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IF YOU ARE A TENANT WHO HAS FALLEN VICTIM TO A SCAM, PLEASE SHARE THIS IMPORTANT INFORMATION IN YOUR REVIEW. (This guidance outlines how to recover funds from the service provider. These are legal steps you can pursue without the risk of eviction or legal repercussions, as tenants are safeguarded by local tenancy regulations).
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PART I: SCAM DETAILS. - The service provider unjustly inflates costs for unaware tenants. Every tenancy agreement typically breaks down rental costs into two segments: Base rent & Service fees. - Base rent: The base rent amount is determined by specific criteria that the property must meet according to local regulations. If these criteria are unmet, tenants have the right to request a rent reduction. - Service fees: The usual service fee for a student accommodation ranges from 70-80 euros per month, but the provider consistently charges exorbitant fees. In my situation, they charged 240 euros monthly. By law, the landlord must provide an annual settlement for any unused service fees.
>Action: ''With the assistance of a local support team, I recovered 2600 euros in service fees over two years, without going to court.'' - Website Charge: The provider charges 15 euros per month for website access in every contract. Local rental legislation prohibits such fees. Every tenant is entitled to reclaim these costs.
>Action: ''I utilized the help of a local support team who aided me in recovering 645 euros from the provider, without court involvement.'' - Retained deposit: The provider withheld my entire deposit upon moving out, making false claims about damages (e.g., dirty curtains).
>Action: ''When moving in, take photos of all items' conditions and document them in an inventory. Before moving out, ensure a pre-inspection is conducted where the agent informs you of necessary repairs. Consult the local support team for guidance on preparing for the pre-inspection and documenting conditions with photos. If the provider fails to perform a pre-inspection or misrepresents conditions at checkout, you have the right to take legal action (covering all costs through legal aid: 150-250 euros) and reclaim your deposit plus legal fees.'' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PART II: HOW TO RECOVER YOUR FUNDS. If you are a tenant of the provider, reach out to a local support team (free legal assistance) for advice on lowering your rent, obtaining a refund of service fees, and recovering other unlawful charges in three simple steps: Step 1. Invite the support team agent to inspect your property & room. Step 2. After the inspection, the support team will calculate the rent reduction and any service fees or additional charges. Step 3. The support team will send a formal letter to the landlord, demanding payment; otherwise, the case will be escalated to the Tribunal for a fee of 25 euros (for you). The landlord will be compelled to settle and pay promptly to avoid incurring further legal costs at the Tribunal (which can be substantial for them).
Take the registration fee but no response and impossible to get hold off by phone and do not respond to email. Apartments are advertised for several weeks and we applied but have not heard back. This starts to feel like a scam.
I've tried to contact them several times, but they would take a lot of time to answer or wouldn't answer at all. I paid for premium and still got no feedback. For this reason, I sent them an email complaining but they didn't seem to be any interested or worried. I'm very unsatisfied with this agency service. Happily, I found a room in a different platform.
IF YOU ARE A TENANT WHO HAS BEEN SCAMMED BY FRIENDLY HOUSING, PLEASE RE-POST THIS GUIDANCE IN YOUR REVIEW.(The guidance explains how to claim back money from Friendly Housing. These are legal actions you can take without fear of eviction or any legal consequences, as tenants are protected by Dutch tenancy law).-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PART I: SCAM EXPLANATION.- Friendly Housing illegally overcharge costs to unsuspecting tenants. In every Dutch tenancy contract, rental costs are broken down in 2 parts: Basic rent & Service costs.- Basic rent: The amount of basic rent is determined by a list of criteria that the house has to fulfill by Dutch law. If these criteria are not met, then the tenant has the right to request rent reduction.- Service costs: The amount of service costs for a student room is typically 70-80 euros / month, but Friendly Housing always charge excessive service costs. In my case they charged 240 euros a month. At the end of every year, the landlord is obligated by law to provide a settlement for unused service costs.>Action: ''With the help of Huurteam Eindhoven, I claimed back 2600 euros in service costs for the period of 2 years, without having to go to court.''- Website Charge: In every contract Friendly Housing charges 15 euros / month for the website. Dutch Legislation over rentals prohibits such charges. Every tenant has the right to claim these costs back.>Action: ''I used the services of Huurteam Eindhoven who helped me claim back 645 euros from Friendly Housing, without having to go to court.''- Withheld deposit: Friendly Housing withheld my full deposit after moving out, by making false undocumented claims about damages to the room (e.g. dirty curtains).>Action: ''When checking in take photos of the condition of all items in the room and register them in an inventory. At the end of your tenancy, before checking out, a pre-inspection has to bee carried out where the real estate agent has to to notify you of what repairs need to made. Consult the Huurteam on how to prepare for the pre-inspection and document the condition of all items using photos. If Friendly Housing doesn't carry out a pre-inspection or falsify the condition of items at check out, you have the right to sue them (covering all legal costs using Rechtsbijstand: 150-250e) and claim your deposit + legal expenses back.''-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PART II: HOW TO GET YOUR MONEY BACK.If you are a tenant of Friendly Housing, contact Huurteam Eindhoven (free legal support) to get advice on how to reduce your rent, get a refund of your service costs and claim back other illegal charges from this unlawful agency in 3 easy steps:Step 1. Invite the Huurteam agent to inspect your house & room.Step 2. Following from the inspection, the Huurteam will make a calculation for rent reduction, amount of service costs and further charges withheld.Step 3. The Huurteam will send a legal letter to the landlord, and demand a payment otherwise the case will be forwarded to the Tribunal for a cost of 25 euros (for you). The landlord will be forced to reach a settlement and pay up immediately to avoid further legal expenses at the Tribunal (which are very high for them).
Friendly Housing is a serious and reliable company. Their offices are great and professional. The Agency welcomes people, the website is excellent and works well. Cathy Konovalov, contact / sales person since two years, is exceptional. She is very customer-oriented, service minded, nice and friendly. She is a fantastic professional. I fully recommend Friendly Housing.
Friendly Housing acted professionally and efficiently by means of Cathy Konovalov. I could quickly arrange a visit and she guided me around in a professional way, showing me all ins and outs. Because of her i was able to conclude the contract in a short period of time and was able to start my rental period mid october 2022.it is a great appartment with a fantastic view. During my stay so far Cathy responded quickly, adequately and friendly on queries from my side. All in all a great experience
Called me to tell me i didnt have to pay rent that month because of some administrative error. Then i emailed multiple times to ask for confirmation without any response. AFTER 2 MONTHS i receive a message with automated threats of fines, telling me i missed a month rent. After calling them 5 MORE TIMES, they finally tell me i need to pay for that month retroactively. So now i have to find one extra month somehow.A more minor issue: the room was advertised to have internet, which it didnt have for the FIRST YEAR. I messaged them each month, and they kept telling me they forwarded the email to the building owner. But i dont rent from the building owner. The building owner didnt tell me there was internet. And i was not allowed to contact the building owner personally. So i spent 35 euros out of pocket each month to be able to follow lectures.The response from friendly housing both times was: "i am sorry, but we did all we can" followed by a list of personal issues from the employees.One of the worst companies i have ever had the displeasure of dealing with.
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