I am placing this review in other places as well... "a tenants perspective"
Perhaps "crooks" is too stronger word to describe this outfit, perhaps others have genuinely had a better experience or perhaps those of us who have NOT had a good experience, move on and "lick their wounds"?
They were called The Letting Shop at the commencement of our tenancy however the staff were the same when they were bought out by Leaders.
In hindsight we should have realised rom the beginning. The rent was below the average for the area, and the property was in a very desirable location.
The sales lady who showed us the rather shabby property suggested it was "ideal for a family with young children" because it was in a less than pristine condition.
Oh, and she was very strong in "sales" with the usual "you better make your mind up quickly, there are others who want this property" - she brushed off the puddle of water in a bedroom as "must have been spilled by the cleaners" - we learned later it wasn't.
We were handed a 40 page inventory to check and agree with in 48 hours - included on the inventory were numerous items of bric-a-brac scattered throughout the house (actually junk :- including books a broken phone and a broken clock amongst these items) - seems rather than remove such items they just inventory them!
Then the quarterly visits began "inspections" - very intrusive - never had this before nor after. So OK this is (or should be) the chance to "let them know" of any problems :- which we soon discovered were numerous (and serious) - the roof leaked in several places, a bath had been installed incorrectly and broke, the other bathroom un-usable due to the absence of ANY sealant around the tub, the kitchen sink leaked around the taps and drain, the back garden was untended and over grown, fence broken in several places. a long section of soffit was missing on the south side of the building - leaving the cavity wall to be filled with water every time it rained (hence the puddle in the downstairs bedroom) the flooring was installed so that doors wouldn't open (i.e. not installed just cut roughly to size and laid on the bare floor boards) the heating/hot water boiler stopped working on several occasions. On each inspection we pointed these (and other) faults out, each time out came the iPads and a photograph was taken but nothing was done. Granted after 2 years they finally arranged to have the roof fixed!
With all this water coming in, the house was permanently damp - we lost many items due to mildew - then they blame US for the damp and attempt to steal our deposit, when we move, actually they did by claiming to the arbitrator of the deposit scheme that we didn't pay last months rent - which we did, and were able to prove - so they lied (and with full knowledge) after a fight we got most of our deposit back altho it was paid by the company holding the deposit (a "mistake" apparently) - however Leaders kept the money.
I find it hard to believe we are the only victims of this outfit - perhaps this review will encourage others to speak up.
Seems karma played a roll, for us) as our new landlord couldn't be nicer, or more accommodating - he cares!
I hope this helps any future would-be tenants "consider your options" ... read more