Alba Residential
Edinburgh, EH10
1.6/5, 34 reviews
15% recommended
0% lettings valuation accuracy
99% lettings fee satisfaction



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“Agree totally with earlier review from another landlord. Alba are ......”

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Oct 15,2013
Minithumbdown
By: 'Disgusted'
Oct 15,2013
0 people found
this helpful
Agree totally with earlier review from another landlord. Alba are appalling. If you are looking for a responsible property management company to look after your best interests as a landlord, safeguard your investment, and provide you with an efficient, competent and responsible service then avoid this shower like the plague.
My suspicions were aroused after experiencing the operations of their property maintenance departments on a number of occasions - extremely poor quality in house repairs service, which no 'our charges are competitive to other agents' can justify (bath sealant had been used on a window pane repair for example). The quality control they exert over the external contractors they use is non-existent. We found ourselves charged a lot of money for work that was not carried out professionally and when we got our own contractor to look at work we had paid for that was carried out by an Alba contractor, he highlighted that it had been left in a potentially dangerous state.
Their lettings management is also shocking with staff more concerned in letting out your property to suit their/Alba's convenience or interests rather than yours. If your letting is mismanaged and, as a direct result of their incompetent actions, is vacant for an unacceptable time, it is never their fault, and their director will come up with a entire range of vapid excuses to defend this incompetence and avoid taking any personal or organisational responsibility.
Any potential landlords, please feel free to ignore this review as you may think that all property management companies are largely the same, however, if you care about your investment and how it and your return is managed then I would advise you, genuinely, to rule out Alba as one of your options.
Was this helpful? Yes
By: Mark Hastie
Oct 16, 2013
Hi there

We'd like to restore your opinion of us to a positive one however we do need to look at factual information such as the property address, and your name.

Please can you get back to me at [email protected], and we can take things from there?

Kind regards,
Mark.
By: Mark Hastie
Oct 16, 2013
Hi there

Thank you for your feedback, please can you get in touch so that we might try and resolve your issues in a positive manner?

We are keen to get back to everyone in order to try and restore their faith where they feel we have let them down, but we are unable to deal with these on an online environment.

Kind regards,
Mark.

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Opening Hours
Address

Alba Residential
21-23 Church Hill Place
 ,Edinburgh
City of Edinburgh
EH10 4BE
0131 4479994

Performance statistics
Services Valuation Accuracy Fees Satisfaction Min Price of property reviewed Max Price of property reviewed
Lettings 0% 99% £1,000 £1,000
Review statistics
From Landlords From Tenants From Vendors From Buyers Other
2 5 3 18 0 0 0 0 0 6
Areas covered
  • Edinburgh
  • Midlothian
  • East Lothian
Services offered
  • Sales
  • Lettings
  • Block Management
  • Surveys
  • Conveyancing
  • Mortgage Advice
Members of
ARLA SAL
Latest Properties

No Properties

“After our tenancy ended Alba Residential ignored requests to return ......”

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Aug 13,2014
Minithumbdown
By: 'Angus'
Aug 13,2014
1 people found
this helpful
After our tenancy ended Alba Residential ignored requests to return out deposit. When eventually they responded they were able to provide receipts for cleaning and the replacement of items. However, they also witheld money for problems that existed before we moved in. The sums were ...
read full review
Was this helpful? Yes

“Nothing gets fixed or is working and they take zero ......”

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Apr 24,2014
Minithumbdown
By: 's'
Apr 24,2014
1 people found
this helpful
Nothing gets fixed or is working and they take zero responsibility for the property. When paying high rent on a nice property you do want things not working or walls knocked through and not patched....
read full review
Was this helpful? Yes
By: Mark Hastie
Apr 24, 2014
View all comments (1)
Hi there, I'm sorry you feel this way, our Maintenance Team do their best to resolve enquiries quickly and without delay to our clients, and we truly value your opinions and feedback, so however negative this may appear, rest assured we'll work hard not to let this happen again! Let me know if perhaps I can help by looking into this for you - my email address is [email protected], and if you email me I will be delighted to help. Kind regards, Mark. ...

