" I'm broke" Confesses long term locateur

[Jc]

Exactly,it's how people get "conned" out of thousands;the people doing it are the "pleasantest" people you ever meet.

[Clair]

[quote user="Plee"]Good News

I'm glad to report good news. Les locateurs have taken out a loan and are staying until mid May as planned !!!! Phew !!

We have reduced the rent by 90 euros a month and recommended they download ONSPEED. Its brilliant for non ADSL areas.

It is for me a moment to reflect on all the horrors which were going through my mind. It was worse than I let on to you. All the bills are in my name and I even left my check card there lying on the desk while I went for lunch and so on. I had been completely trusting.

But the salutary point is , they aren't international con artists, just a couple going through a tight spot. But since we have been speaking of this problem it appears that a Dutch couple have conned and stolen many thousands of euros off people ( S.Lot) apparently the nicest people you could meet. Used an appoinment to view a gite for sale as one intro.

Well thanks again for ALL your postings. They were a great help at a testing time.....Pete[/quote]

Plee, let me get this right:

• this couple rents your place for a few months
• after a few weeks, they give tell you they're broke and cannot pay you

• within a few days, they've got some money after all

Now I am not usually a cynic, but even I have my doubts...

They've given you the worse news a landlord can receive, then the best news the same landlord can receive and and you are happy for them to stay because it shows they're sincere... I'm thinking you've been alarmed, then reassured and lulled into trusting them so they can swindle you...

to swindle: to dupe someone by first winning their confidence

[Iceni]

[quote user="Plee"]

Good News

I'm glad to report good news. Les locateurs have taken out a loan and are staying until mid May as planned !!!! Phew !!

We have reduced the rent by 90 euros a month and recommended they download ONSPEED. Its brilliant for non ADSL areas.

But the salutary point is , they aren't international con artists, just a couple going through a tight spot.

[/quote]

Why have you reduced their rent ? Why should their tight spot become your loss ? Perhaps after their next sob story you will waive all rent. And it's only GOOD news when you have been paid all your money and they have gone. (and I know I shouldn't start a sentence with an and)

Sorry Plee but you have been conned and yet you seem so happy about it.

John

not

[Monika]

If I am ever down on my luck I would want to meet somebody like Plee. Sometimes charity begins at home!

[Jc]

Please inform us at the end of May that they have finally gone(or not).

[verviale]

Ten years ago, I was in a position to buy a couple of apartments and thought well this is an easy way of making some money,well I can only tell you it was one nightmare after another.For a start off looking back I am not a business woman, I thought I was, I was an organised person, I got a copy  of a shorthold tennancy contract off the local council, which I duly coppied and completed, well it was about as good as a christmas cracker, it said all the right things and I thought I was safe.When it came to the crunch and the tennant stopped paying, the rights were clearly on the side of the tennant.The one in paticular appeared to be responsible and really nice,first mistake, do not be freinds with a tennant, you get embroiled in all their problems,I actually felt sorry for her, result she trashed my flat and it took me four months to get her out.I had the same experience with my other apartment.Over the three years I had them ,I did make a profit, but it was a very stressful experience.The only way I would do it again is to use an agent, but I thought it was easy and why should I pay agents fees.Whilst everybody has given you different advice here, never trust your nose,there are people in this world that do not hold the principals that you and I have, it is a hard learning curve but believe me I wish I could have been a bit tougher, it is not in my nature to be a hard person, but these people always seem to find people like us,just remind yourself would you do this to people, no you would not,so why are you letting people do this to you.I wish you good luck as you sound so lovely and understanding,but people are not always what they seem.

[P]

Well Plee, I do not know whether you are going along with them (they are in control of this situation and manipulating you) because you do not like confrontation or whether you think that they are very nice people who you would not like to see upset.

The question is are they nice people?

I always think of films and TV programmes. There will be an actor who, in one will play the sensitive loving role and in the next the cruel villain who will think nothing of torturing someone. If they are a good actor then they will be convincing in both types of role. Exactly what they are like in real life who knows.

The same with your two. They seem to have convinced you that they are very nice people - is that the real them or is it one of their 'acting' roles.

I agree with the others - if they are broke how did they get a loan - and if they are staying with you whilst they look to buy a house that means, if they were truthful, they have money.

One scenario that I can think of is that they have money but their little ploy has got their rent reduced by 90 euros per month.

You may be thinking that any income is bette than no income. However, what happens if they do not leave. I know for sure that if  property that I was renting for a holiday suddenly was not available because the owner already had a tenant in it I would be telling all and sundry to avoid renting from you.

Wake up Plee - kick these two out before, in a little whiles time, you are posting here again about the nxt problem that you have with them.

Paul 

[Georgina]

You know it's really sad but true what we say about France being as England was years ago.  When we trusted everyone, there was a local bobby and he knew everyone so nobody dare put a foot wrong. (Hey and I am not that old) But also there was the shame element in society, much like there is here.  That stops people behaving badly, or makes them think again. If you are in England however, you just appear on daytime telly.  We come here because we don't want to be locking our doors every five minutes, checking our handbags are still in our shopping trolley, not that these things don't go on mind, it's just that it's not as large scale as it is in England now. So here we are, having to do the same thing now, bringing our experience to this country and not trusting others. They may be genuinely lovely people, they may not, you just don't know.

Georgina

[Pip]

I work with a colleague who lets out a house she owns.  For the last two years she has had troublesome tenants, one after the other, and has spent a fortune repairing the damage they have caused.  One lot didn't pay the rent and when they left they trashed the house - and these were close relatives of a neighbour !

My colleague is a caring, lovely woman and has helped all her tenants in one way or another and this is how she has been repaid.  She now says that the one thing it has taught her is to toughen up and not be taken in by sob stories, even though it goes against the grain.  Plee, I should take a leaf out of her book, and toughen up.

[Bugsy]

I'd just hate to be on trial with some of you guys serving on the jury.................................[Www]

[Benjamin]

[quote user="Bugbear"]I'd just hate to be on trial with some of you guys serving on the jury.................................[Www][/quote]

No verdict.................yet[:P]

 

Guillotine 

[Prae21]

Scary stuff all round - as a prospective long term tenant (will a landlord believe some of us are genuine) and as a future landlady myself (fingers crossed).

I have read this with interest and can now see why landlords don't appear overly keen on long term lets (I could be wrong), and as a result have taken the step of saying I will pay ALL rent in advance, be that a year or more.  Hopefully this will help reassure property owners and help ease my search.

I'm looking to rent a four bed house in the Calvados / Eure areas and intend buying after one year...alllowing myself plenty of time to sell homes in Cambridgeshire and settle my boys into local schools etc.  If I can't find a four bed house, then a three bed plus dependence or even two small properties in the same village would also be ideal.  I am moving with my two boys and my mother is planning to sell up and return too.

My family and I have lived, worked and visited Normandy for over twenty years and we have many friends (mainly French and also English) living there.  We can't wait to get back!!  If you can help or know anyone who might then please do get in touch.  All help gratefully received.

Best wishes to all and I hope the original person this mail applied to has sorted out their difficulties with their tenants.

Best wishes and a bientot

Paula