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The Tale of 64 Blades Street
Nickelodeon
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This report is about the 2017–18 and 2018–19 tenancies of 64 Blades Street, Lancaster, a six-bedroom house let by Student Housing Lancaster (SHL). It was initially produced for the purpose of disputing unreasonable deposit deductions proposed by SHL at the end of the second tenancy.
This report is about the 2017–18 and 2018–19 tenancies of 64 Blades Street, Lancaster, a six-bedroom house let by Student Housing Lancaster (SHL). It was initially produced for the purpose of disputing unreasonable deposit deductions proposed by SHL at the end of the second tenancy.
The structure of this report is as follows:
We have tried to provide as much evidence as possible for every claim made below. Unfortunately, such support is not available for all claims, particularly from the 2017–18 tenancy where many conversations were carried out in person or over the phone. Claims that are only backed by our word and no external supporting evidence such as emails from SHL staff or photographs are therefore clearly marked with a no-external tag.
SHL have seen fit to let out a house that we believe to be barely fit for human habitation and have done so for at least four years. They and/or the landlord of the property1 have continually ignored repeat attempts to raise the multitude of serious issues with the property. Despite this, they have been more than happy to pocket the money for it, even increasing the rent year-on-year as the condition of the property deteriorates.
When issues have been raised or SHL have been confronted about their pattern of poor behaviour they have routinely either ignored it [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13], made excuses [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] or, most seriously, seemingly attempted to gaslight the tenants into believing that the issues are their own fault [1] [2] [3] [4]. Numerous promised inspections and renovations do not appear to have ever come about [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8].
As SHL’s target market is students who are generally a) inexperienced in matters of property b) aware of their rights as tenants and, in many cases c) foreign students with limited access to means of redress in this country, we consider this situation to be particularly concerning. Specifically, when the authors have mentioned their deposit deduction issues to other former SHL tenants, many expressed that they felt they had been similarly unfairly charged, but had just found it easier to pay the money and be done with it.
Unfortunately, we had a lot of spare time on our hands.
Note that we shall be applying Hanlon’s razor—i.e., never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by foolishness
—throughout this report. That said, we believe there is a public interest in publishing this account for the benefit of prospective future SHL tenants, whether our experiences were the result of malicious intent or simple incompetence. We do not make any claim here as to which we believe to be more likely, but we do find it interesting to note that SHL have been operating since at least 2004 and do not seem to reflect a decade and a half of experience.
Note also that our goal is not necessarily to criticise or embarass the individual SHL staff members featured below. Though they are all complicit in this behaviour, they also need a job just as much as any of us and seem, in some cases at least, to be genuinely trying to do their best. Also, SHL have demonstrated time and time again that if given the opportunity to pass blame on to an individual scapegoat (especially if that scapegoat no longer works there) they will attempt to do so, and we do not wish to give them this chance. The issue is SHL as a company, and the abysmal behaviour they both exhibit and enable.
Note, finally, that others do appear to have had enjoyable experiences renting with SHL. They currently have a 3.2/5 rating with five reviews on Google Reviews, including both five-star and one-star reviews.2 At least one five-star review is authored (or, at least, is claimed to be authored) by somebody known to one of the authors of this report, which suggests that at least some of the positive reviews are genuine. However, as mentioned previously, SHL act on behalf of the landlord and so we have held them responsible. If they propose that it is in fact the landlord who was at fault in this instance, their decision to continue doing business with that landlord nonetheless reflects poorly on them.
In the interests of constructive criticism, we conclude this summary with a couple suggestions for SHL as to how they can improve going forwards:
Actual adoption of these suggestions, of course, lies with SHL.
Effort has been made to redact all names, faces and email addresses throughout this report.3
The 2017–18 tenants featured below were:
The 2018–19 tenants featured below, some of whom contributed to this report, were:
Student Housing Lancaster (SHL) are a property letting agency based in Lancaster. Companies House shows that the company was incorporated in mid-2012 and that the current MD was appointed in early 2015, although the Wayback Machine shows that they have had a Web presence since the start of 2004.
They are not currently listed as a member of the Lancaster University Homes scheme of university-accredited landlords.7
The SHL staff are/were:
In addition, a title deed obtained through HM Land Registry shows that the property was purchased by the current landlord in 2003 for £123,000.
