Richard Kendall Estate Agent
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Disappointing service for tenants
I have rented a property through Richard Kendall for nearly two years in which the majority of the service received has been unacceptable. The way in which I have been spoken to via telephone with the majority of staff (not all) , or emailed has been shocking. I moved into the property during the start of the pandemic in which initially Richard Kendall would respond to concerns or issues that had arisen. This included the discovering the boiler leaked, the oven not working and the hob been broken when I moved in. However, this changed throughout the tenancy and instead I was subject to a complete disregard as a tenant. A few examples include: - the cellar leaked considerably during a time when there was a lot of rainfall so I informed Richard Kendall of this. At the start of my tenancy there was a lot of rubbish, and smashed glass down there which they said they would remove when the tips opened again. I was informed as a conclusion by Richard Kendall that cellars do leak (which they certainly shouldn’t), and that I should have continued to remind them to get rid of the rubbish in the cellar (I had already phoned previously regarding this). I spoke to the manager regarding this incident as I was spoken to very rudely by the staff member. - Damp also started to become apparent only in the main bedroom which indicated a leak on the outside. I was informed by a staff member as it was the weekend the landlord wouldn’t be likely to get anybody to visit until next week as it is ‘double pay’ for landlords. The landlord later phoned me off his own accord stating Richard Kendall had told him I was annoyed at him (which I had never said) but we have always had a good rapport and informed me he had not stipulated this to Richard Kendall. I also received an email blaming the damp on BREATHING in the property! - I phoned Richard Kendall on one occasion and they began by stating I was the one who had come into the office abruptly regarding the boiler. I told them this was not me to which they replied the worker has put it on the wrong notes and it’s for next door tenants instead! Not only is this unprofessional in my opinion, but also a breach of the Data Protection Act as I should not be made aware of my neighbours tenancy issues. - When moving out, we had to gather confirmation from Richard Kendall via a website to state I was a tenant. My new letting agent explained they were just awaiting on this as all other checks had been completed then we could sign. I phoned Richard Kendall regarding this to check if they have the email as needing this to sign. The staff member response ‘we don’t just drop everything you know’ and further stated the specific website take ages to respond to them but when they need something it has to be done right away. Again, customer service being unprofessional. I have given Richard Kendall 2 stars as when I was informed the property was going to be sold, I had correspondence with Mandy who was genuinely nice towards myself. Despite the horrendous treatment from the majority of Richard Kendall staff, I continued to help as much as I could such as undertaking viewings so staff members didn’t have to take time out to do so. I even said to Richard Kendall to book them in for my first day of annual leave at any time which allowed 6 different viewings to take place. To end with, whilst Richard Kendall have since apologised for this - which I should add was only when I raised the incident to the manager of the firm . When moving out of the property, I heard voices in my living room. Richard Kendal had given one of their admin employees the keys to my rented property to look around with her son! I was on my own, and in shock that someone had entered my house. Whilst the two strangers apologised and I allowed them to look around (more so as I didn’t know how to react), it points out again the downfalls of Richard Kendall. This was a breach of my tenancy rights further and the excuse stipulated by the partner of the firm was that the notes had not been read which outlined the property was still in tenancy with myself. This further breached my content insurance, and would have been void if something would have been taken. Mandy did apologise for this error, and whilst I appreciate this as Mandy has been welcoming in discussions, the combination of this incident with the rest was too much. A company that should be vastly ashamed of their treatment towards tenants.