4th Feb 2026 (8 days ago)
We had a very disappointing experience renting through Henley Charles. At the start of the tenancy, communication was fairly responsive. However, once serious maintenance issues began to arise, their responsiveness declined significantly.
We are a family of three who were looking for a safe, long-term family home. We have a young child, and therefore the standards of the property needed to be extremely good. Unfortunately, this was not the case.
Throughout our tenancy, we reported major disrepair issues including roof leaks, water coming through ceilings, damaged guttering, and later water leaking from the bathroom into the kitchen. Eventually, water was dripping from a ceiling light fitting and onto the gas cooker, which is extremely dangerous.
Brown damp patches and mould began forming in affected areas. This is deeply concerning, as mould and damp can cause serious health problems, especially for babies and young children.
Despite repeatedly reporting these issues from November 2025 onwards, no effective repairs were carried out. A roofer was supposedly instructed but never attended, and our follow-up messages and emails were often ignored or left on read. We constantly had to chase for updates, which was stressful and exhausting.
We were originally told this would be a long-term tenancy, which is why we invested our own money into improving the property (new carpets, garden improvements, filling gaps and holes to improve insulation and prevent rodents, etc.). We heard, saw, and even disturbed rodents coming through holes in the kitchen units, so we sealed these areas ourselves using cement and expanding foam. These improvements remain in place and improved the condition of the property.
Later, we were informed the landlord wanted to sell the property. During this period, it felt as though repairs were deliberately avoided. The explanation that the landlord was abroad should not prevent urgent repairs, especially as we always paid our rent on time and fulfilled our obligations as tenants.
To make matters worse, they are now attempting to deduct money from our deposit due to a small amount of expanding foam on laminate flooring inside a kitchen unit. This does not require replacement or repair — it simply needs cleaning. The substance has not caused irreparable damage. There is also spare brand-new laminate flooring stored in the kitchen cupboard if replacement were genuinely needed.
We always paid our rent on time and took pride in the home. If anyone would like proof of our messages, emails, videos, and photos of the disrepair that was never fixed, we have everything fully documented and can provide it.
Based on our experience, we would not recommend Henley Charles to tenants.... Read more