Letting agent reviews for John D Wood, South Kensington

I rented a John D Wood-managed property in South Kensington/Gloucester Road for two years. Unfortunately, my experience was characterised by poor communication, repeated failures to address maintenance issues, and an unnecessarily prolonged deposit process.

During my tenancy, maintenance problems were repeatedly left unresolved. The most serious was three separate mice infestations, despite pest control advising that entry points needed to be sealed to prevent recurrence. I was also told by pest control that the same problem had existed during a previous tenancy. Other maintenance requests I raised were similarly not addressed.

Communication became particularly frustrating after I moved out. For over two months, I repeatedly emailed, called and even visited the branch in person twice trying to speak to the person responsible for my deposit.

On my visits, I was assured by staff that my messages would be passed on. I even saw the relevant member of staff in the branch on one occasion. Yet I subsequently received no response and was later told that my communications had not been received. Given the number of emails, calls and in-person visits involved, I found this explanation extremely difficult to reconcile with what had actually happened.

I eventually received a response only after escalating the matter to senior staff.
The handling of my deposit was equally disappointing. Rather than bringing the matter to a prompt resolution, I was repeatedly asked to provide further evidence and explanations, which I did. Despite this, the proposed deductions continued to change and expand, including a £390 (fixed contractural charge) cleaning charge despite professional end-of-tenancy cleaning having already been carried out, followed later by additional proposed costs including possible carpet replacement.

Each new request or proposed deduction further delayed a process that had already taken months. From my perspective, it increasingly felt as though reasons were continually being found to justify deductions and delay returning the deposit, rather than making a genuine effort to resolve the dispute efficiently.

Ironically, one of the deductions eventually pursued through TDS related to curtain rails that I had reported and requested to be repaired when I first moved in — a maintenance request that had never been addressed.

For two years I paid my rent, including increases, six months upfront at a time, and was consistently accommodating when problems arose. It was therefore extremely disappointing to discover how difficult it became to obtain basic communication and resolve my deposit once the tenancy ended.

My advice to prospective John D Wood tenants is simple: keep everything in writing, document every maintenance request, retain every email and receipt, and photograph everything. Based on my experience, I would not rely on telephone calls or assurances that a message has been passed on.