Tenancy review for 58 Alma Street in South, Luton rented via premier-living

Agency rating: 2

Payments were simple and communication was quick, but they lacked the common courtesy to fix the faults with the flat or allow me to end my contract early due to me not feeling safe.

4 days after moving into this flat, the police were in my flat taking a statement from me since I'd witnessed/heard a domestic violence situation next door. After being told that the abuser had been arrested, I was asked if I wanted to provide a statement. I did. The next day, I got a call from the police saying that the abuser had been released but that he's not allowed back inside the building I live in, but I definitely heard him continuing to live next door. The day after that call, I went down to my car which was parked in the small apartment car park which housed about 4 cars (and where my neighbour parked next to me) and found red sauce all over the roof, bonnet and passenger window of my car. It looked deliberate - as if I was being targeted (probably by my neighbour's abuser). I told Premier Living that I didn't feel safe and that I'd like to end the contract early, but they reassured me that the abuser was not in the building and that they'll put up more cctv cameras. However, the arguments next door continued, and I even heard them mention my name! That was my cue to leave. I moved back in with my family while paying rent for the minimum 6 month contract period. I would pop back over to the flat every so often to make sure everything was fine. Worst 6 months of my life.

Property rating: 3

The property was a decent 1 bedroom studio flat - big enough for 1 or 2 people. It was still quite fresh but there were a few damaged items such as a slightly cracked mirror in the bathroom, peeling wallpaper, a stained sofa and a broken chest-of-drawers - not quite what I had in mind for my home.

The walls were also extremely thin, so I could hear every conversation my neighbours had, every tv show they watched, and even every playlist they played.

The wifi was shared but it also meant I was connected to the other flat's Chrome Casts, which then meant I saw what they were watching on youtube as a semi-permanent notification on my phone. Someone was really interested in videos about Russia!

Area rating: 5

The area was decent. The flat was down the street from the city centre where there was a cinema, shops, restaurants, etc.