Every review we hold for the Cathays office, from every platform, shown as written. First names only.
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleI own a apartment in Cardiff which I currently rent out. As I live mostly abroad and am not easily contactable, it would be virtually impossible for me to properly service the tenant's needs if it were not for them.They have exceeded my expectations with their professionalism, knowledge of market, and responsiveness. The company was actively engaged even before I had a tenant by helping to source the needed repairs to bring the apartment into an appropriate rental condition. Thank You
Bretty · 9 June 2018
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleI have had various landlords and letting agents in the nine years I have been living in Cardiff. Kingstons by far have been the easiest and most reliable I have dealt with. From day one, in making sure I was able to let the property I wanted.Through tenancy renewals which were made easy do do at my convenience ensuring security in terms of knowing I had a roof over my head, and looking after me as a long term tenant. Any problems I have had with maintenance have been promptly dealt with they have ensured that as little inconvenience to me has been achieved. I hope to be a tenant with them for a long time going forward.
Muttley · 9 June 2018
★★★★★ 1/5
GoogleReally nice and smooth agents. AVOID this company at all costs. I could write an essay on how much we were taken advantage of by the glorified con artists, however I wish to keep it short...
Firstly, I gave a good review at first because I got locked out of my room and they said they'd let me back in for free, if I did that for them. I'm pretty sure if it's open hours, it's free anyway. I was in a great location in Cathays on Salisbury road as a student (student and normal accommodation has no difference). Actually seemed more expensive. The flats condition wasn't good. Mould, condensed windows and un-level floorboards. However it was bearable. We were forced to rent a studio on top of our flat, because it was too small to rent out on its own. They told us it would be decorated and ready for us by the time we moved in. It wasn't. It's was dreadful. Me and my friends named it the 'Crack Den' it was that bad. It's a shame because they could be a good company, however they don't really care about it's customers. God knows what it's like for their employees.
Advice! If you have no other choice of housing take photos of absolutely everything. I mean all corners of the rooms. Toilet, shower, oven, windows, you name it because when it comes to moving out they'll squeeze your deposit like they're about to go bankrupt. The four of us got charged roughly £180 each (I think, it was expensive anyway) just for the oven being dirty. It's wasn't, but we never had any proof to contest this.
Overall do yourself a favour and don't bother. Imagine how long the essay would be.
SirWinnet · 9 June 2018
★★★★★ 1/5
GoogleAbsolutely shocking customer service and a rubbish landlord! I cannot urge anyone enough NOT to rent a property with kingstons especially any students!!!. I think they invest more in the office and company cars than they do in maintaining properties!! Me and my friends were paying kingstons £1,200 pcm for a damp property that never was maintained properly. ever. Even though we had signed the contract on the basis that the damp in our rental property would be seen to it never was!! Every time you phone or email they will never ever give you a straight answer or get back to you when they promise they will!! we constantly had to nag to get this done which were minimal cost. Please make sure you take photos of everything when you move in as they try to charge for things that were already there. I had to ring everyday to get the 'checking out process' done. Every time I rang they gave deadlines they never ever met. Whenever I asked to speak to the manager there would be an excuse as to why she could not speak to me. They are absolute rip offs and your tenancy agreement will be riddled with hidden costs which they then take from your bond !!!! It was an absolute nightmare trying to get the bond back they constantly made things difficulty then had the cheek to charge a check out fee !!! I literally cannot express how awful they were as landlords and how much they intend to rip people off. The only decent members of staff are jade and josh, otherwise the rest are not helpful and will not go out of their way to help you. I have notified my university of the company in the hope that no students or anyone else will rent with them in the future!!
Jodie · 9 June 2018
★★★★★ 1/5
GoogleAwful property management service. We were only with them due to a change in landlord and would definitely recommend AVOIDING becoming their tenants, if possible. We had various problems with our property; even with repeated emails and phone calls, some issues took months to be attended to whilst others were not resolved at all by the end of our tenancy. Kingstons Residential somehow managed to further decrease their reputation with us when it came to the end of our tenancy by engorging cleaning fees and adding false charges to our checkout report. Even once these charges were resolved, we then had to repeatedly contact Kingstons before they finally returned our deposits to us 2 months after the end of our contract.
Jo · 9 June 2018
★★★★★ 2/5
GoogleIf you deal with the agent Lee you should be ok! Very polite, helpful and felt bad with regards to our situation. Tried his best to find a solution, went above and beyond what we expected and he solved our problem after speaking to the director. 10/10 for him as an agent, 4/10 for the company.
We went to kingstons to sign for a house based on a positive recommendation from a friend. Lee, the agent we dealt with was very professional and polite. After a second viewing we chose a property, payed our agency fee, deposit+admin fee on the pretenders that we would sign the contract a few days later once the paperwork had been drawn up.
Unfortunately during this period, the landlord decided to change the property from a 4 bed to a 6 bed so it was no longer an option for us.
We asked about getting our money back but they said the agency fee was non refundable.
Lee tried his best to find us an alternative property and even offered to try and get us a reduced rent if we found one we liked but we felt like anything as a compromise after our original house.
We went away to discuss our options and asked them for any documentation regarding terms and conditions as we were looking at legal action. Shortly after Lee called and told us that he had spoken to the director of the company and that they would give us all of our money back.
We understand that the situation with the landlord was out of their control and they weren't to blame but we believe in this case we should have had our fees back no questions asked as they hadn't actually provided the expected a service as we didn't have a property.
I wouldn't go with them again just based on our case but would still recommend them to others as they have a wide range of nice properties at reasonable prices and from our experience, the agent dealt with the situation very well under the difficult circumstances. We were just unlucky to have been in such an awkward situation due to the Landlord of a property kingstons manage.
