Tenancy review for 12 Fairfield Street in Abbey, Lincoln rented from David Beresford

Landlord rating: 2

This review is written on behalf of the previous tenants. The tenants felt repairs were not performed in a timely manner.The tenants were left without heating in the middle of winter for 2 weeks and the landlord refused to reimburse or provide an alternative. The landlord didn’t increase the rent for many years which was good. However he raved about how amazing the tenants were yet tried to keep the deposit so he could get new carpets which were already stained. This resulted in a long process of regaining this back. He complained about things such as “a bit of dirt between the door hinges” when the tenants spent two solid days cleaning and his rep said it was spotless and tried to claim this from the deposit. The tenants were offended by comments about traditional gender roles and the tenants not adhering to these, comments about the female earning more, comments about the tenants not being able to afford where he went on holiday. On multiple occasions he text the tenants with photos of secateurs with no accompanying text - his representative stated the garden was in excellent condition when moving out. If he was not happy about something there were numerous texts and calls in quick succession about this direct to the tenants, often at antisocial hours eg midnight on a Sunday and 5am on a Wednesday.

Property rating: 5

One main fireplace (there were only two) didn’t work as it was condemned and he didn’t get it fixed - he just told the tenants not to use it.Brown stained carpet upon moving in, in the guest bedroom. Bathroom very prone to mould due to it being wallpapered so constantly peeling despite the small window being open every day -the tenants took care of this out their own money. There were some holes around sockets, uneven paintwork and plastering, and an upside down tile in a very visible place by the fireplace. The house benefited from character and having two medium sized sitting rooms/dining room.

Area rating: 2

The tenants felt unsafe in the area. The actual street was nice for the first few years but then loads of people moved inwho had very different views to the family neighbourhood and this largely involved outdoor parties on a Monday morning 3-6am and the smell of cannabis everywhere. The area itself is well known round Lincoln but within walking distance to town and shops.