Dondi Eagle is the best landlord I have had in Cardiff. Flats in Howard gardens and Howard terrace owned by this lady are stunning. Had a couple of issues that were fixed/ resolved quickly. She was easy to get in touch with and even sent me a well-being package during the lockdown. Have recommended this landlord and flat to many friends.
Don’t want to leave! Thank you Dondi!
Rent: [Not Given]
Deposit Returned?: Still living at hole in question
Rob Piazza is one of the kindest, sweetest people In Cardiff, no doubt! Super friendly, feels like more of an uncle than a landlord! You can text him anytime, if anything broke in the house it was replaced pretty much the same week with no resistance. The properties themselves were really well looked after and he has some fab maintenance men who can come fix things. Rob is super accommodating, If you can’t pay your rent on the 1st day of the month, you can ask him to delay cashing the cheque and give a date you’re able to pay (He actually understands the difficulties in student finance and debt.)
Top notch bloke, pity I only found him in my 4th year!
Rent: £310
Deposit Returned: Yes
We rented with Orinoco. When we moved in the fridge was full of maggots (initially they denied all responsibility and refused to clean), there were rats inside the house, mould on the walls, chewing gum on the floors, drug residue in the draws (burnt spoons, ripped foil, needles) and the whole house was dirty and had a musky smell. Throughout the tenancy we transformed the house, we deep cleaned it ourselves on move in, then again when Orinoco wanted to take photos for their website, for all their viewings and finally on move out (the place was spotless). During one of the deep cleans we took off the extractor fan chimneys to find that they weren’t connected to an external source, instead the smoke and steam was pumped straight back into the room. Not to mention the fact that throughout lockdown I transformed the garden from an overgrown skip to clean, tidy, presentable garden.
On move out the agent attended the property and commented on how clean it was and stated they would only charge for a burnt window sill in one of the rooms (fair enough). I was then shocked to receive a list of charges (mainly cleaning) worth £340. To top off the negligence and disgraceful nature of this company when trying to dispute their charges they took days to respond to every email. After numerous emails I managed to get the charges down to £140 (still £110 too much). At this point they said to accept it or consult a deposit agency where they threatened to charge the full £340. Not happy, will not rent with them again and would not recommend them to anyone! Avoid at all costs!!
Rent: £340
Deposit Returned?: Partially
Keylet were pretty good at first, and helped us negotiate a short-term let on a house in Splott. The landlord was Richard Roberts and the house was 142 Moorland Road, Splott. It was a nice house, and was actually one we’d already visited when we were doing house viewings for buying our house. There was a huge crack in one wall, indicative of serious subsidence. Keep an eye on this crack, we’ll see it again. We saw the crack, said that there’s no way we’d buy a house with subsidence, and moved on. How curious to be living there whilst our house purchase goes through!
We had a few nice months there, then our house purchase went through and we made the arrangements to move out. One morning, a week before our moving day, I went into the garden to put some scraps on the bird table and noticed something yukky in the side yard by the kitchen… used toilet paper! The drains were backing up. Not a problem, this happens, we contacted KeyLet using their website reporting system and they sent someone round who tried to jet it. No luck. He said that the drain must have collapsed further down, and he demonstrated that when he fired the jet the water (and sewage) backed up out of the manhole he said was under the decking – you could see the water and sludge coming up between the decking planks. Keylet decided that this meant it was Welsh Water’s problem, and put in a request to them. The next day (day three now) Welsh Water came round and the first thing the chap said to me was “I’ve been here before”. Turns out he’d been here for the same issue a few years back and the drain had collapsed in the garden. He put the camera down and showed me… you could see that the blockage-to-sewer bit of the drain was bone dry, there hadn’t been any water down there in ages.
Later I put in a request to Welsh Water to get a copy of all the historical requests on the property. So Welsh Water batted it back to Keylet, who sent someone else round the next day, and decided that he couldn’t do anything because he’d have to lift the decking to get to the manhole cover and he needed permission from the landlord for that and he went away again.
The next day, day five, two chaps came back and lifted the decking and discovered not a manhole but a sinkhole, with a huge space underneath, seriously huge. This had been going on years. The drain was completely collapsed and there had been lots of soil erosion. The whole thing was a giant sludge of years of human waste, a literal open sewer. The landlord had the problem a few years back and instead of fixing it they put decking over the hole, and that is almost certainly why the property had subsidence.
I was a little upset by this but not entirely surprised. Keylet agreed to arrange for cleaning for our goods in the garden that were now spattered with mud and shit, and we moved out leaving the property empty but our rent paid until the end of the following month. Over the next few days I returned to the property to arrange cleaning, collect mail, and nose at the repairs. It was immediately obvious that the repair was not being done properly. I did some internet research on the issue and spoke to a chap I know in the business and the garden should have been opened right up. Somehow they managed to repair the collapsed drain without any evidence of opening the hole up more to get an actual drain pipe in there, or any sign of hardcore or other filler going in. Still, maybe they managed to get it done properly but I doubt it. Meanwhile, I’m trying to get Keylet to get our garden stuff cleaned and they’re trying to get me to remove it. In the end they provided us with a giant huge unmanageable tarp to put in our car and a hand steamer for cleaning it… a steamer rated for use indoors only. It was the most passive-aggressive response to our request imaginable. Like, they accepted it was their fault our stuff was covered in shit but they were going to do their best to ensure it couldn’t be cleaned properly!
Oh yeah, and when I visited to take final meter readings there was a chap plastering over the giant crack. I expect that some poor sod has brought the house and will first learn of the subsidence when the back of the house falls into a giant hole in the back garden.