“We rented with ALba for over a year, and in ......”

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Mar 01,2014
Minithumbdown
Rachel
By: 'northernlady'
Mar 01,2014
2 people found
this helpful
We rented with ALba for over a year, and in all my years renting I have never had such a bad experience. When dealing with any problems or maintenance issues, they were dealt with a " we'll call you back" and then doing nothing. All staff ...
read full review
What agent could do to change your mind?
They could never change our mind about them, they ruined our time in Edinburgh.
Attached Filesnbsp;
Was this helpful? Yes
By: Mark Hastie
Mar 03, 2014
View all comments (1)
Hi there, I am sorry to hear this. Certainly there was a period of time when we were integrating as a much larger, functioning business where our clients expectations were sadly not met, and for that we really do apologise. It was a regrettable time where we wished we could have done more to keep things plain sailing. Given that you've now moved on, I would presume that your complaint has now been dealt with, however if you are in any way still waiting to hear from us, or if you feel you ...

“I suffered with Alba for several years and eventually left ......”

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Feb 23,2014
Minithumbdown
By: 'CC'
Feb 23,2014
1 people found
this helpful
I suffered with Alba for several years and eventually left to manage the property myself. Right from the outset they ignored my instructions regarding any works to be done to the property by sending their workmen in and billing me. Once they charged me for ...
read full review
Was this helpful? Yes
By: Mark Hastie
Mar 06, 2014
View all comments (5)
Hi there, Thank you so much for your positive feedback, which is always encouraging to see! If you feel happy enough to rate us using the star method please feel free to do so - we are always pleased to see where we are doing a good job. Thanks again! Kind regards, Mark. ...

“As a landlord I have always received first class service ......”

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Jan 24,2014
Minithumbup
Mark
By: 'Jacqueline'
Jan 24,2014
4 people found
this helpful
As a landlord I have always received first class service from Alba Residential. I started off by having 2 of my properties factored by Alba. The personal service and re-letting speed of my empty flats was so good that I have moved flats from other letting ...
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“As a landlord I was tranferred to Lomond/ Alba when ......”

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Jan 24,2014
Minithumbdown
Charles
By: 'Roy'
Jan 24,2014
4 people found
this helpful
As a landlord I was tranferred to Lomond/ Alba when Charles White ceased business. Had six months of dreadful service- delays in payments going into bank and in receiving statements. Had to frequently phone and e mail without responses. Extremely difficult to match which payments ...
read full review
Was this helpful? Yes
By: Mark Hastie
Jan 27, 2014
View all comments (1)
Hi there Roy, We are obviously disappointed at your feedback, but thank you for providing it. It is always disheartening to hear of long-standing clients such as yourself leaving us, but reading your words I can appreciate why you may have felt frustrated. We have certainly improved massively since our integration, and the cause of all the problems you mentioned have long since been resolved I am pleased to say. It is very disappointing that you had to endure anything less than perfect c ...

“I have used several different agents over the last 12 years¢â‚¬Â¦ ......”

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Jan 23,2014
Minithumbup
By: 'Mark'
Jan 23,2014
1 people found
this helpful
I have used several different agents over the last 12 years¢â‚¬Â¦ and Alba are the best Ive come across, very fair, courteous and professional. I know the many tenants I have met over the years were happy too....
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Was this helpful? Yes
By: Mark Hastie
Jan 27, 2014
View all comments (1)
Thank you so much for your very kind feedback Mark, it's great to hear! Kind regards, Mark. ...

“Have not moved in yet and we already loathe this ......”

