Houseen Lettings and Property Services – Student Reviews On Letting Agents

I am sharing this to warn students, international tenants, and anyone considering renting in Brighton about my experience with Houseen Lettings. From the very start of the tenancy, the property had multiple faults, damage, and defective items. All of these issues were clearly reported at move-in with emails, photographs, and videos. Despite being fully informed, Houseen Lettings later attempted to deduct money from our deposit for these same pre-existing issues, as if they had never been reported. A clear example was the sofa bed. After only six months of normal use, the lowest-quality wooden frame became exposed and the cushioning had completely deteriorated, making it extremely uncomfortable to sit or sleep on. Please note that this was a replacement we were given, and the condition reflected poor quality, not misuse. The kitchen dining table also began peeling during everyday use. We reported this when it happened and were told it would need replacing, yet it was still included in the deposit deductions later on. The situation escalated into a long and exhausting dispute. After approximately six months, we were only able to recover our deposit by raising a formal dispute with The Dispute Service Ltd (TDS). We also noticed that the amounts submitted to TDS were higher than those originally communicated to us, which raised serious concerns. Communication from Houseen Lettings was extremely poor. Our emails often went unanswered, including messages sent through the TDS platform, where responses form part of the legal process. The delays appeared to place pressure on us to accept deductions we did not agree with. As first-time renters in the UK, we were also asked to pay six months’ rent upfront. Later, during the third month of the tenancy, we were unexpectedly asked to pay the remaining six months in full, despite being previously told our monthly rental period would begin later. Additionally, although our agreement stated that all bills were included, we were later asked to pay for utilities. After seeking legal advice locally, we were informed these requests were incorrect. After reviewing other public complaints, it became clear that our experience does not appear to be isolated. Taken together — deposit handling, poor-quality furnishings, lack of transparency, and communication issues — this was a deeply stressful experience. I strongly recommend that anyone considering renting through Houseen Lettings in Brighton proceeds with extreme caution and ensures everything is documented in writing.

Unresponsive, rude, lying, unprofessional management.

I would suggest to anyone to AVOID this agency. In my experience with them, they have shown to be unprofessional and incompetent. They are not part of any professional body or protection scheme (as of Spring 2013), so you’re on your own if anything goes wrong. And given how absent minded they can be, things will probably go wrong. In my case an appliance advertised online and put *in the inventory* was missing. When they were informed about it they apologised for their oversight but said they cannot do anything about it! In my case it was a small freezer, so nothing too critical, but it’s a matter of principle and I believe this to be unacceptable. As my tenancy was approaching its end and I had confirmed I will be vacating the property, Houseen understandably put ads on-line to advertise it to new potential tenants. However, they AGAIN managed to put the wrong information in the ad (regarding that freezer)! Not sure if this is simply unprofessional absent-mindedness, or actual attempt to mislead potential tenants. They also were advertising the property as available before the time I was due to return the keys, of which I had to remind them as well. I DO NOT recommend this agency.

Agent was OK there response times to problems was quick.

told us we couldn’t move into a property one day before we were meant to move in. no communication, no help. complete amateur hour, avoid at all costs! took £1200 of us

Really pleased with the apartment that I have rented from this agency. From seeing the property to moving in took three days. Staff were friendly and helpful.

Was assured my window would be replaced within 2 weeks of moving in to the property… 6 months later I am still waiting.

No problems with that agency. Rented a neat cozy studio downtown for a respectful price. Electrical appliances were included, although I had to buy the furniture.

Houseem have a high professional standard of service. My complaints would be regarding the time it takes for problems to be fixed!

Good house and the letting agency was really professional, but we were without a washing machine for over 3 weeks which was very inconvenient, and it took lots of phone calls to get anything sorted