Purple Cactus Properties reviews

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

I rented with purple cactus in the previous academic year, and it was a horrific year. Upon moving in we were told that we would be moving into a clean house, however it was filthy and what we weren't told was that one of the rooms was being plastered and that we couldn't actually move into them.... The day we travelled there to move in. My original room was an absolute state, all the furniture in the room was broken, holes in the wall, no wardrobes, and a prison looking bed. Due to this I demanded to be moved to a different room, I will give purple cactus props there for allowing that. We were told that professional cleaners had come in to clean the house, which if that is true the cleaners were clearly just sat on their arses not doing anything as the house was filthy, clearly they need a refund. Throughout the year we had a range of problems, such as our back door not locking for the first month and a half, and a continuous leak from the ensuite bathroom through to the living room, above the tumble dryer. Both issues the landlord acted as though this was the first he had heard of them, however, upon speaking to a girl who lived there previously she told me he knew about these problems for 2 years! He just couldn't be arsed to fix them. Any time there was a maintenance problem it would take days, even weeks to get them resolved as purple cactus are awful at responding. And the landlord will just show up at the house without notice. On one occasion he came to the house, tried to come into my bedroom without knocking, then went up to my housemates room and went walking in whilst she was in there without any sort of knock! Very creepy man. That house had so much potential to be nice if maintenance was kept up, but landlords just can't be arsed. Instead you move into a house with holes in the walls, rotting sideboards, leaky roofs, walls that look like they have skidmarks smeared on them, and don't get me started of the absolute stench of that house. The whole house smelt like a public bathroom, from the lino in the upstairs bathroom which the landlord and letting agents claimed they "couldn't smell", you could be nose blind and still smell that absolute stench. Be careful who you also move into a property with, unfortunately, myself and my housemate were in a position where our previous housemates had graduated so we had to move into a randomly share. Worst year of our lives. Our house constantly smelt of marijuana from the housemates downstairs, who would have multiple guests over a night who would just let themselves into the property, because of this an intruder could come in and we'd just say hi assuming it's their friend because they would genuinely walk in, use our kitchen, our shower etc. Those housemates never cleaned up, constantly hacked up spit throughout the house and out the window which was disgusting, and on one occasion one of them had a bathroom mishap where they left literally shit smeared throughout the bathroom, which purple cactus did nothing about! One of our other housemates had to clean it up. I also want to bare in mind our bathroom was in the kitchen, that was definitely a hazard, and a healthy and safety issue but clearly purple cactus don't care if your smear shit all over the house 🤷‍♀️. There was also a scabies incident within the house.... Yes scabies... In which the person with the scabies didn't even bother to tell us they had scabies we just came across the medication throughout the house, so myself and my housemate spent a shit tonne of money on cleaning supplies and spent 6/7 hours cleaning that house to an inch of it's life because we knew damn well they hadn't done any sort of cleaning. Don't even think they knew what a cleaning supply was. Purple cactus are happy to recommend shitty landlords to hundreds of impressionable students every year, who are putting their trust in them to find them suitable accomodation whilst they complete their studies, which is hard to do living in a house worse than shreks swamp. Please rent with lapsley housing instead, or literally anywhere else.

Chloe · 2 October 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Had been with purple cactus the last academic year. I would avoid. These guys make their money by ripping off students thinking they will not fight back. Tried charging way over £50 per student in a 5 bed house for a cleaning charge when the house was spotless and was cleaner than actually keys handed over at the beginning of the tenancy agreement. They will try absolutely anything to get a bit of money off you, for example stating their was still rent to be paid after students had paid by 3 instalments, which was in tenancy agreement and then magically £30+ of rent was owed. These guys will not have students interest at heart. There is NO emergency number for you to contact in case of emergencies, if you do message them they take DAYS to respond. We had 3-4 days without hot water due to this and no compensation was given. Repairs were reported and NEVER fixed. Garden is never mowed. The actual landlord who owns the property are useless as well and do not let purple cactus know when they would be turning up to the property to do work, such as leaving big machinery on a drive blocking access to PLACEMENT students who need to drive 1 hour to placement. Avoid at all cost. Go private landlords or do your research. Definitely go to the university housing fair as the university only have trusted landlords there.

Geo · 23 September 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

AVOID!!!! Had a horrible time during my tenancy with Purple Cactus, with the landlord being incredibly unreliable, and the property being in a bad state. Could never get hold of the landlord, and he would ignore texts, emails and calls regarding problems. When you could get hold of him, he normally wasn't too interested in the problem and things never got resolved. Property was in a horrible state too, and things just never got resolved. Would 100% either look into the contract with a professional before doing anything, or avoid all together!

