100% lettings valuation accuracy
28% lettings fee satisfaction
Jul 22,2015
Jul 22,2015
3
people found
this helpful
this helpful
STAY AWAY!!!!
This was furnished student accommodation. We had many issues with the property and the staff at Kingstons. They appeared to think that we were to young to know anything about a property and belittled us whenever we told them of genuine problems.
On viewing the property it appeared to be up to normal standard for student property in Cardiff. However, when moving into the property more issues were found. The house was left unclean with a thick layer of dirt everywhere, mould covered the bathroom and windows throughout the property, gaps had formed in the laminate flooring in the kitchen and there were rips in the armchairs and sofa. I reported this to Kingstons and they sent someone round to clean the house again, of which they didn't do a very good job and said that they'd fix the other maintenance issues/ put them on the inventory list so that we wouldn't be charged for them.
It was obvious to my housemates and I that the reason why there were gaps in the laminate floor was that the flooring didn't continue under the kitchen sink/there wasn't a stopper before the cupboard under the kitchen sink and as we walked across the kitchen the flooring moved. I explained this to Kingstons, they "fixed it" and it happened all over again.
When signing the contract we asked for double glazing to be put in throughout (The back door and window above the front door were left out) so when I noted the amount of mould on my bedroom window frame I was referred to that. However I had moved in on my own for the first month, would be moving out for a month (when they were supposed to be installing the double glazing) and then moving back in with my housemates for the rest of the tenancy period. I explained this to them as they didn't seem to know and they eventually agreed to remove the mould from my room.
For the month that I was living in the property on my own I waited till I got to my parents house before doing my laundry. A couple of weeks after we all moved in (when we all had laundry to do) we found out that the washing machine didn't work. It took another 3 weeks for Kingstons to replace it!!
During Winter one of my bedroom walls started to drip with condensation damp even though we'd had the heating on (no matter how much the heating was on my room always appeared to be a few degrees colder than the rest of the house), I opened my window occasionally to ventilate it and had a chemical dehumidifier in my room. My room was located above the kitchen and bathroom so I assumed some of the damp was coming from there as the kitchen didn't have an extractor fan. After explaining all of this including the heating, dehumidifier and ventilation, I was told that it sounded like condensation damp cased by lack of heating and ventilation. When I reiterated my point that I was already doing more than what they were suggesting and noted again that the kitchen below my room didn't have an extractor fan they eventually came to have a look and installed an extractor fan in the kitchen.
In February we noticed that the bath was leaking so I reported it to Kingstons and they sent someone out to look at it. My housemate was in when they looked at the bath and told me that he just put the shower head on for a couple of seconds, didn't see any leaking and told her that we were using the shower curtain incorrectly. It seems strange how after 8 months of living in the property we suddenly all "couldn't use the shower curtain properly" at the same time. When my housemate told me this I ran the tap in the bath and after a minute water was pouring out from under it. When I told them this they eventually sent someone out to fix it.
During the winter months, the bathroom was unavoidably damp (even with use of extractor fans and opening the window to let steam out after showers). We reported that the bathroom door did not shut properly as it had swollen. When it got to May and we were about to leave the property someone came to the house saying that they were told to check the bathroom door. A housemate and I said that we haven't reported anything about the bathroom door since Christmas (we'd given up by then). He looked at the door anyway and said that there was no issue. We agreed with that but said that it's because the weather is warmer and drier now so it's gone back to a normal size but they wrote it off ignoring what we'd said.
During the check out Kingstons tried to charge us for issues that were clearly noted on the inventory list. However when I noted this in an email to them they told us that they would not charge us.
In order to get our deposit back we were told that we needed to provide Kingstons with proof that we'd payed the final bills. When I provided this to them they said that they needed end dates as well that weren't on the bills provided even though the bills were dated after the tenancy period and indicated that the contracts had been ended and paid in full.
