10th Apr 2022 (2 years ago)
A traumatic experience with Cubitt & West.
Getting us settled in was a smooth process. Cubitt & West was helpful and flexible. For us, the trouble started three months in when it became clear the house we rented had severe issues with black mould.
When we notified Cubitt & West about the mould, as we did multiple times, they acted as if we were exaggerating and told us to wipe it all down. So we bought some heavy chemicals and masks to do so. Inevitably, the mould kept coming back. It was everywhere.
After getting respiratory problems, we noticed the mould was penetrating our mattresses and cushions. With about 40% of the total floor area, the upper floor became unusable. That's when we decided to stop using the affected rooms.
The real shock came when we decided to move out after almost two years. Suddenly, the black mould was a blocking issue to rent it again. The landlord would have to renovate the house. From then on, it got from bad to worse.
They forced us to keep paying the rent with false promises. They told us we would get the overpaid rent back once the house was in an acceptable state again. Renovations would take no more than a week, so most of our £1500 would be returned.
In the end, the renovations took more than six weeks, and we didn't see our money back. But it got worse. They also tried to use our full deposit with false claims and exorbitant renovation fees. That's when we called on the Tenancy Deposit Scheme for help.
After a few more months, an arbitrator at the TDS decided we were in our right and returned the biggest part of our deposit to us. Which only confirmed that Cubitt & West mistreated us all along.
For us, it was a traumatising experience. The letting agency because quite aggressive towards us and even started screening our calls. I want to add we always played by their rules and never missed a payment. I can not advise anyone to work with them, based on my experience.... Read more