Bryony · 20 June 2022

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Firstly I would like to say a big thank you too Colin who was a great help and assistance in finding suitable property for me, but honestly "Patrick is a asset to the company one of the most down to earth genuine kind hearted person I have meet he is all around amazing person and excellent property agent which I would recommend to any of my friends an family he has great customer service skills and communication which allow us to gain great understanding of what my wants and needs where for my property search and was more than accomdating in this regard I have a lot of respect and trust for Patrick and Colin at Purple Catcus Properties best for renting Properties in Wochester and student housing.

Rishi · 22 May 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

do not trust them. poor management of the properties, no communication. speaking as a current tenant. i'm doing everything as an ideal tenant to communicate with them but they are not at all helpful. no direction or leadership as an agency at all on how to deal with untidy flatmates, and how to resolve these issues. no provided bins, and not super safe either. the regular cleaner if mentioned in the listing is not true. lots and lots of poor qualities. stay far away.

Dhruv · 16 December 2025

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

There was an incident where an unknown group of drunk men entered the building, with keys and entered my bedroom. Upon asking they hadn’t lived there for 10 years so I asked them to leave and I phoned the police. The police then told me to contact my landlord as if they had keys then it is definitely not safe, especially if they are coming in at 12oclock at night. I could have been asleep, I could have been in the shower and their intentions could have been very different but I was lucky. I attempted to contact the landlord and the company on multiple occasions, via messaging their WhatsApp number I was told was a way of contacting them, I emailed multiple times but still had no reply, even though they were emailing me about other things such as viewings and my messages were being read. Trying to get a hold of anybody is absolutely dreadful and I would not recommend this letting company to anybody or any student. Anybody deserves the right to communication and a safe living space and this is something that they clearly cannot provide. My doors have been left unlocked after viewings on multiple occasions, my lights have been left on which I am charged for going over fair usage and again have tried to contact them but had absolutely no response. Citizens advice were appalled by all of this and the university accommodations team have made a note to tell students to avoid using this company in the future as this is not the first problem they have had with this company. Seek alternative accommodation. I cannot still get into contact with anybody so unfortunately this is the only way I could think to raise my concerns, and also make others aware.

Alisha · 20 February 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

RE: Patrick Thank you Patrick! Without your help over the last few weeks we would have been left without a working fridge. Since reporting the broken fridge it’s been 4 weeks with no contact from anyone from maintenance. It was only until I contacted Patrick who gave me his personal work number to call him with any problems. Patrick has gone above and beyond to help us and keep us updated with regards to what’s going on. He has been the only contact we’ve had and we are very grateful. Thanks Patrick!

Charley-Mae · 20 February 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Amazing acom, better and more affordable then the ones offered by the uni, Colin is a great guy, was ready to answer any questions i had about the property and the area, 100% 5 star, amazing people, highly recommend

Requis069 · 19 September 2025

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Paul Evans Walsall Title: - First-class customer service regarding the perfect student accommodation in Worcester Testimonial: - Our daughter is a first-year student at the University of Worcester. As she did not wish to reside in the halls of residence, I carried out some online research to find reputable estate agents in the area who specialized in student accommodations. Having made a number of telephone calls to different companies, I spoke to a gentleman called Patrick NG who represents Purple Cactus. He informed me that they had acquired an old Victorian building - Albert Residences, situated on Henwick Rd Worcester which is close to the university and was in the process of being completely refurbished. I asked for further information and he duly emailed the layout plans and features to me while I was on the phone. He explained to me that all the fixtures and fittings would be brand new and from reputable companies mainly M&S or IKEA. He also informed me that the rooms were rapidly being rented and that we would have to make a quick decision. At first, I thought this might be a sales ploy to push us into signing a rental agreement there and then for a property we were unable to view. However; he said he would reserve a room on trust which would give us time to look further into the terms and conditions and layout in more detail to make sure we were entirely happy. I contacted him to clarify a number of points and without any hesitation he answered them swiftly, professionally and above all honestly. He then informed us that if we were not happy at any point before our daughter moved in, we could cancel the agreement and he would arrange to refund the deposit with the exception of the holding fee. I thought this was excellent customer service and having reviewed the terms and conditions we duly signed the rental agreement. Approximately two weeks later we were able to visit the accommodation and although Patrick was unavailable, he arranged for his colleague Natalie to meet us and show us around the complex. she asked our daughter if she would like to view the facilities or her room first. She opted to look at the inside and outside study areas, the grounds and various other buildings she would have access to. The expression on our daughter's face was of sheer delight and we realized everything Patrick had told us was truthful. Natalie then led us to our daughter's accommodation and we were very impressed. It was a “WOW” factor. Everything that Patrick had told us was verified and we were so pleased and grateful to him. You could see our daughter was already planning where her things were going to go. Natalie then showed us the kitchen and communal area; again, it was stunning, just as Patrick had told us! Patrick is a great ambassador for Purple Cactus. He has integrity and is very professional, informative, honest and truthful and I would have no hesitation in recommending him to potential customers. . Paul Evans

