stayed in one of their properties for 2 and a half years (mainly because finding a better place with parking in time was impossible). Overall, it was a pretty memorable experience (not in a good way).
1) When viewing the room, the property manager showed me the laundry facilities but what he failed to tell me was that the tumble dryer was already broken — and would remain broken throughout my entire tenancy.
2) On move-in day, I was greeted by a dangerously overheating shower. When I reported it and the handyman came to check, he thanked me for reporting it because he said if I hadn't done so, I could have been seriously burnt and he would have been in trouble. My room was also covered with construction dust and there were tissues left in the toilet. It was obvious they hadn't bothered checking it before giving me the keys.
3) I was sharing a two-bedroom flat with another woman and throughout my stay, agents and the handyman repeatedly entered our flat without any prior notice using a key. We even complained about it and it kept happening. Apart from the fact that this is illegal, it also shows that these people lack the decency to respect a tenant’s right to privacy in their own home.
4) We repeatedly complained about rats and they couldn't have cared less.
5) Receiving mail and parcels became an unnecessarily time-consuming and frustrating process, as the house address and entrance didn’t match, so parcels were often left in random flats. Also, two flats shared a mailbox full of old tenants’ post, meaning I often had to sort through around 100 letters just to find mine. Again, despite many complaints from tenants, nothing was done about it.
6) I was paying £50 a month for a parking space that didn't have a ramp, meaning I had to mount the pavement every time just to park my car and the handyman's van frequently occupied the space.
7) After I moved out, they tried to charge me £50 for cleaning fee. When I refused, explaining that I had left the room in good condition, they immediately agreed and reduced the charge to £25. That made me wonder: if they themselves knew the room didn’t justify a £50 cleaning fee, why were they trying to charge me that amount in the first place? As I mentioned above, they don’t treat tenants like people — they treat them like sources of money. They probably thought "If we can get £50 out of her, why not try?".
Basic things like respect for tenants, safety checks, functioning facilities, clear parcel and mail systems, and honest communication about what is and isn’t working are all part of providing a decent rental experience, but these people seem to care more about keeping the property occupied and collecting rent than making sure tenants actually have a comfortable and convenient place to live day to day. Throughout my entire stay, I felt like I was seen less as a person and more as someone they could simply collect money from every month.