Harringtons Harringtons Students reviews

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

We have not been in the property for a week and I am already appealed by the complete lack of competence from the agency. The house we arrived in has not seen a cleaning product since it’s been built which is evident from the growing mould in every room and dark stains that are left after any surface is touched. There is a lot of storage, which would be beneficial if any of the drawers didn’t fall apart when opened and the house also has a lot of natural light, which we get to appreciate all day since there are no curtains. Harringtons, sorry about the lengthy review but this is my last resort of getting in contact as none of your employees will respond to our reports.

LucyMit · 8 October 2022

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

My experience with Harrington's has been awful, and I have had lots of experience with them: two tenancies to be precise. In my first tenancy, the other students were making a mess of the communal bin area and Harrington's said they had nothing to do with it when I emailed them. Also, the flat was dirty when I arrived in it. I even noticed the staff were very cold with me when I had to enter their shop. But it was only my second tenancy with them where it became clear how they bully their tenants. The flat was EVEN MORE dirty when I arrived (photos attached). As you can see from the photos, the floor, the freezer and even the toilet was dirty (there was brown stuff in it which I can only imagine was a mixture of poo and the main chunks of broken tiling that Harrington's thought would be too embarrassing to leave on the floor with everything else). The bed hadn't even been unwrapped from its plastic and the WiFi box was splayed out on the floor with all its wirings. But this is where it goes from bad service to actual theft. They hadn't actually given me the key to the main building; only the front door key. It was by fluke that I accessed the building the first time; then I was locked out and had to crash with a friend. I hadn't even moved in my stuff before the tenancy came crashing to an end. There is one particular member of Harrington's who was in charge of my tenancy. I asked her to send me the key to the building, but she insisted that I would have to walk all the way across Durham for a second time to come pick up the keys which they forgot to give me. I refused so she said I could return my keys if I wasn't happy with the tenancy. Of course, I was very happy to give back my keys after receiving such poor service but I made sure she promised that I would get back ALL of my money: both deposit and rent. I gave my keys in when she made this promise and have not had access to the property since. But when it came around to refunding me two weeks later, she sent back the deposit only and pretended like nothing was wrong. I still have not received my money for one whole month's unused rent to this day. To conclude, my first experience with Harrington's was one of coldness and apathy; but the second time I learnt that they were actually criminal. Please feel free to share this review with all living in and around Durham so they do not fall into this trap. I will be pressing charges so hopefully the court will deal with them, but in the meantime, I do not wish this experience on anybody.

Chimaobi · 5 July 2022

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Unhygienic property with dirty walls, broken glass in corridor, misleading back garden… etc Flat was initially dirty and there was mould and staff were hesitant to rectify this. When they did it was sending someone to steam the carpet Toilet was broken from the first day I was there. Barely stayed at flat and tried to get out of my contract due to all the issues when I did use the property but agents wouldn’t budge and were very rude and greedy for money. I had read reviews on here but I didn’t want to believe it because the staff appeared nice at first but honestly should have believed the bad reviews I read on here because everyone complained about the service, and whenever there was a problem the staff were very patronising and made me feel like the problem. This is only because I was so nice and dismissive over email and they took advantage. Honestly have been waiting for my tenancy to finish as they were threatening court proceedings. Just a horrible experience throughout. Stay away if possible. It’s not worth it

Sonny · 5 July 2022

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

I've used Harringtons to let and manage my student properties for several years now and have always been very happy. Amanda, Ellie and Andrew are all great, responsive and professional, and not just with me as a landlord but also with tenants, as I've seen when included in many communications over the years. Whenever I visit a property I always ask the tenants if they are happy with the service provided by Harringtons and the feedback is always positive.

Marc · 5 July 2021

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Having just completed my 2nd year with Harringtons I can't recommend them highly enough. I returned home during the pandemic and couldn't return to Durham to clear my possession from the house I had for my first year, Harringtons stored my items free of charge (other agents charged for this service) which was a big help. Staff were always friendly and helpful when I called them and made sure any repairs were dealt with quickly. Thank you Harringtons.

Dylan · 5 July 2021

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Professional and friendly staff. Assisted my son with finding a property for his first year of Uni. I highly recommend Harrington's.

