London, EC1A
3.9/5, 73 reviews
75% recommended
50% lettings valuation accuracy
80% lettings fee satisfaction



Property Features

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“AVOID AKELIUS - WORST LANDLORD EVERFordwych Road - June 2018 - ......”

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Oct 21,2019
Minithumbdown
By: 'Mike'
Oct 21,2019
30 people found
this helpful
AVOID AKELIUS - WORST LANDLORD EVER

Fordwych Road - June 2018 - ongoing

If you are considering an Akelius property, STAY AWAY! Living in an Akelius property has been THE WORST experience I have had in nearly 15 years of renting properties in London. FOR OVER A YEAR NOW, I HAVE BEEN LIVING ON A LOUD, FILTHY AND UNSAFE CONSTRUCTION SITE!

Save yourself the time and headache - go inform yourself and read the many bad reviews their tenants have posted online (Trustpilot, Google Reviews, Yelp). Now, search Google News for their negative media coverage. Then, ask yourself - why take the chance with Akelius? There are countless other properties with better landlords to choose from.

COMPENSATION:

After much complaining and having to unnecessarily follow-up my emails repeatedly as they were attempting to ignore me thinking I would eventually give up, Akelius reluctantly offered 20% rent reduction. They initially tried to scam me on this, only offering this starting many months after the works began, whereas another tenant received this since this very start, so when I mentioned this, they only then offered me backdated compensation. They eventually upgraded this to 30% with backdated compensation for the 10% difference. Between reductions, compensations, reimbursements, this totalled around £4,000 over 1.5 years.

BACKGROUND AND NUMEROUS ISSUES:

In July 2017, Akelius bought the large building where I have lived happily since 2014 with no issues. Therefore, in early June 2018, I was happy to sign my renewal for another year, this time under Akelius. Soon after, Akelius began a significant renovation of the entire 15-flat, multi-story building, which due to the large-scale would have required many months of advance planning by them. However, Akelius failed to inform me of this during renewal, thus intentionally omitted and withheld key significant information which would have affected my decision as a customer. This was a breach of Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.

The construction work began in June 2018 and they formally informed us retrospectively WEEKS LATER by letter, only after tenants had enquired, which shows their carelessness. Since then, Akelius contractors have been loudly renovating the building six days a week from 8am, and often violate Council rules by working late after permitted hours. They have lied, initially saying the work would take a few months which has now taken OVER a year, as they fail to adhere to their own deadlines and extended over five times, which shows how poorly managed their construction has been.

The construction work involved complete and thorough gutting of the building back to the shell, including hallway areas, and also extensive exterior work which involved covering the building with scaffolding, with construction materials and debris dumpsters everywhere outside. As this is non-essential work for no emergency or health or safety reasons, the noise caused by this breaches my legal right to peaceful enjoyment of the property. They make no effort to minimise disturbance since THESE WORKS ARE INTENDED TO HARASS AND FORCE TENANTS OUT IN ORDER TO RENOVATE THEIR FLATS WITHOUT HAVING TO FORMALLY EVICT THEM.

The works have resulted in the building and constantly filthy with dust, dirt and debris everywhere, as well as food rubbish left behind by workers, as they barely do any cleaning. This has consequently attracted vermin which was never an issue previously with the building. Because they are doing work to the pipes and constantly turning the gas lines on and off, the radiator heating now acts temperamentally and making loud noise, therefore I am always having to top-up using an electric space heater, thus raising my energy costs, as heating is included in my rent. As further harassment, numerous times they have turned off essential services such as water and heating with no advance notice. The law requires 24 hours advance notice to tenants.

Because of all this, I am constantly losing sleep and thus always tired and unwell. As I mainly work from home, the noise disturbance has significantly affected my work productivity and has literally made life miserable and stressful in my own flat due to all the ongoing noise and related issues, including the disrespectful nature of their contractors when having to approach them due to problems. In one instance, I was threatened and physically assaulted by two of their workers, yet Akelius blatantly ignored my emails twice when I reported this and subsequently followed-up.

Their construction work has also caused damage to my flat and my belongs - once I came home find a pool of dirty water covering my floor and bedding which spilled through the ceiling from flat being renovated above me. Another time they busted through my bathroom ceiling, littering my bathroom with debris everywhere. Both times I had to clean this myself. Despite my numerous complaints, they took months to fully repair the ceilings, and offered NO APOLOGY. A third time they had to access my flat to do renovations inside and left cabling and wires hanging through a massive hole in the wall, assuming I would be perfectly okay with this, until I complained, and only then they came back to finish the job properly.

