ALP Property Management, Again

Regular readers might remember that a few weeks ago I had dealings with ALP in Aberystwyth, a letting agency. This afternoon I received a phone call from a representative of them.

He seemed to be threatening to take legal action because of “discrepancies in the allegations” I’d made in my weblog post. Of course, I don’t ever want to be responsible for any libel, so I gave him an e-mail address to which he can address his concerns, so that I can deal with them speedily. It’d be particularly troublesome if we couldn’t come to an agreement over the terms used, because it’d be a real bother to have to look into U.S. libel laws (Scatmania is, of course, hosted in the United States of America, which has significantly different laws on things like libel – and, if I remember correctly, any legal case would have to be raised over there).

Just in case any other letting agencies or landlords read this, I’d like to make it clear that I just “say what I see”. And, to demonstrate this, I’d like to say a few words about some of the other property letting agencies in Aberystwyth that we’ve been dealing with in our hunt for a new home. In order that I remembered them:

• GD Lettings don’t open on Saturdays, which is remarkably inconvenient, but seemed friendly and pleasant.
• Lloyd, Herbert and Jones are friendly and willing to discuss pretty much any arrangement – RECOMMENDED.
• Alexanders charge £35 for a credit check before you can let with them, which is a minor concern, but are extremely professional and knowledgeable about what they do.
• ABA charge £50 “agents fee” before you start letting with them, which seems a little steep, but always seem to have plenty of interesting properties to look at. The staff are laid-back and friendly.
• I’ve heard mixed things about Phillip Evans, but nothing to cause me excess concern. Sadly, they never seem have any interesting properties available when I’m looking for one, but otherwise they’re good. Plus, their plastic business cards are great for opening locks to which you’ve lost they key.

All in all, the Aberystwyth letting scene is good (if a little expensive, but that’s just the area, I guess). In my mind, it’s only a minority that are disappointing.