my girlfriend has just moved into a house which tapton own, she lives with 3 others. (2 of them are yet to move in)

theyve been in a week and the house has lots of problems.


the girls cannot open the back door, the lock and door in general is ridiculously stiff
the top of the oven has had something burnt onto it, now everytime we use it, the top remains burn and it stinks (looks like plastic)
the hoover was broke upon arrival (but has been taken to be fixed)
the smoke alarm is beeping as if low battery, yet it doesnt have a battery or space for one, the other smoke alarm doesnt work, period.
they have snail trails IN THE HOUSE. despite hoovering/wiping the trails up, theyre back, bigger and more of the next day.
cupboard under the sink has completely fallen in
only 2 phone sockets work
dining room table chairs are broken, only 2 have 4 legs and are safe.


i was wondering if anyone has dealt with tapton before? the reason being is theyre apparently hard to get hold of...

i get the impression theyre like - its only students we dont have to sort it out. but its horrible, unliveable and not nice.

the residents told tapton via inspection sheet about most of the problems, but my gf thinks that is sufficient and doesnt like to follow things up. the problem is not all of the issues (such as the cooker) was noticeable or problematic upon 'inspection' its only when you come to cook that the plasticky fumes get let off.

i was therefore going to call tapton and see what they say.

would it be worth calling the trading standards? or is there a 'trading standards equivalent' in the housing industry?

Is this university owned accommodation then? If it is then they are contractually obligated to fix most of these problems.

Why not contact university housing:

http://www.shef.ac.uk/housing/contact.html

0114 222 6041

Originally posted by jimmy
Is this university owned accommodation then? If it is then they are contractually obligated to fix most of these problems.

Why not contact university housing:

http://www.shef.ac.uk/housing/contact.html

0114 222 6041

theyre hallam students, would the above number matter?

http://www.shu.ac.uk/accommodation/helpadvice.html

this is for hallam students

called tapton who were unprepared to do anything about the snails. a bit shocking really, i bet they dont live with snails in their living rooms.

mentioned the fact the cooker top sets on fire due to melted gubbins on the top each time its used and not really interested either, they said had to be put in writing. ok fair enough, writing with a solicitors signature...

Oh I thought it was associated with Tapton Hall of Residents (i.e. Sheffield University) - not an external housing company. Sorry.

I get the odd slug in the living room due to wooden floors and a warm cellar. just put a bit of salt around the edge of the room. Should get rid of em.

I think the cooker is probably illegal.

we salted the floor last night, sure enough that stopped the trails on the carpet, but now even more unhygenically theyre all over the kitchen.

will have to issue the salt brigade tonight.

the problem is, tapton dont give a flying duck. theyre 150% profit mongers, money money money.

I once lived in a house let by Tapton, and they were worse than useless. Not only did we have many of the same problems (snail trails etc) but when I phoned them to complain about the kitchen being damp, exemplified by removing dishes from the cupboard to find them visibly wet - the patronising b***h on the phone had the nerve to ask me if I was sure I'd dried them properly.

Nothing got done for us in that house. The snails, the damp kitchen, the wasps nest in the attic - I actually left early to move into my next place which had conveniently been vacated early. Then, to rub salt in the wound, I stopped by a month or so later to see if I'd had any mail that I'd forgotten to redirect (the new tenants were in by that time) and they'd put a brand new bloody kitchen in!! So obviously they DID believe me, but couldn't be bothered to do anything about it because I was locked into a contract for 12 months.

how easy would it be for them to void the illegal pre-dated cheques they have given to tapton, and start looking for somewhere else.

Originally posted by Vini
how easy would it be for them to void the illegal pre-dated cheques they have given to tapton, and start looking for somewhere else.
As far as i am aware pre-dated cheques are not illegal. I think you will find most student property companies will ask for payment this way.

