Worst agency we have ever come across
Me and my girlfriend have rented with LentinSmith for 8 months now. Firstly I want to address personal bias and context:
We had to move out of our apartment with LentinSmith 3 months into our 12-month contract, for work. We agreed to pay a re-let fee of 360 GBP so LentinSmith would advertise the property, do viewings, and generally make an honest attempt to find new suitable tenants to replace us, saving us from paying 9 months rent. Sure, they don't truly have an incentive to do this, but it is a pretty shady thing for us to agree on a 360 GBP fee in that case.
We recently made our 4th or 5th monthly payment for the place since no longer live there. We have no hope they will re-let this anymore, since LentinSmith are, above all else, liars. Here is an honest review of the worst agency we have ever rented with:
Mess:
I got to see the apartment a week before moving in. Zak showed me the place and apologised profusely for the state of the flat. He blamed the cleaner and said they would definitely do another round before we move in - that didn't happen. Disgusting, sticky fluids in every kitchen cupboard, cobwebs in entry hall and utility room with crawled up spiders, etc.
No water heat:
When we moved in, there was no heat for the shower at all, and barely ever any heat in the kitchen tap. It was freezing cold. Solution? More than a month of no proper shower - I would deem this inhumane. On top of this, the lovely agents at LentinSmith made it abundantly clear that the previous tenants never had an issue with the hot water. I sure don't believe this, and you can make your own judgement after reading this entire review. Anyway, after a month or so, an electrician confirms there was a wiring problem. Highlight here was the passive-aggressive tones of Lentin, semi-suggesting that we had caused this issue ourselves (previous tenant never had this issue!).
Building renovation:
We had a deal with LentinSmith. When we first agreed to let the property, we were told we would get a 30GBP/month discount because the balcony was inaccessible and the building was under renovation. They estimated that this would be fixed within 2-3 months. Fast forward 8 months (present day) and this is still not fixed, of course.
Additionally, when LentinSmith have done re-let viewings, we have asked them to bring this deal up with new prospective tenants, as they should have the same terms as us - LentinSmith have confirmed to us they always do this. When checking with the prospective tenants, some of which we have found ourselves through SpareRoom, they state this deal was never brought up at all.
LentinSmith have also lied to us about the rent since moving out, telling us that the renovation is "almost" done and billing us the 30GBP added fee. When demanding video-proof of this being the case, they said (direct quote from email):
"Hi Ask I have been told the scaffold has not been taken down as of yet and therefore your rent is still £795."
Long processing time:
When we have found really good replacement tenants and brought them to LentinSmith, they delay, delay, and delay every application as much as they can. Denying these prospective tenants is the fault of the landlord, so I won't stray off-topic.
Rude team:
The tone of [some of] their voices when calling on the phone is awful. Personal favourite was Zak saying, after we no longer live in their flat, "Do you want to come here and do my job for me?" (then laughs) in response to our struggle with the re-letting of the apartment and asking for an update. Even when they confirm they will give an update, they don't.
So, do you want to rent with LentinSmith? Don't just take my word for it! - read the responses this agency give to other negative reviews: manipulating the situation; passive-aggressiveness; shifting the blame to the tenant, and overall being incredibly unprofessional. They'd be smart to delete their responses as it evidences their failure to take accountability in any situation.
Avoid like the plague.
June 5, 2024
Unprompted review
