Philip James are at it again!!

Despite agreeing in court on the 14th July 2011 to refund my deposit, this despicable company have sent me a cheque which is £30 short.

I have never agreed to this deduction and they made no mention of it in the court before the Judge. The whole case was recorded and therefore I am sure they must be slightly deranged if they think they can continue to with hold my money.

I have advised them that I will be issuing further proceedings to recover my money. I really believed they would comply with the agreement they made in court, however even if they had withheld £1 of my money I would still issue another civil suit against them.

They are again threatening to sue me for £5k plus costs for continuing to inform the world about their activities, and if that is what they do, so be it.

Worst letting agents in Manchester, Didsbury and Stockport

Here are some more of Philip James claims "de-coded" for those of us that don't use estate agent double talk. You know like "handy for the airport" meaning " it's at the bottom of the runway - with 24 hour noise.


Laura Kilbride, 
" a combination of good customer service from us combined with the fear many tenants have of absent landlords. Tenants want to be sure when something goes wrong they’ll be looked after properly" -  Well if good customer service means having to sue them for your deposit back in the Court and being reported to the Police for complaining about it.
“And landlords choosing to have their properties managed by us are happier too –Who says so? Certainly, the landlord of the property I am suing over is hardly likely to be "whooping with delight" at the prospect of appearing in court, over something he has little or no knowledge about is he?


Stay safe out there - The sharks will bite you hard!!

philip james rentals.co.uk

Manchester Students and landlords are being targetted by Philip James

By Philip James - the self proclaimed lettings and estate agents of choice. The company is promoting itself via e mail, declaring how well it is doing on the behalf of students and landlords.

As usual with this type of unsolicited trumpet blowing you should probably stick it in your blocked senders and spam folder.

For landlords considering using this firm you should read this blog very carefully. The landlord of the property I had the Miss Fortune to rent from is named as a joint defendant on the current lawsuit. He probably did nothing wrong, however it is highly likely he will be called to court to give evidence.

At the moment landlords can probably get a great deal from most letting agents in Didsbury, Withington and the surrounding areas. Claims such as these (below) should be treated with caution - for example:


Laura Kilbride, Student Lettings Manager, Withington: “Properties managed by us have been flying out the door this year -  in the first six weeks of 2011 we’ve successfully let over 50% of our managed properties.


Can be interpreted as "in the first six weeks of 2011 - half of our managed properties are empty"  and as for properties "flying out of the door" could be interpreted as ----- Well you work it out.


Stay careful out there there are many perils and sharks trying to fleece you.

Estate agent reveals dirty tricks

Katherine Barney, Evening Standard

A disillusioned former estate agent has blown the whistle on underhand tricks of the trade.

Pav Sheen says he was so outraged by what went on behind the scenes that he wants to warn others before they buy or sell their properties.
During his time as an estate agent in London Mr Sheen says he saw several dubious tactics, including colleagues undervaluing properties to sell them to each other at a lower price. He also said he witnessed people taking cocaine to 'psych themselves up' before making a sale.
Other tricks included arranging two viewings at the same time and, after one potential buyer had left, getting the office to call pretending to be that buyer putting in an offer.
Mr Sheen, 25, from Gerrards Cross, is still in the property business but now helps consortiums find business investments. He said: 'I went into the business completely oblivious to what went on. It was very obvious it was a way of life and people blindly went along with it.
'We'd be told we'd lose our job if we didn't comply and an estate agent's basic wage isn't very much so if we didn't play along and make the sale we would lose out.'
Eventually Mr Sheen said he found the corruption too much, especially when it came to taking advantage of buyers who had put their trust in him. He said: 'The most vulnerable people are first-time buyers at the lower end of the market because they're really in the hands of the estate agent.'
Mr Sheen has written a book, Tips, Tricks And Traps. He initially intended it as advice for his cousins who were buying a house but what began as a series of pointers soon grew to more than 100 pages.
He spent more than two years as an estate agent, first working for a big chain in Harlow, then in Walthamstow and elsewhere in north and east London. He is planning to launch a website, www. IHateEstateAgents.co.uk where people can share their experiences.
Under home information packs legislation, all estate agents who handle packs must be regulated by an ombudsman which can award up to £25,000 compensation against offending agents.
As a result, since June, 80% of agents have joined the Ombudsman for Estate Agents scheme. Agents who fail to join are breaking the law and could be prosecuted, fined and banned from operating.
10 ways they cheat
1. Gazumping. When a deal has been agreed some agents still show people around the property hoping for a better offer.
2. Value a property at a low price - and then sell it to a friend or colleague.
3. Use scare tactics such as pretending to receive offers to get people to make a higher offer.
4. Neglect to pass on all offers to vendor in hope of achieving a higher one later on.
5. Refuse to reduce commission if the price is reduced.
6. Overvalue houses to secure business from sellers.
7. Supply customers with fake documents to help them secure a mortgage.
8. Make up a very low offer. This shocks the seller into accepting a genuine offer which is far lower than the original valuation.
9. Fake evidence that other properties in the area have sold for an overly high price.
10. Erect for sale/sold signs at homes the agent had nothing to do with to give a false impression.

Philip James and Didsbury Police

I have been contacted again today by the Police at Didsbury. The officer was very polite and once again confirmed that the ongoing dispute I have with this agent is a civil matter.

I did apologise on behalf of Philip James staff for wasting Police time. They appear to be complaining that I am bullying them. May I suggest they stop harassing the Police who have far more important things to do.

They should either refund my stolen deposit money, or issue the injunction and have me imprisoned as they threatened previously.

Otherwise, please grow up!! 

Cheryl Cole in Didsbury?

Well it's a bit cheesy I know, but if it got you reading all good and well. If she was looking to move to Didsbury she would choose her letting agent or estate agent very carefully.
Make sure you do the same

Happy New Year