I feel like it is a cliché here, but I would happily give 0 stars if I could. The issues I had with Leaders were almost comically bad in duration and severity. I blame myself for ignoring the warning signs before signing a tenancy. Please don't make the same mistake. I was a tenant through Leaders from August 2019 to August 2020 and I had issues at every stage: before my tenancy, during my tenancy and even after my tenancy. Enjoy. Pre-tenancy: - I had multiple appointments to view multiple properties to rent in mid-2019. On 2 occasions the lettings agent was late and on one of these occasions she was almost 30 minutes late. She did apologise though so that was something. - On another occasion the letting agent brought the wrong key to the appointment. She wasted both her time and mine (but once again at least she apologised). - After these relatively minor hiccups I applied for an apartment and was informed that I was successful. I happily paid a £323 fee and I confirmed it was taken off the market (anyone who has rented in Cambridge probably knows that applying for places is very competitive). Unfortunately, I was informed via email 15 days later that the previous tenant had decided to stay on and that my tenancy was void. This was 8 days before I was due to move in. I received no apology and was made to feel like I was an idiot because I thought that the fee I paid meant that I was guaranteed the apartment. I was left to scramble to find a place to live before I started work the following week. In my desperation, I applied for another place via Leaders because I was now in an enormous rush to find a place to live. This was completely my fault as I ignored all the warning signs and I'm afraid I paid severely for this mistake. Intra-tenancy: - One of the first things I noticed was that the letterbox key did not fit the apartment letterbox. It actually fit the letterbox that was next to my letterbox. This was a mild nuisance and rather amusing but did need a locksmith to come fix - The smoke detector was intermittently beeping (the single very high-pitched beep that signifies that it is low on battery). I would usually just change the battery myself, but I was rather annoyed that I had to do something that should have been done before I was there so I informed Leaders. I thought they would have just sent someone over to replace the battery but instead they installed an entirely new device. It worked but I thought it was a waste of resources. - The third thing I noticed very soon after moving in was that the washing machine was not draining water after a wash, which meant that my clothes were completely drenched. After a simple investigation I found that the filter was completely clogged with years of decayed and extremely foul-smelling material. The kicker was that when I opened the filter foul-smelling water spilled all over the kitchen floor. There was still the need to clean the filter so I wandered around the complex looking for an outdoor tap to rinse and clean the filter. Unfortunately, I couldn't find one so I resorted to picking the material off by hand, wiping it on the grass and washing it in a bucket of water. One of my most dignified moments. - There were a couple of minor inconveniences like getting pressured to get contents insurance and the “option” of a resident membership package. The membership package is a £48 monthly fee that you pay for some extremely minor benefits. The biggest benefit is that you don't pay an upfront deposit but you still have all the liabilities and responsibilities if there is an issue at the end of your tenancy. I would have knocked back the place if I wasn't so desperate at the time, and I did ask for Leaders to ask the Landlord if we could go with a standard arrangement, but this was not offered. This is a scheme that Leaders use to squeeze as much money out of the tenant as possible. - The drainage in the bath/shower was bad and then it became terrible over a relatively short period, despite the use of over-the-counter drain cleaner. Unsurprisingly, Leaders tried to put the responsibility on me. They stated that if blockage was due to a build-up of hair and dirt then I would bare 100% of the cost. After witnessing the state of the washing machine and the fact that I was the only occupier and I am a male with short hair, there was no way in the world that I was going to be blamed for the tonne of debris that would inevitably be down the drain. After citing that this is the landlord's responsibility (and a long delay, but to be fair by this time we were in the middle of the pandemic), they agreed to send a plumber and to pay for him. - The ventilation in the bathroom was atrocious despite routinely leaving the window open and the fan on for hours after showering. This lead to a rapid build-up of mould on the shower curtain. - The most egregious event occurred during the pandemic. I was informed that the apartment was going on the market for sale and that there were people who were potentially interested who wanted to view the property. I stated that I was uncomfortable with this and that I did not want people walking around my place and touching my things in the middle of a pandemic. Instead of clarifying the issues or arranging an alternative (for example I was willing to compromise by giving access to a single person for a video tour) Leaders ignored my instructions not to enter my apartment. They entered my apartment without my consent and I found out when I came home and found the door dead-locked (which I never did). So to make matters worse, I was then locked out of my own apartment and had to wait for someone from Leaders to come let me in. They did not apologise and they said that they had a right to enter without my consent. I phoned Leaders and requested to talk to the Manager. I was told they were busy and would call me back. They didn't. It was only another agent who apologised later via email. This was all an incredibly stressful experience and I would not wish it on anybody. Post-tenancy - I thought all of this would be over once the tenancy was over and I moved out. I was wrong. Over a period of 4 months I have continued to get emails and on one occasion a phone call informing me that I owe Leaders money. The first couple of emails stated that I owed £1350 and the latest one stated that I owed £1518. I double checked and I definitely paid my last month's rent. The amount that I was told I originally “owed” was £1350, which could not be my rent because I had to pay £1398 each month. On no occasion have Leaders given me an invoice stipulating exactly what it is that I owe them for. Thankfully, it has been a couple of months without hearing anything. Hopefully, this means the end of the nightmare. My next agent was an absolute dream compared with Leaders. There is no way that I would ever go back. In summary I would call Leaders incompetent, unprofessional and unethical. If you want to find out for yourself then give them a go.

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