0% sales valuation accuracy
0% sales fee satisfaction
94% lettings valuation accuracy
80% lettings fee satisfaction
Jan 15,2012
Jan 15,2012
29
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this helpful
Dear Tenants and Landlords,
The below is my review of this agent based on my own experiences in January 2012
Key Points:
1. They seem to have a lot of problems with their current tenants which was obvious from the experiences I had when trying to arrange a viewing
2. The agent did not show up to my viewing and left me waiting in the cold for him from the end of my pervious viewing. A total of almost 40 minutes. When I phoned him, he was still sitting in his office. Excuses were made but it was clear that he had arranged other appointments at the location and when they were cancelled due to problems, it was clear he couldn't be bothered turning up to see me as I was just one person and it was a 20 minute drive.
3. I was not informed earlier that morning by call or text that the viewing was off.
4. If I were to put money down now, I believe I would be dealing with an agency where when you have made all your move preparations and given your notice to your current landlord, you would find something ¢â‚¬Å“goes wrong¢â‚¬Â and then leave you with no end of problems near move day to find somewhere else.
Full Details:
I used Life Residential recently with the aim of building up a relationship with an estate agents that seemed reliable. For this reliability I believed that you pay a price. They have check-in fees when you move into a property, check-out fees when you move out a property, and if you stay after a year, then you have a renewal fee as they want you to sign another contract. They don't wish it to become a month to month periodic tenancy as it would do after 1 year, so they can get another fee from you. They also want 6 weeks deposit from you rather than the more usual 4 weeks deposit.
All of this was not ideal, but I figured that I could stay with this estate agency and get to know them in my moves each year or two and get some nice places as they seemed very professional in their dealings when you first meet them.
They have apartments in Barking with their main competitors being Chase Evans based in Canary Wharf. Life Residential itself is based in the Excel Docklands area.
On Tuesday I was told there was a 1 bed I could see with a tenant in. I would see it this Sat. I couldn't loose it to someone else because it was not on the market yet I was told. On Wed I was told there was problem with the tenant and it was ¢â‚¬Å“problematic¢â‚¬Â so he had arranged two other 1 bed and a 2 bed for me to see Sat. Ok ¢â‚¬â€œ fair enough ¢â‚¬â€œ still sounds good.
On Thursday I was told one of the 1 beds had now gone. Knowing I was viewing on Sat and wanted a 1 bed, he had just gone and let it to someone else. Ok ¢â‚¬â€œ that's the market and all agents tend to do it so a shame but I still had the other 1 bed and the 2 bed to see. But clearly no loyalty to people he has arranged viewing with. They will just let behind you back. But many do that ¢â‚¬â€œ so ok, still not unforgivable at this point.
On Friday night I noticed a 1 bed on RightMove from Life Residential that was put on the site 1 day earlier. I texted and he said this was the one that had gone. On Sat he was still to meet me to see the 1 bed and the 2 bed the next day. 30 minutes later I saw another 1 bed be put on just moments ago. I texted about this but received no response that night or the next morning about it. (Later he told me that this lack of response now mean that the viewing of the others was cancelled and I should have worked this out! Pitiful excuse! A viewing is cancelled if I receive a phone or text to confirm it is not going ahead.
After my appointment with another agent at 11am in the morning I waited for 40 minutes in the cold for his appointment at 12pm. At 12:10 I phoned him and he was still in the office. He said the new 1 bed from last night was not right as there was some kind of problem with it. I asked about the other arranged 1 bed and what about the 2 bed. I sort of missed what the excuse was about the 1 bed but there was some problem with the tenants refusing to leave on the 2 bed. He was even cancelling his other appointments that day as he had told me he was due to be in Barking but now as not due to tenant issues.
