1 Star Review
Feb 09,2010
By: 'AJ'
Feb 09,2010
Branch: London, 8 Blackstock Road
Services: Lettings (as a Landlord)
Would you recommend?: No
Postcode:
Branch: London, 8 Blackstock Road
Lettings (as a Landlord)
Postcode:
5
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I would strongly urge any landlords in the Finsbury Park area not to use Ludlow Thompson. They will find you tenants quickly but from that point on their eyes are on the commission and they seemingly have no interest in checking the tenants\' references or listening to your instructions.
In my case, they found tenants quickly and told me that the references had all come back absolutely fine. I am a first time landlord so I did not know I had a right to see the references and they did not provide me with a copy. It transpired that they had uploaded a reference report onto their online portal but no-one bothered to tell me about this portal or send me login details so I didn\'t even know it existed until a week before the tenancy was due to begin - helpful.
When I eventually saw the reference report I realised that the tenants\' previous landlord references all said \"N/A\" - hardly comforting! One of the tenants had rented before so I was concerned that all the references came up as N/A and they had also failed the rent ratio (LT\'s affordability test). So the assurances I had been given that the references were \"absolutely fine\" was a load of cobblers - I had no positive references from any previous landlords and by their own standards, one of the tenants couldn\'t afford the rent.
Did LT understand my concerns? Of course not! At this late stage I tried to at least insert a break clause into the tenancy agreement to give me some protection - in response I was told it was too late as LT had already signed a copy on my behalf! I had asked to see the agreement myself and I believe they had no right to sign it on my behalf before showing me a copy - I have since discovered that very few agents do this.
When I asked the agent dealing with the letting to speak to the tenants and ask if they would be willing to add a break clause, he flatly refused, even though he is supposed to act on my instructions and not vice versa. If you complain they just get aggressive and act like you\'re being a pain. In fact, when I asked twice for a copy of their complaints procedure they refused to provide it - a breach of the ARLA and Property Ombudsman Codes of Practice and a good indication of the bullying tactics they employ.
The director who reviewed my complaint sent me a response which suggested he either hadn\'t read my complaint or had decided to respond selectively. I have never complained about a service in my life but I feel very strongly about being lied to and fobbed off when my property is at stake. They have offered to reimburse 25% of my fees but I am at a loss as to why I should pay anything at all for such an abysmal service and no apology. I\'d have been better handing over my keys to a random punter on the street - I\'d have known just as much about the tenants\' credentials and I could have saved myself a fortune.
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This company are just unbelievably awful. I understand that ARLA and TPOS are interested in hearing about dodgy practices like this so I completely agree - write to them because complaining to Ludlow Thompson gets you nowhere.
Hopefully word of mouth will also make a difference - I know for certain none of my friends or colleagues would go near Ludlow Thompson after hearing about how little regard they have for their customers.
ADMIN NOTE: Person's name has been removed.