Tenant activists picket and block phone lines of leading lettings agency
Living Rent accuses staff at Braemore Sales & Lettings of conducting a viewing at a rental property without giving 24 hours' notice.
Disgruntled tenants staged a protest outside an Edinburgh lettings agency office and blocked their phone lines to demand compensation for alleged breaches of the country’s Letting Agent Code of Practice.
Tenants’ union Living Rent organised the protest at Braemore Sales and Lettings in the city to support two of their members who claim they suffered emotional trauma when their home was entered without permission as well as multiple GDPR breaches of sharing of private correspondence, email, phone numbers and home address.
The two friends want Braemore to pay £5,000 in compensation and say although they have had an apology, they are still waiting to get a satisfactory response to their complaints.
Rosalyn Watson says she came home from work to find a stranger – the letting agent – in her room, as she hadn’t been informed of a viewing, which left her feeling unsafe.
Friend Ola Olsinova claims the agent shared her private information by sending eviction notices to the wrong tenants when their landlord decided to sell the property, as well as sending private correspondence to third parties, something the agency has denied.
Under the code, a tenant needs 24 hours’ notice of a viewing and needs to be present.
Lettings agency
Living Rent spokesman Rufus Bouverie says the protest was peaceful and socially distanced.
He adds: “Braemore’s main director was reportedly furious about the protest and the phone blocking that we did – when members called their phone lines – and has said that he will respond to our members within two weeks, which makes it a good action. We are also starting tribunal proceedings and have told him that.”
He adds that the pair’s landlord has agreed not to evict them until next March.
Braemore Sales and Lettings declined to comment.
Good grief, the compensation culture promoted by a bunch of p***s that obviously have far too much time on their hands and very little between their ears!