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Jan 23,2014
Minithumbdown
By: 'hsr'
Jan 23,2014
4 people found
this helpful
Have not moved in yet and we already loathe this company with a vengeance. They are the most pedantic, unhelpful and rigidly bureaucratic firm I have ever encountered in more than 10 years in the private rental sector. They seem to take a joy in putting ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
A little bit of flexibility would be nice, and stop hiding behind the misleading mask of "legal requirement"
Attached Filesnbsp;
Was this helpful? Yes
By: Mark Hastie
Jan 23, 2014
View all comments (1)
Hi there, I'm not sure which property you are applying for or indeed your name so that I can look into, but in any case I am extremely concerned about your comments above. We do everything possible to champion customer care, so if this is somewhere we have failed you, I would like to do what we can to turn your opinion around. Our procedures are in place to protect both our tenants and our landlords, who we value both equally as our client and work extremely hard to please; therefore it's ...

“I viewed a property, and after discussions with the letting ......”

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Jan 23,2014
Minithumbdown
By: 'sirene'
Jan 23,2014
0 people found
this helpful
I viewed a property, and after discussions with the letting agents and landlord, a verbal contract had been agreed that a new kitchen was to be put in to the property and that the property was to be painted. On this understanding I secured the ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
Keeping to verbal contracts, and providing accurate information would be a start. Had the staff been helpful enough to ask if they would be able to assist, perhaps I would not have found myself losing out to a property that I had already secured. The deposit has not been returned and this has now been three days.
Attached Filesnbsp;
Was this helpful? Yes
By: Mark Hastie
Jan 23, 2014
View all comments (1)
Hi there, Thank you for your feedback, I am disappointed about the situation, which I am very aware of. It is frustrating I agree, however I would encourage you to contact me so that we can explain how we could not have done anything more, to prevent this happening, or to rectify the situation to your satisfaction. We returned the money to you same day, bank transfers do take 2 business days and so I would expect this to be in your account very soon. I would be grateful if you could ...

“We have been with this agency for 3 years. Since the ......”

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Dec 05,2013
Minithumbdown
By: 'Jud'
Dec 05,2013
4 people found
this helpful
We have been with this agency for 3 years. Since the beginning we have problems with communication. People who work there, are unprofessionals! They don't respect their customers! We pay £650 monthly and we expect to be treated seriously!Everytime we have problems with our flat there ...
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Was this helpful? Yes
By: Mark Hastie
Dec 05, 2013
View all comments (1)
Hi there Jud, Thank you for your comments, and I am sorry you feel the service received has been less than satisfactory. We would like to help resolve things so that we can restore your faith in us, and certainly all our clients should expect to receive nothing less than excellent service from us at all times. Please would you email me at [email protected], or call me on 0131 560 1102, so that we can help set things straight. I hope to hear from you soon. Kind regards, Mar ...

“Having rented for the best part of 12 years, alba residential ......”

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Nov 20,2013
Minithumbdown
By: 'It'
Nov 20,2013
1 people found
this helpful
Having rented for the best part of 12 years, alba residential is by far the worst letting agent I have dealt with. Incompetent to an outstanding level avoid, avoid, avoid. Examples of incompetence include, emailing/calling them about snow coming in through our sky light. No ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
The main way they could have helped us was to respond to emails and phone calls and know what they were talking about. It seemed they didn't write anything down so every conversation was a new one. We always spoke to different people, and unless we called and harassed they would ignore contacts.
Attached Filesnbsp;
Was this helpful? Yes

“If it was possible to give a negative star rating ......”

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Nov 15,2013
Minithumbdown
By: 'Unhappy'
Nov 15,2013
1 people found
this helpful
If it was possible to give a negative star rating of this agency I would. My property was previously let by a smaller company which was taken over by Alba Residential. Since the take over I have found it impossible to speak to anyone in ...
read full review
Was this helpful? Yes
By: Mark Hastie
Nov 15, 2013
View all comments (1)
Hi there, thank you for your review, but I would ask that we have a chance to try and restore your faith in us, if you could give us that opportunity? Please can you contact me at your earliest opportunity on [email protected], with more details so that we can look into things for you? Kind regards, Mark. ...

“Since the beginning of our agreement i found problems in ......”