They seem to have a lot of tenant problems. Fees are way to high and they are unreliable as an agency so fees this high are not justified. I'm sure that they will continue to do business and will not go under because I am pulling out of using their services due to all this messing around. But I think from an outfit that comes across as very professional at the start and the high fees due to this, they are actually very disappointing. A relationship lost that could have been good and profitable for the agency for a number of years. Why, when you know someone wants a place, do you let it to someone else and basically ignore that person. Wouldn't you try and arrange another place for them to keep them sweet? It is like very one track minded of one place at a time! No business sense at all. But if that is the way they want to do business, then they will for the next few years, but I would say unlikely in the long term.
So watch out and ensure you protect your holding deposits incase they go under when you are tenanted!!!!
Further Action:
I can't mention the specific agent's name here as the website doesn't allow individuals names to be mentioned but I plan to send a copy of this letter to the agency and mention the agents name there. I know what your thinking ¢â‚¬â€œ they won't care and they will just ignore it. They are not like proper companies that take complains seriously.
So that's not all ¢â‚¬â€œ I am also sending copies of this letter to Life Residential's main competitors in the local area. Perhaps they will be able to improve their own services by knowing what the main issues with the current competition are and be able to take some of their business. It is clear by searching this site which one is the best to use if you are looking to use one of the 4 in the Excel/Docklands area from the following:
Outlook
Chase Evans ¢â‚¬â€œ their main competitor in the Barking area!
Madison Brooke
Oxygen
Naturally, one suspects a few positive reviews on here are from the agents themselves and I wouldn't be surprised to see a ¢â‚¬Å“great review¢â‚¬Â on this site from someone shortly after my negative review is posted for this agent. Currently there are 2 other negative reviews and no positive for this agent as I write this. But the more people who review, the better the genuine quality of the answers ¢â‚¬â€œ so please get reviewing!
I wish I had known about this site sooner before this experience as it would then be clear who I should build the relationship with. It is certainly clear now and I shall take my custom there. But at least some good may come of this experience for other people.
I am going to steer clear of this agent. I made a mistake but was lucky and didn't loose any money from it. I am glad I never put any money down. But please make your own decisions and be careful if you do trust them with your money, especially deposits and such agencies come and go. If you don't treat your customers right, then you have no customers and hence no business.
Thank you and Goodbye!
The below is my review of this agent based on my own experiences in January 2012
Key Points:
1. They seem to have a lot of problems with their current tenants which was obvious from the experiences I had when trying to arrange a viewing
2. The agent did not show up to my viewing and left me waiting in the cold for him from the end of my pervious viewing. A total of almost 40 minutes. When I phoned him, he was still sitting in his office. Excuses were made but it was clear that he had arranged other appointments at the location and when they were cancelled due to problems, it was clear he couldn't be bothered turning up to see me as I was just one person and it was a 20 minute drive.
3. I was not informed earlier that morning by call or text that the viewing was off.
4. If I were to put money down now, I believe I would be dealing with an agency where when you have made all your move preparations and given your notice to your current landlord, you would find something ¢â‚¬Å“goes wrong¢â‚¬Â and then leave you with no end of problems near move day to find somewhere else.
Full Details:
I used Life Residential recently with the aim of building up a relationship with an estate agents that seemed reliable. For this reliability I believed that you pay a price. They have check-in fees when you move into a property, check-out fees when you move out a property, and if you stay after a year, then you have a renewal fee as they want you to sign another contract. They don't wish it to become a month to month periodic tenancy as it would do after 1 year, so they can get another fee from you. They also want 6 weeks deposit from you rather than the more usual 4 weeks deposit.
All of this was not ideal, but I figured that I could stay with this estate agency and get to know them in my moves each year or two and get some nice places as they seemed very professional in their dealings when you first meet them.
They have apartments in Barking with their main competitors being Chase Evans based in Canary Wharf. Life Residential itself is based in the Excel Docklands area.
On Tuesday I was told there was a 1 bed I could see with a tenant in. I would see it this Sat. I couldn't loose it to someone else because it was not on the market yet I was told. On Wed I was told there was problem with the tenant and it was ¢â‚¬Å“problematic¢â‚¬Â so he had arranged two other 1 bed and a 2 bed for me to see Sat. Ok ¢â‚¬â€œ fair enough ¢â‚¬â€œ still sounds good.
