (Aug 18, 2011)

marty21 said:


> I don't think Estate Agents are that scrupilous tbf - reminds me of a classic rent scam that is still going the rounds, and has happened in Council Properties .
> 
> Person A rents a property - pays the deposit, first months rent - sorted.
> 
> Person A then rents the property out - via gumtree, standard, etc - Person B agrees to let it, pays rent , deposit,etc, Person C does the same, as does Persons D, E, F, G , H , They are all told to pick up the keys and told the property will be available at a certain time - B,C,D,E,F,G,H all turn up - Person A disappears with loads of wonga -



You shouldn't be giving us ideas, marty!


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## stevebradley (Aug 18, 2011)

It sounds like just a standard letter, and whoever sent it probably hasn't ever been near Somerleyton Rd etc. They're just chancing their arm for a bit of business.

On a related matter - estate agents' boards are a pet hate of mine. Some areas are flooded with the things, and a lot of them are left up long after their needed - often in breach of industry guidelines/planning rules. Some unscrupulous agents also put them up outside properties that they aren't actually selling/letting, just to increase their 'board count' in an area and to try to snare some new business. There's a small block of flats near me that has boards and signs up outside the building from 7 different agents, some of which have been there for well over a year now.

I put in a motion to the July meeting of Lambeth council on this to ask the council to contact all agents in Lambeth, give them a defined grace period to clean up their existing boards, and then tell them that after that the council would be getting tough over signs left up for too long etc. It got passed - but not before it was watered down to merely ask the council to do a report on the issue....


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## TruXta (Aug 18, 2011)

What does "doing a report" actually mean in simple mechanical terms? Who does what type of thing.

Pleased to see you're still posting btw.


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## stevebradley (Aug 18, 2011)

TruXta said:


> What does "doing a report" actually mean in simple mechanical terms? Who does what type of thing.
> 
> Pleased to see you're still posting btw.



Without wanting to be too cynical, I suspect it's bureaucratic code for 'look like we intend to do something about an issue we're not bothered over, and never get round to actually doing anything'.

As for who does it - a council officer in the relevant department (public realm ? Housing ?) will get lumbered with it. Though I don't expect we'll see it any time soon. I'll bring it up at Overview & Scutiny meeting though as a way of pinning someone down to an action on it.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Aug 18, 2011)

TruXta said:


> Pleased to see you're still posting btw.


 
Same as


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## TruXta (Aug 18, 2011)

Cheers.


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## scifisam (Aug 18, 2011)

Mrs Magpie said:


> They've blanket mailed an area that is almost exclusively Social housing though. The roads named in the letter are about 99.9% social housing. Council, Guinness Trust and Metropolitan Housing Trust.



If they name specific roads in the letter then that's slightly different to the letters I get, which are just a random mailshot. It still just means they haven't bothered researching properly though, not that they're actively trying to encourage social housing tenants to sublet.


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## salem (Aug 18, 2011)

Yes, this most likely will be a standard letter mail merged with lists of roads. I've seen the 'corporate tenant' letter from various estate agents over the years so I'd be amazed if they put much thought into it.

I'd also be amazed if even Foxtons would go in for subletting, far more hassle then it'd be worth for them.

Not that I have any time for Foxtons and it annoyed me how they had one of their signs stuck outside a place I lived for a couple of months (the sign itself had been there for at least 3 years)


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## Rushy (Aug 18, 2011)

stevebradley said:


> On a related matter - estate agents' boards are a pet hate of mine. Some areas are flooded with the things, and a lot of them are left up long after their needed - often in breach of industry guidelines/planning rules. Some unscrupulous agents also put them up outside properties that they aren't actually selling/letting, just to increase their 'board count' in an area and to try to snare some new business.



Abbey in Stockwell put a "For Sale" sign up on my house in Brixton some years ago. When I called them and asked for it to be removed they rather sharply replied  that the owner had put it up for sale and was not under any obligation to advise the tenants. When I told them that that I was the owner and the property was most definitely not for sale they requested that I confirm this in writing and provide documented proof before they would take their sign down!

Coincidentally someone inappropriately defaced the sign that evening...


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## Miss-Shelf (Aug 19, 2011)

when I was a hackney council tenant they wrote to us all to say that they had banned for sale signs on all council property

signs would still appear but I always rang the estate agents and they would remove them within a few days - which makes me think the council did say something to them.

Or of course I would take the signs down myself - they were always just to increase board count randomly


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