17th Jul 2026 (12 days ago)
Deposit withheld on baseless claims, mould ignored for 6 months - DPS ruled fully in our favour<br><br>We rented a flat managed by Century 21 London Central (Rochester Row) for nearly two years; the property was owned by Marmora Ltd. KFH managed the building when we moved in and unfortunately the landlord moved management to Century 21 after a few months.<br>Our experience with agent Dusan Plesko was dreadful from start to finish.<br><br>At the end of our tenancy, Dusan ignored our emails for weeks, responding only after we escalated to the Deposit Protection Service. He then claimed £1,740 of our deposit for an Octopus Energy bill that was addressed to the landlord - not us. We were never Octopus customers; our supply was with OVO, who confirmed in writing that we had no liability to Octopus, and whose bill we have paid in full. At adjudication, Dusan submitted no evidence whatsoever. The DPS ruled fully in our favour. Months of our time wasted on an attempt to take our deposit for someone else's bill.<br><br>During the tenancy, we reported extensive bathroom mould in August 2025 - across the walls and ceiling, with the wall rotting away near the shower. An inspection identified a structural cause (an extractor vent leading nowhere). Instead of fixing it, Dusan replaced a working extractor fan, an unnecessary cost to the landlord which we pointed out at the time, and left the mould untreated. Repairs were finally done in late January 2026, conveniently the week before viewings for new tenants began.<br><br>When we offered a 15% rent increase to extend our tenancy, we received no response. Before we moved out the flat was listed for higher than our offer. After we moved out, the flat was listed at exactly the figure we had offered - and let at that price (or lower). We've seen no evidence our offer was ever put to the landlord, the landlord incurred costs related to finding new tenants and lost rent for the period the flat was unoccupied.<br><br>Reading other reviews, our experience isn't unique; inflated deposit claims and ignored maintenance appear repeatedly. Landlords (including Marmora Ltd) should ask serious questions about how their properties and tenants are being handled. Tenants: document everything from day one, and don't hesitate to go straight to the DPS.... Read more