Flat 3, 111 Burnt Ash Hill

A landlord who requires a lot of managing

My overall experience renting from Adrian was disappointing. I wouldn’t describe him as a bad person, and to his credit, he did attend to emergencies at the property. However, I found him difficult to deal with as a landlord, particularly when it came to communication, following through on commitments and resolving issues.

When we moved in, the property was not properly ready. I had to scrape wallpaper off the walls myself and organise quotes for someone to come and replace it. I also had to arrange a quote for the hallway carpets. We were promised a kitchen renovation at the beginning of the tenancy, but this never materialised. There was also a hole behind the kitchen sink that remained unrepaired throughout our tenancy.

There were concerns about the property’s cleanliness at the start as well. We were not provided with a check-in inventory despite repeatedly chasing it, and the property did not appear to have been cleaned to a satisfactory professional standard. The stove, in particular, was quite dirty. We were never provided with an invoice confirming the cleaning that had supposedly taken place.

Communication was one of the biggest challenges. I often found it difficult to get a clear response or have issues followed through to completion. Adrian frequently mentioned how many other things he had to deal with, which made it difficult to get his attention and resolve matters. At times, it felt as though I was having to manage the landlord rather than simply being a tenant.

The deposit return process at the end of the tenancy was particularly drawn out and stressful. There was a lengthy dispute over proposed deductions, and resolving everything took far more time and effort than it should have.

Overall, while Adrian did respond to emergencies and I don’t believe he is necessarily a bad person, my experience was that he was not a particularly good landlord. The combination of poor communication, unfulfilled commitments, outstanding maintenance issues and a prolonged deposit dispute made the tenancy unnecessarily difficult.

My advice to prospective tenants would be to document the property’s condition thoroughly from day one, keep all communication in writing, follow up on every outstanding issue and make sure any promises or agreements are recorded in the tenancy paperwork. Be prepared to take a very hands-on approach, because in my experience, renting this property involved considerably more chasing, organising and managing than I expected.

Spacious, bright property with lots of potential, but in need of maintenance and updating

The property itself is quite nice. It is very spacious, has plenty of natural light and can be made to feel really homely. The light is particularly lovely during the summer, although the flat can become uncomfortably hot when temperatures reach around 30°C.

However, the property is an older loft conversion and there are several areas that need attention. Some issues appear to require more substantial repairs rather than just temporary fixes.

The toilet was a recurring problem during our tenancy, with poor flushing and significant limescale build-up in the pipework. The shower drain also occasionally stopped draining properly. These issues were not fully resolved during our time there. The kitchen could do with updating, and the skirting boards beneath the oven were missing. Areas behind and around the oven, fridge and freezer were also very dirty when we moved in, including what appeared to be old brown liquid stains behind the fridge. These areas did not appear to have been properly cleaned between tenancies.

The flat can be quite draughty in winter, and there are some cracks in the walls, although I did not consider these particularly serious. There was also a strange buzzing noise coming from the electrics in the living room, which was concerning. We experienced problems with rodents and pigeons in the walls and attic during our tenancy. These were mostly dealt with, but the underlying access points may need further attention to prevent the problem from returning.

The communal corridor leading up to the flat could also do with some attention, as the wallpaper was peeling in several places. Although the hallway carpet was professionally cleaned during our tenancy, there was still a general sense that some areas of the building needed better upkeep. There was also a considerable amount of miscellaneous belongings and junk left in the attic and the storage cupboard on the stairs, which made these spaces less useful.

Overall, this is a spacious, bright property with a lot of potential, and there are aspects of it that I genuinely enjoyed. However, prospective tenants should be aware that it is an older property with various maintenance issues, some of which require more substantial work to resolve properly. With investment in repairs, updating and general upkeep, it could be a lovely place to live.