0% lettings valuation accuracy
0% lettings fee satisfaction
Jan 10,2013
Jan 10,2013
5
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Tell you what, I'll just copy and paste the email i sent them upon vacating the house.....
"Diana, Carrie, Alex and whoever else works for your disgrace of a company, you'll be pleased to know that I've vacated Room B of the house in Kilburn.
I just thought I'd bring a few things to your attention before you are surprised by the letters you'll be receiving from Camden Council, Environmental Health and Trading Standards about your ridiculous company and the house that I was unfortunate enough to have residence in for 2 months.
So, if you're wondering why Camden Council.....a few things really! Firstly, the Agreement signed with you should have been a Tenancy Agreement, NOT a License agreement as none of your "tenants" fit into any of the categories that would be needed for you to hold a License agreement (oh that's right, research and legal advise has been sought which has given me this information). As you are probably well aware, the Landlord would have to be living in the premises with us (which he or she was not), as a holiday home (which again it is not) or if any of the people living in the house were working for you (which again...none of us are). Since none of these are the case, you legally had no right to take a deposit from me OR any rent as legally I was under no obligation through the ridiculous contract you made me sign!
Also, there were a few clauses you put in the contract such as the fact you can enter the house at any time? You legally cant even put that in a contract because you're going above Tenants rights which all us the Right to Peaceful Enjoyment. In other words, it's a load of CRAP you thinking you can come in and out anytime.
Speaking of Peaceful Enjoyment, I couldn't very well peacefully enjoy my bedroom for the fact that the radiator in the room had not been properly serviced and I didn't appreciate Diana telling me that it would cost me £75 for someone to come and look at it and if i hadn't 'turned it on' they'd charge me more. Are you serious? If I hadn't turned it on? Right then.
Your hard sell tactics are amazing, going to a viewing and being all nice, offering tea and biscuits to get people to sign that piece of paper. But really, i should have google'd you and your shoddy company to see that you are a bunch of crafty con artists! I expect a call within the next half an hour but that's only because whenever I try and ring you the line gets disconnected, goes to voice-mail or you just don't answer.
Now here's the important thing, you want your money, well you see I actually want mine. The deposit I gave you on the 30th of October, NOT on the 7th of November, which you claim to be the date on my certificate which is WRONG. That certificate should have been given to me 14 days after i moved in, or at least I should have been told where my deposit was protected. But we all know that the deposits weren't protected because I checked that fact the week before you sent the ridiculous email to explain why it would 'seem' as if my deposit wasn't protected. So legally, that needs to be returned to me, or my solicitor (which has already reported you to the tree faculties that I mentioned previously, will be taking this further and instead of getting £500 back i will be getting £1500 back.
Trying to fight this wouldnt be wise because given that at your last annual review your cash in bank was £2,939 I don't really think you can afford to take this head to head with me, which I can tell you now I am willing to you.
Don't forget that your breach of contract (which yes I have sufficient grounds for) would be more than enough for me to prove my case, just by the shoddy License agreement, lack of facilities promised, all the verbal agreements made (which are legally binding through me being a Licensee), misrepresentation of the house, failure to carry out the survey correctly on the house (faulty wiring) and providing an inhospitable environment in which a tenant is supposed to live (faulty heating during the winter months) I think I'll be fine. I expect an EMAIL not a call to discuss how you are going to return my deposit to me IN FULL including the £50 key deposit (when i return the keys to you obviously)
The room is locked and has been left in quite good condition, I didn't bother which an extensive clean, Any tenant wanting to view it i'm sure you'll be able to cover up a lot of things like you did when i first moved in, you're masters at that really (re: every single review about your company online). I've even left you a glass of wine on the table to celebrate with you.
Now, when you £550 for me I'll gladly speak to you."
"Diana, Carrie, Alex and whoever else works for your disgrace of a company, you'll be pleased to know that I've vacated Room B of the house in Kilburn.