I lived in a house owned by Tapton estates in my second year at university and have to agree that they were absolutely useless. The ceiling leaked but despite telling them on numerous occasions they did nothing! Also they kept £200 of our deposit to have the house "industrially cleaned" but when we went round to collect mail when we had moved out the girls who had since moved in said the house was filthy when they first moved in?? Very odd.
The woman in the office was very patronising and they didn't even supply us with a bin because we were "students and would only break it"!
Our hoover was broken on arrival and we were told to take it to darts in crookesmoor even though we lived on whitham road and had no transport!
Absolutely RUBBISH!

http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/index.asp?pgid=13532

It is the law that if you notify your landlord of defects in their accommodation, and they fail to rectify them in a reasonable period, then you are entitled to compensation.

It is no different because you are students (hell, you're paying far more than ordinary private tenants), it's just that students are more likely to put up with it and less likely to make a fuss.

Speak to the people at your local Citizen's Advice Bureau and/or the private sector housing people.

Make sure you do everything in writing and keep copies of all your correspondence.

Good luck!

well a blast from the past.


they have snail trails IN THE HOUSE. despite hoovering/wiping the trails up, theyre back, bigger and more of the next day.
cupboard under the sink has completely fallen in
dining room table chairs are broken, only 2 have 4 legs and are safe.


girlfriend says the above are still to be sorted.

and since moving in more problems/defects have become apparent.

guttering above the front door, leaks in rain. light rain or heavy rain it leaks, directly under the front door wetting you as you walk in.

this obviously couldnt be reported at the time of moving in due to the fact it was summer and we didnt have rain!


as things are still going on with their house, i decided to call Tapton today and find out what was what.

i spoke to Richard, who was been very arrogant.

i started the call by asking for an update on the property, ie. whats going to be done when. and he was like? what needs doing?

i read the list out. he then said he had no reports of a cupboard fallen in, and the fact that 3 handy men had been out and this had not been mentioned to them meant he wasnt going to do anything about it. he also said that because it wasnt mentioned to them, he didnt know what to do, as it could be the case that the current tennants have broken it. ie. accusing them!

i said do you not have the photos which were sent along with the walk in sheet. he said not to hand.

slugs, he cant do anything about, because the council cant do anything about it.

chairs - he said the chairs have been on order since 26/07... ok why the long wait? they getting them made by beavers?

the guttering, he said if he sent a guy out to look at the guttering and it wasnt cracked, the tennants would have to foot the bill.

thats fair enough im sure, but there shouldnt be water running from out of the gutter to the floor directly under the door. pretty sure this is a leak/crack, but theyre scared to follow it up due to the charge mentioned.

anyone know any way to get things done, within your rights ?


put it this way, i wouldnt use tapton ever again! and if there was a way to spread the word and hopefully put others off using them, then i would!

As the girlfriend living in the house, I have e-mailed them to say that their treatment of us has been unacceptable and that we have been in touch with Agentwatch and Hallam Housing.

I have also threatened to withhold rent as we are legally entitled to do (we have lived here for more than 3 months and problems reported the day we moved in still have not been fixed) and recited a few things from the site that was posted by Shine.

Also anybody who decides to look round the house with a view to renting it next year will be told exactly how we have been treated.

As vini said, any legal advice would be much appreciated

still not getting anywhere fast, just thought this should be near the top so other students can consider there options when it comes to moving into a shared house/tapton owned house.

I would withold rent until the problems are sorted personally. Id also take photos of the snails, and post them all over the uni and say "this is what Tapton expects us to live with"....that ought to shift them!

Thanks for the warning!

I would suggest writing to them detailing all the problems. Photocopy the letter with the date on it, and claim that you're also sending a copy to your parents solicitor (claiming you have pushy, legal eagle type parents tends to shift landlords into gear, even if its not true!)

If they still dont do anything take copies of your correspondence to the uni and ask for some help and advice.

Unless you can actually afford legal wranglings I wouldn't advise withholding your rent. Chances are unless you get it to court they will simply keep your bonds and you'll be living with the snails til the end of your eviction :mad:

Originally posted by Avalon
I would withold rent until the problems are sorted personally. Id also take photos of the snails, and post them all over the uni and say "this is what Tapton expects us to live with"....that ought to shift them!

flyers and photos and posters will be made up after christmas, for distribution to the students.

my mate runs a marketing company which used for getting information accross to both SHU and UoS students, so im sure he will be of great help.

i just want other people to know how rubbish tapton are, how they seem to just shrug you off. they know your a student, and think they know what students are like.

at the minute a report is being written for distribution and many companies such as watchdog/agentwatch and student housing assoc have already been contacted.

they cant be allowed to treat people like they do.