I did some research and realised that we couldn’t sue because the standard of evidence is too high and the price of legal representation is too steep. It would cost us thousands to get, at best, hundreds. But we did discover that Keylet hadn’t protected our deposit because why would they bother with something like the law, so we filed a court case and they settled before the case for a few grand. Remember kids if you don’t have a protected deposit then you get 2-3 times the amount from the courts.
Which problem do I start with?
I have been with Horizon for two years, at two different address. Both as bad as each other. One of the landlords was V Al Khafaji. The list of things wrong throughout each tenancy just keeps growing.
Both had mould problems; the kitchens were disgusting; the house wasn’t cleaned properly, yet blamed us when moving out for it not being clean (it was spotless). The second house had rats, cockroaches, holes in the floor. The bed broke, there was a leak in the kitchen, a hole in the extension roof that was apparently ’fixed’ during lockdown (they lied).
All in all, don’t rent from horizon unless you like constant contact with their automated email and a shoddy manager that cares more about her Bentley then human lives.
Rent: 350
Deposit returned: Didn’t have one
Olivia Louise Ltd acted as landlord on behalf of Ruth Collishaw that owned the property. When I had to leave my job because of battling a stage 4 disease I fell behind on rent. I was then sent a section 21 notice that expired 30th June 2020. During COVID 19 restrictions and lockdown I decided to stay with my mother to help with my care and decided when I came out of the hospital that I would get removal vans to vacate the property. I planned to do this by the section 21 notice date given which was signed by both Olivia Louise Ltd & Ruth Collishaw.
When I arrived at the property the locks had been changed. My whole life including possessions of my deceased brother that I will never ever get back or replace which are priceless were gone!! My huge £2,000 corner sofa, my 50” TVs, money, family photographs, my clothes, shoes, ornaments you name it! I did not vacate or surrender my tenancy before the notice due date. Therefore the landlord or the estate agent had NO RIGHT to enter the property without my say so or unless it was an emergency.
When addressing this to Olivia Louise Ltd they claimed to not have anything to do with it or have any knowledge of it. They blamed the landlord taking the law into her own hands. When the police got involved and I recorded the call, Olivia Louise Ltd states the landlord called them and told them they had been into my flat and removed goods. They told her she should not have and the landlord gave them new keys after the locks were changed? Now I’m sorry but as an acting landlord, they are supposed to contact ME if they feel the property is in any form of danger. They need to contact the police if I do not respond to gain entry as I am still the lawful tenant by contract and notice! THEY DID NONE OF THIS! Why did they not contact me the day the landlord had entered illegally? Knowing the landlord was not licensed via RSW to do so?
Today I have been told that the landlord has stated they entered the property because they could smell rotting food that was in a food bin? INCORRECT! There was no bin left inside the flat before I went to stay with my mother. So you can smell rotting food from inside a fridge, outside the kitchen, down the hallway, down the stairs that turn to the left and go down again and out the front door? I think the fuck not!! I have evidence of everything I left inside the flat that belonged to me which was my whole entire life basically.
Olivia Louise Ltd state that the landlord left my property with Taff Housing, where I used to work before my illness got worse? LIES AGAIN!! The whole company has been on furlough and nobody that has been present has seen the landlord or corresponded with Olivia Louise Ltd or the landlord in regards to my property!! So now this is theft and handling of stolen goods matter! The police advised I would have to take them to a civil court and I shall do, and I shall win!! They have gone against the government guidelines during the COVID 19 pandemic and before the section 21 notice ended without my permission. Entered the property where I was still the legal tenant, changed the locks, stole all my property, Lied about where my property is and how it was left and all without ANY PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE OR EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE TO BACK UP THEIR CLAIMS!! I was also told a notice was stuck to my door to collect my belongings within 14 days, INCORRECT! as neighbour’s and family that passed the property stated was never there, and also would not have been possible during current lockdown restrictions of over a 5-mile radius and before that not allowing anybody to leave their homes unless for work or essentials. A notice to collect would have only been able to have been placed if after the notice ended I did not collect my belongings from the property. I DO NOT RECOMMEND OLIVIA LOUISE LTD, CANTON AND I DO NOT RECOMMEND RUTH COLLISHAW! These people are highly unprofessional, dodgy, and will see me in court!
Rent: 500
Deposit returned?: Didn’t have one
I have lived in a John Winter house for 2 years now and have had a really good experience. I would recommend them so highly. They are kind, friendly and super helpful. The two properties I’ve stayed in are well kept, clean and cosy homes.
Slightly disappointed with the handling of coronavirus, our house is completely empty and we’ve not had much communication regarding money issues that people may or may not have but that’s a small issue. I am thankful John Winter’s team, especially Ollie the maintenance manager who was always there if we needed him!
Rent: £370
Deposit Returned?: Didn’t have one
James Douglas/Seraph Property Management
The property is a one bed flat, the £560 pcm not including bills. Fairly decent, all things considered – took four months to send an inventory, but otherwise brilliant. It only took a weekend to get a washing machine fixed. But they’re good with communication and getting things done. From what I’ve heard about other agencies, this is one of the not so awful ones!
Rent: 560
Deposit Returned?: Still living at the hole in question
Landlord Zone may be throwing some shade in our direction but we’re flourishing anyway. 🌿
In their cheeky little article, they mention other failed rating websites and wonder if we will get any reviews. We’re not sure they’ve really been on our site since we’ve had a bunch of fantastic submissions! While we’re not usually ones to read pro-landlord newspapers this certainly gave us a laugh!
