Tenancy review for 9 Arkendale Street in North Road, Darlington rented from Malkit Khing

Landlord rating: 1

only 2 repairs performed in 5 years. Downstairs toilet which was faulty when we moved in and a woodworm issue in the dining room which we are not fully convinced was checked properly for signs of spreading. None of the other problems mentioned on the property tab were ever fixed. We ended up buying the house ourselves and replacing the back door at a cost of £720.

Property rating: 1

Property was in poor condition throughout, 20 odd year old kitchen, items from previous tenants left in the house, wallpaper peeling off at the top of the stairs. Carpets in relatively good condition but clearly not brand new as the owner had claimed. Fireplace was condemned on the first gas safety check and never fixed. Back door had a huge hole in the bottom corner that was also never fixed, glass on garage window was hanging out of the frame and looked close to collapse. Two windows still wont open, sealant around all windows and around the bottom of the shower was degraded (we have since fixed this ourselves.)

Area rating: 10

Excellent transport links, amazing neighbours and a very good school on our doorstep, plenty of good shops within a 5 minute walk.