Run by the good souls at Brighton & Hove Wood Recycling Project, the Wood Store is an…read moreenvironmentally friendly shop that sells salvaged and recycled timber. If you're looking for Victorian floorboards, doors, skirting or worktops, this is a great place to start. Stock changes regularly and as the staff are happy to tell you, each piece of wood has it's own character and history. Last time I visited, there was a small selection of old decking from the Palace Pier complete with old nails and footprints. If you don't fancy making your own furniture, the Wood Store also sells distinctive coffee tables, benches, dining tables, bookshelves and garden planters made. Everything is made on the premises by staff and looks suitably hand-made. They're also happy to create bespoke picture frames, boxes and individual pieces for customers if there's a particular timber you like.

Nothing excites me more than a project like this; repurposing wood for the good of the environment…read moreand the DIY fans like me. They stock most sizes of DIY and building timbers plus wood for making wood products, sculpting, turning and carving. The best part is that they'll cut to size, and treat it however you need including sanding, waxing and oiling. What I love more than anything though is the gift section, they've gpt everything from planters, bird boxes, benches, trays and vases that have clearly been made with love.

One of the few shops that's closed on a Sunday, the Natural Flooring Co is a family-run business…read moreowned by Pete Davey and his son. As well as offering a wide range of natural and wool carpets, rugs, runners and wooden flooring, they also measure and fit floors. The natural flooring is naturally expensive but as Davey attests, it looks great, is more environmentally friendly and hard-wearing. At the moment, they have a selection of sisal, coir, seagrass and jute flooring but the stock changes constantly. For those looking for a small piece of flooring for a bathroom or single bedroom, they have a great selection of end of roll carpets and vinyl at the front of the store. These starts around £10 and go up to about £100 with the measurements clearly stated.

Awful experience. One of the worst experiences of my life renting through Parks…read more This company does not represent the interest of tenants. It's been a month since I moved out and I'm still waiting for my deposit to be returned. No contact or information from Parks. My landlord was a nightmare. The flat had perpetual problems that Antony of Parks was aware of but convinced me that the problems had been dealt with. Lauren failed to verify my residency status via the straightforward letter of confirmation from the home office. I felt discriminated against and marginalised throughout the process of letting the flat. After signing my lease I was sent a legal document that I needed to disclose where the origins of the £8500 that I paid upfront (after being promised that my salary was sufficient to pay monthly). The problem is that before signing the lease I was presented with the same document that said that this disclosure was only necessary if the sum was in excess of €10000 (which is the actual threshold for disclosure). The document that I was sent had been amended to show that this figure was £8000. Not only was this unscrupulous and illegal but I believe that it was discriminatory and prejudicial. I don't know what else to say. After six months I moved out and I'm currently in a dispute with the landlord for the return of monies paid upfront for the flat. The plumbing didn't work in the kitchen for the majority of my tenancy. The entire bedroom wall was covered in corrosion after a month and a half. The landlord hired contractors who I caught going through my things while I was away on holiday. My experience with Parks has been shocking. There was no accountability after I pointed out that they altered a document after I'd already entered into a contract for the property. No explanation as to how or why this happened. No word on the return of my deposit even though I ended the tenancy a month ago. I feel discriminated against and greatly aggrieved. My next steps are to explore my legal options.

I received fantastic service and help from Parks Lettings whilst looking for a new flat to rent…read more Their communication was second to none and so much better than from any of the other agents that I had registered with. I have to give Daniel Johnson a special mention as he was my main contact and dealt with me. Superb service all round.

Having rented from Home Leasing for 4 years I've been through the good and bad…read more The Good: Siobhan (lovely, helpful and understanding), some flexibility around viewings as I have a dog + good written contact and notifications The Bad: Poor handiman being used for household jobs (he painted our window shut), v. high admin fees, increasingly regular rent rises, deposit repayment (which I am still yet to receive despite moving out 1 month today) If my deposit had been repaid in a timely way they would have got 3 stars, but as most people who rent will appreciate when you hold up your end of the bargain you hope they will do the same - especially when they are holding your money.

I was tenanted a stunning flat in Brighton through Home Leasing's Brighton branch…read more However the experience I've had dealing with them was far from stunning. During my lease of this flat, I changed jobs and found myself getting paid on different day than usual, therefore my direct debit was unable to come out of my account,. Home Leasing very quickly sent out a letter explaining that my rent was in arrears. Not once did they try to contact me via phone or email. They sent a letter out immediately which is charged at £30 per reminder letter. Now due to circumstances and family residing in South Africa, I needed to end my lease, I had recently signed for another six months, but due to the paperwork having not properly gone through I was able to bypass this and leave earlier. I agreed that my leave date would be the end of August and I returned the keys and forwarded my closed accounts to the agency so they could refund me my deposit. Sadly, they have charged me rent until mid September even though the agreed was until the end of August. Upon receiving my "check out" email however I was bombarded with a heap of unexpected fees, such as; the additional rent charge, despite the fact the property is currently vacant and I am living on another continent let alone another country. The "arrears reminders/ tenancy renewal fee" £126 for all the letters they sent to me before trying to contact me via phone or email. The additional rent they are attempting to charge me. An early termination fee of £360, this figure was not once explained to me. A "cleaning" fee that is TBA and finally, a "check out fee" of £60. To top all of this off, Home Leasing are incapable of answering their phones or emails. And if you ever find yourself in the unfortunate position of being in arrears they will not contact you to ask you how you are doing and what your situation is they will simply send an email with a Microsoft Word document "explaining" all of your arrears with plenty of duplicates!