Summer 2017: The previous tenants leave a spare key with a group of friends when their tenancy ends. The friends proceed to squat in the property over the summer. ( Email )
September 2017: The 2017–18 tenants begin their tenancy. The house was in a terrible state when we moved in, with vomit in the toilets, piss soaking through a mattress, and the kitchen was unclean and dirty, especially the floor, which ‘M’ had to clean herself as the cleaners didn’t come round until a few days after moving in.
The oven is full of mould, there are cigarette butts on the beds, holes in various floors, the furniture in the living room is torn apart and the lower levels of the house mould-damaged and foul-smelling. SHL are notified and send cleaners round almost a week later, by which time the tenants have cleaned the place themselves. ( Email ; Facebook Chat [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] ; Photo of back garden )
‘M’ also reports a number of other issues to SHL, such as the damaged furniture. SHL advise the tenants to put blankets over the shredded sofa cushions, promising to replace it soon—two years on, and the sofa remains. They sort out a few of the lower-hanging fruits (e.g., cleaning out the garden) and ignore all of the ones that seem hard to fix (e.g., the damp and sewage smells
). ( Photo of list of things to report to SHL ; Email )
Through a mutual friend, the new tenants find out that the house was in even worse condition for the previous year’s tenants, who had to invest large amounts of their own time and money into improving the place. ( Facebook Chat [1] [2] )
‘T’’s room lacks blinds, but comes with rags up at the window which were covered in vomit
instead so it’s not all bad. The curtain poles are also broken. ‘T’ replaces both out of her own pocket, with permission from the [SHL] MD
. ( Email [1] [2] [3] )
2018-02-21: ‘M’ reports a crack in the kitchen ceiling wall, under the first floor shower. SHL assure that they will come over. ( Email [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] ) They came, looked at it, were like
( WhatsApp Chat )that’s fucked
and did nothing.
Some point during Michaelmas term: The tenants report that a plant is growing through the drain of the basement bathroom shower. A man comes over and snips the extruding plant off with a pair of scissors.
Some time shortly after: A woman visits the property, announcing that she is the landlady.8 She is surprised to find that most of the kitchen chairs missing or damaged and the window of the back door punched through; a pre-move-in inspection would have revealed this, suggesting that one did not take place. She declares that the kitchen table, the top of which is not attached to the legs and which wobbles when pushed, is the sturdiest in Lancaster
.
At some point during this period: SHL send workmen over to the property. The housemates are not informed about this in advance, despite their contract mandating 24 hours’ notice. ( Email [1] [2] )
2018-03-01: Four of the six tenants have signed a contract for another year, because they are masochists. SHL continue to organise viewings and to list the house for rent, despite the protestations of the tenants. SHL reply to ‘C’ telling her to rest assured your tenancy is safe and it won’t happen again
. ( Email )
2018-03-14: Oh, never mind then: SHL tell the housemates about a viewing booked for the next day, ostensibly on the order of the landlord. ‘C’ replies, there is some back-and-forth and SHL lay the blame on the tenants for not having been communicating enough (despite having contacted SHL about the viewings AT LEAST 5 TIMES
, according to ‘C’). SHL choose to limit their communication to just ‘M’—the charitable view is that this is because she is the lead tenant, the more cynical view is that this is because she prefers to deal with SHL over the phone and in person, leaving no paper trail. ( Email [1] [2] [3] [4] ) SHL cancel the viewing. ( Email )
2018-05-25: SHL send out an email to tenants about the EU GDPR, which became enforcable on this date. ( Email )
2018-06-05: A mere fortnight later, SHL forget to use BCC when emailing all of their tenants, revealing the names and email addresses of all 240 of them. ( Email [1] [2] )
Summer 2018: The 2017–18 tenancy ends and ‘M’ and ‘B’ move out. ‘C’, ‘E’, ‘R’ and ‘T’ are staying for another year, joined by Ben and ‘L’. Ben, for his sins, gets the basement bedroom. SHL have had the gall to increase the rent. Ben is told in person by the Lettings Manager that the property will be renovated over the Summer. ( Email ) No inspection is carried out, and there is no sign of any renovation.
2018-09-10: SHL send out a welcome email that advises tenants to report any issues onto our fix fo system [and to] refrain from emailing us regarding an issue and instead report it on this system as it sends the issue straight to our maintenance team who can deal with it accordingly.