When the works started, I disclosed my medically diagnosed asthma to the Akelius property manager, who is inexperienced and useless. They completely ignored this. The air quality in the building has been terrible with construction dust which also constantly seeps into my flat from under the door, significantly affecting my health for MONTHS and triggering my asthma. As such, I been ill more times than I usually am over the year, and constantly sneezing and coughing due to the dust in the building. After numerous complaining, Akelius only then implemented dust monitoring and prevention measures in the building - MANY MONTHS LATER!

We contacted Camden Council and they discovered AKELIUS HAD FAILED TO APPLY FOR PLANNING PERMISSION for their unauthorised construction works. Camden discovered this after their unannounced site visit to the building and the council subsequently forced Akelius to make a planning application which they submitted many months retrospectively after the construction work began! As such, the way they redesigned the front driveway made the rubbish bins difficult for collectors to empty, so the Council stopped emptying them for several weeks, leading to overflowing, smelly bins during the summer which also attracted vermin to the property. We notified Camden/Environmental Health about this and they required Akelius to change the layout to make the rubbish bins more easily accessible for weekly collection.

After many months of complaining to Akelius and seeing my complaints being ignored, in March 2019 I submitted a Subject Access Request under GDPR legislation asking for all data/information they hold on me. I received back internal emails of their staff LAUGHING about my complaints! They took the entire month to process my request only to provide me with incomplete records which I discovered after cross-checking this with some of my own information when I noticed many things were missing; this is despite being very clear, detailed and specific with my request so as to avoid any confusion by them. I even received emails with personal data and information of another tenant who has nothing to do with me! Therefore, in July 2019 I submitted a formal complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) which they investigated. In October 2019, the ICO contacted Akelius with a written formal warning due to the many issues outlined in my complaint.

In March 2019, I submitted a formal complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) when I noticed Akelius began advertising the newly renovated flats, even though they only renovated 8 of 15 flats. THEY FAILED TO MENTION THE ONGOING LONG-TERM CONSTRUCTION WORK TO THE BUILDING AS REQUIRED BY LAW. The ASA upheld my complaint, and this was noted on their website on 22 May 2019. They required Akelius to disclose this information in their advertisements to prospective tenants.

As this happened after new tenants moved in, Akelius retrospectively presented them with a special form disclosing the construction works and required tenants to sign and return this, essentially signing away your rights to peaceful enjoyment of the property. During my second tenancy renewal in June 2019, Akelius attempted to make me sign this form. Through legal advice I discovered this form was unlawful under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, as UNFAIR TERMS, since “agreeing” to the noise caused by these non-essential works contradicts terms on my statutory legal rights to peaceful enjoyment of the property.

As you can see, this company acts very carelessly, deceivingly and irresponsibly. Due to low quality renovation, the new flats have had many issues. They will only listen to your complaints if you refer to relevant laws and terms in your tenancy. I have contacted my local MP and they are involved in the situation and have formally written to Akelius.

In my overall experience, Akelius staff have been very ineffective, rude and lazy in managing their properties and working with their tenants. The customer service is the WORST I have experienced of any company - they are unprofessional, have attitude problems, will lie and mislead you and ignore your telephone calls and emails. Akelius has absolutely no care towards their tenants whatsoever - they are only interested in your money and renovating their properties to benefit themselves financially and will leave you to your own if there is ever a problem.

Despite numerous complaints, they fail to address issues properly, thus you are constantly in dialogue with them or chasing, which eats up your time and makes for an unnecessarily stressful, unhealthy and miserable experience renting their over-priced and poorly-managed properties.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED - AVOID AKELIUS - SAVE YOURSELF THE HEADACHE - RENT ELSEWHERE!
Was this helpful? Yes
By: Padek
Dec 03, 2020
I wish I had seen this before moving in to an Akelius property here in London. Now I'm suffering from terrible customer service and grossly incompetent, rude staff. Only a few days after moving in and I already know I made a big mistake.
By: Eve
Mar 16, 2020
I am sorry to say but the same here they bought my place to smash it down....noise dust and that horrible customer service and endless lies as if you are an idiot. Avoid.
By: Kevin Hill
Mar 04, 2020
After reviewing your comment about Akelius I have decided to submit a PDF concerning the problems we have occurred here in Toronto and Montreal Canada. Akelius Canada Ltd has violated every rule going as you will read in the PDF. I have also included links to what has been happening at one property in Toronto since August 2015 and is still ongoing. Pass this information along. Thank you