Update:

We had a lovely man called Tony out on Wednesday. He carries out work for Tapton fairly regularly but is not employed by them. He fixed our ceiling (which had a biiiiig crack in it) and then fixed the kitchen cupboard and fitted a piece of wood in a gap between the two corner units. (He had not been told by Tapton to do this, but I had received an e-mail from them about 10mins before he left saying that if we wanted the problems fixed, we should ask him to do them).

So the only problem we have now is the leaking gutter (which Tony went up to have a look at - waiting to hear whether he's said anything to Tapton yet though.)

Things are looking up but we have lived here nearly 4 months now which I still think is an unacceptable time frame (especially as legal threats made as advised by housemates dad who is a solicitor were the only thing that got them to shift their butts!)

We have also been given the responsibility of showing prospective tennants around the property for next year... Tapton may be surprised to find that they have difficulty letting this house next year... I wonder why ;)

the snail trails in the house thing isn't really a big deal at all.

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16099&highlight=slugs+in+house

When i was a student the sneaky blighters managed to find a way into every house we lived in. Occasionally if i came home at about 5am I would catch them at it and make them pay for trespassing but they never did any harm.

I know it's not right or anything, but you don't get the same type of treatment renting a student house as you do renting as 'normal' house. It's like they know as standard a lot of groups will only live there for a year maximum anyway, plus I know enought students that have trashed their rented houses, so while it's harsh on you it's probably not a priority for them to sort.

we used to rent with Salis on Eccy Rd. Me and my housemate both had mould covering 1 wall in our rooms by the end of the year, the fridge kept breaking and there were loads of minor problems. We complained loads and they never did anything and then had the cheek to take half our deposits for things like 'washing and drying' the ceiling!

not sure if this helps because I'm no expert but even though agencies accept post-dated cheques they're still illegal - if i were your girlfriend I'd cancel them and leave - but do it so your deposit covers your last months rent - lets face it we've all been there and shafted royally by landloards - that's how i try to do it now - give them the deposit as last months rent - that way you get your money back! Next time go through a private landlord - a lot easier to hassle if you need something doing - but go on instinct when you meet them - if they act like a cocky pratt they probably are - sorry to hear about the house its not nice living like that - hope it works out!

but student's contracts tend to have parents as guarentours so that might not work

There are plenty of problems you can cause;
http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/environment/environmentalhealth

This was the route I took when we had serious problems with a landlord. I was helped by my dads best mate, who fortunately for me was head of Environmental Housing. He advised us to take clear, dated photgraphs of everything. Make sure every complaint is put in writing and that you keep a copy yourself, and make sure you keep a record of every reply. If possible, record telephone conversations and if you visit the agency take someone with you as a witness.

Once I'd told the landlord what we were doing, and after Environmental Health paid a visit, he was very eager to sort everything out.



Or alternatively wreck the place. Really, trash everything and move out. I'm told it costs landlords far, far more to chase you up and take you to court (if they ever found you, which they wouldn't) than it would for them to replace everything.

Originally posted by Agent Gypo
Or alternatively wreck the place. Really, trash everything and move out. I'm told it costs landlords far, far more to chase you up and take you to court (if they ever found you, which they wouldn't) than it would for them to replace everything.

It doesn't cost that much to sue tenants who do this sort of thing see https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/csmco/index.jsp
up to £300 the fee is £30.
£ 300.01 - £500 the fee is £50.
£ 500.01 - £1,000 the fee is £80.

This is made easier if tenants have guarantors as they can be sued if need be.

I would contact The Sheffield Star and get them to publish the story

(-:

Would be really surprised if they cared enough to do a story on that - it's pretty normal for student houses

Roof now fallen in... see other thread, but all I can do is repeat my advice: DO NOT RENT FROM TAPTON UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!!

