By far the worst experience I have had with any letting agent and landlord.
The staff are extremely unreasonable and unhelpful. From having to drive 4 hrs afterwork to move in and being told I could not collect the keys as I was 10 mins late after closing hours, forcing me to have to pay for a hotel overnight and leave all my belongings in my car on full display to the public, to no 'moving in pack' being provided. They gave me the keys- with the wrong entry code- and nothing else, they didn't even direct me to the property. Moreover, I asked if any tenants worked nights, as I do not want to be disturbed. I arrived to find that an alcoholic chef was below me, getting in at 3am most nights, absolutely steaming, singing at the top of his lungs and even attempted to get into bed- whilst fully naked- with another tenant. The owner John Henderson responded: 'a night shift is x until y, let's not get into the semantics'. Any emails you receive from John include a signature stating 'assuring you of our best intentions at all times'. I'd recommend you remove this John, quite the contrary.
As you can see below, the state of the property was completely unacceptable. The agent omitted all of this damage from all of the videos, not sharing any of this information, taking advantage of the fact that I could not physically visit in time. Exposed electrics, damp, squashed bugs and human hair in the room they claimed had been 'professionally cleaned'. The door did not even work, as someone had used cardboard as a spacer and it looked as though someone had sprayed a cupboard door with a BB gun! How they thought this was suitable is beyond me.
Even after my initial complaints, it was a constant tug of war with the two owners of the family business Louise and John. They are incredibly patronising people to speak with. I had to leave work early, as the tenant below me panic called, saying 'I've been flooded and waters dripping down from your room'. Upon arrival, I discovered that I have 40% dampness (anything above 25% or so should be repaired) on the window directly next to where I am sleeping, with water eventually spilling in and dripping onto all of my clean bed linen. Louise delivered the most condescending response I have ever experienced, constantly interrupting me and not listening at all. She even suggested: ‘I've been listening to wellbeing podcasts recently and they really help'. Your attempts at customer service are laughable and I cannot believe that a grown adult thinks that would be a suitable response to a cooperative and calm tenant that has experienced an abundance of issues.
Furthermore, the landlord Terry Blackman is extremely out of touch. His secretary Pam needs to improve communication and coordination with Acorn, as she never dropped off a hoover and cleaning supplies she had promised the tenants. Furthermore, simple notifications such as letting us know the water would be turned off by the council could help, as we had to call up ourselves on the morning it occurred, despite the Landlord being notified well in advance!
Unbelievably, Acorn have since stolen £110 of my deposit since falsely claiming I had changed the code for the lock; attempting to contact me, yet I never replied.This is a complete fabrication and even the locksmith stated this was a blatant lie, yet remarkably, DPS find an invoice for a replacement lock to be sufficient proof the lock needing replacing in the first place...glad I have the opportunity to warn prospective customers so as not to go through a similar experience as mine.... Read more
19th Apr 2022 (5 weeks ago)
Tegan, Matt and everyone I spoke to at Acorn have been friendly, professional and helpful in helping me secure a rental property. Easy to reach over phone, text and email. Best lettings agents I have dealt with as a tenant. Have felt listened to and valued throughout. Collaborative and personal. Really pleased with their service.... Read more
3rd Mar 2022 (12 weeks ago)