Cardiff Student Letting

Photos

Reviews

1. Juliette ★☆☆☆☆

   Unfortunately, the only reason I’m giving this student letting agency one star is because of my experience with the private landlord during my time in Cardiff. While it may not be entirely the agency’s fault, they do act as his maintenance agents, so I would strongly advise avoiding them if possible. The landlord in question is SOHAN SALL. If you find yourself signing a contract and he is listed as the private landlord GOOD LUCK. Especially if you’re a woman, be cautious. He is deeply disrespectful and, in my experience, displayed clear misogynistic behaviour. First of all, he refuses to communicate via text, he always insists on phone calls. It’s clear this is because he doesn’t want anything to be recorded or documented in writing. Whenever we tried to message him, he would immediately call instead of replying by text. At one point, he even tried to bribe my housemate, saying “I will give you a good reference for your next tenancy if you promise to clean the garden when moving out.” This kind of behaviour is completely UNPROFESSIONAL and MANIPULATIVE. When I first moved in, he treated my mum APPALLINGLY simply because she was carefully inspecting the property on my behalf. He dismissed her with, “I’m showing the tenants, she’s not my tenant,” conveniently forgetting she was also my guarantor and had signed the same contract. He even THREATENED to take the keys back and stop us from moving in. Dealing with him was a complete NIGHTMARE. He also made multiple FALSE ACCUSATIONS claiming that my housemates hadn’t paid their rent, when in fact, they had. It felt as though he was deliberately trying to intimidate us into paying more, as if he was hoping we’d panic and send additional money. He THREATENS, BLACKMAILS, LIES, and COERCES tenants. This is not someone you want to be renting from, and it’s disappointing that a student letting agency continues to work with him. I could say so much more, but if you’re a parent doing research for your child, trust me, you do not want them stuck with this landlord. Especially if you have a daughter, please take this as a serious warning. And if you’re a student or someone looking to rent have some self-respect. He will BELITTLE you, manipulate you, and make you feel powerless. He does not deserve to be a landlord. It’s as if he thrives on having control over others, like some sort of power trip. I have attached photos showing the condition of the property when we moved in, as presented by the landlord, along with a screenshot of his message in which he harasses us with false and threatening statements. In the message, he falsely claims that his ‘system automatically reports any missed payments to credit referencing agencies,’ which would allegedly affect our future financial applications and job opportunities. A private landlord cannot directly report missed payments to credit reference agencies unless they use a verified third-party service, and even then, tenants must consent to that arrangement, usually through the tenancy agreement. Only regulated credit providers like banks or credit card companies, can report to credit bureaus.

   almost 4 months ago
2. Suraiyah Miah ★☆☆☆☆

   DO NOT LET WITH CARDIFF STUDENT LETTING! They made a mistake and said I would be accepted onto a property with the Cardiff university guarantor scheme, and I sent an email to double check which they confirmed it’s fine. Only two weeks later at the end of my current tenancy they have told me it’s not fine and not even apologised and blamed it on the landlord. I had already paid my holding deposit and no one even informed me they didn’t accept it. I had to call them up. The woman on the phone (Liz) dealing with this was incredibly condescending and would double down and say I have to do everything on my end to rent (when I have done everything I possibly could have) and didn’t even admit she made a mistake and kept making excuses for literally making me homeless!! They have no empathy or accountability for the mistakes they make and are so rude to you! Liz was so incredibly unempathetic with making a mistake that has led to me being homeless and was so rude to me with no apology. These letting agents genuinely have no kindness in their souls please avoid at all costs

   almost 6 months ago
3. Lily Barker ★☆☆☆☆

   Avoid like the plague. Absolutely horrendous and by far the worst letting agency we have ever used. They breached our contract on more than seven occasions over an 18 month period by entering the property without giving us any notice whatsoever even though complaints were raised. We were left without a working boiler for 3 months during the winter and no HMO licence displayed in the property which breaches the law. We have paid legal fees to attempt to leave the contract early due to not feeling safe in the property. They also tried to withhold our deposit for unjust reasons which meant we had to contact the deposit scheme to get involved.

   almost 6 months ago

1. Rudy ★☆☆☆☆

   DO NOT RENT FROM HERE! After four years of renting as a student in Cardiff (always with my full deposit returned) my experience with Cardiff Student Letting has been, by far, the worst! The agency deducted hundreds from our deposit for questionable charges, including £200 for “garden maintenance” despite the fact that: The garden was already in a poorly maintained, overgrown state when we moved in. No tools were provided and no expectations were communicated during tenancy, and they even sent someone to cut the hedges at our request shortly before we moved out. Expecting students to purchase power tools or gardening equipment is not only unreasonable, but it also reflects the predatory way this agency hides behind contractual clauses to justify dubious deductions! This is especially concerning given that they are a student letting agency operating out of a student union, where one would hope for a more supportive and ethical approach. The cleaning charges were similarly inflated we were charged hundreds, despite returning the property in a similar state that we received it. As, the property initially included black mould, peeling wallpaper, and general grime. They provided minimal photographic evidence before move-in, yet took excessive, zoomed-in images after moving-out, creating a completely unfair double standard. If you are a student or tenant considering renting with Cardiff Student Letting, DON’T. Our experience reflects an agency more focused on extracting money from deposits than supporting their student tenant. I would urge anyone renting from them to take exhaustive photographs at check-in, request full inventories, and be prepared to dispute unfair deductions. Additionally, if you have a garden, you should either be prepared to lose hundreds of pounds in your deposit or spend hundreds of pounds on gardening power tools!

