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Honestly, my experience with Brand Vaughan was terrible. The responsibility for this falls on them as the house I rented in my third year as a student was through their agency. The property on their website looked significantly better than it did in person; the pictures were misleading. Despite viewing the property in a terrible state, we were assured multiple times that the landlord and agency would clean it thoroughly for new tenants in September. We were encouraged to secure the property as “it would be gone by the end of the day” Feeling pressured, we signed contracts and paid deposits. The first day, However, upon moving in, the house was in an even worse state—filthy, with muck torn carpets, evidence of electrical fires, a flooded kitchen floor, and a toilet in a disgusting condition, most rooms thick with black mould. Every room had an unpleasant odor and the house was infested with mice, we would see multiple mice during the day and even more at night, on the second night we found dead mice under the countertops in the bedrooms and next to the fridges. During the contract we experienced countless issues. Despite numerous complaints, the agency refused responsibilities over maintenance, leaving us with major unresolved issues for 11 months. The house was pretty much uninhabitable and insecure, with doors and windows not locking or closing properly. The maintenance fell on the landlord, but the agency's failure to check the building after our complaints and their reluctance to help us contact the landlord exacerbated the situation. They could not get the landlord to carry out his responsibilities but if by mistake the rent was underpaid £0.32p then you would be harassed via phone and emails for days. Trying to move out, we discovered we couldn't terminate the contract without a fee or finding a replacement. Which proved difficult given the state of the house. Most of us had no choice but to endure this experience for 11 months. The rent was also ridiculous and for the amount of money they wanted the least they could have done was ensured the house was safe, and clean. This agency should not advertise student lets in such a state, as it reflects poorly on their reputation. I strongly advise against renting any student houses not maintained by the agency themselves.... Read more
4th Mar 2024 (7 weeks ago)