0% lettings valuation accuracy
0% lettings fee satisfaction
May 19,2014
May 19,2014
1
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Most problematic estate agent experience ever.
We first rented from Newton Fallowell when we were new to Swadlincote in January 2012. We lived in that property until November 2012, and the only problem with the property in that time was some leaky pipes causing a leak through the ceiling, which took them 6 weeks to fix. We then went travelling for 3 months, and needed to arrange to let somewhere new when we got back (it was cheaper to move out and put everything in storage than pay rent, council tax etc) and Newton Fallowell were the only agents that were happy for us to let without viewing the property first, as they knew us and knew we are reliable.
The house we have lived in for the last 15 months, has caused us to have a diabolical nightmare with Newton Fallowell.
First problem: Leaky pipe under downstairs toilet. Time taken to even consider doing anything after we reported it: 1 month, and several phone calls, and then it was only because we were due our 3 month inspection, and I pointed out that the noise of running water is constant, the floor in the hallway had raised up underneath the side door (our main entrance) so we couldn't open or close it very easily, and walls in the house above the area of the leak started to crack.
Second problem: Gas safety inspection. Newton Fallowell suddenly realised in March that there was no gas safety cert for the property, and despite it being a managed property (meaning they should have sent a member of staff to let the gas man in) insisted that they needed myself or my husband to be here to let him in. Gas man didn't come. Day 2: He will come today. No gas man. I refused to stay in a 3rd day, and they gave the key to the gas man. It would seem they then DIDN'T get a gas safety certificate from him, and we were then without one for several months.
Third problem: Hedges. The house has massive hedges- being a corner plot, these go around every side of the gardens, the only part that isn't surrounded by a hedge is where we are attached to next door. We were told that Newton Fallowell would arrange someone to cut them, as part of the tenancy. In the spring when the hedges got so big that the neighbours were complaining they couldn't walk down the pavement (even worse for those with prams and mobility scooters), I had already been asking for a month when someone was going to come. They denied all knowledge. I spent hours cutting the hedges by hand to try to keep the neighbours happy, but wouldn't spend money on electric tools out of principle. It was august before they sent someone to cut the hedges. (Now we're moving out, they have sent someone around at less than 24hrs notice demanding access through the property to make the hedges look nice ready for when we're gone- typical).
Fourth Problem: Boiler keeps breaking down. Our boiler was probably the original one that came with the house. I complained about it not working properly in August, and in November they finally did a gas safety check and decided it wasn't safe, and after many call outs because it kept blowing out & wouldn't re-light, they finally replaced it in January. 5 MONTHS to get a problem resolved! At the gas safety check they also discovered that the reason our gas bill had been so high was because the gas heater at the bottom of the stairs had a gas leak.
Fifth problem: I came home one friday night to find a pipe in the shower had broken/ corroded (shower was from the 70s) and water was pouring down through the kitchen ceiling, light fittings, and over the fuse box. To be fair, for once, Tim came around within an hour with a big torch to look at the problem, and said straight away that there was no way we could live in those conditions. I was off to visit my parents for the weekend anyway, and then got put up in a hotel. I expressed concern that the kitchen ceiling was artex and may contain asbestos, and they told us we had to move back in the following weekend anyway, and we wouldn't be able to claim for any more nights in the hotel (not that we could afford it as we had to pay upfront and claim it back). 3 weeks later we discover that yes, they had made us move back into a house with DAMAGED ASBESTOS present. A month of a house full of dehumidifiers later, still no work has been done to repair the damage, there's gaffa tape across the kitchen ceiling and that's it. During this time there were lots of visits to the property by various workmen without 24 hours notice, even to the point where the dehumidifiers were collected without us knowing anyone was going to be coming in. We were supposed to have a meeting with the loss adjusters to discuss the plans for when work would be done, but Newton Fallowell changed it to a time when we were both working and the landlords came instead, always nice to have a meeting in your house that you're not invited to. 2 days later we get a letter saying we are in breach of contract because our business is registered at the property- clearly we made a mistake in not getting this agreement in writing as we were verbally told when we rented the property that it was not a problem "as long as we weren't planning on selling cars on the driveway". So they gave us 7 days to cease trading or find an alternative premises for our tiny business (turnover of £3000!) that we can't afford premises for. Then we are served with a notice to vacate the property. Well, after all these problems I can tell you, although we love our house and were happy to stick it out through the building work (still nothing has happened- it's now mid may and the leak was 28 Feb) we are so fed up with Newton Fallowell and all their nonsense that we are more than happy to leave and go and live somewhere else. Downside is, I only just found this website, looking for reviews on the useless company we are now dealing with instead- currently ranked 12537 out of 12542! Thankfully it's not a managed property this time and the new landlady seems really nice, so once we are in we can relax- no more rubbish letting agents who don't care about the property!!
We first rented from Newton Fallowell when we were new to Swadlincote in January 2012. We lived in that property until November 2012, and the only problem with the property in that time was some leaky pipes causing a leak through the ceiling, which took them 6 weeks to fix. We then went travelling for 3 months, and needed to arrange to let somewhere new when we got back (it was cheaper to move out and put everything in storage than pay rent, council tax etc) and Newton Fallowell were the only agents that were happy for us to let without viewing the property first, as they knew us and knew we are reliable.
The house we have lived in for the last 15 months, has caused us to have a diabolical nightmare with Newton Fallowell.
First problem: Leaky pipe under downstairs toilet. Time taken to even consider doing anything after we reported it: 1 month, and several phone calls, and then it was only because we were due our 3 month inspection, and I pointed out that the noise of running water is constant, the floor in the hallway had raised up underneath the side door (our main entrance) so we couldn't open or close it very easily, and walls in the house above the area of the leak started to crack.