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Opening Hours
Address

Akelius
25 Hosier Lane
London
Greater London
EC1A 9LQ
0800 014 8579

Performance statistics
Services Valuation Accuracy Fees Satisfaction Min Price of property reviewed Max Price of property reviewed
Lettings 50% 80% £650 £2,250
Review statistics
From Landlords From Tenants From Vendors From Buyers Other
0 0 55 16 0 0 0 0 0 2
Areas covered
  • Central London, North London
  • South London, East London
  • West London
Services offered
  • Sales
  • Lettings
  • Block Management
  • Surveys
  • Conveyancing
  • Mortgage Advice
Members of
TPOS Lettings TPOS DPS TDS
Latest Properties

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“Akelius suck!! Do not rent with them. Rotting......”

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Mar 25,2024
Minithumbdown
By: 'Gareth'
Mar 25,2024
0 people found
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“The best agency ever I've NissMissrented flat with! F......”

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Feb 27,2023
Minithumbup
Michael
By: 'Patrycja'
Feb 27,2023
0 people found
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The best agency ever I've rented flat with! Friendly and helpful staff members plus easy and fast check-in! Highly recommended!...
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“Worse agent ever...”

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Jul 22,2022
Minithumbdown
By: 'Emanuele'
Jul 22,2022
3 people found
this helpful
Lack of communication, organisations and professionalism. Enquiring about a property might turn in a very bad experience. They tell you to wait 24 working hours(3 working days) to be contacted but nobody does so. If you try to follow up over the phone they keep repeating ...
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“Absolutely shocking - a fundamental dislike for tenants...”

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Jul 07,2022
Minithumbdown
By: 'MD'
Jul 07,2022
1 people found
this helpful
Absolutely shocking. Would give them zero if I could. On the face of it the properties can look nice but that's where it ends. Do not expect any customer service at all (in fact it's borderline disdain that Akelius show for tenants and they are ...
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“Zero stars would be more accurate. No interest in safety...”

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Jun 27,2022
Minithumbdown
By: 'TB'
Jun 27,2022
0 people found
this helpful
I would give zero stars if I could. Not only have they generally been slow and unresponsive in dealing with issues, but they've now partnered with JustPark, meaning that anybody can rent a spot in our private car park. We were already having trouble with ...
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“Absolutely terrible after service, I have bee......”

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Jul 05,2021
Minithumbdown
By: 'HUSNIYE GUVEN'
Jul 05,2021
4 people found
this helpful
Absolutely terrible after service, I have been trying to get my deposit back but they don't even bother replying your emails. When you try and call, you can never get the person you want on the phone and the person you speak to has been ...
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“Akelius is one of the worst agencies you can work with...”

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Mar 29,2021
Minithumbdown
By: 'Jacopo'
Mar 29,2021
5 people found
this helpful
Akelius is one of the worst agencies you can work with. They tried to trick us in many ways but the worst was when they left us to leave in a flat that was losing water from everywhere, including the lights on the roof. Damaging ...
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“Not really. They lie too much. In general dis......”

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Mar 17,2020
Minithumbdown
By: 'Eva'
Mar 17,2020
10 people found
this helpful
Not really. They lie too much. In general disorganised. No hot water or cold repairs slow no heater . They ask for fictional bills to pay them. Tent to turn bought property into a living building site and hammer your hearing with excruciating noise. Service below ...
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“DO NOT RENT FROM THESE PEOPLE.I ALMOST LOST MY LIFE...”

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Jan 15,2020
Minithumbdown
MARK
By: 'P'
Jan 15,2020
13 people found
this helpful
DO NOT RENT FROM THESE PEOPLE. I ALMOST LOST MY LIFE Since renting from Akelious I have lost sleep, lost money, lost weight, lost hair, health has been severely affected. Also be very careful of a general site manager*. All of the below was his ...
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“Arranged to view a property last night at 7pm......”