   almost 7 months ago
2. Robbie ★☆☆☆☆

   An abysmal year with this agency, in my honest opinion ! The photos (attached) were taken the day my daughter moved in, and unbelievably, the situation deteriorated from there. I won't spend much time on this review, as I've already wasted too much time trying to resolve issues over the past year. I was devastated that my daughter had the misfortune of falling under the "care" of this agency. The agency claimed the property was professionally cleaned before her tenancy began; this seemed simply untrue. Vermin droppings were found in the kitchen, as shown in the attached photos, and we reported this within the 14-day window stipulated in their Tenancy Information Pack. No action was taken. Numerous issues arose throughout the year. Some took an unreasonably long time to address, while others were never resolved. Notably, mould was present in my daughter’s bedroom wardrobes and remained unaddressed despite our complaints. There is plenty more to tell, but I simply cannot be bothered. The agency may respond to this review in an attempt to defend their actions, but as another parent of a tenant in the same property remarked, it was by far the worst accommodation their child had ever stayed in. Recently, my daughter moved to a new rented accommodation, and the difference in service is astonishing. Although there was some mould along the bay window and the bed's centre frame was damaged, the new agency cleaned and painted the window within two hours of moving in. They also delivered and installed a new bed frame and mattress within five days. In summary, assist your child in choosing their agency and accommodation carefully. I was very naive and regret not being more diligent.

   1 year ago
3. Tessa Marshall ★☆☆☆☆

   Claim to be helping students by being associated with the SU. Total lies. I moved into a 1 bed flat, which was so filthy including dust on all surfaces, slug trails, sofa from previous tenant, fluid marks on the walls, smashed in doors, and my parents washed the blinds with the shower head and they were still dusty. I was finding hairs, piercing balls and nose rings, and filth and insects all over the property. Within 1 week I had a flying ant infestation in the bedroom, coming from the walls. They told me to put ant powder down and refused to send an exterminator for 2 weeks despite insects crawling over everything and through ant powder. They sent a contractor first who put filler in some holes, causing ants to come out of the top of the window as well as under the radiator. It was a literal horror film and they showed no compassion or care for the distress this caused. Many other issues with the property but the worst of it was towards the end of tenancy I reported damp in the property, which they said there was no evidence of, despite black mould appearing on walls next to dehumidifiers I purchased. I moved out, cleaned the property and left ant powder placed by the contractor to prevent further infestation. They then took 23 days after the contract ended to issue me a notice they wouldn’t be refunding the full deposit - claiming £130. They had no evidence of why, except I left a few bits of cardboard on the table, as bin day wasn’t until after the move out date. Then, when I pressed on issues of damp as I was disgusted they’d try and claim for removing cardboard, which should be done when they professionally clean property before the next tenant, they admitted they were aware of the damp the whole time I was in the property. In this time they also admitted the properties they have do not get professionally cleaned in between tenancies, even though they claim to tenants they are professionally cleaned. They also lied about the deposit protection agency process and stated it would take months for me to get any money - a blatant lie easily disputed by ringing the agency, who issue the undisputed money within 3 - 5 working days. They are manipulative, refuse to do work properly, and seek to fleece students out of their money. They will let you live in a unhealthy, physically damaging property and do nothing but the bare minimum to help, after you’ve complained multiple times. They have no compassion towards their tenants and only seek to make money for the landlords, who interestingly, raised t he rent by £50 a month for the next tenants without seeking to address the damp or structural issues in the property. Not fit for purpose and other non union affiliated agencies treat their tenants better.

   almost 3 years ago

1. Connor Murphy ★☆☆☆☆

   Terrible. Would always come into the home without warning all tenants and then enter rooms without consent. They also took a key deposit that they’re refusing to give back. Avoid at all costs.

   almost 3 years ago
2. James Howson ★★★★☆

   Lived at a Cardiff Student Lettings property in my final year of university at Cardiff. The property was cheap to rent and had everything we needed. The letting agent always responded to any issues we had with the property, from replacing our oven to giving us the spare keys when someone locked themselves out of their room. They were quick and reasonable with the return of our deposit. The letting agency also gave me a good rental reference which enabled me to secure a flat in London where my graduate job is based. Would recommend to groups of students looking for a cheap place to rent in Cardiff.

   almost 4 years ago
3. mischa van Eimeren ★★★★★

   Extremely helpful agency. When I was quite desperate arriving into Cardiff they helped me finding a flat for a very reasonable price for a short duration without agency fee. While living there it was easy to interact with them regarding some minor issues, all of them solved quickly. At the end the check out went very smooth. Can't recommend them enough

   more 6 years ago

1. James ★★★★★

   Genuinely do not know how the ratings are so poor. Having been treated so poorly by a certain letting agency based on Woodville road in our second year, I have absolutely nothing bad to say about Cardiff Student letting. From the initial viewings to the check out inspection, myself and my co-tenants were treated with respect and professionalism, the staff are friendly and have genuine concern for your welfare. Any faults and problems with the house were treated promptly when the agency was informed. Any viewings that were coming round, we were informed without fail with 24 hours notice. Within two weeks of the tenancy ending, we are due to receive ALL of our deposit back. Anyone that is looking for a letting agency that isn't going to lie to you, cheat you out of your deposit or ignore your problems, then you need look no further than Cardiff Student letting! Fantastic!

   more 6 years ago

FAQs