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Oct 31,2013
Minithumbdown
By: 'ste'
Oct 31,2013
0 people found
this helpful
Since the beginning of our agreement i found problems in my property. They ask me to pay 6 months in advance plus deposit to me the property and since i move inside i have had problems with the water in the toilet ,( toilet blocked) , and other ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
try to help and be fair .
Attached Filesnbsp;
Was this helpful? Yes
By: Mark Hastie
Nov 01, 2013
View all comments (1)
Hi there Ste, I'm sorry you've had cause to complain, every one of our tenants should expect excellent service from us, and I am genuinely disappointed to hear you feel you've received less than that. That said, you do need to report things to us in order for us to repair them and our Maintenance answerphone is 24 hours, so you should always try phoning this. If you still have any outstanding issues please can you report them directly to me, at [email protected], and I will overs ...

“Agree totally with earlier review from another landlord. Alba are ......”

Share on :
Oct 15,2013
Minithumbdown
By: 'Disgusted'
Oct 15,2013
0 people found
this helpful
Agree totally with earlier review from another landlord. Alba are appalling. If you are looking for a responsible property management company to look after your best interests as a landlord, safeguard your investment, and provide you with an efficient, competent and responsible service then avoid ...
read full review
Was this helpful? Yes
By: Mark Hastie
Oct 16, 2013
View all comments (2)
Hi there We'd like to restore your opinion of us to a positive one however we do need to look at factual information such as the property address, and your name. Please can you get back to me at [email protected], and we can take things from there? Kind regards, Mark. ...

“Good originally when letting and managing the propertyIn july the ......”

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Oct 15,2013
Minithumbdown
John
By: 'Pjs'
Oct 15,2013
0 people found
this helpful
Good originally when letting and managing the property In july the tenant vacated. They let them go with rent outstanding and the place a mess They have not yet, almost three months later, sorted out taking the outstanding rent from the deposit and refunding the ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
Give us the money they owe us Return our phone calls and emails and let us know what is happening.
Attached Filesnbsp;
Was this helpful? Yes
By: Mark Hastie
Oct 16, 2013
View all comments (1)
Hi there, Thank you for your comments, please can you get in touch with me with more information regarding your property and name etc, and I can look into this for you? Keen to help you resolve it. Please email at [email protected] Kind regards, Mark. ...

“If I could give them no stars, that would be ......”

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Oct 04,2013
Minithumbdown
By: 'K8E'
Oct 04,2013
1 people found
this helpful
If I could give them no stars, that would be more accurate... Sure, when we set up viewings with them they were brilliant, wonderflly helpful and able to provide a wealth of information. When we signed the lease they were professional and helpful at every ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
Alba is disorganised, and unprofessional, you report urgent safety maintenance issues to them as they happen and it takes them over a month to organise a contractor to come to the property, a contractor who then fails to show up at the agreed time. I don't think there is anything Alba could do to make me change my mind, short of closing down and reopening with a completely new staff completement and new approach to being a letting agency.
Attached Filesnbsp;
Was this helpful? Yes

“One of these brands was a very good agent, however ......”

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Aug 27,2013
Minithumbdown
By: 'DisgustedLandlord'
Aug 27,2013
8 people found
this helpful
One of these brands was a very good agent, however since they have all been taken over by Lomond Lettings and cut backs made, staffing levels reduced etc they have all fallen foul of becoming jointly one of the worst agents going and even the ...
read full review
Was this helpful? Yes
By: Mark Hastie
Sep 05, 2013
View all comments (1)
Dear Sir / Madam, I am very sorry to hear your comments, but I want to let you know that we take your views extremely seriously and I will look into this for you. We do not have reduced staff, our workforce has actually increased since we became part of the Lomond Lettings property group, so I am interested to know how you have come to this misconception? Furthermore, we contact all of our clients to advise when works are booked in, and the quoted cost they can expect to come from thei ...

“This company has gradually become worse over the last few ......”

