Flat 1-17, 29-31 Courtfield Road

I rented Flat 9 on Courtfield Road, South Kensington/Gloucester Road for two years. Based on my experience, I would strongly recommend prospective tenants do their due diligence before renting from this landlord.

The most serious issues I experienced were: repeated mice infestations that the landlord failed to properly address despite professional advice; the prolonged withholding of my deposit; repeatedly changing and adding proposed deductions, deliberately further delaying its return; deducting totally unreasonable amount of deposits (ironically included a maintenance issue he ignored at the start of my tenancy!); and finally !! the landlord opening letters addressed to me without my permission!!

During my tenancy, my young daughter and I experienced three separate mice infestations, including mice regularly appearing in our kitchen and living space. Pest control advised that entry points needed to be sealed to prevent recurrence and that the landlord had been made aware. Despite this, the recommended work was not carried out and the mice returned.

More concerningly, the pest control operative told me they had previously attended the same flat for the same problem during an earlier tenancy. Living with a recurring mice problem with a young child, when the underlying issue was apparently already known and a solution had been recommended, was completely unacceptable.

Unfortunately, the landlord showed considerably more persistence when it came to my deposit.

After I moved out, my deposit remained unresolved for months. I was presented with deductions I considered unreasonable, including a £390 cleaning charge despite having paid for professional end-of-tenancy cleaning. I provided the evidence requested and was repeatedly told that the landlord's position was “firm and unchanged.”

Except it wasn't. As I challenged the deductions, the proposed charges kept changing and additional deductions were introduced, including possible carpet replacement, further prolonging the return of my deposit.

In the end, the dispute proceeded to the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS). Remarkably, one of the deductions the landlord sought was for curtain rails that I had reported and specifically requested to be repaired when I first moved into the property. The repair was never addressed during my tenancy, yet I was subsequently asked to pay for that same issue when I moved out.

I also discovered that the landlord had opened letters addressed to me without my permission, which I found to be a serious invasion of privacy and entirely inappropriate.

For context, I lived there for two years, paid my rent — including increases — six months upfront at a time, and was consistently accommodating when problems arose.

What struck me most was the contrast: maintenance issues I raised could remain unresolved — including a recurring mice infestation and a repair reported when I moved in — yet when it came to my deposit, the landlord was exceptionally persistent, with the proposed deductions continuing to evolve.

If you are considering renting this property or another property from this landlord, my advice is simple: document everything, photograph everything, keep every email and receipt, and report every maintenance issue in writing.

I sincerely hope the next tenant has a better experience than my daughter and I did.

To prospective renters in South Kensington / Gloucester Road: I strongly recommend doing your due diligence before renting a John D Wood-managed property on Courtfield Road.

I was a tenant at the property for two years and am sharing my honest experience…

Repeated mice infestation

During my tenancy, my young daughter and I experienced three separate episodes of mice infestation, including mice regularly appearing in our living space and kitchen.

Despite repeated requests for help, I was at times ignored for weeks. On one occasion, pest control attended to remove a dead mouse from our kitchen. They advised that entry points needed to be properly sealed to prevent recurrence and that the landlord had been made aware. Despite this, the landlord chose not to act, so we continued to cohabit with mice.

P.S. The pest control agent told me they had previously attended the flat for exactly the same issue during an earlier tenancy and it had also not been addressed.

Living through recurring mice infestations with a young child, when preventative measures had been recommended, was totally unacceptable. The way the landlord chose to handle (or not handle) the matter was completely (insert your own adjective here).

Which, quite unsurprisingly, led to the even more ridiculous handling of my deposit…

Deposit handling

I was not contacted for over two months, despite repeatedly trying to contact the responsible person, James (listed as Kieran on their website), by email, telephone and attending the branch twice. On one occasion I even saw him in the branch.

Yet James denied receiving any communications from me despite clear evidence and witnesses. I eventually made contact only after escalating to his seniors.

When communication resumed, I was presented with several deductions I considered totally unreasonable and disproportionate, including a £390 cleaning charge despite the property having already been professionally cleaned, as well as proposed replacement costs for “wear and tear” items which, in my view, could reasonably have been remedied and should not be used to fund refurbishment of the property.

When I disputed the deductions, I was repeatedly asked for further evidence and explanations — including proof of professional cleaning and detailed recollections of how alleged damage occurred — which I provided in good faith.

Despite this, my evidence and explanations seemingly went unnoticed and the landlord’s position remained “firm and unchanged”. I couldn’t help wondering why they asked for this evidence in the first place, if not simply to make the process more drawn out.

Then, after approximately two and a half months, I was informed that the landlord’s position had changed again and additional charges, including possible carpet replacement, were being considered. I was also told their cleaning contractor had been asked to attend again to update the cleaning quote, and I had to wait for details needed to escalate to TDS — further extending a process that had already taken months.

At this point, returning a tenancy deposit appears to have developed into a considerably more complicated project than dealing with three separate mice infestations ever was…

Jokes aside, I was a tenant for two years, paid my rent — including increases in line with inflation — six months upfront at a time, and caused very little difficulty throughout my tenancy. I was consistently accommodating when it came to problems with the property and landlord.

It is unfortunate that the same flexibility seems to disappear rather quickly when there is money to be deducted from a tenant’s deposit.

So, to anyone considering renting in South Kensington / Gloucester Road, and particularly this property: please do your due diligence, document everything and keep every email. I sincerely hope your experience is better than mine.

As for my deposit, perhaps one day it too will successfully find its way out of Flat 9.