Ethan · 5 July 2022

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Hands down the most incompetent team of people I have ever come across. I do not understand how they operate as a business with the dreadful attitudes they have. We have had numerous problems with them, which I will list below, and never so much received an apology. Instead we got a sigh on the other end of the phone, or a colleague shouting it’s all our fault. The year began with the most horrendous mould. Fluffy wardrobes and peeling wallpaper were the latest feature of the house, with one of my housemates falling so ill she had to sleep on the sofa in the living room. We complained to Harringtons numerous times and they told us we didn’t have the heating on long enough- even though we most certainly did! We complained and complained but got no where, so we went to the local council who sent someone out immediately and confirmed that it wasn’t in fact our fault. But a leak in the guttering making the whole side of the house damp. Only then did Harringtons act. The next drama was the start of second term, when we were without wifi for 6 of the 10 week term. My housemates and I rang everyday asking for updates. We went in to Harringtons at least once a week, and we were told they couldn’t do anything. We rang BT ourselves numerous times who said that they could help but needed the admin passcode which Harringtons had. All in all they could’ve done something but obviously just couldn’t be bothered, so we had to work in cafés or hotspot each other to be able to do our uni work and online jobs. And last but not least, going 3 for 3, my housemate was told that she had defaulted on a rent payment, which was why we got £90 out of our £1200 deposit back. She then disputed it, and didn’t get so much as an apology. Hate to say I’m not surprised. I wish anyone who had to sign with Harringtons the best of luck. You really have to take your own initiative and push them to get anywhere!

Lauren · 21 August 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Ever been backstabbed? Ever felt like you could trust someone only to have a sword (deposit) thrust into your back and your insides mutilated? No?? Well look no further - Harringtons is your team! The only part of them I can comment fondly upon is their handyman. He was truly an icon of durham and a lovely chap. Definitely deserves a raise for literally carrying the only functioning aspect of their business. Otherwise, their small receptionist team will continuously parr your off, make excuses why they cant deal with your issues, hang up on you, pretend your mic isnt working, sarcastically say "can't help you on this" when they so obviously can. Do they want to help you? Of course not. Do they want to provide you evidence on your deposit? Of course not. Do they want to fabricate reasons to deduct money, not have any evidence of their claims (because there is none) and then take the money from you without any dispute? OF COURSE. If there is one thing you can guarantee, it is a nice shafting in the backside. Luckily I had vaseline but I can't say the same for all the other poor durham students. Rather than accept that they are in the wrong, they will avoid the topic, delay you. I think their technique is to be so annoying and useless, that you give up on everything. If they had an anti-motivation laser they would have riddled me with bullets. Alas, you are likely reading this to ask yourself whether you should rent with them or not. The trouble is you probably have no choice. If I can offer any advice, do not think they are your friend. They are the grim reaper - and this month, I have had a lucky escape from death.

Jasper · 29 July 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Ever been backstabbed? Ever felt like you could trust someone only to have a sword (deposit) thrust into your back and your insides mutilated? No?? Well look no further - Harringtons is your team! The only part of them I can comment fondly upon is their handyman. He was truly an icon of durham and a lovely chap. Definitely deserves a raise for literally carrying the only functioning aspect of their business. Otherwise, their small receptionist team will continuously parr your off, make excuses why they cant deal with your issues, hang up on you, pretend your mic isnt working, sarcastically say "can't help you on this" when they so obviously can. Do they want to help you? Of course not. Do they want to provide you evidence on your deposit? Of course not. Do they want to fabricate reasons to deduct money, not have any evidence of their claims (because there is none) and then take the money from you without any dispute? OF COURSE. If there is one thing you can guarantee, it is a nice shafting in the backside. Luckily I had vaseline but I can't say the same for all the other poor durham students. Rather than accept that they are in the wrong, they will avoid the topic, delay you. I think their technique is to be so annoying and useless, that you give up on everything. If they had an anti-motivation laser they would have riddled me with bullets. Alas, you are likely reading this to ask yourself whether you should rent with them or not. The trouble is you probably have no choice. If I can offer any advice, do not think they are your friend. They are the grim reaper - and this month, I have had a lucky escape from death.