Originally posted by Vini
well a blast from the past.

slugs, he cant do anything about, because the council cant do anything about it.


I lived in a privately rented house when I first got married, 30+ years ago, and had the same problem, and I had a very young family.

The Councils Environmental Health peoples attitude was that it wasn't a problem because slugs are not classed as vermin.

I bet the Leader of the Council didn't have the same problem!

Originally posted by ninapee
not sure if this helps because I'm no expert but even though agencies accept post-dated cheques they're still illegal

They're not illegal, in the sense that they're against the law to write or accept. However you will probably find they are against the terms and conditions of your bank account, and if you stop them you will be charged for each cheque.

Post dated cheques wouldn't be seen as valid cheques in the eyes of a court, so you couldn't sue or be sued on a bounced post-dated cheque (but could still be sued on the basis of the original debt). This is my understanding of the law but before acting you should seek independent legal advice.

All I would ask is, would Tapton maybe take things more seriously if the actual tennents complained?

As for the snails, they'll come in handy when you get fed up of baked beans :P

miss minx is an actual tennant, she does all the complaining... except for once, when i've done it.

There is a clause in some housing act taht says that the landlord must carry out repairs within a reasonable time. If not then the tennant has the right to get the repairs done and bill the landlord. However - if they won't do the repairs how can you get the money off them.

Put everything in writing and make sure you keep a copy. They do sound like they are flouting the housing act.

Your union rep should help you out. If not (complain about them too) try contacting your local MP and trading standards officer and try the housing office at the local council. Do threaten leagal action - I know that SHU has a drop in legal thingy (or used to).

But I think publicising this porr treatment is a great idea. But report it to uni because I'm sure they're on the uni list.

Fumes from buring plastic are carcinogenic.

I'm told by people I know that Tapton are struggling at the moment as they are v, short staffed, no excuse I know!

As I've said before contact the Private Rented Standards department at the council and the Environmental Health. The other option is to contact the owner of the property direct (if Tapton are just the agents) and demand they take action. If Tapton are the agents then there should be a UK contact address for the Landlord on your agreement if there isn't go to Tapton and request it.

If the roof has fallen in and any of your belongs are damaged then obviously Tapton/Owner are responsible so inform them in writing of what items have been damaged, the replacement values and that you will be deducting the cost from the rent.

Originally posted by Musey
If the roof has fallen in and any of your belongs are damaged then obviously Tapton/Owner are responsible so inform them in writing of what items have been damaged, the replacement values and that you will be deducting the cost from the rent.

They will tell you to claim on your contents insurance. Unless the roof collapse was clearly due to their negligence then they aren not obviously responsible and you may spend more time and effort trying to get money out of them than it would take to make an insurance claim.

This house sounds like a nightmare!

Originally posted by ninapee
not sure if this helps because I'm no expert but even though agencies accept post-dated cheques they're still illegal

They aren't - see my earlier reply to this thread. The bank won't let you issue them, and they wouldn't generally be recognised as a cheque by law, but they are not illegal.

Unless the roof collapse was clearly due to their negligence

Apparently they had been told almost a month before the roof collapsed that there were tiles missing that would probably cause this problem in heavy rain

If Tapton are the agents then there should be a UK contact address for the Landlord on your agreement if there isn't go to Tapton and request it.

Can't see an address on the contract, but Tapton Estates are listed as the landlord so it's possible that the property is owned by them

If not then the tennant has the right to get the repairs done and bill the landlord. However - if they won't do the repairs how can you get the money off them.

That's why we're wary of getting the work done privately - Tapton could refuse to pay and then we'd be seriously screwed! As all of our rent has been paid via post-dated cheque, we cannot deduct anything from the rent... I think the system is designed to make it as difficult as possible to get any money out of them!

Musey, Bojolo et al. - I am in the process of drafting a letter/report/rant (ahem, constructively formed criticism ;) ) which will contain details of all the trouble we have had (all the problems, the time taken to fix things, the number of times Tapton have "lost" our communication) which will be sent to Agentwatch, Students Union, Private Rented Standards Department etc. Don't know if anything will happen about it but at least I'm letting people know!

