I rented for a 2 year period from these con artists known as bargainbedsits.com and had a terrible experience. They advertise themselves as a letting agent called Bartlett Management and are based in the Earls Court area.
On viewing the property it initially seemed clean and tidy but I soon discovered it was mice infested upon moving in. The brick on the outside of the house was shoddy and in need of repair. As mentioned in someone else's review, it was an eastern european woman who showed me around during the viewing who I believe to be Polish. She goes by the name of Joanna Marciniak and also runs a driving school.
When going through the contract and what was included in the price of the rent I asked her if council tax was included along with gas, water and electricity to which she replied firmly with a "Yes". However 6 months after I moved out, I received a letter in the post at my new address asking for a year and a half in council tax which was for over a thousand pounds!!! £1300!!!
I called up the letting agent Bartlett Management to explain that I was under the impression that council tax was inclusive of the rent that I had paid for the 2 years I lived there. I spoke to a Spanish woman called Pillar Lopez who was extremely rude. She was unhelpful and uninterested as being a previous tenant I was of no use to her. She slammed the phone down on me which I find downright appalling.
It is clear that they mislead tenants into thinking that council tax is included in the price of the rent to make the rent appear cheaper. These bedsits are in no way a "bargain" as advertised and for the same money you could rent a 2 bedroom house outside of London.
When moving out of the property I made sure everything was put back to how it was. I repainted the entire flat and thoroughly cleaned underneath all furniture and washed it all down with bleach as they can charge you up to £300 in cleaning charges upon leaving. I made sure I done this and was charged a fee of only £60. To which I believe I was entitled to the full amount as the place was absolutely spotless as I went to the extra length of redecorating it. When I challenged them as to why, they came up with petty reasons which fall under reasonable wear and tear saying I was lucky it wasn't more!
There was no privacy as the landlord repeatedly let herself into my flat with no notice whatsoever on many occasions. I went as far to the extent of changing the locks myself to stop her getting in while I was at work during the week.
Their procedure to resolve any issues after talking to Joanna Marciniak and Pillar Lopez is to talk to Michael Bartlett the owner of the company. He is English and very well spoken. Whenever I voiced my concerns and explained a problem he would abruptly cut in and say "send an email about this" before slamming the phone down. All my emails were ignored and never answered.
I would advise anyone who is considering to rent a studio or bedsit from this company to be very careful as they rely on misleading people into making things appear cheaper, but once moved in you soon discover hidden charges.
They target young people typically aged between 18-30 and advertise to international students who are vulnerable to being exploited, not knowing their rights under UK law.
They are definitely one to avoid.
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