122 Raddlebarn Road

The letting agency was okay while we were living in the house. They responded to maintenance requests promptly. However, they will try to take as much as they can from the tenancy deposit. This has happened with some of my friends at different properties with the same letting agency as well. We did take photos, but for a lot of my roommates, it was too late to upload it to the check-in inventory or they took photos and didn't put it in the inventory, so we essentially waived our legal right to contest the deductions. However, we did have dated photos that proved that we didn't cause some of the damage that they deducted from our deposit for. We left the house at 30th June and it took them more than a month to get back to us about the deductions to the tenancy deposit. They take 3-7 days before answering replies.

For any new tenants: absolutely make sure that the check-in inventory is done correctly, and include photo evidence for all of them. The check-in and check-out inventories are one of the most powerful pieces of evidence that the landlord can use (in our case, more powerful than dated photos) because you sign to say that you agree and if you don't say anything or didn't for 7 days, then it counts as accepting whatever they say on it. I am going to list below some of the things they decided to deduct from the deposit even though we had evidence otherwise.

At the start of the tenancy, the microwave was rusting on the inside. We put this in the check-in inventory and it was replaced within a week. Make sure you move all the furniture you can in the lounge and take photos of the stains on the walls. Do the same for your bedrooms. They deducted because of blu-tack marks on the walls that were already there at the start of our tenancy.
Broken and stained chairs. Document anything wrong with the chairs.
We were supplied ‘split-diwan' bed bases and mattresses. These come in two halves and are supposed to link together, but the locking links were broken. Some of them were missing bottom wheels. Make sure you look at the bottom of your beds and at the links and take photos.
A one of the bar stools was completely broken. Some of them had broken height adjustments and the fabric on the others was really worn and peeling.
At the start of the tenancy, the microwave was rusting on the inside. We put this in the check-in inventory and it was replaced within a week. They will also charge for a greasy oven and an unclean microwave. Make sure that you document the state of the oven and microwave.
There are also big stains in the chest of drawers that they provide for everyone.

In total, the claims added up to ~£1500 after disputing the charges we could.
They claimed all these deductions on me and my roommates, so I must assume they also claimed all these deductions on the previous tenants, but the problems were still there, so I have suspicions on whether they give you a fully updated check-in inventory or they actually fix the issues they deduct for if you don't press them.

There are a lot of shops and places to eat out in the neighborhood. It's close to the university and it has Selly Oak Station. There was an international student just outside the house who got her phone stolen around the start of our tenancy, when everything would still be unfamiliar to everyone, so be careful.