Whiteboxer · 22 November 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Only positive things to say about Purple Cactus. I used them for 3 years while studying, and had a different accommodation each year. Colin was a great help in finding what suited me best, and Patrick was also brilliant helping with the …

Joshua · 16 April 2025

★★★★★ 2/5

Google

Update (09/08/25) - reduced to 2 stars from 3 because at 9pm at night and my daughter was locked out of her rented accommodation because the key card didn't work after it had been reissued just a few days ago. Someone came to sort it but that shouldn't happen at all. You'll notice that most high ratings revolve around cleanliness and fixing appliances...I could do that. We need to know our child is safe. Key cards and apps are not a replacement for actual keys if the technology is good enough to support it. Definitely something for consideration. Update (06/08/25 - 11:30am): Colin called me, he was very gracious and polite. We discussed the issues we've had with Purple Cactus over the past few years and I was given reassurance that the introduction of new software would iron out many of our frustrations. Additionally, the fee my daughter was charged was agreed to be returned to her as it was evidenced that her key disabling was not her fault, or that of Purple Cactus, but the software used for communication. It was explained to me that paying an out of hours service directly is standard, unfortunately this wasn't explained to my daughter so it just seemed odd. Again, better communication please. I appreciated the conversation and the promise that improvements are already underway, therefore I've changed my rating from 1 star to 3 stars acknowledging that Purple Cactus have taken on board my comments and genuinely seem to be trying to improve things. (Original review): Absolute frustration of a company. My daughter has rented from them for two years but we've rarely spoken or heard from anyone despite numerous attempts. No one returns calls or responds to emails... unless you're the one paying (surprise, surprise)... really poor service. After informing Purple Cactus that she would be staying and paying through August she had her key access (a ridiculous app) removed so she couldn't get in even though she's obviously still paying. To reactivate the key she was charged £40 she had to send to a personal account, not a business account and she wasn't given a receipt...seems suspicious but she's a young and easy target! Prices are ridiculous and communication with families and renters is severely lacking. You should really look into your options before renting from this company.

T · 10 August 2025

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Possibly the worst experience ever. Nearly £700 per month and a deposit of £250!! They have decided to keep £70 back from the deposit for “communal cleaning of kitchen” multiply this by just 10 students in this accommodation that’s £700!!!!!! For what was a wipe over as I was there when the “cleaning” was done!!!!what an absolute rip off and disgrace STAY WELL CLEAR OF THIS COMPANY AT ALL COSTS!!!

J**** · 16 September 2025

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Me and my friend have just moved into our property with purple cactus and the help of Patrick! Such a lovely property and very clean, Patrick has been very welcoming and professional in all of our queries and questions. Would highly recommend purple cactus for student accommodation and Patrick for all the help!

Mollie · 11 August 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Used Purple Cactus for 3 years during my time at university. Had no issues at all during my stay and Colin and Pat were always super friendly when I needed to speak with them.

Nikki · 16 April 2025

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

DO NOT TRUST THEM When collecting the keys at the start of the accademic year (Aug 2023), the flat was disgusting, not cleaned since the last tennant. Broken shower, stains on every carpet, bed held together with duct tape... the list was extensive and they wanted to charge my daughter and partner £1,000 a month. Colin believed that this was an acceptable condition to acceptance tennancy. Totally rip off merchants. We had to find new accomodation PDQ and they are now withholding our deposits even through the flat has been re-let. Trust this agent at your own peril.

Jimbob · 23 October 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Dealt with Amy and Charlotte this year and been flawless. Property and agency are 5*!

Leo · 24 August 2025

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

The agency seems nice and promising at first but I’ve had incredibly poor experience with Purple Cactus. As a student, I was hoping for a smooth and professional service, but unfortunately, my experience was far from satisfactory. It took over a month to receive my deposit back, despite numerous attempts to contact the agency. When they decided to actually pick up the phone I received countless excuses and false promises regarding my deposit such as ‘you will get in back in 30 days’ or ‘I don’t know at this moment’. This kind of delay and lack of certainty is unacceptable. The lack of communication and transparency during this process only added to the frustration. It is deeply concerning how Purple Cactus seems to take advantage of students, knowing many of us are in vulnerable positions and need reliable support when it comes to housing. I expected a much higher level of professionalism and respect, but instead, I felt neglected and deceived. If you are looking for a reliable agency who will attend to problems with your property DO NOT sign with purple cactus. They will not answer calls or emails forcing you to go down to the office just to get their attention!!

