Agency never informed me of the erection of imposing extension next door

Reply to the comment left by "Joe Bloggs" at "31/07/2013 - 11:09":

Very unfair Joe, please don't force me to moderate.

Reply to the comment left by "Mark Alexander" at "31/07/2013 - 12:56":

mark, do you have a view on so called 'professionals' who espouse plainly wrong advice on this public forum? it seems to me they post any old dross to get their name 'out there' as part of self-promotion. that surely is not the aim of this forum?

Reply to the comment left by "Joe Bloggs" at "31/07/2013 - 20:50":

The purpose of this forum is to facilitate the sharing of best practice.

If somebody, whether they are an agent, a landlord or otherwise make a post I'm sure they do so to try to help. If you think they are wrong there are polite ways of challenging them and/or correcting them . There are also opportunities to make outrageously rude comments which could potentially damage their businesses.

Guess which method I prefer?

PS - I am one of the moderators so to a very great extent, if people don't like my way they either get their comments moderated or deleted. This forum is NOT an autocratic dictatorship but neither is a democracy. It is a meritocracy and the objectives are very clear.
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Hi Joe,

Just to calm this down somewhat, the advice was given but with the caveat of asking a further question to elaborate and gain a conclusion to help.

I happen to run a successful and well respected business, of which isn't mentioned on here, I haven't upgraded to a business account and I would rather use my experience to answer questions. I actually quite enjoy it. If I wanted to self promote I would do this on Twitter and Facebook. If people happen to contact me because of the reply's I provide, then that's a bonus of course!

But I would put it to you as to why you are so 'qualified' to answer the readers questions too?

It seems to me that actually you would prefer to kick up a fight rather than discuss the question that has been asked? If that's the case, fine. But expect Mark Alexander to moderate this.

Mark

Hi mark rowe,
1) you are self-promoting as the post/profile contains your name, photo, profession, position in the company and geographic area; i to the contrary have nothing to promote other than the truth.
2) i suggest you read your post again rather than trying to give it new meaning; you plainly give wrong advice and now you are weazling out of it, which does no credit to esteemed profession of letting agents. i quote:
'is it more of a ‘lean-to’ that you are describing, between the fence and their extension? If this is the case then most structures like this are allowed without planning consent.'
i have demonstrated you are wrong with a link to the government planning portal website. what independent evidence do you have to substantiate your assertion? im afraid your 'experience' is not independent and thus does not count.
3) my answers are open to scrutiny the same as anyones elses, but i think before i post to make sure im not talking garbage; the last thing i would want to do is mislead. that is why i posted the link. if i hadnt put you straight you would have been responsible for spreading more ignorance and there is plenty of that around as it is.
4) it should be fools who hold themselves out to be experts who instead mislead due to overinflated egos who should be moderated. how do you think giving wrong advice helps anyone?
here is your full post:
Hi Joe,
First reply to a comment on here but hopefully I might be able to shed some light for future issues like this.

I run an agency in Hampshire and Mark has asked some very valid questions, but the one I would really like to know is: Is it more of a ‘lean-to’ that you are describing, between the fence and their extension?

If this is the case then most structures like this are allowed without planning consent.
For the purpose of selling the property, is it worth investing in a trellis to run across the top of the fence to mask this? I may be getting the wrong end of the stick completely, but I would turn this on it’s head, find a solution and make your property as attractive as YOU possibly can.

Mark Rowe

- trying to get best out of conveyancers
- fighting mortgage company for extortionate SVR (won).
- took managing agents to LTV (won)
- jointly fighting LBN proposals for PRS licensing (lost) and redevelopment of carpenters estate (won first round)

Just a few of the points made in your profile that you seem to be very happy about Joe. I really don't have time to sit here arguing over a petty comment. If the person who asked this question, Joe, decided to answer my questions further I'm pretty certain I could have been of further help. But I don't need someone like you who has no face, a made name and is happy to nit pick others comments to ensure that I provide good advice.

So, before you start taking me to court, bragging about who you have beaten or become one of those people who thinks they are the 'chosen one' to be regulator of ALL industry types.... I'm out!

Have a great day, Joe.
🙂

hi
youve gone rather off topic! if you give wrong advice you should be man enough to stand corrected, rather than make rather pitiful excuses and lame attacks. why would i sue you? i have suffered no loss. but if you give wrong advice whilst holding yourself out to be an expert and the recipient acting on your advice suffers a loss...make sure your PI insurance is in force!

Hello everyone, I.ve been busy working and not had time to write a comment although I have been receiving all your comments and reading them with some surprise at what has turned into an online punch-up!
A couple of points to be clarified. The extension in question appears to be under the size which would need planning consent. Wether it is a lean-to or whatever does not concern the council. The officer investigating, whom has called me personally and visited the property in question with the extension, sympathises with me and my complaint. As I said before the decision depends on when it was built as to wether any action can be taken. These are terraced houses which are very common in Croydon. If you know the area you will know exactly the type of houses these are and that they are small, narrow houses most of them with a rear extension added to them to provide for a kitchen, bathroom and/or toilet. The extension being narrower than the house itself leaving a passage from the original structure to the open garden. I made use of this passage by replacing the exisiting window with a door providing access aswel as allowing greater light to enter the dining/living room. The extension in question if you can imagine is built in this type of passage, between the exisiting extension and the garden fence. It is dark wood with some kind of plastic corregated plastic roof. It exceeds in height the fence so stands out terribly against the rest of the house which is white. Nobody would be happy with this eyesore.
On the fuss created I think that it has brought to the surface what is at the root of my frustration. I will explain. I let the property through an agent on a Full Management basis as I was moving abroad. I was assured that there would be a check in and check out procedure and visits would be made. As mentioned my current tennant who moved in with the struture already in place has been there for 3 years and treats the property as her home but previous tennants have been in and out on an average with one year in the property, this type of tennant does not hold the same feeling/attachment to the property as their home and enjoy it as such. Hence this might explain why they did not mention it. The agent on the other hand is being payed to look after my property. Perhaps I am wrong and should not expect the agents to inform me of this type of thing as pointed out but the fact that agents seem happy to promise a top service for people who live abroad or do not have the time to manage their property and then start to cut corners once the deal is done with you gone out of the country seems to me to be partly to be responsible for some of the anger aimed at agents. It´s just not good enough to do the mechanics of a letting agent when you are charging full service, there has to be added value, a more personalised approach. I have not changed agent as form the experience of others who I know who have more properties than I and changed agent trying to find that service expected, they have ended up either selling or managing themselves. So that is my feeling although it may not be an argument worth pursuing with the agent. That does not make it right or fair. Good luck to you all, don´t fight, life is too short.

Reply to the comment left by "Joe Bermejo" at "01/08/2013 - 11:56":

Hi Joe

Given that it appears that the ugly extension is perfectly legal, what could you have done differently even if they had reported it to you?

I always try to take the view that if I can't change something then getting stressed about it is futile, a bit like making up a poison for somebody and then consuming it yourself