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Aug 07,2013
Minithumbdown
By: 'closed'
Aug 07,2013
3 people found
this helpful
This company has gradually become worse over the last few months. I would not recommend them to anyone. They also don't like answering phones and judging by the comments left by an employee on here it seems that the tenants/ex tenants are being unfair ...
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“Having arranged a viewing of a property for the end ......”

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Jun 22,2013
Minithumbdown
By: 'Emma'
Jun 22,2013
5 people found
this helpful
Having arranged a viewing of a property for the end of the week, I was told to phone back to confirm I was still interested the day before the viewing. I did so and asked about the exact procedure from viewing to securing the property, ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
Followed their own procedure, made their own mistakes right and treated me like a human being and not a walking pound sign.
Attached Filesnbsp;
Was this helpful? Yes

“There are many letting agencies in edinburgh. Don´t let ......”

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Jun 19,2013
Minithumbdown
By: 'cmb'
Jun 19,2013
6 people found
this helpful
There are many letting agencies in edinburgh. Don´t let with this one! They will take money from you, one way or another. I was very worry about my deposit because I found a dirty and disgusting flat when I moved in. They didn´t ...
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Was this helpful? Yes

“WELL WELL,I havent rented from ALBA for quite some ......”

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May 10,2013
Minithumbdown
By: 'disgruntled'
May 10,2013
8 people found
this helpful
WELL WELL,I havent rented from ALBA for quite some time, this is because they were ATROCIOUS at most things, they did enter the property without prior notice, and despite having spent and entire sunday cleaning the place fixture and fitting top to bottom, made ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
They are total cowboys, all for profit, not for the landlord or tenant, milk milk milk the deposit witheld scheme they dont tell you they run, it took weeks to get my money back, they are just BAD!
Attached Filesnbsp;
Was this helpful? Yes

“Refusal to return deposit after more than 2 months, keep telling ......”

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Apr 09,2013
Minithumbdown
Calum
By: 'Nicola'
Apr 09,2013
8 people found
this helpful
Refusal to return deposit after more than 2 months, keep telling me shortly? I'm a single mum and left £1000 down yet had to find another property and deposit when owner wanted property back. The director is aggressive and unhelpful, avoid these cowboys I'm not the first ...
read full review
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“Even though they have been a reasonable agent during our ......”

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Mar 15,2013
Minithumbdown
Dale
By: 'TRW'
Mar 15,2013
8 people found
this helpful
Even though they have been a reasonable agent during our tenancy for over 4 and half years, the extremely disappointing treatment at the end, made us believe that their effort is just another trick to save their business, they have no respect for their customers, and ...
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Was this helpful? Yes

“This agency does not deserve to have decent tenants. Avoid ......”

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Mar 09,2013
Minithumbdown
Justine
By: 'Kasia'
Mar 09,2013
8 people found
this helpful
This agency does not deserve to have decent tenants. Avoid it by all means! I really liked one of the flats Alba advertised online so I have arranged a viewing. Being asked for a contact number I gave them my mobile so I could be ...
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“The service is terrible beyond believe! I called to arrange ......”

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Feb 25,2013
Minithumbdown
By: 'Victoria'
Feb 25,2013
4 people found
this helpful
The service is terrible beyond believe! I called to arrange vieving for the property they advertised and they at first made an appointment to see the property, in half an hour after that i received a call saying that landlord renovating it at the moment ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
Nothing can be done unless they arrange viewing and let me rent it if i like the property.
Attached Filesnbsp;
Was this helpful? Yes

“I rented through Alba up until Dec 2012. I was a ......”

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Jan 22,2013
Minithumbup
By: 'lt1983'
Jan 22,2013
1 people found
this helpful
I rented through Alba up until Dec 2012. I was a tenant for 4 years with them and I had a positive experience throughout. I shared the property with 1 friend and we were treated very well by all the members of the team we dealt with. I ...
read full review
Was this helpful? Yes
By: Mark Hastie
Jan 23, 2013
View all comments (1)
Thank you very much for your positive feedback - it it always encouraging to hear of happy tenants with good reports to make about our services! We do aim high on delivering customer service, and I'd like to thank you again for your kind words which pleased us greatly. If you can get in touch via email with your name and address you rented in, it would be much appreciated as we take all comments, positive and negative, very seriously. Kind regards, Mark. ...