On Thursday I was told one of the 1 beds had now gone. Knowing I was viewing on Sat and wanted a 1 bed, he had just gone and let it to someone else. Ok ¢â‚¬â€œ that's the market and all agents tend to do it so a shame but I still had the other 1 bed and the 2 bed to see. But clearly no loyalty to people he has arranged viewing with. They will just let behind you back. But many do that ¢â‚¬â€œ so ok, still not unforgivable at this point.
On Friday night I noticed a 1 bed on RightMove from Life Residential that was put on the site 1 day earlier. I texted and he said this was the one that had gone. On Sat he was still to meet me to see the 1 bed and the 2 bed the next day. 30 minutes later I saw another 1 bed be put on just moments ago. I texted about this but received no response that night or the next morning about it. (Later he told me that this lack of response now mean that the viewing of the others was cancelled and I should have worked this out! Pitiful excuse! A viewing is cancelled if I receive a phone or text to confirm it is not going ahead.
After my appointment with another agent at 11am in the morning I waited for 40 minutes in the cold for his appointment at 12pm. At 12:10 I phoned him and he was still in the office. He said the new 1 bed from last night was not right as there was some kind of problem with it. I asked about the other arranged 1 bed and what about the 2 bed. I sort of missed what the excuse was about the 1 bed but there was some problem with the tenants refusing to leave on the 2 bed. He was even cancelling his other appointments that day as he had told me he was due to be in Barking but now as not due to tenant issues.
They seem to have a lot of tenant problems. Fees are way to high and they are unreliable as an agency so fees this high are not justified. I'm sure that they will continue to do business and will not go under because I am pulling out of using their services due to all this messing around. But I think from an outfit that comes across as very professional at the start and the high fees due to this, they are actually very disappointing. A relationship lost that could have been good and profitable for the agency for a number of years. Why, when you know someone wants a place, do you let it to someone else and basically ignore that person. Wouldn't you try and arrange another place for them to keep them sweet? It is like very one track minded of one place at a time! No business sense at all. But if that is the way they want to do business, then they will for the next few years, but I would say unlikely in the long term.
So watch out and ensure you protect your holding deposits incase they go under when you are tenanted!!!!
Further Action:
I can't mention the specific agent's name here as the website doesn't allow individuals names to be mentioned but I plan to send a copy of this letter to the agency and mention the agents name there. I know what your thinking ¢â‚¬â€œ they won't care and they will just ignore it. They are not like proper companies that take complains seriously.
So that's not all ¢â‚¬â€œ I am also sending copies of this letter to Life Residential's main competitors in the local area. Perhaps they will be able to improve their own services by knowing what the main issues with the current competition are and be able to take some of their business. It is clear by searching this site which one is the best to use if you are looking to use one of the 4 in the Excel/Docklands area from the following:
Outlook
Chase Evans ¢â‚¬â€œ their main competitor in the Barking area!
Madison Brooke
Oxygen
Naturally, one suspects a few positive reviews on here are from the agents themselves and I wouldn't be surprised to see a ¢â‚¬Å“great review¢â‚¬Â on this site from someone shortly after my negative review is posted for this agent. Currently there are 2 other negative reviews and no positive for this agent as I write this. But the more people who review, the better the genuine quality of the answers ¢â‚¬â€œ so please get reviewing!
I wish I had known about this site sooner before this experience as it would then be clear who I should build the relationship with. It is certainly clear now and I shall take my custom there. But at least some good may come of this experience for other people.
I am going to steer clear of this agent. I made a mistake but was lucky and didn't loose any money from it. I am glad I never put any money down. But please make your own decisions and be careful if you do trust them with your money, especially deposits and such agencies come and go. If you don't treat your customers right, then you have no customers and hence no business.
Thank you and Goodbye!
What agent could do to change your mind?
