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Terrible Experience with Gibbs Gillespie Uxbridge Branch. Protect yourself from the stress and financial exploitation I have endured.
My experience with Gibbs Gillespie has been nothing short of a nightmare. I would strongly advise others to avoid this agency at all costs due to their unprofessionalism, lack of transparency, and outright exploitative practices.
NDO Scam:
They pressured us into signing up for their "No Deposit Option" (NDO) scheme, sugarcoating it as a better alternative to a traditional deposit. What followed was a complete disaster. Over the course of our tenancy, we paid approximately £900 for the NDO—money completely wasted, as it offered no benefit whatsoever. The NDO charges constantly changed when we disputed landlord unfair charges—starting at £120 and later fluctuating to £185, £261, £222, and finally £159.01—with no clear explanation or breakdown. These arbitrary charges made absolutely no sense and were communicated inconsistently, leaving us frustrated and confused.
Unjustified Name Change Fee:
We were charged £200 for a simple name change on the tenancy agreement—an outright violation of the Tenant Fees Act 2019. Despite repeated requests, the agency failed to provide an invoice, justification, or even the updated document reflecting the name change. They simply ignored our concerns, leaving us to believe they exploited our lack of legal knowledge.
Incompetence During Move-In and Move-Out:
When we moved in, no one from the agency was present to hand over the keys, forcing us to go to their office. The same lack of support was evident during the move-out process, showcasing their complete disregard for tenants.
Check-In Report Fraud:
No check-in report was provided when we moved in, and it was only after raising this issue after we moved out that they produced an unsigned and unverifiable report dated years before our tenancy. Later, they sent another report filled with blurry, low-quality photos taken by a different company—completely incomparable to the check-out report. This was looks clearly a setup to manipulate the arbitration process.
Unfair Arbitration Process:
Gibbs Gillespie hided critical evidence which we sent for dispute from the arbitrator, including documents I had submitted multiple times. They only submitted a biased form with incorrect charges, completely skewing the outcome of the arbitration. Their actions have forced me to spend countless hours proving my case, all while dealing with the immense stress they caused.
Gibbs Gillespie's entire system seems designed to frustrate tenants and push them into paying inflated charges rather than resolving disputes fairly. Their lack of accountability, shady practices, and poor service are appalling.
I am now taking this case to the Property Ombudsman, but I strongly urge anyone considering renting through Gibbs Gillespie to reconsider. I am saying again Protect yourself from the stress and financial exploitation I have endured.... Read more
19th Nov 2024 (24 days ago)