“Appalling service. On the coldest weekend of the winter, I ......”

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Jan 20,2013
Minithumbdown
By: 'feckingfreezing'
Jan 20,2013
8 people found
this helpful
Appalling service. On the coldest weekend of the winter, I have been left with no heating or hot water and I have a 9 week old baby in the house and 8 year old daughter! I am livid!! Will be looking to get away from the clutches ...
read full review
Was this helpful? Yes
By: Mark Hastie
Jan 23, 2013
View all comments (1)
Hi there, I am sorry to hear you were left without heating over a weekend. According to our records, you rang the office on Saturday afternoon, and I'm afraid the office closes at 4pm. We did contact our emergency plumber immediately for you, and we've spoken to them about not having temporary heaters available for you, he certainly should have done. The part was not available to repair your boiler but it was repaired the very next working day (Monday 21st Jan). I think it's a little unfair ...

“That was like night mare for me to be tenant ......”

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Jan 05,2013
Minithumbdown
By: 'Amir'
Jan 05,2013
9 people found
this helpful
That was like night mare for me to be tenant of Alba residential by this I mean never ever trust this property because they change their word and lie easily after signing contract. When I visited the flat they persuade me that flat and carpet ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
NEVER EVER EVEN I COULD NOT FIND ANY SHELTER TO LIVE UNDER
Attached Filesnbsp;
Was this helpful? Yes
By: Anonymous
Mar 05, 2013
View all comments (2)
It's no surprise that your customer satisfaction surveys come back with an excellent result - they are in no way anonymous. Why would a tenant leave negative feedback about Alba if the branch causing the problems gets to read the feedback? This would just sour relationships between all concerned and probably reduce the quality of service even more. ...

“I rented a flat from Alba Residental for 14 months. In ......”

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Dec 20,2012
Minithumbdown
Callum
By: 'KJ'
Dec 20,2012
6 people found
this helpful
I rented a flat from Alba Residental for 14 months. In those 14 months, the toilet flooded 3 times. Rather than replacing the shredder system they kept sending out plumbers who kept saying that there was nothing they could do to prevent any future blockages. When I moved ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
They could have not charged me for wear and tear. Also, they should have given me back the ‚£96 I was charged in "agency fees."
Attached Filesnbsp;
Was this helpful? Yes
By: KJ
Feb 18, 2013
View all comments (2)
Hi Mark, I have had extensive correspondence on this matter with Callum McGregor who, in his last e-mail on the deposit return told me (this is a direct quote): "Your emails so far have been immature and not very helpful." I have lost all hope of getting the money that was taken from me back. I am now in the process of reclaiming the agency fees you charged me. Callum has not responded to any of my e-mails over the past couple of months so I am doubtful I will get anything back without having ...

“I stayed in a flat let by Alba for a ......”

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Nov 19,2012
Minithumbdown
By: 'Oselle'
Nov 19,2012
6 people found
this helpful
I stayed in a flat let by Alba for a very brief period at the start of the year. One week into our lease a storm badly damaged the roof and our living, dining and utility area were flooded badly. We came home to a ...
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Was this helpful? Yes
By: Mark Hastie
Nov 29, 2012
View all comments (1)
Hi there Oselle, I believe I remember dealing with you both at the time, and I know specifically which property you were in. I do appreciate what happened to you was very unfortunate (and extremely rare!) but I think you are apportioning a great deal of the blame to us as the agent, for what happened to you. Firstly we have a 24 hour maintenance answerphone service, however you will find it very difficult to get someone to attend to a roof leak out of office hours. We are limited in what we c ...
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

Our complaints procedure can be found on our website
Last updated at 10:11 AM 15/04/2014 by Mark Hastie

Awards won by Alba Residential, Edinburgh EH10 4BE



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