Rewind · 27 July 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

My property was rented through them worst service they didn't do the 3 monthly checks staff are uninterested no communication didn't tell me Tennant was moving out didn't re advertise property didn't chase up with me to check I'd received emails happy to take fee everymonth appalling company and service

Miss · 5 July 2020

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

A lack of awareness when dealing with your personal data. Agents give little advice and they try their best at deducting every penny from your pocket. After numerous e-mails and calls, Harringtons does not fail to impress me as the most terrible student housing service. The agent did not inform me of all the parties involved when I was trying to surrender my tenancy, did not let me get in contact with the landlord, refused to give me contact details of the remaining and new moving in tenant to discuss replacement options, did not send a deed of assignment contract to my UK guarantor, and STILL after a week has not sent me my deposit back. If you want to roleplay living in Croydon, then live with these con artists.

Jacob · 7 March 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Have worked with Harrington's for nearly 2 years and found them to be a very professional company, with pleasant attitudes, excellent knowledgeable staff and a very positive works attitude. Would recommend them to everyone if its accommodation or help you require.

Paul · 5 July 2021

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

The worst student property agency ever. They try to find every little way of deducting money from your deposit and charge you for damage that's not even your fault. When I moved in with my flatmate, the house was incredibly dirty. Furniture covered with dust, floor covered with paper pieces and body hair literally stuck to the walls of the bathroom. It never occurred to me to make a video of the place to prove how disgusting it was but Harringtons are claiming they had the property "fully cleaned" before we moved in. Even our neighbours (who have lived just next door for a long time and even knew the previous tenant) reported that Harringtons did not clean the place. The vacuum cleaner was covered in very small mites and I discovered that the very night we moved in. It's my fault that I didn't report it back then cause I thought it was trivial compared to the other unhygienic stuff in the house. Now a few days ago someone from Harringtons came for an inspection and asked if everything was okay- I told them about the mites and they sent somebody to take care of it. They then sent an *£80* bill asking us to pay for it???? They keep saying the property was cleaned and there were no mites on the vacuum cleaner so it's our fault that we didn't clean the garbage from inside it. I asked for proof of the cleaning- no response. They are now deducting it from the deposit. Take my advice- DONT CHOOSE HARRINGTONS. They are the most dishonest and unethical company and just want all your money. If you still choose them, ALWAYS take a video and pictures of the house the day you move in to have a record of the condition of the property.

Himieka · 5 July 2022

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

The Harringtons team has exceeded my expectations when it comes to the managing of my student houses. I always feel that I am in very capable hands, they are professional and have been quick to react to both my needs and those of my tenants.

Charlotte · 5 July 2021

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Absolutely shocking experience from Harringtons - it was my and my friends' first house rental experience, and they sure knew how to make it awful. When the first of my housemates moved in, our house was in an appaling state. The bathroom was full of black mould, there were 5 lightbulbs missing, and there was broken glass all over the floor upstairs. Even though we called repeatedly, it took them a week to send someone to try to rectify this - by which point my housemate had to fix most of the issues herself. Of course that wasn't the only thing that would break - the microwave broke, but I guess we were fortunate enough that after the third report we filed, they finally did something about it. The oven broke as well at the same time - obviously not ideal. The cherry on top of the cake though was the boiler - it broke at the start of summer term, and after much to-ing and fro-ing, they sent people out to try and fix it twice. However, both times this didn't work, so finally they sent someone to fully replace the boiler - on a day that my housemates and I all had exams. This knocked the power out for a good 5 hours. Come the end of our tenancy, they held on to our deposit for 'cleaning fees' - despite the fact that the house was 100% in a better state than when we moved in i.e. had all the bulbs, less mould, and no broken glass on the floors. They also charged us for 'excessive energy use' which I'm convinced must have been due to the faulty boiler - our house was always relatively chilly, and we switched all the bulbs to energy efficient ones. Anyway, an atrocious experience from start to finish. I'm not using a student letting service this year, but if I was it would not be Harringtons.

