Thornley Groves Estate Agents
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More training. Less lies. Review laws.
Flat originally managed by Around Town Flats. Then became part of Thornley Groves on 15 December 2021. I lived in the flat for 52 months. I’ll try stick to Thornley Grove’s time period but can’t help to contribute issues that started to arise since November 2021 - things were good for the first ~35 months. And to be fair to Thornley Groves, it can be difficult to work out if for SOME things it was the landlord’s fault. The good: Good maintenance reporting portal Good at initially acknowledging faults / emails Friendly staff Biggest non-subjective issues: Thornley Groves never conducted another right to rent check upon taking over from Around Town Flats. My original visa expired 13 months prior to moving out. If they don’t do proper paperwork to protect the landlord who risks getting fined and jail time, how well are the tenants being looked after? “Accidentally” back-dating a rent increase. This is such a huge red flag in my opinion that should be investigated by an independent party. I was paid back eventually (thanks Hannah Whyte). But so bad that staff are not trained to specifically not back-date rent increases and to instead explicitly state that rent increases take effect on the next payment day after the 1 month notice. Same staff that when working for Around Town Flats did provide correct notice for rent increases. Honest enough to confirm that my flat had indeed been accessed without prior notice when I had my suspicions. Blamed the landlord. Submitted invalid invoices to TDS. UK gov website states clearly that invoices must have contact information. One invoice to re-silicone the bath was valid because the company belonged to the landlord. The other two for cleaning (Collette’s Cleaners / Collette Cleaning Services) and decorating (Bizzard Decorators / BIzzard [sic] Decorators ) had no contact information. To be fair, TDS did not have issue with this. I blame TDS more for accepting invalid evidence. Admitted that it is policy to limit the number of “fair” ratings on the check-out report. Got the check-out day wrong. Said I didn’t leave appliance manuals when I left them in cupboard above microwave and have video proof. Said I left rubbish behind but no photographic evidence in report. Same person who conducts the inspection also confirms the report. Maybe that’s intentional? Otherwise people confirming themselves defeats the purpose of the “report confirmed by” check. Other minor issues: Contractors not identifying problems correctly. For example, an oven stopped working, contractor visits and I was told to please be patient as oven needs to be replaced and ovens of that size were not in stock. Waited 5 weeks before asking for an update. Contractor forgot about it. Had to come back to identify the problem again. Problem was actually the wall socket. Didn’t fix wall socket, just plugged oven in another socket. Contractor also mis-identified a washing machine issue on a Friday morning. Updated the ticket an hour later. Didn’t come back until Tuesday. Broken washing machine took over a week to be replaced. Asked letting agent about getting £20 laundromat fee reimbursed. 5 days later, got served a no-fault eviction notice. Asked to arrange with EPC surveyor to get updated EPC certificate. I contacted surveyor to say I wouldn’t be in on day of survey so please get keys from agent. Received poorly worded email from agent about 2 months later blaming me for delaying EPC certification. It ended up that Thornley Groves lost the flat keys or something and I had to be in to let surveyor in. This was especially frustrating. Upon moving out, I was asked for access to take photos and for viewings on 4 occasions. I tidied up. Got out the way / left the small flat so that double viewings could take place at same time. Go out the way to minimise the vacancy period of the flat. Spend ~£35k on rent over the years. Only to be hit with deposit deductions. Yes, a single hair in the bath tub and kitchen sink and finger mark on cupboard mirror is not wear and tear. But the supposedly 38 non-excessive wall marks caused by contractors replacing appliances should have been since in your “Tenants Essential Guide” you say that “We do consider normal wear and tear when conducting this report” and “We will deduct monies from your deposit… damage to the property beyond ’normal wear and tear’” even if it had been my fault. But Thornley Groves can’t really be blamed for this. I blame TDS. I recommend exercising right to quiet enjoyment unless agents want to do a temporary check out report and waive deposit deductions assuming condition stays the same during the last month. So.. Thornley Groves are ok when things are well. Staff need more training. Upper management need to review some laws. Enjoyed my stay. Things soured a bit towards the end.