“Absolutely awful...”

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1 Star Review

May 20,2019

By: 'EleanorR246'

May 20,2019

Branch: Derby, 57 High Street
Services: Lettings (as a Tenant)
Would you recommend?: No
Postcode: DE22

Branch: Derby, 57 High Street
Lettings (as a Tenant)
Postcode: DE22

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We lived in a flat rented out by Hannells for 11 months. They were the most miserable 11 months of my life. There was mould EVERYWHERE that both Hannells and the landlord refused to do anything about.
The day we moved in we realised the kitchen cupboards were falling off the walls (it took 5 weeks and a letter from the local MP to get them fixed), and a water pipe was burst (luckily it was an outside pipe so it didn't affect us BUT this still had not been fixed at the time that we moved out).
Our upstairs neighbour was one of the nastiest people I've ever met, played loud music all hours of the day and night, had a big dog that pooped in the shared garden that they never cleaned up after, we made complaints to Hannells and they did nothing, so we went to the council. The neighbour then threatened us, which we again told Hannells about. Again, they did nothing.
We had £200 taken off our deposit for "carpet cleaning', even though they ripped the carpets up after we left. The carpets were soaking wet most of the time we lived there because of the mould and condensation, despite us having the windows open as often as possible.
The bathroom window didn't close properly and had bars across it. Felt like showering in a prison.
We made numerous complaints about furniture we'd had to throw away because it was COVERED in mould. Did they do anything about it? OF COURSE NOT. I had clothes, shoes, bags, coats ALL RUINED by mould. Hundreds of pounds worth of our possessions were ruined but neither Hannells nor the landlord were willing to do anything about the mould or about our ruined belongings. They claimed the mould was from a 'lack of ventilation' despite us having windows open all day when we were home and overnight, and there was still mould covering the walls in open areas, like the hallway and around the door. I wish I'd taken pictures of it at it's worst. We spent so much money on cleaning products, anti-mould paint, and paint to cover up the mould-stained walls.
The mould got so bad at points that I was having to use my asthma inhaler several times a day, compared to only a few times a month before moving into this property.
I absolutely hated living in this flat, hated the lack of care from the landlord and from Hannells, and hate the fact that we were simply treated as idiot kids with no idea.

We have now moved into a 3 bedroom house with NO mould, no inconsiderate neighbours, no rubbish landlord, no cupboards falling off the walls, no shared garden covered in dog poo, AND CHEAPER RENT.
How is a 3 bedroom house cheaper to rent than a 1 bedroom flat that was smaller than our new living room?!

Comment on agent fees

VERY expensive. Extortionate - when going to the bank to pay the fees, the woman that served us was shocked at the price and told us it'd be cheaper to get a deposit on a mortgage.

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By: Hollie Clayton

Jun 17, 2019

Hi Eleanor,
Thank you for your review.

We’re really disappointed with how things turned out with your tenancy and it’s certainly not how we like our tenants to feel.

All of your points have been taken into consideration and we’ve been looking into how we can make sure that no other tenant of ours feels the same way in the future.

Whilst you have certainly brought to our attention some areas for improvement, I would also like to address some of the concerns you raised.

With regards to the mould situation and the kitchen cupboards (which, as you mention, were eventually fixed), we’re sorry that this resulted in such a poor experience during your time in the property. We informed the Landlord a number of times that this was an issue that needed to be sorted. Unfortunately, as a lettings agent, we do not have the authority to carry out works that have not been approved by the Landlord.

With regards to the behaviour of your neighbour, we understand that this must have been very frustrating. We did manage to make contact with your neighbour who informed us that they would be more considerate. Unfortunately, we’re not able to dictate how neighbours should behave and how they choose to act is beyond our control.
The £200 charge for the carpets to be cleaned was not just for the carpets. It was for a full professional clean of the house which was required at the end of the tenancy due to there being a cat at the property, which we were not informed of. You confirmed via email that these deductions were acceptable at the end of the tenancy and accepted the deduction through the deposit protection scheme. The bars in the bathroom were also already there when you first viewed the property and decided to rent it.

With regards to your comment of renting a cheaper property, we are pleased that you have managed to find a new property that is more suited to your requirements and hope that your experience there is far better than what you have described above.

We cannot comment with regards to the price of the property as there are a number of factors that affect market rental prices and we’re not aware of the details of your new property. However, the price of the property was clear at the point of you renting the property and it was your decision to pay that price.

And finally, with regards to our fees, we have always monitored the price of local competition and have always endeavoured to remain competitive. However, this no longer matters as of June 1st, no agents are able to charge fees to tenants.

Based on our own experience, we very much doubt that you could pay a deposit for a mortgage with the cost of our charges. Perhaps the person that served you at the bank (who provide mortgages) may have had an ulterior motive.

Again, we are deeply disappointed that you were not happy with your property and the service provided by Hannells during your tenancy. We did make arrangements for you to leave the property early, which we are well aware does not erase the previous months of being there, and we are pleased to hear that you are now happy in your new home.

Wishing you all the best.
Hollie Clayton
Lettings Manager
Hannells Lettings

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