Turn up for appointment we had arranged. If not showing up then phone or text that morning to let me know.Attached Filesnbsp;
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Opening Hours
Address
Life Residential
FC200 Building, 2 Lakeside Drive
Park Royal,London
Greater London
NW10 7FQ
020 8896 9990
Performance statistics
| Services | Valuation Accuracy | Fees Satisfaction | Min Price of property reviewed | Max Price of property reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales | % | 0% | £830,000 | £830,000 |
| Lettings | 94% | 80% | £875 | £4,050 |
Review statistics
| From Landlords | From Tenants | From Vendors | From Buyers | Other | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | 3 | 50 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 |
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Nov 27,2023
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Nov 21,2023
Nov 21,2023
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I recently got Ashleigh as my property manager and she has been nothing but helpful, quick and helpful responses. I had a property checkup today as requested by my landlord and she gave good insight and was reasonable when it came to assessing the state ...
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Nov 21,2023
Nov 21,2023
0
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Prompt response and resolution of issue. I called my property manager and the issue was resolved in a quick and efficient manner, no complaints at all....
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Nov 17,2023
Nov 17,2023
0
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The only positive experience about working with Life Residential as a property management firm was that Alisha handled the property. Prior to that, we (as tenants) had a very bad experience with another property manager (Darcey) who was unresponsive, unorganized and didn't handle anything in ...
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Sep 10,2023
Sep 10,2023
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My property manager (Sophie K) at Life Residential has always been prompt, efficient and very understanding with even my smallest queries. I can't think of any issue she hasn't solved or at least helped with as far as possible. Would certainly recommend Life as property ...
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Sep 01,2023
Sep 01,2023
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Efficient , thorough maintenance of plumbing in the studio to keep the property up to standard for all Concerned . Great to anticipate and correct wear and tear before a problem arises . Thanks to all those concerned at the Printworks ....
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Aug 31,2023
Aug 31,2023
0
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Thank you so much to Life Residential for helping me find the perfect apartment. Shoutout to Bruce, my realtor, for being so accommodating and understanding of my circumstances. Bruce secured me the best apartment in a fantastic area with great amenities and so much more. ...
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Aug 29,2023
Aug 29,2023
0
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Adam Fletcher has consistently provided exceptional service. He takes prompt action and gets the right results. He is very customer focused and drives to meet his clients' needs....
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Aug 24,2023
Aug 24,2023
0
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Anneta has been of great help organising our bathtub replacement.
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Aug 23,2023
Aug 23,2023
0
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Thank you for your help and professionalism, Nirav! Great communication, responsive, knowledgeable and quickly provided a solution....
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Aug 21,2023
Aug 21,2023
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Responds quickly and tries to sort things out on time....
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Aug 11,2023
Aug 11,2023
0
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Felt quite dishonest from my experience with moving out from Westgate House. Filed a complaint with MyDeposits and got 72% of my deposit back. Will be very careful ever renting from this agency again.
The agents name was Jack Piggott....
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Aug 08,2023
Aug 08,2023
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Life Residential in London (2 Lakeside Drive) is one of the WORST LETTING agencies in UK to do business with as a LANDLORD.
1. They are always looking for things to "fix" in your rented apartment -- no matter if it needs fixing or ...
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Aug 07,2023
Aug 07,2023
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I am an overseas landlord served by LifeResidential for over ten years.
This time, Mr. Nirav Patel (Compliance & PPM Coordinator) helped me a lot on the renewal of Energy Performance Certificate of my property in London.
Mr. Patel gave me a comprehensive explanation on the ...
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Jul 31,2023
Jul 31,2023
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The attentive staff always respond to matters raised within a reasonable time frame
Thank you...
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Jul 30,2023
Jul 30,2023
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Maham was very professional and helpful in attending to our query. She went above and beyond.
Thank you very much!...
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Kindly note that legally, letting agents need to publish information about their tenancy fees, government-approved redress schemes and client money protection schemes on their website and on third party websites (on which agents are listed). For properties to lease/rent in England, agents need to keep this information up to date and precise on allAgents or specify within the property description.
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Last updated at 9:31 AM 17/09/2019 by heather heather
Best Letting Agent in NW10 