( Email )
Later that day, Ben reports the most pressing issue with his room: water is running in under the door. ( Report ) SHL send someone over to apply some sealant. This does not solve the issue.
2018-09-26: SHL send another email that advises tenants who have an extended list of problems for your property [to] please send us an email. Put your property name as the subject line and then please use subheadings of each room and state the problems below each subheading.
( Email )
2018-10-20: Ben sends an itemised list of all of the issues with the house, most of which were reported at the start of the previous tenancy, to SHL. ( Email [1] [2] [3] [Attached photos] ) Of these, only Basement Bedroom #1, Ground Floor Kitchen #5 and Gardens #1 & #2 are properly resolved; Basement Bathroom #2 is resolved so lazily that the issue reoccurs within a day. ( Email )
2018-11-01: ‘C’ again reports that the crack in the kitchen ceiling has grown bigger, pointing out that We have reported the hole in the bathroom floor and the linked damp crack in the kitchen ceiling below multiple times, both via the form and in person.
In the Tenant Notes
field, she writes Please help us
. Nothing is done. ( Report )
2018-11-08: ‘C’ reports that her bed is broken and springs are sticking out of her mattress. Nothing is done. ( Report )
2018-11-29: SHL forget to use BCC again when emailing all of their tenants about upcoming meter reads. Over 150 names, email addresses and (in some cases) property addresses are revealed for all to see; this is particularly concerning when the email is telling everyone to expect strangers to be asking for access to their houses over the next couple days. ( Email )
2018-12-05: The house originally only had a single wheelie bin for six people. Ben pays for a second from the local council. Meanwhile, ‘C’ goes into SHL to discuss another issue and mentions the bin. The Lettings Manager tells the tenants they will be reimbursed for the bin. Ben forwards him the receipt. ( Email ) SHL do not reply.
2018-12-10: ‘C’ again reports the kitchen ceiling crack, which has gotten worse since it was reported a year earlier and follows up on her replacement mattress request. SHL send someone over who applies some sealant to the first floor shower, paints over the crack a bit and leaves. SHL pat themselves on the back for a job well-done. ( Email )
2018-12-12: ‘C’ reports that a little bit of sealant is not going to be enough to fix the issue. She also follows up on her replacement mattress request again. SHL do not reply. ( Email )
2018-12-22: Ben finally realises why his room is so cold; the window on the external door does not sit flush against the frame. Again, something that should have been picked up in a house inspection, had there been any. ( Report )
2019-01-03: Ben follows up regarding the bin reimbursement. The Lettings Manager replies asking for Ben’s account details and forwards the email on to Accounts. ( Email [1] [2] [3] )
2019-01-18: The tenants report the fact that their two thermostats do not work. An electrician comes over to have a look, declaring that someone has made a pig’s ear
of the wiring that he couldn’t just leave [thermostat next to to the kitchen sink] dead
. He says he will be back soon. ( Report )
2019-01-25: SHL email the tenants to warn them that they are on track to exceed their utilities limit. ( Email ) This is the first time a specific utilities limit has been mentioned, with the tenants having previously been told by SHL that it is basically impossible to go over
.
Ben replies explaining that he needs to run the electric heater in his bedroom to counteract the aforementioned damp in the basement. He asks if a more energy-efficient dehumidifer can be provided by SHL. SHL do not reply. ( Email )
2019-01-30: Ben has still not received reimbursement for the bins and has now changed bank accounts. He emails SHL to tell them the new details. ( Email )
Some point after: Ben has still not received reimbursement. He goes into SHL to chase it up. SHL claim to have misplaced the invoice and say they will get on it as soon as possible.