Maddie · 23 September 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Rips off students and tries to make you pay a cleaning fee at the end of the tenancy even when you clean it to a better standard then when you moved in- make sure you get a contract that is a specific amount of weeks and doesn't go over that by any amount as they will charge you for those extra days once you have left and not in the 3 instalments you are already paying. Tells you to report things through the app they created but then they don't respond for weeks. Ignored me and told me I was wrong multiple times when our fire alarms were out of date even though I gave them photographic proof they were out of date and they did not do anything until I threatened to report them to the council- told me the beeping was due to the battery's having run out and I could easily go buy some and replace them myself. Did not make you aware when work was happening in the house half of the time so we had workers turn up and we had no idea what they were there for and even had a cherry picker show up on the drive without warning. We had 4 cars on a 5 car driveway and it blocked 3 of the spaces causing lots of issues with parking because of the parking restrictions on our street.

Lucy · 23 September 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Honestly the worst. They’re so bad at replying back and it seems like they just blatantly ignore all emails and messages. I could never get a hold of my landlord and even when I had mould issues in my room, I put in a maintenance request in October 2023 and they never responded and only came to fix the issue near the end of the tenancy in April 2024. Furthermore, my housemate had noticed that one of the fire alarm testing had expired and it needed to be re-tested, she contacted purple cactus and all they told her to do was buy new batteries and put them in herself. I handed in my keys on the 11/07/2024 and my tenancy ended 03/08/2024. We were promised our deposit back a month after our tenancy had ended, however I didn’t receive it and neither did a lot of people. I sent emails and a message to their WhatsApp and asked them to look into why I hadn’t gotten my deposit back yet, but still got no response. I had to call them up and they said that the invoice for the house had not arrived yet, even though they should have gotten the invoice back a while ago and not a few days ago. Then they decided to take off £56 off my £300 deposit for “cleaning fees” and for the oven, although the oven was not clean when we first moved in and we had cleaned the property to the best we could. I offered £30 instead, assuming that they would not give me back my money in full anyways and they still haven’t responded. I tried opening a live chat with them and my messages are unread. So I still haven’t gotten my deposit back either. Honestly just seems sneaky, in my opinion I believe they waited for new students to move in and then clean the property and charge that from our deposits. The worst, please do NOT rent with them. Many other people are also experiencing the same problems with this as well, as they are taking off money off our deposits.

Thrisha · 23 September 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Purple Cactus was great at first when moving in. However, throughout the tenancy, there were quite a few maintenance issues that we had requested to be sorted and that the landlord knew of. None of these requests were sorted until the end of our agreement. After leaving the tenenacy, we have waited over 2 months for our deposit to be returned and we are still waiting. I have made several calls to Purple Cactus asking for the deposit and all I have recieved are false promises. After reviewing an email sent to us from purple cactus, it is seemed that £150 is to be taken off our deposit. This is for 'cleaning fees' and 'damage to the property'. We had cleaned the house entirely, better than it was when we moved in, and there certainly was no damage to the property when we moved out. I think they are trying to steal as much as they can from us students who are in need. PLEASE do not use purple cactus!!!

Buzi088 · 23 September 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

I wish I could give zero stars for this horrendous experience with Purple Cactus. If you’re considering renting through them, do yourself a favour and RUN in the opposite direction. After vacating the property, I was promised that my deposit would be returned a MONTH after - this was present in the law abiding contract, which they have now broken for multiple students therefore I suggest the students that have the same issue look into this further. It's past the deadline, and every time I reach out, I’m met with empty promises and excuses. I’ve never encountered such blatant disregard for contractual obligations. Must I add it is completely illegal to keep deposits after the date on the contract! To make matters worse, the property had issues during my stay. It’s laughable how these so-called professionals handle repairs. I submitted multiple requests for urgent repairs, only to be met with delays so severe that they bordered on neglect. It’s almost as if they believe their job is to avoid work rather than address it. This agency’s lack of efficiency and professionalism is astounding. They seem to take pride in their inability to manage even the most basic responsibilities. If you value your time, money, and sanity, avoid Purple Cactus at all costs.

Sophie · 23 September 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

I wish i could do no stars or even negative stars!! not only did purple cactus leave me in a place with bedbugs where i was covered in bites regularly but also took an entire month to give me my deposit back and several emails. they also failed to give me any compensation. i have developed a real fear of bugs due to this. it has severally effected my mental health and purple cactus did absolutely nothing!!

Annabelle · 9 October 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

At first the company seemed lovely and willing to help with all concerns we have have, however the company had failed to complete necessary checks on our property and as a result we were unable to move in which we found out 2 months after we signed our contracts. The company then promised to return our deposits the next day, which they did not, so we had to message, phone and visit the office multiple times before our deposits where finally returned. If you do go with purple cactus double check everything is in order before you sign.

Ella · 20 April 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Spent all 3 university years with purple cactus. I couldn’t recommend highly enough. Help me find 2 properties as I renewed the same house in my final year. Always on call to deal with maintenance and helped us with our neighbours when they … More

Jack · 11 August 2025