Charging for Reception Rooms

tvi
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I agree. Just because someone (in the past) has removed a door or section of wall doesn’t necessarily make it one room (or any less work at least!) Likewise many clerks (usually) will include a cloakroom at no extra charge. Swings and roundabouts.

I guess the answer, to the letting agent, is this is a simple way of calculating your costs based on an approximate amount of time involved. The more rooms – the more time involved in compiling the reports and therefore (and rightly so) the higher the cost.

Matthew

jvpropserve
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I would agree with you both, it is two rooms regardless. You have to look at two sets of windows, doors, walls etc in order to make your document as accurate as possible, therefore it takes twice as long and should be charged accordingly

I charge according to number of bedrooms and this means for me the more bedrooms,the more reception rooms etc therefore more of a charge. Thus far none of my agents have questioned this method of charging. Over the range from two bedroom to 5 or 6 bedrooms, it works out roughly the same rate per room.

hoppy
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Thanks for your input. This is exactly what I have told the Letting Agent.

As an aside – the reason I have started to charge on a sliding scale for number of bedrooms AND reception rooms is because over the past few months I have had to do some makes on some very large old 4+ bedroom houses and I found that invariably the time taken to do a large old house doesn’t even begin to compare timewise to a make on a 4 bed on a new estate for example, and generally speaking an older house will often have many more periferal rooms and by charging for reception rooms as well seems to work for me in terms of charging.

It would be interesting to know how other people charge as I know everyone does it differently.

Cheers
Anne

celeste
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I have always charged on a per room/area basis, I charge a flat rate for unfurnished rooms, gardens etc but if the room is part or fully furnished I charge a slightly higher rate for that room.

Like you Anne probably 75% of my jobs are 4 bed plus houses, I do a lot of premium lets and large detached houses, some new, some old including quite a few listed buildings and period properites so pricing on a per room basis is a must to make it pay.

I charge for hallways, stairs and landings, cloakrooms etc, generally if it has door then it’s a room as far as I am concerned.

Don’t let agents bully you into charging less than you think you are worth, we all work incredibly hard in this industry and I bet they never question the corgi guy who charges £50+VAT per hour!
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sarah_roberts
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My price list has number of bedrooms then up to so many rooms and more recently I have added up to a max of so many pages. As we all know a well furnished 3 bed property can easily go over 30 pages which I would consider to be the norm for the size of property. I include hall stairs and landing as one room but charge for every other room so if there is a natural divider between rooms i.e. I have to dictate an opening in my mind this is another room. My price list goes up to 12 rooms and then I charge £15.00 per room thereafter. Hope this helps!

aliasrichmond
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We also charge by bedroom, it is a bugbear when you get there and its a 2 bed house, not a flat, with front & rear gardens, shed, garage, conservatory etc…if you call the agent they say “oooo sorry already quoted the LL now”…however, just did a 3 bed flat furnished for students (4 beds – no lounge) invoiced as 4 bed..waiting for the fallout 🙂

sally_shanly
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Just thought I’d like to add a few additional comments on this busy little thread while it’s still going:

Personally, I’ve never been able to understand how the number of bedrooms is a realistic reflection of the total size of a property & its garden areas. Given the numerous variations in property size and condition, I’ve always found it more logical to charge on a per unit basis, and areas such as Stairs/Landings, Kitchen/Breakfast Rooms, and Living/Dining Rooms generally count for 2 x units, depending on size & content.

My unit prices also fall into 3 x different categories that take into consideration Excellent/Good Condition (Basic Price) – Fair/Satisfactory Condition (Middle Price) and Unsatisfactory (Higher Price). Also, unfurnished unit prices are, with good reason, somewhat cheaper than for furnished This may sound a bit convoluted, but it’s always worked for me and covers most diversities. I also show on my invoices how my charges are arrived at so it is absolutely clear to whoever is paying.

As for giving a price based on a description given by a Landlord or Agent, having been thoroughly misled on two occasions in the very distant past, I’ve managed to avoid falling into that old trap again. When anyone asks me to provide a quote, I send them my rather tedious, but clearly detailed Price Guide from which they can work out an approximation for themselves (it ain’t rocket science..), and this generally sorts out the experienced, professional Landlords from the amateurs, thank goodness.

martinwilliams
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On the point of trying to give a quote from information given by agent or LL, I always say the quote is only a guide and depends on how many rooms I actually find when I do the job. I also charge for every room (not cupboards though) and my prices vary depending on whether furnished, part or un furnished.

On the subject of rooms with divides and or that have been knocked through etc, I make my decision based on how much differences there are between the two rooms, if say 2 rooms have been knocked through and are decorated the same or the differences are minimal then I will likely count it as one room. On the other hand with a lounge/kitchen that is well furnished I may try and a split that. I’m just trying to make a fair judgement that reflects the time involved.

Martin

sharonb
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Hi all

Because I am working in an area where this is a new service, I have information pack that goes via the agent to every Landlord. This includes my terms and conditions and pricing structure. If I quote a price base on what the LL/agent tells me is the make up of the property and then I get to the property and the agent has forgotten to mention that there is a ballroom and an indoor swimming pool they receive a quick call that tells them the increase in price. If they then cancel they are charged a £25 cancellation fee. The onus is placed on the LL and agent to work out the price from my structure or to ask for a formal quote prior to instructing my services if they are in any doubt about the charges. This comes under the ‘change of scope of works by the client/instructing principle’. An agent will only make this mistake once.

Hope this helps

Regards

Sharon