I just thought I'd bring a few things to your attention before you are surprised by the letters you'll be receiving from Camden Council, Environmental Health and Trading Standards about your ridiculous company and the house that I was unfortunate enough to have residence in for 2 months.
So, if you're wondering why Camden Council.....a few things really! Firstly, the Agreement signed with you should have been a Tenancy Agreement, NOT a License agreement as none of your "tenants" fit into any of the categories that would be needed for you to hold a License agreement (oh that's right, research and legal advise has been sought which has given me this information). As you are probably well aware, the Landlord would have to be living in the premises with us (which he or she was not), as a holiday home (which again it is not) or if any of the people living in the house were working for you (which again...none of us are). Since none of these are the case, you legally had no right to take a deposit from me OR any rent as legally I was under no obligation through the ridiculous contract you made me sign!
Also, there were a few clauses you put in the contract such as the fact you can enter the house at any time? You legally cant even put that in a contract because you're going above Tenants rights which all us the Right to Peaceful Enjoyment. In other words, it's a load of CRAP you thinking you can come in and out anytime.
Speaking of Peaceful Enjoyment, I couldn't very well peacefully enjoy my bedroom for the fact that the radiator in the room had not been properly serviced and I didn't appreciate Diana telling me that it would cost me £75 for someone to come and look at it and if i hadn't 'turned it on' they'd charge me more. Are you serious? If I hadn't turned it on? Right then.
Your hard sell tactics are amazing, going to a viewing and being all nice, offering tea and biscuits to get people to sign that piece of paper. But really, i should have google'd you and your shoddy company to see that you are a bunch of crafty con artists! I expect a call within the next half an hour but that's only because whenever I try and ring you the line gets disconnected, goes to voice-mail or you just don't answer.
Now here's the important thing, you want your money, well you see I actually want mine. The deposit I gave you on the 30th of October, NOT on the 7th of November, which you claim to be the date on my certificate which is WRONG. That certificate should have been given to me 14 days after i moved in, or at least I should have been told where my deposit was protected. But we all know that the deposits weren't protected because I checked that fact the week before you sent the ridiculous email to explain why it would 'seem' as if my deposit wasn't protected. So legally, that needs to be returned to me, or my solicitor (which has already reported you to the tree faculties that I mentioned previously, will be taking this further and instead of getting £500 back i will be getting £1500 back.
Trying to fight this wouldnt be wise because given that at your last annual review your cash in bank was £2,939 I don't really think you can afford to take this head to head with me, which I can tell you now I am willing to you.
Don't forget that your breach of contract (which yes I have sufficient grounds for) would be more than enough for me to prove my case, just by the shoddy License agreement, lack of facilities promised, all the verbal agreements made (which are legally binding through me being a Licensee), misrepresentation of the house, failure to carry out the survey correctly on the house (faulty wiring) and providing an inhospitable environment in which a tenant is supposed to live (faulty heating during the winter months) I think I'll be fine. I expect an EMAIL not a call to discuss how you are going to return my deposit to me IN FULL including the £50 key deposit (when i return the keys to you obviously)
The room is locked and has been left in quite good condition, I didn't bother which an extensive clean, Any tenant wanting to view it i'm sure you'll be able to cover up a lot of things like you did when i first moved in, you're masters at that really (re: every single review about your company online). I've even left you a glass of wine on the table to celebrate with you.
Now, when you £550 for me I'll gladly speak to you."
What agent could do to change your mind?
The best thing for Unida Place to do is shut down.Attached Filesnbsp;
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Sep 02, 2013
I am a victim as well. I left my room on the 31st of May. After chasing Jennifer Hartmann and Daniel Burton I still did not manage to get my deposit back. They are just thief! I am going to start legal action against those people. Aug 28, 2013
I am a victim of Unida Place's practices. I am a student that just left London, but had started a dispute resolution with mydeposits, the agency with which my deposit was supposed to be protected. I had signed an initial contract, but then forced to leave after 4 months. I needed a short-term contract by then, so I used them again, and they found a new room for just 2 months. They told me that they would just transfer the deposit, but as I just found out, they never did. After reading some reviews I would like someone to please provide me with the information about the solicitor they used, and/or who they contacted in order to obtain their deposits back from this fraudulent agency. Please help! Thank you.
