100% lettings valuation accuracy
28% lettings fee satisfaction
Sep 28,2015
Sep 28,2015
2
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I am overall appalled by everything that I have experiences with Kingstons.
In January 2014, we decided to move into a Kingston's residence that was in a good location and on first inspection was a really good looking property as it was well lived in by a couple of our friends.
When signing the contract, we were told that the advised rent PCM was actually going to be £20 more than we had been lead to believe. We were told that the reason for this was that they were going to replace all the appliances in both bathrooms, as well as re-decorate much of the house. Only once bathroom was re-tiled, no appliances were replaced and only the living room was re-painted in the same colour. (the re-painting was done around things we had since put on the wall, and completely ruined a few personal paintings and wall hangings.)
As we were not all students and worked in Cardiff, we tried to move in on the first day of our tenancy. We were not allowed in the property until 8pm on this day as they were "cleaning". The first thing I saw when entering the property was a thick layer of dust and mould on the doors, the stair banisters and pretty much every surface that wasn't the floor. The floor was not vacuumed either. I don't know what they were "cleaning" but it certainly wasn't the house.
Within a week, the dishwasher broke. After emailing, calling and visiting the office physically, them sending 3 repairmen who all said it needed replacing, it took them another 3 months to replace it.
After 2 weeks, I found a random man in my house after coming home from work. It was the builder here to re-do one of the bathrooms. We had not been told when it was to start, or that he was coming over. After visiting the office (they did not answer the phone or emails) they told us it would take 2 weeks. He was there for 2 months- coming and going as he pleased, carrying mud everywhere and smoking IN the house. When we asked for him to not, he then smoked in the kitchen doorway and blocked our drain with cig butts. I could not shower for 2 months, and when he had finally put the old shower back, he had put it back with broken doors meaning the bathroom was really a wet room.
The drain got blocked by the builders cigarettes and leaves, as the drain was too small for it purpose. Around 2-3 months after we had told them this another 3 random men walked into my house at 8am while I was in the shower. They had not knocked, I did not know who they were or what they were doing or that I should expect them. They were then rude to me, telling me that I was being silly, when I asked them to leave. Complaining to Kingstons, they were similarly rude and told me that they had of course told all of us. Funny that none of my housemates knew about it either.
Around mid-way through the tenancy, we had a pretty large theft. In inspection of the front door, that had been locked (Kingston's had refused to put a latch on the door), we noticed the front door was not even attached to the wall. There was daylight coming through the sealant they had used at some point but broken off because it was just rubber waterproofing. We were also able to unlock the door from the outside without a key. Because of this, we were not covered by Insurance and afterwards Kingstons DID NOT replace the lock, or fix the door.
I have now been out of the house for 3 months. Initially, they did not want to give us any of the bond back because of breakages that had existed before we moved in. (luckly, we had done an independent inventory, took photos of the state we received the property in and had email evidence of the extra work we had done to improve the property over the 12 months). It has now been 3 weeks since they agreed to giving us back some of our bonds. Since then it has been completely silent. They are not responding to emails or picking up the phone.
I cannot believe this letting agency is still allowed to operate. They have appalling customer service, talk down to you and left me feeling horrifically unsafe in my own home. DO NOT use this letting agency. DO NOT recommend it to your friends, and DO NOT trust anything they have to say
In January 2014, we decided to move into a Kingston's residence that was in a good location and on first inspection was a really good looking property as it was well lived in by a couple of our friends.
When signing the contract, we were told that the advised rent PCM was actually going to be £20 more than we had been lead to believe. We were told that the reason for this was that they were going to replace all the appliances in both bathrooms, as well as re-decorate much of the house. Only once bathroom was re-tiled, no appliances were replaced and only the living room was re-painted in the same colour. (the re-painting was done around things we had since put on the wall, and completely ruined a few personal paintings and wall hangings.)
As we were not all students and worked in Cardiff, we tried to move in on the first day of our tenancy. We were not allowed in the property until 8pm on this day as they were "cleaning". The first thing I saw when entering the property was a thick layer of dust and mould on the doors, the stair banisters and pretty much every surface that wasn't the floor. The floor was not vacuumed either. I don't know what they were "cleaning" but it certainly wasn't the house.
Within a week, the dishwasher broke. After emailing, calling and visiting the office physically, them sending 3 repairmen who all said it needed replacing, it took them another 3 months to replace it.