Ryan · 9 June 2018
★★★★★ 1/5
GoogleGenuinely do not recommend!! The customer service is beyond incompetent. Me and my flatmate were living without heating and hot water in the middle of winter for two months. Faced multiple issues like mould, mice, broken furniture, gas leaks - a lot of those could have been fixed in the span of a few weeks, unfortunately Kingstons never took our complaints seriously (or knew how to adequately act when presented with a problem). Wholeheartedly advise everybody to not use their services, I know most agencies (student ones especially) in Cardiff aren't great, but they do not compare to the horrific level of incompetence of Kingstons.
Dimana · 9 June 2018
★★★★★ 1/5
Google"Our primary focus is maintaining excellent customer service" They ignored my emails, kept my deposit nearly a year, then when complained on Twitter they blocked me. Finally got just over half of my deposit back, charged for damage that was already there, and to my knowledge still there. Avoid!
Laura · 9 June 2017
Agent replied · 8 June 2023
Dear Laura, we take all complaints very seriously and would have liked the opportunity to discuss the content of your review in person. However, as our company complaints procedure has not been followed correctly in this case, then I would like to draw your attention to the following points: The Kingstons website (www.kingstons.co.uk) as well as our tenant handbook (which works in conjunction with the tenancy agreement) details all of our processes. The Kingstons tenant handbook clearly outlines our company complaints procedure. This states how complaints are handled and a time frame for all responses. In the event that we are unable to reach a satisfactory conclusion over the telephone or in writing then we invite our tenants in to the office for a meeting. Also included within our tenant handbook is a comprehensive list of additional charges that you may incur during the tenancy in the event that you do not adhere to the terms of the agreement. In addition, Kingstons are proud members of UKALA and The Property Ombudsman. This is a professional membership and regulatory body for letting agents in the UK which promotes set standards in the property industry. If you would like to meet or simply have a chat with a member of our team to discuss your experience with us then please contact our Office Manager who will be more than happy to arrange this for you. Thank you, Kingstons
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleExceptional service from Lee Khan at Kingstons Residential. He was very friendly and informative about the different properties and I would totally recommend going with these guys !
Aaryan · 6 December 2024
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleLee was very professional and provided a great experienced and knew everything we asked regarding the property
Millie · 8 June 2022
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleGreat letting agent. Cannot reccomend it enough! There was an issue that they quickly and efficiently sorted out.
The girls in the accounts team were particularly helpful! Would definitely reccomend Kingston to everyone!
Najwa · 9 June 2016
★★★★★ 1/5
GoogleDO NOT LET WITH THESE PEOPLE! The service that we have received since moving into our house has been appalling. It takes weeks for them to get back to you to fix any problems and when they finally get round to doing it the standard of work is shocking. They come round and barge into your room and break your possession and then lie about ever being there. I strongly recommend you avoid doing any type of business with them.
Elliot · 9 June 2016
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleI was with Kingstons for my second year in Cardiff uni, and as a letting agent I couldn't ask for more!! I had heard so many horror stories about private student accommodation and landlords, but me and my housemates were well looked after!!
The team were so professional at every stage, we were kept well informed from the get go! Any problems were sorted within a day, if not sooner. Our boiler broke down in the evening, and instead of making us wait until the following day like we normally would have had to, they sent someone out that same night and had it sorted within a couple of hours!!!
Could not recommend them enough, they were fab!! Thank you guys!!!
Sarah · 9 June 2016
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleGreat service when viewing properties and the lettings agent was very helpful and informative of the locations I was considering. Even better was the ease and smooth moving in procedure from collecting the keys to moving in. The best part was the after care service that was provided when I had lost my keys in the middle of the night and did not know what to do, one phone call and within half an hour I was back in my flat. Definitely recommend this agency and will definitely be renewing once this tenancy expires.
MohammedK · 9 June 2016
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleLee was amazing, and the whole team were so helpful.
Cait · 9 January 2023
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleLee was very helpful and had all of the answers to all of our questions.
Phoebe · 8 June 2022
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleThe team at Kingston's exceeded my expectations in every aspect of the rental process. From the moment I inquired about available properties to the day I moved in, their professionalism and efficiency were commendable. The communication was seamless, and transparent. Thanks guys👍 …
K · 29 January 2024
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleI recently decided to leave the flat I rented from Kingstons Cardiff and I was pleasantly surprised with the service. The flat was in good condition and when I rented it, was kind of a great deal for me. It wasn't until I decided to leave, when I found out how great the service actually is - the overall process was pretty fast and straightforward, I got my deposit back faster than ever. Thanks for the great experience!
Lyuben · 9 June 2017
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleI'm a student studying at Cardiff university, Kingston were so helpful in finding me a place to stay last minute! Thank you Amira and Laura!!! You guys were extremely helpful!!!
Ayy · 9 June 2016
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleLee was very helpful and showed us lots of properties. Very good experience.
Amelia · 8 June 2022
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleAmazing service from Lee Khan at Kingstons Residential. He was very informative, friendly and swift in showing us appropriate properties, would definitely recommend!
Tawqir · 6 December 2024
★★★★★ 1/5
GoogleAwful letting agents, slow to resolve issues with the property months on end with unreliable responses. Rats, mould and electrical issues ignored
Tomi · 20 December 2024
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleLee was wonderful and very helpful, answered all of our questions :)
Isaac · 8 June 2022
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleAgent went above and beyond to help find us the perfect property
Bartholomew · 8 June 2022
Where the same review appears twice we show it once. We leave out reviews that name another agent or another of the brand's offices.