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20th Nov 2013
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reviewed by 'narval'
9th Aug 2013
reviewed by 'Ex'
Opening Hours
Address
Unida Place
3 Bloomsbury Place
Bloomsbury,London
Greater London
WC1A 2QL
020 7831 7940
Performance statistics
| Services | Valuation Accuracy | Fees Satisfaction | Min Price of property reviewed | Max Price of property reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lettings | 0% | 0% | £0 | £0 |
Review statistics
| From Landlords | From Tenants | From Vendors | From Buyers | Other | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
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Nov 29,2013
Nov 29,2013
0
people found
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Appalling service from Unida Place and Daniel Burton. Here has now moved to Whitegates in Scunthorpe. Channel 4 has now caught up on him were he even initially denied running the franchise. check this out on Channel 4, fast forward to 6mins and 30 seconds to see the ...
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Nov 20,2013
Nov 20,2013
0
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Hello
I am writing to express my concern on Unida Place's handling of the current rental agreement I have with them. It has been over 2 months and I still haven't received a deposit certificate as promised in the contract. Can anyone recommend a legal service ...
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Oct 10,2013
Oct 10,2013
0
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To put it simply, I got scammed: they never gave me back my deposit. After asking around, it seems they have been trading with it and did not insure with the proper scheme. A class action is very likely, I am looking for an existing ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
A scammer, like the rest of his organization.Attached Filesnbsp;
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Sep 17,2013
Sep 17,2013
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Wish I'd read the reviews before my son took a room with Unida, trying to get the deposit back is proving a nightmare. Not answering emails and no deposit arriving in account. They also owe a refund on one months rent which is not being ...
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Sep 16,2013
Sep 16,2013
0
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Dreadful experience and dreadful people. During the whole of Winter I didn't have heating in my room and for more than 20 days we didn't get neither heating nor hot water in the whole flat.
They never answer emails - it takes usually five or six ...
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Aug 09,2013
Aug 09,2013
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Hello
This is the ABSOLUTE WORST letting agency I have rented from. In fact, the whole AGENCY is a scam. The Director - Daniel Burton - does not register the bond (as required by law) and then does not repay the bond in the hope ...
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Jul 30,2013
Jul 30,2013
1
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this helpful
Beware. Full of charm pre-contract. Full of B/S afterwards. It turns out that young Uni drop-out Dan Burton's company is built on sub-letting; Unida is not the landlord. He rents a property for X and then sublets the rooms for more than X in ...
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Oct 02, 2013
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(1)
Hi there. I'm a journalist following up on a story I did a few months ago for The Guardian on "rent-to-rent" and Unida Place. I'm interested in your experiences - can you drop me a line please? Email [email protected]. ...
Jul 02,2013
Jul 02,2013
0
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this helpful
this helpful
This estate agency is the worst place you EVER sign up to.
When looking for a property to rent they far too kind. I am from Europe and thought I knew about scams they pull in London.
Like the saying ' Too good to be ...
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Jun 21,2013
Jun 21,2013
0
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There's a reason this company is ranked once of the worst in London. I think my review pretty much matches all the previous ones.
Possibly the worst company I've ever had to deal with. They're very friendly and happy to communicate when trying to sign ...
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Sep 16, 2013
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(4)
Hi
they moved to Second floor, 91 Charlotte Street, London W1T 4QF
I'll try the unannounced visit today to get my deposit back as well...
My ex flatmate told me to ask Unida for the DPC number (reference number under which your deposit was registered) and raise a dispute with the help of a solicitor.
