“Context:- I rented one of their apartments for 1.5 yearsProblems:......”
1 Star Review
Sep 10,2018
By:
'André'
Sep 10,2018
Branch: London, Strata Tower, 10 and 12 Walworth Road
Services: Lettings (as a Tenant)
Rent PCM: £1300
Would you recommend?: No
Postcode: N7
Branch: London, Strata Tower, 10 and 12 Walworth Road
Lettings (as a Tenant)
Rent PCM: £1300
Postcode: N7
17
people found
this helpful
Context:
- I rented one of their apartments for 1.5 years
Problems:
- 2 months with broken drier (multiple contacts)
- No heating for 4 months during Winter (multiple contacts)
- Broken furniture that was never repaired (multiple contacts)
- Unfair contract terms:
-- non-limited/indexed costs for mandatory check-out inventory - violates "Price variation clauses" (Historic Annex A to unfair contract terms guidance, Competition & Markets Authority)
-- admin fee equal to deposit amount (the one you pay to make an offer) if you fail the referencing process - violates "Supplier's right to cancel without refund" (Guidance on unfair terms in tenancy agreements, Office Of Fair Trading)
but above all:
- More than 5 weeks to return the deposit with no communication from the landlord during this period (it should be at most 10 days since you send the request to get the deposit back - see Housing Act 2004 and MyDeposits documentation)
- Tried to deduct fair wear and tear and minor damage from previous tenancy.
Things you should know:
- their "independent" inventory agency, Attic Inventory, was founded and is directed by a former Chase Evans employee, Mike Wilby (he was Property Manager at Chase Evans for 12 years) and is likely to get a considerable part of their revenue from Chase Evans.
- the recommended cleaning agency (the only one they let go back into the apartment if a second cleaning is considered necessary -- unfair competitive advantage -- even though it has no online presence/reputation), Hyway Cleaning Limited, has the exact same address as Chase Evans Sales Limited, Chase Evans Holdings Limited and Chase Evans Residential Limited.
- your AST agreement probably contains:
-- a clause saying that Chase Evans gets 10% + VAT of every deposit deduction
-- a clause saying that any interest made on your deposit is retained by the Landlord or Agent
My Deposit return experience:
My checkout report, performed by Attic Inventory had more than twice the number of pages, and more than 4 times the number of photos than the check-in inventory (also done by Attic Inventory) and included recommendations for compensation for things such as the vacuum cleaner being left in the wrong room (5 meters away) or minor wall and floor scuffs that were already visible in the check-in inventory (and are considered fair wear and tear as per the legal definition - see House of Lords, Shelter, No Letting Go...).
After patiently waiting 5 weeks for their deduction proposal, I opened a dispute with mydeposits (the deposit insurance scheme) and threatened to raise a claim against the Redress Scheme (The Property Ombudsman). I had the deduction proposal the next day on my email address and the money on my bank account 6 days later. This delay obviously provides Chase Evans with leverage while negotiating deductions, as most people will want to receive their money as soon as possible and after waiting for months will more likely accept some kind of deduction in order to receive most of the deposit.
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