Second problem: Gas safety inspection. Newton Fallowell suddenly realised in March that there was no gas safety cert for the property, and despite it being a managed property (meaning they should have sent a member of staff to let the gas man in) insisted that they needed myself or my husband to be here to let him in. Gas man didn't come. Day 2: He will come today. No gas man. I refused to stay in a 3rd day, and they gave the key to the gas man. It would seem they then DIDN'T get a gas safety certificate from him, and we were then without one for several months.
Third problem: Hedges. The house has massive hedges- being a corner plot, these go around every side of the gardens, the only part that isn't surrounded by a hedge is where we are attached to next door. We were told that Newton Fallowell would arrange someone to cut them, as part of the tenancy. In the spring when the hedges got so big that the neighbours were complaining they couldn't walk down the pavement (even worse for those with prams and mobility scooters), I had already been asking for a month when someone was going to come. They denied all knowledge. I spent hours cutting the hedges by hand to try to keep the neighbours happy, but wouldn't spend money on electric tools out of principle. It was august before they sent someone to cut the hedges. (Now we're moving out, they have sent someone around at less than 24hrs notice demanding access through the property to make the hedges look nice ready for when we're gone- typical).
Fourth Problem: Boiler keeps breaking down. Our boiler was probably the original one that came with the house. I complained about it not working properly in August, and in November they finally did a gas safety check and decided it wasn't safe, and after many call outs because it kept blowing out & wouldn't re-light, they finally replaced it in January. 5 MONTHS to get a problem resolved! At the gas safety check they also discovered that the reason our gas bill had been so high was because the gas heater at the bottom of the stairs had a gas leak.
Fifth problem: I came home one friday night to find a pipe in the shower had broken/ corroded (shower was from the 70s) and water was pouring down through the kitchen ceiling, light fittings, and over the fuse box. To be fair, for once, Tim came around within an hour with a big torch to look at the problem, and said straight away that there was no way we could live in those conditions. I was off to visit my parents for the weekend anyway, and then got put up in a hotel. I expressed concern that the kitchen ceiling was artex and may contain asbestos, and they told us we had to move back in the following weekend anyway, and we wouldn't be able to claim for any more nights in the hotel (not that we could afford it as we had to pay upfront and claim it back). 3 weeks later we discover that yes, they had made us move back into a house with DAMAGED ASBESTOS present. A month of a house full of dehumidifiers later, still no work has been done to repair the damage, there's gaffa tape across the kitchen ceiling and that's it. During this time there were lots of visits to the property by various workmen without 24 hours notice, even to the point where the dehumidifiers were collected without us knowing anyone was going to be coming in. We were supposed to have a meeting with the loss adjusters to discuss the plans for when work would be done, but Newton Fallowell changed it to a time when we were both working and the landlords came instead, always nice to have a meeting in your house that you're not invited to. 2 days later we get a letter saying we are in breach of contract because our business is registered at the property- clearly we made a mistake in not getting this agreement in writing as we were verbally told when we rented the property that it was not a problem "as long as we weren't planning on selling cars on the driveway". So they gave us 7 days to cease trading or find an alternative premises for our tiny business (turnover of £3000!) that we can't afford premises for. Then we are served with a notice to vacate the property. Well, after all these problems I can tell you, although we love our house and were happy to stick it out through the building work (still nothing has happened- it's now mid may and the leak was 28 Feb) we are so fed up with Newton Fallowell and all their nonsense that we are more than happy to leave and go and live somewhere else. Downside is, I only just found this website, looking for reviews on the useless company we are now dealing with instead- currently ranked 12537 out of 12542! Thankfully it's not a managed property this time and the new landlady seems really nice, so once we are in we can relax- no more rubbish letting agents who don't care about the property!!
What agent could do to change your mind?
If Newton Fallowell dealt with problems occurring in their "managed properties" within a reasonable timescale, and equally allowed a reasonable timescale for tenants to make any necessary adjustments (i.e. more than 7 days for relocating a business that they'd said was fine when we took out the tenancy 14 months ago), and agreed to a reasonable amount of compensation for the disruption to life in a damaged house, and hadn't put our health at risk by making us move back in to a house with broken asbestos present, then I would consider using them again. But it's unlikely that they will ever change their ways.Attached Filesnbsp;
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Latest Reviews
17th Aug 2018
reviewed by 'Shirley'
Opening Hours
Address
Newton Fallowell
49 High Street
Swadlincote
South Derbyshire
DE11 8JA
01283 808610
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 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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Aug 17,2018
Aug 17,2018
0
people found
this helpful
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Lots of love to all the staff, & a special thank you to sally & tom for all their help in being so kind & helpful.
Will definitely go back & use their service when the time comes.
Graham says as long as there is Yorkshire tea, & biscuits!!
Brilliant ...
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Comment on agent fees
Very reasonable for the service
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May 19,2014
May 19,2014
1
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Most problematic estate agent experience ever.
We first rented from Newton Fallowell when we were new to Swadlincote in January 2012. We lived in that property until November 2012, and the only problem with the property in that time was some leaky pipes causing a leak through ...
read full review
read full review
What agent could do to change your mind?
If Newton Fallowell dealt with problems occurring in their "managed properties" within a reasonable timescale, and equally allowed a reasonable timescale for tenants to make any necessary adjustments (i.e. more than 7 days for relocating a business that they'd said was fine when we took out the tenancy 14 months ago), and agreed to a reasonable amount of compensation for the disruption to life in a damaged house, and hadn't put our health at risk by making us move back in to a house with broken asbestos present, then I would consider using them again. But it's unlikely that they will ever change their ways.Attached Filesnbsp;
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