Originally posted by sheff_minx
That's why we're wary of getting the work done privately - Tapton could refuse to pay and then we'd be seriously screwed! As all of our rent has been paid via post-dated cheque, we cannot deduct anything from the rent... I think the system is designed to make it as difficult as possible to get any money out of them!
If the cheques have not been cahsed yet then cancel them, deduct the cost of cancelling them from the balance of monies, use the rest to get the roof fixed, replace belongings etc and offer the rest to the Landlord.
Musey, Bojolo et al. - I am in the process of drafting a letter/report/rant (ahem, constructively formed criticism ;) ) which will contain details of all the trouble we have had (all the problems, the time taken to fix things, the number of times Tapton have "lost" our communication) which will be sent to Agentwatch, Students Union, Private Rented Standards Department etc. Don't know if anything will happen about it but at least I'm letting people know!
Have you phoned Private Rented Standards, they are generally easy to get hold of and pretty helpful. They would probably agree to at least visit the premises and view the problems.

When looking at properties in the future try to use ARLA or RICS agents, members of Sheffield City Council's Responsible Landlord Scheme or members of SADLA (Sheffield & District Lanlord Association). Not all landlord are like this, in fact in my experience most are good people but at least vetting your landlord's a bit may help avoid problems in the future.

Originally posted by sheff_minx
Can't see an address on the contract, but Tapton Estates are listed as the landlord so it's possible that the property is owned by them


Depending on how far you go, I believe you can do a check on the Land Registery website to find out who owns the property, for a small fee (£2?).

Originally posted by Musey
When looking at properties in the future try to use ARLA or RICS agents, members of Sheffield City Council's Responsible Landlord Scheme or members of SADLA (Sheffield & District Lanlord Association). Not all landlord are like this, in fact in my experience most are good people but at least vetting your landlord's a bit may help avoid problems in the future.

I think we're going to avoid agencies from now on if possible and try and go for properties owned by private registered landlords. I'm working on the theory that an individual should be more bothered about the state of his/her property than an agency with X amount of houses (this has, so far, certainly been the case amongst our friends and family)

Oh well, only 8 months left of the tennancy now :partyhat:

Just a bump, for the students to read as its house buying time again...

Despite the moving out at the end of November, resigning the contract for the new tennant etc...

I have still has not received the deposit, nearly 6 months on.

Richard at Tapton said it would be looked into, in an email dated 27-01-2006... Nice one Richard.

Then this is your next port of call surely

https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/csmco2/index.jsp

Hi

Thankyou to everyone who has posted their views about Tapton Estates. I had a meeting with them last week about putting my property on their management books. I was not all that impressed with the guy who had a look round as he was a little arrogant!

My main concern about having a management company sort my house out was when things need replacing and repairing. I asked how long tenants usually wait. He said that if something needs doing he has people on the end of the phone who can be there staight away!!!

From what I have read this is clearly a load of rubbish. I

I am therefor going to carry on managing the property myself, why should i pay them 15% of the rent each month to sit on their backsides and do nothing???

If any Hallam students have trouble with landlords/agents then Hallam run a drop in centre everyday from 1pm to 3pm in the new union building.

The advisors their are very helpful and know the legal framework with regards to letting property.

:thumbsup:

Hi, I'm a small private landlord renting to students and young professionals and I agree with your previous writer that we small private landlords are in general more concerned about our properties than huge letting companies. I must be doing something right as I had a group of lads who stayed in one of my houses for 4 years through uni and after graduation. On leaving to go to Manchester one of them called me up for a chat and told me he wished all landlords sorted everything out as quickly as I did. This year again I've had two groups stay on for another year. When they ring they get straight through to me not an employee in the office who couldn't care less. All my houses are cleaned before people move in. You do get bad tenants though, this year I had a group of lads and 2 of the 3 trashed their beds, not cheap frames but expensive hotel quality ones. I should have known better than to rent to someone paying with a coutts account!!! These big letting companies in Sheffield give student landlords a bad name.