After 2 weeks, I found a random man in my house after coming home from work. It was the builder here to re-do one of the bathrooms. We had not been told when it was to start, or that he was coming over. After visiting the office (they did not answer the phone or emails) they told us it would take 2 weeks. He was there for 2 months- coming and going as he pleased, carrying mud everywhere and smoking IN the house. When we asked for him to not, he then smoked in the kitchen doorway and blocked our drain with cig butts. I could not shower for 2 months, and when he had finally put the old shower back, he had put it back with broken doors meaning the bathroom was really a wet room.
The drain got blocked by the builders cigarettes and leaves, as the drain was too small for it purpose. Around 2-3 months after we had told them this another 3 random men walked into my house at 8am while I was in the shower. They had not knocked, I did not know who they were or what they were doing or that I should expect them. They were then rude to me, telling me that I was being silly, when I asked them to leave. Complaining to Kingstons, they were similarly rude and told me that they had of course told all of us. Funny that none of my housemates knew about it either.
Around mid-way through the tenancy, we had a pretty large theft. In inspection of the front door, that had been locked (Kingston's had refused to put a latch on the door), we noticed the front door was not even attached to the wall. There was daylight coming through the sealant they had used at some point but broken off because it was just rubber waterproofing. We were also able to unlock the door from the outside without a key. Because of this, we were not covered by Insurance and afterwards Kingstons DID NOT replace the lock, or fix the door.
I have now been out of the house for 3 months. Initially, they did not want to give us any of the bond back because of breakages that had existed before we moved in. (luckly, we had done an independent inventory, took photos of the state we received the property in and had email evidence of the extra work we had done to improve the property over the 12 months). It has now been 3 weeks since they agreed to giving us back some of our bonds. Since then it has been completely silent. They are not responding to emails or picking up the phone.
I cannot believe this letting agency is still allowed to operate. They have appalling customer service, talk down to you and left me feeling horrifically unsafe in my own home. DO NOT use this letting agency. DO NOT recommend it to your friends, and DO NOT trust anything they have to say
What agent could do to change your mind?
adhere to the law and do their job. Don't make fake promises, don't lie and communicate with your customers.Attached Filesnbsp;
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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
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- Block Management
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Feb 13,2024
Feb 13,2024
0
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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....
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Jan 09,2023
Jan 09,2023
2
people found
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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!!!!!...
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May 26, 2023
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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
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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 ...
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Jun 16,2022
Jun 16,2022
1
people found
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They will not go the extra mile to help, they just do what they need to do. Absolutely no customer service and Poor attitude...
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Jun 21, 2022
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Your name does not match any one that is named on our system. ...
May 20,2022
May 20,2022
2
people found
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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 ...
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Dec 15,2021
Dec 15,2021
2
people found
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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 ...
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Nov 24,2021
Nov 24,2021
1
people found
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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!...
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Nov 24,2021
Nov 24,2021
0
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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!...
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Sep 18,2021
Sep 18,2021
1
people found
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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, ...
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May 21,2021
May 21,2021
0
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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...
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Feb 02,2021
Feb 02,2021
2
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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 ...
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Oct 14,2020
Oct 14,2020
0
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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 ...
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Oct 15, 2020
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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
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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 ...
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Feb 07,2019
Feb 07,2019
0
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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 ...
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Average
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Nov 16,2018
Nov 16,2018
1
people found
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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, ...
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Sep 11,2018
Sep 11,2018
2
people found
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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 ...
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Aug 30,2018
Aug 30,2018
2
people found
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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....
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Comment on agent fees
Hides behind contract but does not fulfil their responsibilities and ignores concerns
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May 31,2018
May 31,2018
1
people found
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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 ...
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Feb 08,2018
Feb 08,2018
1
people found
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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 ...
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Sep 23,2017
Sep 23,2017
5
people found
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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. ...
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Aug 26,2017
Aug 26,2017
3
people found
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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, ...
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Comment on agent fees
No fees paid
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Aug 16,2017
Aug 16,2017
3
people found
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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. ...
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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.
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Aug 11,2017
Aug 11,2017
2
people found
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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 ...
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Comment on agent fees
Agency fees were extremely high and seemed to be all they really cared about, making money.
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Jul 31,2017
Jul 31,2017
0
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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 ...
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Comment on agent fees
Agent fees are of satisfactory and well below other agents.
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Oct 19, 2018
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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
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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 ...
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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.
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Jul 14,2017
Jul 14,2017
1
people found
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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 ...
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Mar 01,2017
Mar 01,2017
2
people found
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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 ...
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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.
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Mar 03, 2017
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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 ...
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Aug 09,2016
Aug 09,2016
3
people found
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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 ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
PoorAttached Filesnbsp;
Comment on agent fees
Poor
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Aug 01,2016
Aug 01,2016
3
people found
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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 ...
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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
