kubie-gold, Marylebone

My partner and I made the decision Sunday 15th March to put a holding deposit down with Kubie Gold on a property in Marylebone. The agent we were dealing with was in constant communication regarding referencing and arranging a move in date. By Wednesday 18th March, we got the unfortunate news that my partner was being made redundant due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Because of this and the uncertainty with the country, we decided not to proceed with moving. I contacted our letting agent to explain our situation. When the conversation about the holding deposit came up, the letting agent explained that because we, the tenants, were cancelling the agreement, we were not entitled to having the deposit back. After re explaining our situation again, and trying to compromise with the cost, the letting agent would not agree about giving back our deposit. This conversation ended by the letting agent hanging up on the call abruptly. We need emailed back and forth to try to solve the cost. The agent then stated another couple were interested in the property at the same time as when we were interested, and because of our interest, they turned the couple away. They pointed out they were out of pocket because of our decision. I explained, the property wasn’t taken off any website or listing while we were doing references, it had been 2.5 working days from putting a holding deposit down, and changing our mind. My partner was made redundant and the whole country was facing unpredictable circumstances. Would they rather we moved into a property that our salaries wouldn’t cover, and not pay the rent? Therefore leaving the letting agent and landlord further out of pocket. Also to mention at this stage a lockdown situation was not enforced but was heavily suggested by the media and we would not be able to arrange moving during this time. The agent then compared his situation of having to work from home and video viewings to my partners redundancy, which is ridiculous as they’re not even anything similar. Eventually the letting agent stopped responding to emails. We then decided to write a Facebook review to warn off people of the heartless and unsympathetic letting agents. Once submitted, they were quick to call blame on us publicly on Facebook and showed no remorse. We responded with facts and outrage on how we were treated. I had reached out to other letting agents in the area to get their response, and all three agreed that Kubie Gold had taken a very harsh stance considering the situation. Do not use this company as they’re cowboy letting agents only after your money.