The Howland Jones Organisation Limited

Howland Jones are subject to some malicious unwarranted feedback - we are taking legal advice in this. we trust that our 97% satisfied and many repeat customers will see this for what it is.

The only action Rebecca Howland should be taking is to apologies to my wife and I and make good for her mistakes. She should have asked and checked the landlords paperwork. If he could not provide it then she should have insisted he did prior to letting the property. We have all the evidence we need, the internal emails and indeed the electricians invoice and report and the stove engineer's email which clearly states the installation of the wood burning stove was a 'DIY job'. It takes a letting agent 30 seconds to ask a landlord for his papers/certificates in relation to electrical safety. It would have also taken no more than 30 seconds for Rebecca to ask to see the plate in relation to the wood burning stove or to ask for the local authority sign off in relation to it. Not least to protect her own business. These regulations have been in place as long as Howland Jones have been in business. Further, the electrical safety regulations come under the umbrella of the Consumer Protection Act. As the Citizens Advice Bureau says in relation to letting agents “where they (agents) are managing the property, agents are responsible for ensuring compliance with health and safety legislation. They should therefore ensure the property meets the required standards before it is let” We understand Howland Jones had a contract with the landlord to manage the property. We believe they have billed a minimum of £6000 under this contract. The landlord needed them to be as he was resident in Thailand for large part of each year. Indeed there are standard checklist for property inspections by letting agents available online which included safety considerations relating to electrics. I suppose exposed wiring with 240 volts going through them in two bathrooms is fine. The consumer unit was wrongly labelled in places and their were no circuit breakers on the garage sockets. In addition the large oil tank at the back of the house had not been earthed et al. Howland Jones have failed to deal with our complaint in line with the TPOS code of conduct. Our complaint should be dealt with by ARLA, The Property Ombudsmen and Trading standards. We will also be contacting our local MP if no redress is forthcoming. It's time for letting industry to be licensed. If Rebecca Howland would like to apologies and make good then she has my number. I am entitled to my opinion and as I have all the facts to back it up I will express it. Lapses in basic administration can be extremely costly. No tenant should expect to move in to a property with serious electrical faults that could have been fixed prior to the let for a few hundred pounds. Same goes with the wood burning stove. An agent should not let a property if the landlord does not have or cannot provide the required paperwork. Simple. If my comments seem cutting then I'm sorry but we have been ripped off. However, we paid over £60,000 in rent for a property that did not meet basic safety standards or building regs and the poor state of the electrics and the wood burning stove could have had catastrophic consequences for my family especially our two young children. The property we rented should not have been let in that state and my families safety was risked and compromised for no good reason. Quality and Executive are words most people would not associate with a home that had the faults Finch House did. It was a clear Misrepresentation. Clean floors and fresh magnolia paint does not make a property safe. As I said, if Rebecca and her company wish to make this good then they know how to contact us. Then we can all end this matter.

Thankfully we followed our insurers advice and fought this through court. The court found 100% in our and the landlord's favour.