Connect Property Management

We should have never dealt with connect from the start after not appearing at a viewing and not answering their phones to apologise. After we were blamed for the mix up (customer service training needed here) we did eventually arrange a viewing. The application process was slow and very poor. Got our keys within 2 weeks which we were delighted with only to arrive at the property and find they had given us the wrong keys. The fun with connect didn't stop here when we managed to get the right keys several hours later we found the property had leaks in 2 radiators, under the kitchen sink, was general very dirty and a cooker which didn't work. It took them over a week to get someone out to repair these problems and at that repair is to strong a word they were botched temp jobs. We had pretty prolific mould in the property also which our concerns were not listened to and instead told to wipe it off. When the gas engineer came to do a safety check he openly informed us he would condemn our boiler and advise this was replaced. When I pursued this I was informed by George that it had been reported to them as satisfactory. We also had on going problems with a neighbour as the house deads which we weren't informed of at the time of signing the lease didn't allow commercial vehicles. They were not helpful in any way and threatened us over this regardless of it being their failing in the first place. At no point did connect deal with this situation in a professional manner. Luckily after signing a month to month extension of our initial 6 months lease with as mentioned by other reviewers with an illegal £30 charge we soon after bought our own property. This is thought would be the happy ended to my dealings with connect but no this is when the heated contest over the deposit started. I asked them to make me aware as per the lease agreement to be present when the exit inspection was taking place which they ignored. When I got a surprise email from john Hanlon I was informed that they had done the inspection and there was damage which they had photographs of. When challenged for these photographs they we're never provided, little detail was given to allow us to fix the problems as I believed they were simply exaggerating facts to allow them to retain part of our deposit. We did go back after exiting the property to amend the so called damage and found our mail in the bin. After over 70 emails back and forth for 6 weeks I eventually got my whole deposit back. In summary my experience to start to finish was extremely poor. With every aspect of the renting services they are suppose to provide they are shockingly unprofessional. Our property was sub standard and they have no interest in anything other than getting their rent on time!