City Lets Liverpool

Please Read: City Lets are BY FAR the worst company that I have had to deal with, so I urge you to read this review before signing up to become a landlord (or potential tenant). From the original phone call to City Lets, they cannot be more helpful. Their Sales staff are 'on you' in a flash and they talk the talk with ease and do it extremely well. They tell you everything you want to hear and assure you that 'a house like this will be snapped up on no time' - someone will definitely be in within 2 to 4 weeks max. 4 months later after poor promotion of the property, my house finally got let. At this stage, I was already weary about their sales patter and promises.... It's a shame the company don't do 'professional' background checks on tenants. They mearly do financial checks and that's it! They don't speak to previous landlords, establish whether they will be suitable, or care if they smoke or have pets. They just want the money so they sign anyone up who's willing to show some interest. Mid term checks are carried out 'when they feel like' - not after the period that they advertise and promise. No replies to emails or apologies as to why the basics are not carried once. You have to chase and chase and chase. Usually with no luck. Once they have you under their belt, that's it. They stop caring. They are in receipt of your management fees and that's all that matters as far as they're concerned. City Lets lack of customer care and empathy are truly shocking. Most of the time, it takes them days to reply to such a simple query. Even when the tenant has issues that need resolving, let's just say they're not the quickest at getting anything resolved. First time resolutions do NOT exist at City Lets Liverpool. City Lets decided to get a tenant in with financial difficulties, history of violence, abusive, someone who brawls with neighbours in the street, a family who smashed residents windows, steals from the property, smashed the house up with no disregard to anything other than themselves. All this could have easily been avoided with 'some' prior background checks on tenants. After a tenant who carried out a moonlit flit without notifying this agency, don't expect to be looked after and helped with 'what happens next. They just don't care! 38 emails, 14 phone calls and even a personal trip into branch to try and get further support was proven pointless. 4 months it took to get a worthwhile update and finally get a returned deposit. Appalling, to say the least. I spoke to the property ombudsman regarding this company who confirmed that they were clearly not acting in my best interests, I threatened them with legal action (after of course seeking prior advice) and you get the abusive Managing Director screaming at you and hanging up phone calls as he's too busy to speak to you and he feels like he is better than you. I was sadly just a statistic, in his lengthy list of complaints that he has to handle on a daily basis, as his team cannot get even the basic correct. City Lets, let me assure you, are NOT the type of company that you want managing YOUR property. Think twice, and Stay clear of these utter cowboys. They will be on a national television show in the near future for their lack of legal know-how, professionalism and lack of customer care. Thanks for reading.