Landlord reviews for
David Hill in St Andrews
Average Landlord Rating: 2
★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Number of times reviewed: 2
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David Hill, St Andrews
Reviewed 24 July 2019
★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Just before we moved in the legislation changed to say that rent deposits had to be put into a protected scheme. To get around this the landlord had us pay a £150 deposit "for the keys" that didn't go in a scheme and he mentioned he would take cleaning fees off of that if needed before we moved out. This is illegal.
The landlord was frequently incompetent. He often turned up with less than 48 hours notice, or let us know he was sending in tradesmen only the day before.
He promised to clear out the years of previous tenants rubbish that had built up in the shed since the day we moved in, and now 13 months later he still hasn't done it. He said he would need to get a license for a skip to do it but he didn't want to do that. Maybe he wouldn't have needed a skip if he had cleared it out after every tenant like he is supposed to. This meant there was little space to put things in or walk around the shed which was difficult given the tumble drier is in the back of it.
We reported that the house was infested with mice and none of our traps or poison had helped, and he did not deal with it for six months until the next door neighbours complained.
The halogen kitchen light never worked during the night because it was too cold, and he kept having the electrician out to replace the bulb before he stepped into the 21st century and put in a working light.
He kept telling us (a group of students with limited means) that we should keep the heating on 24/7 to keep the house warm (it didn't stay warm due to the lack of carpets/insulation/double glazing) which would be incredibly expensive and wasteful.
When we told him we were moving out and asked for a reference, he refused to give us one and then told us if we didn't confirm we were staying in his house in two days he would kick us out (i.e. stay with me or I will make you homeless). Thankfully the letting agents were very understanding when we showed them what he had said and let us apply for our next house without a reference but this was incredibly stressful.
He then listed the house without telling us, and we had groups of students turning up for days to look round the house who we weren't informed would be coming. The first day this happened we couldn't get in contact with him because he was out of the country.
I advise the next tenants to consistently hold him to the terms of the lease, and report him to the council or the students' union advocate if he breaks the terms of the lease or the law.
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The landlord was frequently incompetent. He often turned up with less than 48 hours notice, or let us know he was sending in tradesmen only the day before.
He promised to clear out the years of previous tenants rubbish that had built up in the shed since the day we moved in, and now 13 months later he still hasn't done it. He said he would need to get a license for a skip to do it but he didn't want to do that. Maybe he wouldn't have needed a skip if he had cleared it out after every tenant like he is supposed to. This meant there was little space to put things in or walk around the shed which was difficult given the tumble drier is in the back of it.
We reported that the house was infested with mice and none of our traps or poison had helped, and he did not deal with it for six months until the next door neighbours complained.
The halogen kitchen light never worked during the night because it was too cold, and he kept having the electrician out to replace the bulb before he stepped into the 21st century and put in a working light.
He kept telling us (a group of students with limited means) that we should keep the heating on 24/7 to keep the house warm (it didn't stay warm due to the lack of carpets/insulation/double glazing) which would be incredibly expensive and wasteful.
When we told him we were moving out and asked for a reference, he refused to give us one and then told us if we didn't confirm we were staying in his house in two days he would kick us out (i.e. stay with me or I will make you homeless). Thankfully the letting agents were very understanding when we showed them what he had said and let us apply for our next house without a reference but this was incredibly stressful.
He then listed the house without telling us, and we had groups of students turning up for days to look round the house who we weren't informed would be coming. The first day this happened we couldn't get in contact with him because he was out of the country.
I advise the next tenants to consistently hold him to the terms of the lease, and report him to the council or the students' union advocate if he breaks the terms of the lease or the law.
David Hill, St Andrews
Reviewed 23 July 2019
★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
He is terribly incompetent, and never does anything when he says he will. He has been saying all year that he will clear out the shed, which is full of rubbish, but he has never done it. The house had mice and he did nothing about it. He refused to give us references because he was trying to force us to stay. He shows up unannounced. The rent he charges is too much, yet he refuses to spend any money on improving the house.
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