Tenancy review for 56 in Whitehawk, Brighton rented from J Woolf

Landlord rating: 3

The landlord was quick to install new appliances and repairs when necessary. For instance, he purchased the property a dehumidifier when we were struck by mould. Additionally, he had a vent installed in one room to assist with the process of steady air flow.
However, upon moving out, we were charged a hefty sum of £270 for a full house clean when we had already performed this job ourselves. This would be understanding if there were any problems with the house which made it uninhabitable, however the house was left in as good a condition as when we first moved in and no where on the tenancy agreement did it specify that a professional clean was necessary. On top of this, the landlord is currently trying to charge us £180 to have an apple tree, which was already in the garden, removed. He justifies this by saying that the garden is our responsibility and that is true with regards to weeds and general shrubbery but I can't say my pocket money extends to the needs and pruning of the tree.

Property rating: 4

the property was lovely- it was clearly a family home prior and was being rented out to us (students). The rooms were all very spacious and lovely and there was a large garden also. There was a drain cover in the back garden with a large crack on it and we were informed not to walk on it in case we went through it (it wasn't a deep fall at all, there were stones underneath but still wouldn't want to crack it further!).

The rooms were prone to mould however these could be treated. One room was struck a lot harder than the others and an entire wall was hit with mould- my housemate had to throw away several items of clothing and some cushions.

Area rating: 8

The area was lovely, full of lots of families, students and elderly couples. There was a nice mix of culture and ages and everything you can hope for really. I do think its worth mentioning that there was a fatal stabbing three doors down from our house, however this was unheard of for the area and not the sort of thing that you usually expect for Hanover.