Beyond incompetent
The women who run Tor estates are like characters out of some appalling sitcom. Desperate Housewives? They lie, obfuscate, dismiss and bully. Their behaviour is shockingly awful.
They fulfill their general letting agenty role badly. When I arrived to view the house I eventually rented, the owner of the agency was 30 minutes late. The neighbours approached me, saying that they are always late. If anything needs fixing, you're not allowed to email or ring them. You have to report it via an external app, which they then ignore. I have only reported two things. The first still has not been fixed (eight months and counting...). Regarding the second, see below.
The big problem has been the windows. Prior to signing the contract they informed me that there would be five new windows fitted. I have never had UPVC windows before but I was concerned that toxic glues and solvents might be used. I requested that the windows - which looked fine as they were - might be replaced instead after my tenancy had finished. The answer was no.
I then went into the agency to discuss it with the three women. They assured me that 'Nowadays they don't use glues and solvents to fit windows'. They were adamant that there would be no glues and solvents involved. So, on that basis, I signed the contract and picked up the keys.
However, on the day the windows were fitted, I walked into a thick heavy cloud of glues and solvents. I asked the window fitter what it was: 'It's glues and solvents, innit'.
I ended up in hospital. Twice. With chemical burns to my lungs. Also known as chemical inhalation injury. The window fitters hadn't used adequate ventilation and were fitting so many windows so fast (in the end it was six rather than the five agreed, plus a new shower cubicle door) that the tiny droplets of solvents got into my lungs and it has decimated my health. If you read the small print on these glues and solvents they all say things like: highly toxic, do not breathe in, wear masks, may cause longterm respiratory damage). I now have various asthma symptoms, constant pain, it's likely to develop into COPD and/or pulnonary fibrosis. It has affected my thyroid, which has impacted my whole hormonal system, the general level of toxicity has affected both my skin and my digestion. I also now have multiple chemical sensitivity, which means that it's painful filling up with petrol or being in a car park, because of the fumes. Even woodburners are no longer possible.
What has made the whole situation so much worse is that the owner Tor Estates refused to even talk about what happened for EIGHT MONTHS. I emailed and spoke by phone dozens of times, but she just dismissed me. In the end I insisted on having a conversation, but she just accused me of being 'delusional or a liar'.
The NHS didn't have much to offer me and so in the end I had to go private. My doctor is called Dr Damien Downing. He's been a member of the GMC for decades, is President of the British Society of Ecological Medicine and is based in Harley Street. He's about as legit as it gets. But the Tor Estates owner described him as: a quack.
I eventually got myself a lawyer, but Tor Estates refused to provide the information that he requested And so now I have to take them to court twice - once just to get the information required, and then a second time for personal injury to cover the cost of treatment (already thousands of pounds).
What has exacerbated the situation further is two leaks in the roof of the house, leading to mold.
The first leak happened just before Tor Estates most recent inspection. The woman saw for herself the damp and the discolouration of the wall. Even so, it took several emails and phone calls before someone came out to fix it, during which time the whole wall went moldy.
The second leak is much more serious - the leading around the chimneystack needs replacing. I reported it on the app, and emailed. No response. I then called as well. Eventually - after I had threatened to write to the owner of the property - someone from Tor Estates came to have a look. 'It's just been badly painted' she claimed. I insisted that it was more than that, and so she got out her damp meter, and yes, it is damp.
A roofer then came, said the leading needed replacing and he could probably get it done in a couple of weeks.
But Tor Estates are now insisting that the flashings around the skylights also need replacing. According to the roofer, they don't, and he can't understand why Tor Estates are insisting that they do.
i think I understand it though. They are trying to manipulate me into leaving the property. The flashings for the skylights could take months to arrive. In the meantime, there will be more mold. They know how fragile my health is. Mold would push me over the edge.
These women should not be allowed to run an agency.