So to summarise, I don't know if it's just because we were students but Kingstons staff are condescending and don't believe that you may know something about properties like identifying when a bath is leaking/ how to use a shower curtain and if you don't watch you might not get the deposit that you're entitled to back.
This was furnished student accommodation. We had many issues with the property and the staff at Kingstons. They appeared to think that we were to young to know anything about a property and belittled us whenever we told them of genuine problems.
On viewing the property it appeared to be up to normal standard for student property in Cardiff. However, when moving into the property more issues were found. The house was left unclean with a thick layer of dirt everywhere, mould covered the bathroom and windows throughout the property, gaps had formed in the laminate flooring in the kitchen and there were rips in the armchairs and sofa. I reported this to Kingstons and they sent someone round to clean the house again, of which they didn't do a very good job and said that they'd fix the other maintenance issues/ put them on the inventory list so that we wouldn't be charged for them.
It was obvious to my housemates and I that the reason why there were gaps in the laminate floor was that the flooring didn't continue under the kitchen sink/there wasn't a stopper before the cupboard under the kitchen sink and as we walked across the kitchen the flooring moved. I explained this to Kingstons, they "fixed it" and it happened all over again.
When signing the contract we asked for double glazing to be put in throughout (The back door and window above the front door were left out) so when I noted the amount of mould on my bedroom window frame I was referred to that. However I had moved in on my own for the first month, would be moving out for a month (when they were supposed to be installing the double glazing) and then moving back in with my housemates for the rest of the tenancy period. I explained this to them as they didn't seem to know and they eventually agreed to remove the mould from my room.
For the month that I was living in the property on my own I waited till I got to my parents house before doing my laundry. A couple of weeks after we all moved in (when we all had laundry to do) we found out that the washing machine didn't work. It took another 3 weeks for Kingstons to replace it!!
During Winter one of my bedroom walls started to drip with condensation damp even though we'd had the heating on (no matter how much the heating was on my room always appeared to be a few degrees colder than the rest of the house), I opened my window occasionally to ventilate it and had a chemical dehumidifier in my room. My room was located above the kitchen and bathroom so I assumed some of the damp was coming from there as the kitchen didn't have an extractor fan. After explaining all of this including the heating, dehumidifier and ventilation, I was told that it sounded like condensation damp cased by lack of heating and ventilation. When I reiterated my point that I was already doing more than what they were suggesting and noted again that the kitchen below my room didn't have an extractor fan they eventually came to have a look and installed an extractor fan in the kitchen.
In February we noticed that the bath was leaking so I reported it to Kingstons and they sent someone out to look at it. My housemate was in when they looked at the bath and told me that he just put the shower head on for a couple of seconds, didn't see any leaking and told her that we were using the shower curtain incorrectly. It seems strange how after 8 months of living in the property we suddenly all "couldn't use the shower curtain properly" at the same time. When my housemate told me this I ran the tap in the bath and after a minute water was pouring out from under it. When I told them this they eventually sent someone out to fix it.
During the winter months, the bathroom was unavoidably damp (even with use of extractor fans and opening the window to let steam out after showers). We reported that the bathroom door did not shut properly as it had swollen. When it got to May and we were about to leave the property someone came to the house saying that they were told to check the bathroom door. A housemate and I said that we haven't reported anything about the bathroom door since Christmas (we'd given up by then). He looked at the door anyway and said that there was no issue. We agreed with that but said that it's because the weather is warmer and drier now so it's gone back to a normal size but they wrote it off ignoring what we'd said.
During the check out Kingstons tried to charge us for issues that were clearly noted on the inventory list. However when I noted this in an email to them they told us that they would not charge us.
In order to get our deposit back we were told that we needed to provide Kingstons with proof that we'd payed the final bills. When I provided this to them they said that they needed end dates as well that weren't on the bills provided even though the bills were dated after the tenancy period and indicated that the contracts had been ended and paid in full.
