16th Jun 2026 (11 days ago)
Our experience with Slater Hogg and Howison (Candleriggs branch) over our 2.5 years of tenancy has been disappointing at best and appalling at worst.<br><br>The first major incident we had; we woke up on a Saturday morning to no electricity and a tripped circuit.<br>To give credit where due, the property manager got someone out to switch off the water and prevent any further damage to the property. However, when we queried about an electrician coming round, we were informed this did not constitute an emergency and would therefore be without electricity until Monday at the earliest. This caused major disruption to our lives. The dismissive nature of the property manager left a sour taste. I understand no one wants to deal with a major incident on a half-day Saturday, however essentially telling us 'good luck, get back in touch on Monday' was an unsatisfactory stance to take when tenants are asking for support.<br><br>Following this incident, we appeared to be blamed for damage to the below property (caused by the leak) - despite the property owner above taking accountability for the incident.<br>Due to this, multiple rounds of workmen were arranged to the property. To accommodate this, I missed classes at university/ my partner missed work. On many occasions, no one showed up - asking for an update on the tradesmen from SHH resulted in being informed to call the company directly. I would phone the company and no one would then show up. There was no accountability - both companies would point fingers at each other. On one occasion, I was informed a tradesman would be out by SHH and the company advised no one was arranged to come out! When a workman did come out, he was unaware of the leak from upstairs! I understand SHH don't care about the inconvenience they caused; however this greatly affected our lives and caused a great deal of frustration and stress.<br><br>We received an alarming email from SHH, stating we were in arrears and owed money- with the threat of bailiffs. This was news to us as we had paid rent on time each month. We tried phoning, emailing; everything to get in touch and get the situation resolved, but no one seemed able to help. We eventually spoke with an agent who advised we were not in arrears and the system was incorrect due to an error made by an agent. This situation caused much stress and sleepless nights, and to not even get an apology for the error at the end of the process was unsatisfactory. At this point, we had lost all faith in Slater and Hogg and the competency of this agency.<br><br>The trend of poor communication continued throughout our tenancy. We were informed of a flat inspection however, by the afternoon no one had arrived. We phoned SHH and was provided a number to do the run about again. I phoned the agent who advised no inspection was due. Why were we informed otherwise by SHH? On another occasion there was a fire alarm inspection which we were not informed of - I was only in the property due to sheer chance. Had we been out, we would have been charged.The constant lack of correct communication from SHH began to feel like an unfunny joke.<br><br>Once our notice was handed in, the communication with SHH did not improve. Upon requesting to attend the check-out inspection, we were informed the clerk would contact us to inform of the viewing time. This did not occur, and therefore we were unable to attend the check-out inspection. Upon raising our concerns to Slater and Hogg, we were dismissed by the property manager/branch manager. We eventually raised a complaint to Countrywide; they do not have evidence the clerk contacted us. SHH have dismissed our concerns. During this time, Slater and Hogg had no difficulty charging us an extortionate cleaning fee. We believe the costs were exaggerated to keep as much of the deposit as possible. SHH requested an additional £10 for no apparent reason; another indication of their incompetence.<br><br>Our time letting has been nothing short of horrific. From incompetent staff and questionable following of the code of practice, I would avoid letting from this agency at all costs.... Read more