Octagon - www.octagonlettings.co.uk

The premium charges and 'professional' service from this agency are entirely substandard.

Beware of their standard trick of pre-preparing the contract, refusing to send it to you in advance and having you sign it in the office soon after you arrive to finalise arrangements.

I have personal experience of them claiming for 'check-out' charges (one of several unreasonable premiums) for having the check-out report done by a company chosen by the landlord!

Also - when dealing with first moving in, we were told that they would not accept cheques, credit or debit card payment of the deposit and rent - so we gave them cash, only to be charged a 1% 'cash handling fee' - which on over £2000 was doubly outrageous!

Whilst in residence, repairs were unreasonably difficult to arrange and delayed to a ridiculous extent; with electrical safety, front door security and 'lesser' concerns all taking far too long or not being done at all with the lame excuse that the landlord wasn't available or didn't agree (even when in breach of contract and/or legal responsibilities....).

Also - they don't belong (according to their own website) to any quality-assurance scheme or voluntary regulator.

Statutory regulation can't come soon enough to deal with cowboys like this.

USE AT YOUR PERIL!!!!

I rent my flat through Octagon for 2.5 yrs. I trusted them for being professional and for returning my deposit. However, even after 2 months of vacating the house they have not returned my deposit. Worse they made me pay in full for the last month of the tenancy and have not returned half of the money. Thats nearly 1300 we're talking about. I visited the house two weeks back and found that no work has been done. The landlord says he has no information. I dont know what to believe!

Certainly dont go their way.