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Jan 14,2020
Minithumbdown
By: 'Ross'
Jan 14,2020
9 people found
this helpful
Arranged to view a property last night at 7pm with Joshua, only to turn up after travelling a significant distance to call the agent and find out the property had been taken. A simple phone call to let me know the viewing would no longer ...
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“AVOID AKELIUS - WORST LANDLORD EVERFordwych Road - June 2018 - ......”

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Oct 21,2019
Minithumbdown
By: 'Mike'
Oct 21,2019
30 people found
this helpful
AVOID AKELIUS - WORST LANDLORD EVER Fordwych Road - June 2018 - ongoing If you are considering an Akelius property, STAY AWAY! Living in an Akelius property has been THE WORST experience I have had in nearly 15 years of renting properties in London. FOR OVER A ...
read full review
Was this helpful? Yes
By: Padek
Dec 03, 2020
View all comments (3)
I wish I had seen this before moving in to an Akelius property here in London. Now I'm suffering from terrible customer service and grossly incompetent, rude staff. Only a few days after moving in and I already know I made a big mistake. ...

“Room for improvement...”

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Sep 04,2019
Minithumbup
Thina
By: 'Tenant'
Sep 04,2019
3 people found
this helpful
I’ve been letting a flat from Akelius for over a year. They wanted to negotiate up the rent on the price that was listed before I moved in originally which I feel is poor form as if you are looking for more rent, advertise ...
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“RUN AWAY...”

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Mar 18,2019
Minithumbdown
By: 'Luke'
Mar 18,2019
8 people found
this helpful
If you see “AKELIUS” in any way associated with your prospective tenancy agreement RUN AWAY! This company is a SHAM! The roof of my room was essentially caving in and I was forced to find alternative accommodation whilst repairs were “being organised”. Fast forward 18 months ...
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“STAY AWAY...”

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Nov 06,2018
Minithumbdown
By: 'natevens'
Nov 06,2018
8 people found
this helpful
If I could give zero stars I would. Rented from them for 1 year and had a horrible experience at every stage. Terrible estate agent Joshua asked for a positive google review before even showing me the property, then when I signed the contract told me ...
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Comment on agent fees
I did not have a single positive experience
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“Awful people, Awful company...”

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May 01,2018
Minithumbup
By: 'jolo_12'
May 01,2018
18 people found
this helpful
We rented an Akelius property for nearly three years and from start to end they were awful. To begin with they had changed the locks on the property and our flat after we had picked up they keys but before we had moved in. We ...
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“Brilliant overall experience...”

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Apr 03,2018
Minithumbup
Josh
By: 'Jamie'
Apr 03,2018
0 people found
this helpful
Everything ran very smooth throughout. Josh was very helpful both before and after our move in date. Would definitely recommend this company...
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“Very Good...”

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Mar 21,2018
Minithumbup
Sanna
Narin
By: 'Sarah'
Mar 21,2018
0 people found
this helpful
Our overall experience with Akelius was very good indeed. Everything went very smoothly with the paperwork and the move. Narin Shaker and Sanna Ahmed were very pleasant to deal with and helped with every enquiry we had....Would definitely recommend this company....
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“We had a good experience with Akelius overall. Our main ......”

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Mar 09,2018
Minithumbup
Josh
Colette
By: 'Nick'
Mar 09,2018
0 people found
this helpful
We had a good experience with Akelius overall. Our main point of contact was Joshua Ogunleye who was fair and attentive throughout. There were a couple of small issues with the flat when we first moved in but they were taken care of promptly. Would ...
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“During and after the renting process, Colette was very thorough ......”

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Jan 08,2018
Minithumbup
Colette
By: 'Cliff'
Jan 08,2018
0 people found
this helpful
During and after the renting process, Colette was very thorough and expedient with the administrative side of things. Whenever I had a question she had a prompt answer, and made the process feel stress free....
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“My central heating stopped working last Tuesday (1 week already) and ......”

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Dec 12,2017
Minithumbdown
By: 'Carla'
Dec 12,2017
4 people found
this helpful
My central heating stopped working last Tuesday (1 week already) and I have been living without it since then. I emailed Akelius and they arranged an appointment with an engineer to come this Thursday (which means 9 days without heating). Last Sunday snowed here in London and ...
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“Moving across the Pond to London is a task in ......”

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Nov 27,2017
Minithumbup
Sheree
By: 'Cliff'
Nov 27,2017
0 people found
this helpful
Moving across the Pond to London is a task in itself, but from the moment I spoke with Sheree she exuded the professionalism and confidence that immediately reassured me I was in good hands! At times I felt like she was just across town, due ...
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Comment on agent fees
Good
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“From the day we saw the property until the day ......”

