#terriible

For a Letting agency that prides itself on Student lettings, it sure doesn't pay attention to its Landlords, and practices in fraudulent behaviour when dealing with it's customers. I was given a horrific experience with the letting agency that still leaves me feeling vulnerable.

I am a first year student at the University of Reading, and due to some complications I was unable to get an accommodation that fit my budget on campus. Usually it's 2nd years or 3rd year students that rent but because of my situation I proposed to my family that it would be easier to go into private accommodation. I was a tad hasty with my research since I was all too aware of how close the Semester was. So I went to the first letting agency listed. I looked at a couple of properties and listed as a student letting was the property that I chose.

From the images it seemed to be a refurbished and fitted property, in the radius of my university going at a favourable rent. I then took it upon myself to call the letting agency to have confirmation of the state of the property and the look of the rent and the room that I was paying for. The agent asked if I was available for a site visit, I stated that I couldn't because of work and that I lived fairly far from the area in question and all implied and stated that I was relying on the reasonable letting agents description of the property and its availability. The letting agent seemed to perk up on the phone and then led to reassure me on the state of the property, following to rush me into paying the application fee, the deposit and the first month rent for the room. He then stated that he would forward the contract to me, to sign on a later date.

Before the contract was given to me I took the initiative to call the Landlord whose number was given and enquire about the property, she told me a complete different story on the state of the property but then followed to reassure me that this was only a temporary state and by the time I moved in none of the issues that she stated such as the room not being furbished would be there. I note here now, that she also, very much downplayed the state of the property.

Being obviously shocked by this contrast in descriptions we called the letting agent, who when we asked for the application fee and the rent back refused to do so and stated that the rent and deposit was with the Landlord and that he and her were very much sure that the property would be in an adequate state by the time I moved in. With a continuous refusal from either party to pay me back and promises that I was forced to rely upon I signed the contract. By the way on the contract the letting agent was listed as the managing agent of the property and technically I had signed with him. I signed the contract because it didn't seem like I was going to be getting my money back.

A day before moving in, I was contacted by the Landlord who was hoping that we could delay the moving in period even though i'd paid rent that covered the entire month, stating that the property wasn't ready. Obviously frustrated and angry we told her we were coming anyway, upon getting there we realised the dismal state of the property and the room that I was supposed to be letting; none of it looked like the images on the website, (the rooms looked touched up) or how the property was described. She stated that it was a work in progress, the room that I was meant to be letting was stripped to the bare wall, and there was DIY equipment, needles and pins everywhere, she said her builders had left it there. Of course there were really no builders, they would never leave a room in that state, she had obviously left it there to give the image of working on the building. I was upset and disgruntled and contacting the letting agent, he tried to reassure me that the landlord would have it all complete in a couple of months time. This did not happen, and she forced me to pay rent in advance of a quarter to stay in the property which she dumped me in a bare room without a bed which I spent a month in a sleeping bag before she got one for me. I couldn't go elsewhere for now as I had to initiate breaking contract and she had made me pay in advance and it didn't seem like she was going to give me back the money.

Anyway, she never registered my deposit and still to this day after i've moved out and gone elsewhere hasn't given me my full deposit back. The letting agent also never gave me the gas safety certificate, and only had her signature as confirmation that it existed. On a date when I had called environmental health to inspect the property they told me the property wasn't even gas safe when they called an electrician who identified a gas leak in the pipes they then shut down the heating in the property (In October!). Furthermore, the property was listed as a hmo not a student letting, there were no locks  on the doors and there were other adult tenants, who were fortunately trustworthy, but could have been a very different situation.

Complaining to the higher branch team about the letting agent definitely motivated him to reply to me, but he was rather snarky and provided no real helpful information to remedy the situation even laughing at the idea of taking them to court over the disgusting situation because as he put it they were only following policy and procedure and they cut all ties with the Landlord and recommended that I should be suing her, which is very true but after getting a signature from her to break contract, (which was hard because she insisted that the contract was between me and the letting agent and not her, because as I stated before she was not the signator of the contract.) she then persisted to ghost me by changing numbers and the address listed on the contract and provided by the letting agency wasn't even viable as she doesn't seem to respond to the letters I've sent. Nor does she reply to the emails, at this point I neither have the time nor resources to go find her and then take her to court.

If we kissed:

[] This wouldn’t happen.

[] Oh disgusting.

[] Again, again.

[] Kiss you back.

[] Let’s take this to the bedroom.

[] Slap/Push you away.

[x] Be confused

If you asked me out I’d say:

[x] Um no(?).

[] I’m taken-

[] Sure.

[] HOLY ASDFGHJK YESSSSS.

Can we cuddle?:

[] No.

[] Ew.

[x] Sure.

[] YES.

Sex?:

[x] iillegal untiil legal 

Should you reblog this?:

[] Yes. I want to send you one.

[x] Yes.