6th Apr 2026 (28 days ago)
I was interested in a studio flat in Stamford let by Murrays Oakham. The whole experience was stressful and unprofessional from the outset. The agent, Eleanor Burge, initially claimed that the property wasn’t available anymore but a few days later changed her mind because she said she didn’t like the sound of the tenant who had secured the property. In order to obtain the tenancy I had to pay 7 months’ rent in advance, plus a deposit and credit check fees because I had been living overseas, despite the fact that I had an employment contract with an income that was more than adequate to cover the rent.
Tenants are routinely assumed to be untrustworthy and easy to make money out of and it was very unpleasant to be so treated.
As I needed a place to live quickly, I reluctantly agreed to these terms. Upon arrival I discovered there was NO internet despite Murray confirming that it was available; in addition, the electric heating did not function and the place was absolutely filthy and needed cleaning before I could move in. Ms Burge seemed completely uninterested, and it took a whole week without heating for the landlord to finally show up and replace the heater. During his visit he sat on and broke one of the chairs (his property) and did not bother to fix, replace or even apologise for the damage. When I mentioned the filthy state of the flat when I took it, the landlord said Murray had told him it had been professionally cleaned which it had certainly not been.
The internet issue was beyond a joke; I work mostly online so I could not work from home and it took 4 months for internet to finally be connected; a major reason for the delay was the landlord’s and Murray’s utter lack of interest in communicating with me or the managing agents of the flats to fix the issue (provide access to the locked area where internet cables needed to be installed). I was obliged to travel to my office every day which made life very inconvenient – not to mention that I had no phone signal at home and no TV. In this day and age this is completely unacceptable, akin to living without electricity or water.
At a later date I reported to Mrs. Burge a broken showerhead resulting in a non functioning shower. She asked if I wouldn’t mind waiting until the landlord got back from holiday in two weeks to get it fixed, and it was only after insisting that this was unacceptable that Murray actually sent someone over to fix it. After 7 months I had the option to pay for the remainder of the tenancy up front again (5 months) or fork out £60 for credit referencing fees once again. I don’t know whether they actually did a credit check or just pocketed the money.
It seemed evident to me that Murray are only interested in taking your money but don’t actually want to give anything in return. The poor service I received from both landlord and Murray prompted me to buy a property instead continuing to rent.
In order to get my deposit back I had to agree to pay an additional £80 for cleaning and repair costs although I returned the place a far cleaner state then when I took the tenancy. Some minor ‘damage’ like scratches on a cupboard and a cracked wall plug were already there when I moved in! I believe every new tenant routinely gets charged for this every time – Murray takes money for so-called professional cleaners and puts it in their pockets.... Read more