And Nicky if you're in France I think it's going to be difficult for you, you might have your ex flatmates still in UK?
Good luck! ...
Jan 10,2013
Jan 10,2013
5
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Tell you what, I'll just copy and paste the email i sent them upon vacating the house.....
"Diana, Carrie, Alex and whoever else works for your disgrace of a company, you'll be pleased to know that I've vacated Room B of the house in Kilburn.
...
read full review
read full review
What agent could do to change your mind?
The best thing for Unida Place to do is shut down.Attached Filesnbsp;
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Sep 02, 2013
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(2)
I am a victim as well. I left my room on the 31st of May. After chasing Jennifer Hartmann and Daniel Burton I still did not manage to get my deposit back. They are just thief! I am going to start legal action against those people. ...
Nov 19,2012
Nov 19,2012
0
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2 month, I've left London and they still don't refund my deposit. I write every week but I even got an answer. As I read in many websites, they look "cool" and professionnal until you've signed. After thex don't care..... They've well played, I'm currently not ...
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Jan 26,2012
Jan 26,2012
5
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this helpful
Unidaplace is one of those agents who exploits the lease agreement and charge their tenants additional fees whenever possible. For example, the first draft of my lease did not include certain charges which suddenly appeared on my second and final draft (this is despite me ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
Business ethics.Attached Filesnbsp;
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Jan 29, 2012
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(1)
Smith,
I am sorry you left with bad feelings.
However, exploiting the lease agreement is not what we are, or have ever been about. And as for extra hidden charges, all charges are within the agreement.
The service charge covers all utility bills, council tax etc. and not just the cleaning of the property.
As for time in getting back to people, if you email like we ask, then we can resolve matters more quickly, than if people consistently call the office asking for maintenance requests to be ...
Dec 08,2011
Dec 08,2011
0
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Utterly offended. Started out with a simple property enquiry, ended with me being called an idiot. I can't believe I've just been spoken to like that. Sean Condon, their sales guy, has a serious personailty disorder and should not be allowed in public....
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What agent could do to change your mind?
Maybe they could have tried not sweating at me?Attached Filesnbsp;
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Apr 13, 2012
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We obviously regret 'AB's experience if any such exchange took place and offence was caused. We would like to offer an apology for that and an assurance that this isolated incident has never been replicated. Our core customer values have since been revisited and reinforced amongst all our staff. This event is certainly not representative of our attitude towards our clients.
We will shortly be publishing our Customer Service Charter online at our website www.unidaplace.com where everyone will ...
Oct 13,2011
Oct 13,2011
3
people found
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this helpful
On first meeting the Unida Place team they were very friendly & professional, although alarm bells started ringing when current tenants had no idea we were coming, and they were happy to sign us up immediately - no reference checks! In desperation we decided to take ...
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Apr 13, 2012
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Hello Londonrenter this is Unida Place. We wanted to answer some of the important points you raise.
We recognise that your experience shows that communication has been one area where we needed to make improvements. While we specialise in lets of minimum 6 months duration we are sometimes able t arrange shorter lets but these come with separate conditions. Nevertheless these should always be explained clearly before signing so we apologise if this wasn't done successfully on this occasion. We ...
Sep 09,2011
Sep 09,2011
2
people found
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2 months before my contract was ending they started arranging visits to my room without telling me! While I was at work, strangers would come and see my room and all my belongings (laptops, cameras, desktop computer and even cash). One of my flatmates saw the ...
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Apr 13, 2012
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Hello David, this is Unida Place
We appreciate that room viewings can be an inconvenience to tenants but they are unfortunately unavoidable, they are part and parcel of rented accommodation anywhere. For this reason our contract clearly states that in the event of non-renewal at the end of your agreement there will be such visits during the last months of your tenancy. Our contract has recently been revamped to make everything, including this, more clear.
We do also have a policy of informi ...
No fees information available
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.
Complaints Procedure
No procedure available.
