Search form

menu menu

Etat de lieux cost

Question

Hello,
Question regarding billing and cost of etat de lieux.
Just rented my apartment via an agency. Stipulated in the contract that cost of etat de lieux is shared between myself and tenant.
I received a bill for €315 and tenant received a second bill for €240. Is it normal to issue 2 bills like this when the cost is divided? Is the total charge not a bit exorbitant? I cant see the content until I pay so have no idea what is recorded (its a furnished apartment).
Thanks for any views.

anon

No way an etat des lieux should cost that much. Tell the agency that you won't pay and that you're firing them immediately. Then go and see your tennant and do an etat "amiable" between yourselves. Photograph every room, and have a brief description. That's all you need. Both of you date and sign the resulting document.

Next time - ask your agent what they are charging you BEFORE they do anything. Unfortunately, if this is the way they've started ..............

Jan 19, 2017 18:43
kasseistamper

You cannot refuse to pay. It doesn't work that way in Belgium.
By all means go to the agency and ask for an explanation and justification and sack them if they refuse to lower their price but, if they take you to court, you will lose. There is a signed contract and, unless you can show that they didn't do the work or are otherwise in breach of the terms of the contract, you are stuck.

Jan 20, 2017 08:41
xpat

Thanks for previous answers. Will certainly contest but still have some questions regarding my legal /contractual obligations.
I signed the lease with the agent which specifies the name of the expert (chosen by the agent) but no price for expert services. I havent signed anything directly with the expert. So no price agreed in advance but no contract signed either.
The agent then separately got the tenant to sign a second contract to rent the garage nd has now asked me to sign (I havent done so). Rental of the garage was only mentioned in passing; the drawing up of a contract was never discussed. So the agents bill includes a charge of 1 month rent plus vat for both apartment and garage. Handy commission for a 1 year contract!
(I used to be a tenant and got screwed on the etat des lieux; now as a landlord it seems to continue....). If I pay expert cost at start and finish this amounts to 1/3 of the value of the guarantee. Doesnt make sense. Further views welcome before I decide how to navigate this issue. Tks

Jan 20, 2017 13:48
E.Ash

Rental agencies have in general a commission equivalent to one month of rental as fee for their work.

I imagine that was discussed before you signed to hire them.

As far as the cost of the "etat de lieux", you should heve been asking for the fee but they should have told you also

Jan 21, 2017 18:20