Jack · 5 July 2020

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

At least Harrington's provide a wide range of student houses. I can only assume this is because they provide a better service to landlords than their tenants. Landlords, your tenants would prefer if you went elsewhere. Correspondence with this agency was always difficult. Staff were particularly rude and set a terrible standard for customer service. Zero respect for privacy, agents would refuse to rearrange visits to the property to a time when we could be home. They would also visit the property without notice when they thought no one was home, eg., outside of term time. Maintenance requests had to go through an online system where an email or phonecall should have been sufficient. On numerous occasions I had maintenance issues closed without explanation, despite the problem not being solved. They take every opportunity to extract additional fees from tenants. £100 agency fee per tenant, plus £25 for landlord reference letters. Very aggressive with trying to hang on to every drop of the security deposit at the end of the tenancy. I must recommend alternative agencies in Durham. In particular, Morgan Douglas have provided a fantastic service for student lettings.

Russell · 6 July 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Had a horrible experience from the beginning to the end. First, we arranged a month in advance to move in on a certain day. Then the night before we were to fly in they said that we couldn’t move in on the date we had agreed upon weeks earlier - requiring us to find 4 days of accommodation in Durham at the height of the tourist season with no notice. We asked them to fix a leak - they simply painted over the problem and water continued to come in every time it rained. Despite the contract stating that people could only look at the place 2 months in advance of our leases’s end we had a steady stream of people looking at our place starting on month 4 of our 11 month contract. When we moved out, they wanted to keep our entire security deposit stating the house was in horrible condition. When pushed they provided a picture of a leaf in the entry way and a spider web on the ceiling as proof of not being clean. When asked for a itemized list of what they had to do, even with over a hundred pounds to “tidy the garden” and another absorb amount to remove the leaf and spider web they failed to reach our entire security deposit amount they were kept. They also never provided us with the security deposit certificate when we signed our lease - a violation of the law.

Alex · 6 July 2019

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

I am delighted with the quality and professionalism of the services that we receive from Harrington’s. They are always fully responsive and across any issues with our tenants and proactively managing the properties on our behalf. Malcom Carpenter Mocca Housing Ltd

Malcolm · 5 July 2021

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Beyond poor. Authors couldn't invent a poorer experience apart from maybe my family murdered at the viewing by the letting agent. Sly, Underhand. Lied, made stuff up, Were not interested in getting us to see the house. Told us we couldn't put a deposit down on it until monday morning yet let someone do it AFTER closing time on a saturday. double booked the appointment to force peoples hand. standard aggressive sales tactics, with very little customer care. Turned up at our viewing for the agent to walk away with another family already knowing he had two families to view at the same time. Pictures available were not of the property available which wasn't disclosed either. Wouldn't recommend anyone to use these as letting agents to let their properties or to let from.

Steven · 6 July 2016

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

We have let our student house through Harringtons for 3 seasons now, and are delighted with the service that we have received. They have taken account of our wishes in respect of the tenants interviewed; have kept a careful eye on the condition in which the property is maintained without being intrusive; have provided an excellent maintenance service, that has been responsive to the tenants' comments, producing good quality work while still being affordable; and have been scrupulous in their accounting. After nearly 20 years of handling all aspects of student letting on our own it has been an enormous relief to hand over the minutiae of administration. We find them delightful to deal with, and would have no hesitation in recommending them highly to others (and indeed have done so!).

Michael · 6 July 2016

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Disappointed by the lack of help repairing dangerous house faults. The employees have been rude and dismissive of our concerns throughout our tenancy. I would advise against using this agency.

Harriet · 5 July 2022

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Absolutely terrible agency. Extremely poor communication and predatory approach to students. They try to scam everyone out of their deposit and exploit their power in the small durham housing market to raise their prices to ridiculous levels as they know students have no other options. Definitely do not recommend as there are way better agencies to work with.

Track · 7 November 2022

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

I HAVE SLUGS IN THE KITCHEN DUE TO A HOLE IN THE EXTERIOR WALL !! Reported this over two weeks ago and nothing has happened since. I have called Harringtons office various times and am very sad to say that I was treated less than the minimum of respect. So far, this has been a disappointing experience.

Lily · 8 October 2022

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

As a parent I’ve been utterly appalled by the state of the house my daughter and her friends rented. It was filthy, despite Harringtons claiming it was cleaned. Leaking roofs, no gas, unsafe doors and windows, sewerage issues, mould, damp. Extremely unhelpful staff. Environmental health now aware. I genuinely don’t know how they get away with this.

Nicola · 8 October 2022