Garden Flat, 37 Lower Church Road

I lived in this flat on Lower Church Road for seven years. Jill Whitmore was my landlord and Brightest Move was the letting agent.

During my tenancy, there were repeated leaks from the flat above and damp inside a bedroom cupboard. The back bedroom was absolutely freezing, and the single-glazed windows let in draughts. When the back fence broke, I was left to arrange and pay for the repair myself. If you’re viewing the flat, I’d ask what work has been done since I lived there to address the leaks, damp and draughts.

I raised concerns about overcrowding in the one-bedroom flat directly above mine. I was told that between eight and eleven people were living there at one point. I raised it with the landlord and felt I had to take it up with the council to get the issue addressed.

Some of the people living above me worked nights. From about 10pm into the early hours, I regularly heard heavy footsteps and shouting as people came and went. There was shouting outside the flat, and drivers sounded their horns as they pulled away. Upstairs neighbours in my own building also repeatedly threw rubbish out of their windows, including cigarette ends and food.

By my estimate, I had about 22 different neighbours over those seven years. There was a high turnover of tenants in the HMO next door, and I experienced recurring antisocial behaviour from that property, including noise. I also dealt with overflowing bins and problems with rats. On the street itself, I regularly heard loud music and saw people who appeared drunk.

My experience with Brightest Move was that they did the bare minimum. Communication was practically non-existent. When I raised complaints, including about antisocial behaviour, I saw very little follow-up or action. They mainly passed messages between me and the landlord, and I didn’t see them send contractors to deal with the maintenance issues I raised. I felt left to deal with these problems on my own and unsupported as a tenant.

Brightest Move did not protect my deposit in an approved tenancy deposit scheme at any point during my seven-year tenancy. If you’re renting, I’d ask who handles repairs and complaints, and which scheme will protect your deposit.

The constant disruption took a real toll on my mental health. By the time I moved out, I was dealing with PTSD. Based on my seven years there, if you’re looking for somewhere quiet to settle, I wouldn’t recommend buying or renting this flat.

The flat itself is lovely, with good-sized rooms and a back garden that gets sun for part of the day. The garden is overlooked on all sides, and there was a route from the street to the back of the neighbouring property.

Daytime parking was horrendous. Some days I parked up by the quarry or further up the hill and walked about half a mile to my car. When I lived there, parking directly outside was paid and limited to three hours. My car was damaged while parked on the road.

From the back bedroom, I could hear the washing machine in the adjoining house through the wall.