So to summarise, I don't know if it's just because we were students but Kingstons staff are condescending and don't believe that you may know something about properties like identifying when a bath is leaking/ how to use a shower curtain and if you don't watch you might not get the deposit that you're entitled to back.
What agent could do to change your mind?
Their job.Attached Filesnbsp;
Comment on agent fees
Ridiculous amount of money for little work
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Agent Response / Add a Comment
You can use this form to reply to the above review or a displayed comment on the above review.
Browse popular links for estate agents, letting agents and properties nearby
Latest Reviews
9th Jan 2023
reviewed by 'Armitage'
3rd Aug 2022
reviewed by 'Leigh'
16th Jun 2022
reviewed by 'Jay'
20th May 2022
reviewed by 'Laura'
15th Dec 2021
reviewed by 'Coco'
Opening Hours
Address
Kingstons Residential Cardiff
91 Wyeverne Road
Cardiff
South Glamorgan
CF24 4BG
02920 409999
Performance statistics
| Services | Valuation Accuracy | Fees Satisfaction | Min Price of property reviewed | Max Price of property reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lettings | 100% | 28% | £270 | £2,500 |
Review statistics
| From Landlords | From Tenants | From Vendors | From Buyers | Other | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Areas covered
- CF24
Services offered
- Sales
- Lettings
- Block Management
- Surveys
- Conveyancing
- Mortgage Advice
- Home Builder
Advertise on
Members of
Rankings
Overall
Overall
Latest Properties
No Properties
Feb 13,2024
Feb 13,2024
0
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Absolutely shocking letting agency. After leaving they took a significant, unjustified amount of money off the deposit. They then refuse to send you invoices of work done and have no reason to justify it at all. This company 100% preys on new students coming to Cardiff....
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Jan 09,2023
Jan 09,2023
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
What an absolute joke of a company. You can't call them. They don't reply to your emails. They say you haven't paid your rent when your bank says you have. Stay well away from this Mickey Mouse Opertion!!!!!...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
May 26, 2023
View all comments
(2)
I may not be on your system, but I pay my sons rent so have a valid input!!! ...
Aug 03,2022
Aug 03,2022
1
people found
this helpful
this helpful
My landlord switched to using Kingstons last year. I've been waiting for a repair to the fire alarm systems and the extractor fans in the property for 10 months, I've been waiting 5 days for a response from the office to help me with switching the letting ...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Jun 16,2022
Jun 16,2022
1
people found
this helpful
this helpful
They will not go the extra mile to help, they just do what they need to do. Absolutely no customer service and Poor attitude...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Jun 21, 2022
View all comments
(1)
Your name does not match any one that is named on our system. ...
May 20,2022
May 20,2022
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
I wouldn't even give one star. Where ever you see this logo, RUN! The worset estate agents Ive ever experienced (coming from London) absolute liars from the get go. Will say anything to get you to sign and pay a deposit/ bond.
Worse, they will ...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Dec 15,2021
Dec 15,2021
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Avoid these cowboys! Left my son in the lurch on a Friday night when they changed his room door (without any notice!) and he obviously couldn't gain access without the new key (and their offices were shut). No one has shown any sense of accountability ...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Nov 24,2021
Nov 24,2021
1
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Great experience renting through Kingstons.
Service was great we had some issues in the start but the team at Kingstons definitely pulled through with amazing support for me and my house mates, thank you Kingstons!...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Nov 24,2021
Nov 24,2021
0
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Amazing services for property owners.
Let out three of my flats within in the first month of listing with them, very happy with service and appreciate the entire team making my life easy.
