“Degrading treatment towards a tenant...”
1 Star Review
Feb 08,2020
By:
'Teea'
Feb 08,2020
Branch: Hove, 27 Western Road
Services: Lettings (as a Tenant)
Rent PCM: £650
Would you recommend?: No
Postcode: BN3
Branch: Hove, 27 Western Road
Lettings (as a Tenant)
Rent PCM: £650
Postcode: BN3
5
people found
this helpful
I was in a hurry to move and at first things seemed to go well. Sean got me into a viewing and helped me with the credit check to move in. Now this is where everything started going wrong. It was my worst mistake to move into this flat and ever trust this agency.
In the viewing he did not show me the insides of the oven and fridge, it was a quick viewing. I moved in the flat, but I had no instructions on how to turn on the electricity and got no contract. I figured out how to use the meterpay system with help from a friend.
I moved in to the flat on 25.10 and after moving in and opening the fridge for the first time I was in pure shock. The fridge was completely moldy, and the freezer had fluffy mold and water inside. There was a soya sauce and food packaging inside the fridge. It was riddled with black spores around the fridge silicone and surfaces. I also noticed that the shower grouting and the bathroom sink's grouting were riddled with black mold spores. There were black hair on the floor and the surfaces had not been dusted. The window frames were covered in black mold as well. I also found a letter of the previous tenant dated March 2019.
I emailed Sean about it several times and summarized an email with my findings on 27.10. Sean explained to me that the cleaning company led him to believe they had cleaned the property and that he will send in another cleaner.
On 28.10. Sean sent me an email asking if the cleaner could come in on the same day. I was unable to answer as I was at work and I did not even see his email. I phoned the company and emailed them to send in a cleaner, but there was no information whether the cleaner is coming or not. I bought mold killing bleach, disinfectant and cleaning supplies myself and cleaned everything as much as I could. Then one day the cleaner did come, but she only had one metallic scrub ball with her and no sprays, so she used my supplies to try to clean the fridge and the kitchen sink as well.
The fridge still had black spores in the silicone surrounding the door, as the supplies I had did not reach it and the cleaner was also unable to clean it. I sent another email to Sean and recommended buying a new fridge to the property as it is a health hazard to have a moldy fridge for consumable food. He said he would contact the landlord about it, but to this date I have had to use that same fridge knowing I am consuming food from a fridge that is riddled with mold spores. It insanely disgusts me and I have had health problems.
Sean requested to come inspect the flat on 4.11. at 12 noon, but he did not show up and he sent no confirmation of visiting at all. I phoned the company from work to get this sorted, but the person picking up the phone did not know of the matter. I sent a long email to NGBlettings and copied my work manager into it as well so they knew what was going on.
We had a phone call with Sean, and he said he had been to the flat and found no problems in there. He also stated that he had showed the photos from the flat to the others at the office and that they had all been laughing at my issue. He stated that my mold problem is smaller than in the other apartments and that they are in no way responsible for it. "We would fix the problem if it was a leak". NGBlettings washed their hands from the responsibility and said I need to just clean regularly. On the phone call Sean explained to me that the cleaner had entered my flat, which I knew as I was there and provided my cleaning supplies to her as she didn't have hers. Sean had allegedly come to inspect the flat just after I had left to work. He had entered and allegedly found no issues. He did not leave me any confirmation of his visit in writing, so I did not know if he came there or not. I recommended to him to always leave written evidence that he has been to a flat for both the tenant and the agency to have a written proof of this.
By then I still had not received my tenancy contract, and I chased after NGBlettings asking why I do not have it. They sent me the contract on 15.11.2019.
After all this I did not contact them further as I realized they are not doing anything about it. I got sick shortly after I moved in and I went to a doctor to ask for an allergy test on mold, but that would have cost so much I was unable to afford it. Afterwards I have had several nosebleeds, my plant got moldy and I had to bin it.
The heating stopped working in the flat in December and I reported it to the maintenance on 17.12. They replied they would send someone to check it on 19.12. I got no information again on whether anyone checked it or not. I emailed them about it again on 22.12 and 31.12. They replied again that someone will inspect it on 3.1.2020. I emailed them on 3.1 to ask if anybody came to check it as the heating was still not working. On 11.1. they emailed me asking me when I am at the flat so they can send someone to come over. I had given my consent for them to enter the flat even when I am away. Finally on 21.1. the heater had been replaced.
I have been cleaning regularly, opening the window and having the heating on. Now just recently I realized there is a gap between the sink area and the wall, which looks like it has not been cleaned at all for a long time. It is full of dust and spiderweb. I immediately reported this to Sean when realizing this and his reply is: "Much time has passed now since we already sent the cleaner back to your property to clean as best as they could i am not sure if we can send them back again after such a long period of time has passed. I will find out and let you know on Monday. I would like to also inspect the area that you are talking about for myself."
I have not even attempted to clean that area this time. As they did not believe my photos last time and they washed their hands off, I will leave the flat in this state and let them clean it this time. I have done enough.
I requested an apology from Sean for all this, but he completely ignored that.
I am moving away and have secured a better flat from a trustworthy agency.
I wish to make a formal complaint of this. If they take any charges from me for this I will also make a complaint to the council.
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