Russell Lettings - Information & Reviews

The review below is only the tip of the problematic iceberg for most tenants, a year of 2 previous to this i rented a property from Russell's. The property was nice, but we had a break in and had to claim through the insurance they offer through the tenancy, all was well but a complete denial of the break-in when i requested double glazed windows was the start of my problems (i hasten to add the property a month after i moved out was broken into again).

The 2 tenants i lived with wanted to move out so we applied for 2 new tenants to move in after being messed around for nearly 2 months, and paying credit check fees and guarantor fees on THE NIGHT BEFORE they were meant to move in i had a call stating the landlord did not want the new tenants in and i had 2 months to move out. £1000 a month for two months with bills on top for a final year student....PRICEY! Also the landlord denies all knowledge of the situation as he was surprised to come across me moving out. Communication is not their forte.

The deposit problem, easily solved i went through the dispute agency you are registered with and it was proven the 15% taken for 'cleaning' you can recover as they can not produce cleaning receipts. So please do this as they are simply pocketing the money (you have 6 months after tenancy to get in touch).

They are rude and have no understanding of the stress they put tenants through. If you feel that this may be an exaggeration of how badly managed this agency is, then simply ask a few people around Cambridge, it won't take you long to find similar opinion.

I have rented before, but never have I witnessed so many hidden charges involved in a rental company.

There was a £120 legal fee before we even started, then £65 per person for referencing. Even though I am a homeowner, and make over £30,000 a year, Russells decided that my place of work had not provided enough data about my salary for me to move forward with the letting (this after 2 weeks of waiting and not hearing anything). They then decided I needed a guarantor and they wouldn't let me move forward without one. My mother happily completed the forms and sent them in. To be told that the address on the forms were incorrect and there would be a further delay as the postage forwarding service wasnt as fast as normal mail! Every single stage of the process has been slow, and 4 weeks after viewing the house there has still been no confirmation that we will get the house we want! The company is in no hurry to do anything other than take costs from us - as I needed a "guarantor" they took another £65 from us for the referencing, even though when I spoke to my HR director, he was willing to pass on the salary information that made the need for one redundant. Considering they charge £65 a reference, you would hope that Russells would at least proceed and complete them accurately!

Also, the "deposit" is a joke. There is no way that you can get the whole of it back, which to me questions the title of "deposit". 15% they keep, as a bonus for them, and there is a compulsury charge for cleaning when you leave the property, no matter how tidy you have left the place. For the 3 bedroom property we are renting it is £150! This is not fair as I can guarantee I will not leave the place with £150 worth of mess!

So, thats £675 of charges for me as a tennant. This company is money grabbing as I know, from experience as a landlord that they take a huge management cost the other side too! We are stuck with this company as the house we want is far better than any others we have seen, but if you can, avoid Russells!

In summary: slow, lazy, money grabbing and useless!