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Nov 23,2017
Minithumbup
Alban
By: 'Joana'
Nov 23,2017
0 people found
this helpful
From the day we saw the property until the day we signed the contract Alban and Kaomi were always extremely available. All doubts have always been clarified with honesty....
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Comment on agent fees
Good
Was this helpful? Yes

“Akelius have been professional and helpful during our journey of ......”

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Nov 22,2017
Minithumbup
Alban
By: 'Hali'
Nov 22,2017
0 people found
this helpful
Akelius have been professional and helpful during our journey of finding the perfect place to live. Alban offered his time in showing us the various properties and moved very efficiently when we decided on our chosen property. Kaomi also provided us with all the information ...
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“I would like to thank Alban for guiding us through ......”

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Nov 22,2017
Minithumbup
Alban
By: 'Devonson'
Nov 22,2017
0 people found
this helpful
I would like to thank Alban for guiding us through finding our first home which he was very patient and helpful with us....
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Comment on agent fees
The agent fees was not too bad
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“Alban, I just want to say thank you for your ......”

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Nov 22,2017
Minithumbup
Alban
By: 'Johnny'
Nov 22,2017
0 people found
this helpful
Alban, I just want to say thank you for your help to get a property in flat 8 Enterprise Court I really appreciate your help. I know I can be annoying sometimes but you are very calm few people can deal with me I give you ...
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Comment on agent fees
Is not bad but in the near future it can reduce .
Was this helpful? Yes

“Sanna was very helpful, always available and very knowledgeable and ......”

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Nov 21,2017
Minithumbup
Sanna
By: 'Solvita'
Nov 21,2017
0 people found
this helpful
Sanna was very helpful, always available and very knowledgeable and quick to respond. Probably one of the nicest experince I have had with a letting agent....
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Comment on agent fees
Very affordable
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“I received excellent customer service from the property manager Cristina ......”

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Nov 11,2017
Minithumbup
Cristina
By: 'Nicole'
Nov 11,2017
0 people found
this helpful
I received excellent customer service from the property manager Cristina Avram. Swift to reply and manage all queries. Excellent at her job...
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Comment on agent fees
Agent fees where reasonable and affordable
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“Akelius are a great landlord and efficient in handling their ......”

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Nov 08,2017
Minithumbup
By: 'Susy'
Nov 08,2017
0 people found
this helpful
Akelius are a great landlord and efficient in handling their clients. I have been negotiating my tenancy agreement with Leanna which has been both a pleasure and ease of mind. She has been very efficient at handling and managing my renewals and agreement. I highly ...
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Comment on agent fees
Fair and Equitable
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“Very accommodating to my needs and helped facilitate the whole ......”

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Nov 07,2017
Minithumbup
Colette
Sheree
By: 'Nicole'
Nov 07,2017
0 people found
this helpful
Very accommodating to my needs and helped facilitate the whole process of renting for the first time an enjoyable experience....
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Comment on agent fees
Agency Fees where reasonable and the flat is decorated to high standards.
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“Alban and Kaomi have been very helpful throughout the Lettings ......”

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Nov 06,2017
Minithumbup
Alban
By: 'Erind'
Nov 06,2017
0 people found
this helpful
Alban and Kaomi have been very helpful throughout the Lettings process it has been very smooth for my first letting experience. Not very pleased I didn't get my car park remote at the check in. However, Alban was able to bring me the remote before ...
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Comment on agent fees
Good
Was this helpful? Yes
No image available Sheree
(20)
No image available Alban
(17)
No image available Colette
(8)
No image available Josh
(3)
No image available Sanna
(2)
No image available Cristina
(2)
No image available Narin
(1)
No image available Shansel
(0)
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

Akelius Residential aim to ensure that the process of renting one of our properties is as smooth as possible. We put customer service and better living at the centre of what we do.
Most complaints can be dealt with by our front line teams e.g. your Property Manager or your Lettings Negotiator. They will do their best to resolve the matter quickly, to your satisfaction. If you think your complaint has not been fully resolved then you should write to our Customer Relations department at the address below or email us using the following address:
[email protected]
Last updated at 8:22 AM 12/10/2017 by Mark Lyness

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Branch - London, EC1A