Hello Robert - firstly, thank you for sharing your feedback. Whilst there are points for us to pick up on with our team (which I absolutely will do), I thought it might be helpful to also clear some things up for your reassurance too. We use the information from your application to make a decision about which tenants are likely to be a good fit for the property. This does not get passed to anyone else, or used for any other purpose. We do share the information filled in by the applicant back to them, so they can check it and also so we can keep an accurate trail of communications with individual applicants as we normally do have multiple applicants for each property. From time to time, we do ask for additional deposit or rent in advance, depending on an applicant's individual situation. Our viewing agents usually do discuss this at the viewing, so apologies that this was perhaps missed at your viewing. Sometimes if viewings are particularly busy, or applicants have a lot of questions things do get missed, so there is room for improvement here, which we'll look into. In terms of the time to respond to an offer, this is something we'll take on board. Again, if properties have been in particularly high demand then we may need an answer more quickly to avoid losing other applicants if someone doesn't want to go ahead - it's a find balance between giving people fair opportunity to let us know what they'd like to do and recognising that most applicants are viewing multiple properties until they secure something, but again, something for us to think about. I'm glad to hear our team were helpful when dealing with them!

Hi Veronica, Thanks for reaching out. We're having a little bit of trouble finding you on our system. We would love it if you can reach out to us directly so we can understand your review a little better and hopefully get some further context from you. Please drop us a line at erin.whyte@umega.co.uk and we'd be happy to pick up with you.

Hi Alice, thank you for your feedback and sorry to see we were only worthy of 2 stars. I've had a look into things at our end and I understand that there were a few last minute changes to your tenancy, not imposed by our team but understandably frustrating for you. I would love the chance to have a chat with you to explain things from our point of view and to understand more about your frustrations so that we can learn from these. It would be great to hear from you at andy@umega.co.uk. thanks again.

Hey Lauren, thanks for your feedback and sorry to hear things slipped latterly. I've had a look into the situation and I understand that the landlord instructed us to use his own contractor who visited the property on numerous occasions to reset the boiler which intermittently broke down. Apparently the root of the problem was finally traced to a communal pipe so things were passed over to the property factor to rectify. In retrospect we should have got our own trades people in to make sure the job was completed to our standard so I can only apologise for this. We'll learn not to rely on landlord's preferred contractors at all times if they're not keeping up to our high standards. I wish you the best of luck in your new home :)

Dear Serena, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We are genuinely sorry to hear that you were disappointed with aspects of your experience, and we appreciate the opportunity to review the matter and respond in full. With regard to the repair charges, during your tenancy these were applied following an independent contractor’s assessment, which concluded that the damage identified was not consistent with fair wear and tear. Accordingly, the associated costs were allocated in line with the terms of the tenancy agreement and standard industry practice. We understand that maintenance matters can be particularly frustrating and we are sorry for any inconvenience caused. The heating and shower issues you mentioned were attended to and resolved within a reasonable timeframe, in accordance with standard repair procedures. Where delays occurred, these were due to the need to reschedule contractor appointments, as per your request, which we always aim to manage as efficiently as possible. Regarding cleaning, a detailed check-out inspection was carried out against the original inventory report. Unfortunately, the property was not returned in the condition required under the tenancy agreement and an end-of-tenancy clean was therefore necessary. This level of clean is more comprehensive than a standard domestic clean and is supported by a detailed inspection report and photographic evidence. Regarding item removal, we identified that the cost allocation should have been more accurately apportioned to reflect responsibility for the items removed. In this instance, all items were unintentionally included within a single charge, when the cost should have been split. We fully acknowledge this oversight and sincerely apologise for the error. We'll be in touch to discuss this directly with you. We also want to be transparent in confirming that we did offer access to an independent dispute resolution and adjudication service in line with deposit protection scheme procedures; however, this option was not taken forward at the time. As a regulated and professional letting agent, we are committed to acting fairly, transparently, and in accordance with all relevant guidance and industry standards. While we take great care in our processes, we acknowledge that a human error occurred in relation to the removal charge, and we sincerely apologise for that oversight. We value all feedback and remain committed to resolving matters constructively and fairly. Should you wish to discuss any aspect further, we would be pleased to assist you directly

Hi Katie, Thank you for your feedback. I’m really sorry to hear that your experience didn’t meet expectations. We always aim to be helpful and clear when discussing repairs and it’s disappointing to hear that this didn’t come across on this occasion. Your comments have been shared with the team so we can reflect and improve how we communicate in situations like this. If you would like to discuss the issue further or need any additional support, please feel free to get in touch with us directly.