Thank you to the team at Kingstons!...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Sep 18,2021
Sep 18,2021
1
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Son has rented place with his uni mates, property has not been cleaned since last tenants, has damp, broken furniture, massive hole in one of the rooms, has mould in one of the room, leaks that show on wall, the landlord jus painted over it, ...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
May 21,2021
May 21,2021
0
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Awful agency. Inappropriate comments made, reluctant to clean property or sort out basic things like blinds, least year charged us for things that were registered before we even fully moved in...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Feb 02,2021
Feb 02,2021
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
The estate agent (Kingston’s) was terrible. The staff were unprofessional, rude and dismissive in person and on the phone and never honoured commitments on time and sometimes never. ‘Maintenance staff were never in the office’ no matter what day or time we rang and ...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Oct 14,2020
Oct 14,2020
0
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Absolutely disgusting service. Filled me with a pack of lies. The house wasn’t even in a viewable state. As soon as I made the agent aware work would have to be carried out. I was wrongly informed told to wait for a phone call ...
read full review
read full review
Attachments
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Oct 15, 2020
View all comments
(2)
It’s actually funny you say that because when I telephoned your office back to speak to a manager I was told there is nothing that can be done as this office is in fact head office. I was told by one of the female staff that speaking to a manager wouldn’t change anything so I asked for an email to email my complaint and was giving a normal email address for enquiries.
It’s also funny you say the property is new to you because from what the agent was saying at the viewing you have let t ...
Jan 23,2020
Jan 23,2020
5
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Beyond incompetent. I didn't think they were too bad after finding our property but then alas, once we moved in things went horribly wrong. One of us moved in early and they kept showing up unannounced to perform maintenance and hadn't even finished cleaning when ...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Feb 07,2019
Feb 07,2019
0
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Right from the beginning has been an absolute joke. The property was in bad condition and it took some time to get put right. The garden was a jungle which we had to cut ourselves.
The staff are hopeless and painful to communicate with.
About 2 ...
read full review
read full review
Comment on agent fees
Average
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Nov 16,2018
Nov 16,2018
1
people found
this helpful
this helpful
When we moved in the cleaning wasn't done and we found the landlord apologising and struggling to clean as he could. Later they finally sent a team to clean the house. We asked for some minimal work to be done, had to email many times, ...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Sep 11,2018
Sep 11,2018
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Only just getting round to do doing this review but I have been meaning to do it for some time. Last year I was due to move into a 2-bed property in Cardiff Bay with my friend. It was a quick turn around with viewing ...
read full review
read full review
Comment on agent fees
AverageAttachments
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Aug 30,2018
Aug 30,2018
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Keeps hold of deposits- dupes younger adults and fobs them off each time they try to return their money. Poor housing stock and numerous issues reported that were not acted upon....
read full review
read full review
Comment on agent fees
Hides behind contract but does not fulfil their responsibilities and ignores concerns
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
May 31,2018
May 31,2018
1
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Genuinely do not recommend!! The customer service is beyond incompetent. Me and my flatmate were living without heating and hot water in the middle of winter for two months. Faced multiple issues like mould, mice, broken furniture, gas leaks - a lot of those could ...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Feb 08,2018
Feb 08,2018
1
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Absolutely appalling service and disregard for the safety of their tenants. Someone attempted to break into our house and left the letterplate hanging by a screw so we literally had a big hole in our door after we managed to chase the burglar away. I ...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Sep 23,2017
Sep 23,2017
5
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Please explain how you can allow two new tenants (my son and a friend) to sign all the relevant contracts etc. Pay in full upfront all the necessary charges, deposits etc. Shake hands and arrange collected of the keys on a Wednesday morning at 9.30am. ...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Aug 26,2017
Aug 26,2017
3
people found
this helpful
this helpful
As a student, do not rent from them. House was dirty, there was even a slug left in the dishwasher which was broken when we moved in. gave us the wrong keys initially, they let themselves into our property without even knocking or any notice, ...
read full review
read full review
Comment on agent fees
No fees paid
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Aug 16,2017
Aug 16,2017
3
people found
this helpful
this helpful
PLEASE DON'T RENT HERE!!
I cannot understand how they have positive reviews on google but I have never regretted anything more than letting with Kingstons. I felt very welcomed and confident when I went to the office and arranged for my deposit to be taken. ...
read full review
read full review
Comment on agent fees
£250 admin fees and £60 check out fee. i personally don't rent a lot so i'm not sure if this is a good rate. but considering their service is non existent its a complete joke.
