Let us down badly with supposedly quick sale

***Writing a review in terms of Student Tenant point of view** THIS IS A REVIEW BASED ON A SINGLE PROPERTY AND MAY NOT WHOLLY REPRESENT ZEST. TL/DR: Zest shown glimpses of promise but ultimately we were disappointed with the service provided. Whilst the problems may not be solely be attributed to Zest, we feel an adequate review is required from our experience which may not be replicated to other Zest services. Firstly we would like to say that clearly we understand they are a sustainable business and their customer service was good, but unfortunately we feel the procedures and tactics employed by Zest let the company down. Although the initial stages of contact with Zest were difficult due to staff members leaving, on the whole the customer service improved throughout the year. We were able to access the staff easily through the phone and problems were recorded and eventually fixed. Unfortunately some prompting was necessary for the business to react, but then again this could be due to them being busy. Further, it is understandable to an extent on how the business treated us as tenants as we did have many problems throughout the year. Zest tried to cater for our problems as best as they could by giving us extra time to sort them and in a business perspective we understand that ultimately they have to draw a line somewhere. They also let some problems slip under the net to help us out as tenants – so on the front of it Zest offered a good service to help students. However, we were charged in excess of £744 (based on holding fee & checkout fee) on top of the cost of renting and without the cleaning fee etc. These two costs incurred were to take the property off the market (at which point a housemate dropped out of university so we had to rush to sign a new person – whilst in the meantime we feel Zest pressured us to fork out the outstanding money or risk losing it all). Whilst the second payment, the checkout fee, was based on a flat rate room check of £15 p/room (from what we recall) - quite a high cost for someone to walk around the property and regard it as clean. Further a phone conversation with Zest, we understand to an extent to why the cost is incurred (for future tenants) – however, it is a shame this was not discussed prior to signing contracts, nor discussed until we questioned it. Further to this, within a few weeks of moving into the property 7 lightbulbs had blown. Whilst we understand this was within the contract to replace lightbulbs which are relatively inexpensive in the grand scheme of things, a high volume of bulbs blowing in the property would most likely be due to the lifespan of the light when they were first installed. Per a conversation with a staff member, we were instructed to replace them out of our own pockets, yet barely having any use of them. Another example potentially excessive charging on Zests part was at the end of the tenancy whereby several personal items left at the property. Whilst I believe this was the case and around 7 items were left at the property (two shower mats, three towels and two bed sheets to our knowledge), we believe there shouldn't be any cost incurred to dispose them. An email stating this and that the products could be put in a black bin-sack and the potential charge was dropped. It is unfortunate that it required an email telling Zest that we would not pay for a couple items accidentally left at the property to stop them from possibly charging us. Ultimately we understand Zest is a running business and an intermediary for landlords and tenants and offer a good service to an extent. The business shown promise in customer service but was let down when dealing with problems through using a monetary pressure tactic. As an ex-student, solving problems with monetary charges was not going to help as we didn't have a sustainable income – although 4 of us were working part-time jobs.

What Zest is doing is starting to feel a bit like harassment. I decided not to rent a flat they had available and yet they keep writing me and asking me if I want to rent. Very weird.

My daughter and her friends used Zest for their student accommodation last year. The onboarding was very good and communications were clear, staff friendly. However, as part of the advertising the house was advertised as having WiFi. It did not. Zest outsourced utilities to a 3 rd party who would not install broadband as it would be too expensive to do so. The students had to change their mobile plans at extra cost to obtain a viable data service for the house. As these things happen, a blockage in the waste occurred over a bank holiday weekend. Using the online support tool Zest use, this was reported and it was raised as a priority by their own service. Being a bank holiday, no staff were available to discuss.Plumbing fixed . Zest then tried to bill the students nearly £400 for the call out saying it was not urgent and they should have waited until the office opened to discuss. It was there own tool used to report the issue that classified the plumbing fault as high. Lastly, upon leaving and going through the inventory, zest tried to deduct money from the deposit for items for wear and tear that were already visible and known Before they moved in! Their own photos actually proved this when compared to before and after photos. They even tried to sneak the plumbing call out fee in there. If it wasn’t for the tenacity of some of the students and the help of some professional parents in challenging Zest I can only imagine what they might have been charged. Be aware of this and take photos of everything being ready to challenge Zest.

Horrendous customer service. Emma Loveland, head of asset and tenancy management, refused to read preliminary documents before arbitration, and refused to provide an invoice for most of the charges made against the deposit. This was even highlighted as poor practice by the DPS. What's even more ridiculous is that the charges could likely have been upheld if Zest had bothered following correct procedure. They represent the worst of student letting agents. Please do not trust the reviews here.

If you’re a student, please avoid this greedy company entirely!! They will absolutely try to exploit you and pressure you when you check out of the rental property to accept their ridiculous unjustified deposit reductions. It’s disheartening to see other students have had the same experience, I wish we did some research beforehand on this. Just because we didn’t use their overpriced cleaners that was over £470 they are claiming our chosen professional cleaners are not their standards when we have had no issue ever in previous properties. On the checkout report and their justification for charging £100 ‘rubbish removal’ was for items that were already in the house (plastic bin, forks, knives, etc)when we moved in. This is not including the £200 extra they want to deduct for carpet cleaning, which was already old and in tatters when we moved in and also £100 garden cleanup. I am appalled zest has gotten away with this for so long, saying it is not that much money! Its the principle of scamming unsuspecting students! FYI: notice how all the positive reviews are from landlords and never from students or tenants; this arrangement seems to benefit both zest and landlords greatly

PREDATORY COMPANY THAT SHOULD BE AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS! After returning our property in perfect condition with an almost flawless checkout report (no damages at all), they still tried to take £880 from us. They do not respond properly to dispute emails, instead blaming tenants for delays with the DPS process. Their staff, particularly Lillie Burton, sent condescending emails telling us to just accept their “offer” and even asked, “what’s the issue?” as if it wasn’t obvious. They provide zero proof or evidence to justify their unfair deductions, preying especially on students who may not have the resources or time to fight back. It’s an exploitative business model that relies on intimidation and stonewalling. If you’re considering renting through them: don’t. Save yourself the stress, money, and frustration. They will happily rip you off for hundreds of pounds without any legitimate grounds.

Unprofessional and predatory procedures with a clear lack of awareness of the law. Yet another letting agency relying on uninformed and scared students who they can exploit for cleaning fees.

One of the worst companies I’ve ever dealt with. Unprofessional at the end not to be trusted. Stay far away. if your a student searching for accom trust me these guys are not the one