The head of a cluster of Bristol letting agency offices has taken to Twitter to oppose the actions of a sister branch operating under the same brand name.
The Southville branch office of CJ Hole has reportedly sent a letter to landlords claiming it was "highly likely" that their properties were due a rent increase. "Are you getting enough rent" the letter asks.
However Chris Hill, managing director of five CJ Hole sales and lettings offices in north, east and central Bristol, is not happy. He has even signed an online petition set up to complain about the Southville office's action and has taken to Twitter to vent his anger.
His tweets say: "No office under my control sends these nor will ever. Paul Goverd is the man who runs and controls Southville office" and "I agree [with the petition] and have signed, my offices believe in good service as reason to use us, shame Southville have chosen this route".
CJ Hole has 19 branches in all, in Bristol and surrounding areas of Somerset and Gloucestershire.
A spokesman from Acorn, a campaign group waging a vigorous campaign against letting agents in Bristol for over a year, has told a local newspaper that "aggressive marketing" of this kind is damaging.
"Landlords take the advice of the letting agent very seriously and they will put the rent up. They are exploiting the housing crisis we are facing. There is a shortage of all kinds of housing, affordable or not. People are being squeezed out of home ownership and now more and more people are prized out of even renting" he says.
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