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Aug 11,2017
Aug 11,2017
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Honestly the worst student estate agents you could ever imagine. The staff are rude and unhelpful, the property was an absolute mess when we moved in, we were frequently harassed to clean the property even though it was constantly spotless. There was mould on the ...
read full review
read full review
Comment on agent fees
Agency fees were extremely high and seemed to be all they really cared about, making money.
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Jul 31,2017
Jul 31,2017
0
people found
this helpful
this helpful
I have had nothing but excellent service for the last 11 years from Kingstons Residential. They have been nothing but professional and have provided an outstanding service.
The staff are extremely friendly and through out the year have kept me informed of any issues regarding the ...
read full review
read full review
Comment on agent fees
Agent fees are of satisfactory and well below other agents.
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Oct 19, 2018
View all comments
(1)
Hello Shahid, I found this review because I wanted to leave a bad review for Kingstons. We have been emailing/calling for weeks with no reply and no action. We called them again today so let's see. So far it is the WORST letting agency I have ever been in touch with ...
Jul 27,2017
Jul 27,2017
0
people found
this helpful
this helpful
I recently used Kingstons residential to let out my property. They were extremly helpful and thouragh with there searches on my new Tennent.
Kingstons have a large market from students, family's and professionals, so they managed to get me a fantastic professional Tenent with in ...
read full review
read full review
Comment on agent fees
I have been a landlord for many years and Kingstons residential charge by far the most reasonable agent fees I have come across.
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Jul 14,2017
Jul 14,2017
1
people found
this helpful
this helpful
The worst estate agents you could possibly go to!! They don't even deserve one star. Unbelievably unorganised, they don't care about their tenants, and they will passive aggressively argue with you over the phone when you question them about their own mistakes!! They try as ...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Mar 01,2017
Mar 01,2017
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
The agency is awful and does not even deserve one star. The are not helpful at all, the house has mould and the roof has a leak. Small issues in the house are never taken care of and the best of all is that the ...
read full review
read full review
Comment on agent fees
Bad. It is unacceptable to pay for almost all of the amount of the agent fees for a house you are already living.
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Mar 03, 2017
View all comments
(1)
At Kingstons we take all complaints very seriously and would have liked the opportunity to discuss the content of your review in person.
We do have a complaints procedure which has not been followed correctly in this instance.
In the event that we are unable to reach a satisfactory conclusion over the telephone or in writing then we invite our tenants in to the office for a meeting. If you would like to meet or simply have a chat with a member of our team to discuss your experience with us ...
Sep 15,2016
Sep 15,2016
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Kingston residential provided me with a property, which was covered in mould (which was going to be removed when I moved in, according to Kingstons).The cleaning I was provided with when moving in was redundant and upon moving in there was a slug and ...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Aug 09,2016
Aug 09,2016
3
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Do not deal with this company.
The property was dirty when the tenants moved in.
The fire alarm was not linked and did not comply with HMO regulations, they only acknowledged this after it was reported to the housing officer.
Loads of problems.
Now one ...
read full review
read full review
What agent could do to change your mind?
PoorAttached Filesnbsp;
Comment on agent fees
Poor
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Aug 01,2016
Aug 01,2016
3
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Will never touch them again with a 10ft barge pole.
To begin with, when picking the keys up for my home I was greeted wth the keys might work we haven't checked. To only understand that the keys were handed in, in the morning by ...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
No fees information available
Kindly note that legally, letting agents need to publish information about their tenancy fees, government-approved redress schemes and client money protection schemes on their website and on third party websites (on which agents are listed). For properties to lease/rent in England, agents need to keep this information up to date and precise on allAgents or specify within the property description.
Complaints Procedure
No procedure set.
Last updated at 4:41 PM 09/12/2021 by Laura
