Tenancy review for 29 The Paddocks in Romsey, Cambridge rented from Michael Nelson

Landlord rating: 1

We had a terrible experience with these live in landlords. They insisted on putting many of our things into a damp garage that we later learned they knew all along had rats so our things were eaten/chewed up by rats. They also put our bicycles outside unlocked without telling us, even though we asked them not to. They charged very high rent to begin with for a single room so it's a good idea to try to negotiate because they then lowered it but then kicked us out suddenly. We paid two months rent for time we didn't live in the place (after we were told to leave ASAP) and they promised to refund one month and still have not paid many weeks later, leaving us in dire straits financially. Overall a very uncomfortable experience and one that left us much poorer.

Property rating: 1

The house is small but nice overall, there is a shared kitchen, living room and toilet/bathroom with the landlords. The house is kept in a very dirty state though and the house is not well insulated so the heating is kept on all the time which makes the property unbearably hot for months at a time. The rented bedrooms are very small so it is difficult to work in them or store clothes.

Area rating: 3

The area is well-connected in terms of buses (although these get stuck in traffic so travel times are unpredictable) and is about a half an hour walk from the train station and about 40 min to the centre. Would be ok for cyclists as they can avoid traffic problems.