Discuss Estate agents contractors list in the Business Related area at ElectriciansForums.net
I'd be asking them what there payment terms are before giving them any rates. If it's not payment on invoice I wouldn't be bothering quoting for any works. If it is payment on invoice, ask what kind of works they have in mind.I've been approached by an estate agents to see if I want to go on their contractors list.
They asked about my prices, would you just tell them an hourly rate?
If you are desperate for work , they used to give a job sheet and a list of addresses.It is a letting agent actually.
Think I will give it a miss tbh.
That is the sort of job that you need to make clear on the invoice that you are fitting the fan only and the client does the rest, so no comeback if they get mould in the loft or the fan goes bang because it is full of dust and insulation.To add a bit more detail , most common job I was asked to do was to 4 inch ceiling fit fans in bathrooms etc.
My quote included a wired fan , all the ducting and a sofit grill etc etc
I was told 99% of the time it was far too dear and to just fit a cheap fan in the ceiling and their handyman would duct it etc
I used to sometime go back 2 or 3 years later to replace the odd defunct fan and the ducting was never ever done. The fan was covered in loft insulation and just sucking wind up into the roof loft void. Cheap arse lettings agents never bother getting the handyman to duct it
Many agents will tell you to compensate for it (i.e. charge more) to mitigate the discount.Note also some agents deduct that they call "contractors commission" from your invoice - essentally a bit of your invoice for their own pocket, for the pleasure of giving you the work. So you might invoice £100, but after (say) a 15% deduction, you only receive £85. I used to do work for one agent like this, so I inflated my prices in order to receive the correct amount - and that includes both parts and labour.
That's fair enough. They're not ALL bad to be fair. I currently do regular work for 3 estate agents/property managers whom I've chosen to work for and not the other way around. I chose them because they are honest, reliable and good payers.Only fair to put the other side...
In another life I was heavily involved in estate agency and letting. If I was asked to arrange electrical work, I told the client to choose his/her own contractor. If they were miles away/abroad, I would ask 2 contractors to quote, and these were guys I trusted to do a good job.
Once the quote was agreed, I asked for the money up-front, and if not forthcoming (very rare) the work wasn't done, or not via my intervention anyway.
I used local contractors who had a good record, I never took any commission, they got paid promptly and as a result they came out to my jobs quickly and never tried any rip-off. Result? Happy landlord, happy contractor, happy me.
I know full well that is not the usual business model, but it worked for me, and life is a two-way street!
Just saying...
Oh, and I always wore expensive suits!
You're not wrong Luke! One particular guy I did a bit of work for was only interested in a pass for his properties and would not listen to my findings. He just got his mate round to do another report. It's a joke really.Certain types of landlords want certain types of management Agencies .They sort of work in tandem
Because they know that it's the Inspector signing off the electrical installation that would be dragged through the coals and not the property owner. Obviously unless it was provable that they knew about it but if the report says otherwise then they're covered.Yep... Ive seen so many of our friends flats have 10 mins EICR's done and No issues noted yet the electrics is 'shocking" . certain types just seem to think our rules and laws etc and a joke and do not concern them.
Some landlords received text messages from their tenants showing concern and saying that after 5 mins on the internet its obvious the EICR guy did not carry out any real tests and in order for the landlord to accept their report is foolish . This way a paper trail has been formed and any judge will say "so what action did you take" ...we all know many scum landlords are the first to know how to bypass the laws.WHY? because no one is really bothered .Its all a farce .Ive always wondered what would happen if every spark in the country refused to sign off works via the "schemes " etc .What would the Government do about it ?Because they know that it's the Inspector signing off the electrical installation that would be dragged through the coals and not the property owner. Obviously unless it was provable that they knew about it but if the report says otherwise then they're covered.
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