This topic was closed on 03/06/19. If you have a problem which is similar to the issues raised in this topic, then please start a new thread and you will get help and support there. If you would like to post up some information which is relevant to this particular topic then please flag the issue up to the site team and the thread will be reopened. - Consumer Action Group

- I paid the first period (starting 4th of August for 4 weeks) about a month and a half in advance. - On 30/07/08, make a few calls telling them about my situation asking if a friend of mine in the city could pick the keys, since I was planning on moving in on a weekend. They ask for an email to confirm. I drop that off. - They reply the next day confirming that it was okay, as long as she supplied ID. - She picks up the key on August 6th, and keeps it at her place. - I move my things to the city on August 16th, pick up the key, find that it doesn't work, and have to drive for a couple of hours south to be able to store my things, cursing as I drive - I fly out to New Zealand on August 17th. - 24 hours later, I've landed, and thankfully unaffected by jet lag, call them to inform them of the situation as soon as they're open. I knew that I was paying for a couple of weeks where I wouldn't be living there when I signed the contract; I was okay with that, as I assumed that, having given adequate notice, that I would be given access to the property at my request, and would be able to store my property there that month. They messed up, and now I'm wondering where I stand in terms of my rights as a tenant. And that's the long and short of it.

That's fair enough, thanks for your honesty. I have mentioned it to them hen calling, but they seem to brush the query aside without actually answering it. They'd make good politicians. I need a good way to push the point across, really.

They weren't open on the weekend, and I had no kind of out of hours contact number, so I informed them as soon as I touched base in NZ and they were open. They've said that they'll have the correct key available when I'm back in the UK and move in on the 30th September, which is a weekday.

I'm a student, and found a nice place to live in Nottingham for the next academic year. The first period (4 weeks) rent payment went in, and I was allowed to move in from 4th August onwards. I was living with my nan after the last term finished, and was due to move my things in on August 16th, followed by flying out to the other side of the world the next day for 6 weeks. So I asked them if they could give my key to a friend. This was arranged, and after driving for 2 hours with 2 cars (mine and a friend's) packed with stuff, I picked up said key from said friend on the Saturday, and drive over to my new place, eager to toss my boxes in for storage until I got back. Only to find that my key didn't fit the apartment door. At all. No mistaking it. I shouting various expletives, and ended up having to drive several hours with said friend to his place in order to keep my property there until I got back from my trip. Due to my flight being due the next day, there was no way I could contact the letting agency in order to resolve the wrong key issue. Now my second period (6 weeks) rent is due, and it occurs to me that I have essentially been paying rent for a period where I was unable to access the apartment, or store my personal property there. This seems like pretty good grounds to claim back some rent in compensation to me, since the fact that they supplied me with the wrong key was the fault of the letting agency, who knew that I was flying out of the country the next day, as I explained this when organising the key pickup by my friend, and as such would be unable to contact them, or rectify any errors regarding access to the property before I left the country. But I thought I'd ask you fine folks first. I'm a student, so money is tight enough without unneeded expenditure, but since it's a joint lease with a friend of mine (who is moving in mid-September), and I do in fact need somewhere to live for the next year, I don't want to risk losing this place, or mess it up for my friend. I'm pretty new to this renting business, outside of dealing with the university accommodation department last year, and advice on any rights I might have as a tenant would be most welcome.

Good news, just got yet another £30 charge. Waiting to be paid next week, then going to speak to my bank manager. The £30 went to my bank, not between my accounts.

I use Nationwide's Internet Banking. On the whole, it's a nice system. Last year, I set up a couple of online savings accounts; one for my car insurance, and one for saving any extra cash. I set up automatic monthly transfers from my cash account and left it at that. I lost my job later on, and my cash account slowly emptied over the months, until recently I simply didn't have enough funds left for the automatic transfers. Not a problem I thought; it's handled automatically, it'll see I don't have enough and not make the transfer. Wrong. Now I have two £30 charges automatically deducted from my cash account, for not having enough funds to send to my own online savings accounts! At the moment, I've just started a new job and could really do with the cash until my first paycheck. I've talked through the bank's online message system, and they say there's nothing I can do. I'm tempted to threaten to close my accounts, but at the moment I only have about £600 in my car insurance savings account, and threatening to leave isn't really much of a threat. Also, apart from this incident, Nationwide have been a good bank. I just want my money back. Any advice would be welcome! Cheers!