2019-02-07: Ben finally gets fed up of knocking the top off of the sturdiest table in Lancaster
and reports the fact that the top is not properly connected to the legs. Someone comes over and screws it back together. ( Email )
2019-02-11: Two weeks on, the tenants report the thermostat issue again. Someone comes and installs a new thermostat, leaving the other two (including the one by the kitchen sink, which sounds like it might be dangerous). ( Report )
2019-02-22: Ben is finally reimbursed for the wheelie bin, almost three months later. ( Bank Statement )
2019-03-11: Ben records a video of his horrid basement bedroom (£495/mo, bills included; click here to view it if the embed doesn’t work):
2019-04-10: SHL send cleaners around for an apparently termly
clean—this is the first the tenants have heard of such a service, having now been through five Lancaster University academic terms in the property. ( Email ) They do not do a particularly thorough job. ( WhatsApp Chat )
2019-04-24: SHL announce that the property will be inspected the next day. ( Email [1] [2] ) ‘C’ replies to tell them to give 24 hours notice, as stated in the tenancy contract. SHL reschedule the inspection to later in the day. ( Email [1] [2] )
2019-04-25: Either SHL inspect the property as claimed and somehow find no issues with it, or they never actually bother to come round. ‘C’ believes the latter. ( Email )
w/c 2019-05-13: SHL send someone to measure the small bedrooms and assess some of the room sizes
due to a recent change in legislation. ( Email ) A member of SHL staff comes with, complains about the landlord and expresses their hope that some of the rooms will be found in contravention of the new legislation and that it will be expensive for him. The tenants do not hear anything back, so it seems that all the rooms have, unfortunately, passed.
2019-05-25: ‘T’ leaves the house for good, taking her toaster with her. The tenants report that the toaster that came with the property gives off smoke when used that smells of burnt plastic and ask for a replacement. SHL do not respond, and a new toaster never appears. ( Report )
2019-06-03: The Lettings Manager leaves SHL. SHL email all of their tenants, but forget how to BCC again. ( Email ) ‘C’ complains.
2019-06-04: SHL follow up on their previous email, remembering to use BCC this time, and blaming the mistake on a technical issue [on] our end
. ( Email )
2019-07-04: SHL email everyone instructions on what to do now that the tenancy ends are nearing. ( Email )
2019-07-09: SHL send over a painter to measure the walls in order to generate a quote for repainting them. He tells the tenants that he does this every year, but the landlord never pays for anything to be done.
2019-07-21: Packing up his stuff to leave, Ben finds that a number of shoes that have spent the year in his wardrobe are rendered unsuable by mould; mould that he has been breathing for the past year. ( Photo ) Incensed, he replies to SHL detailing the godawful experience that living at 64 Blades Street has been over the past year.
Besides the damp and mould issues, the cracks in the kitchen ceiling that were ignored during the previous tenancy have grown and he is worried that the negative health impact of having a shower fall through the ceiling onto one outweigh even those of living in a damp room for a year.
He concludes by quoting a number of clauses from the tenancy contract and posing questions for SHL to answer, as well as telling them he will be exploring his options with the Citizen’s Advice Bureau and Shelter. ( Email [1] [2] [Attached photos] )
2019-07-22: SHL reply. They blame the former Lettings Manager for everything they think they can get away with (i.e. where a paper trail is missing) and claim to have addressed all of the issues reported at the start of the tenancy. They claim the fault lies with Ben as they received no further comment from you regarding [the issues]
, and that the email [he] sent reporting maintenance issues was not in line with company policy regarding reporting issues, these are to be done solely through FIXFLO.
Further, they claim that refurbishments take place each year, raging from minor to major improvements where the property requires
and pledge to look into this before the new tenants move in.
They conclude that, whilst Ben would be within [his] rights to contact Citizen’s advice
, they would be extremely surprised if they could help you considering you are moving out in 3 days.
[ Email ]
2019-07-23: Ben replies to SHL with evidence refuting each of their points. He comments that we apparently have Mr Krabs for a landlord
9 and states that he would consider it unethical not to ensure a documented record of these issues having being brought to yours and, by extension, the landlord’s attentions now (as they were in Jan, and in Oct, and presumably previous to that, but for which there is no paper trail)
, pledging to ensure that next year’s batch of tenants are made aware of the full range of options availabe to them as early in the tenancy as possible, should the house remain in its current condition and should they wish to pursue them.
[ Email ]
SHL reply, again pointing out that since you are moving out in 2 days all I can do is extend our apologies
, again blaming staff changes and pledging to strive to do better in the future
. ( Email )
2019-07-28: The recycling bins are collected fortnightly, and the last tenants are leaving the property during the off-week. ‘E’, the last tenant to leave, emails SHL to let them know that she has left a bag of recycling in her bedroom as the recycling bins are full. SHL acknowledge this. ( Email )
2019-08-12: The tenancy ends. SHL email their former tenants stating they will complete inspections and send out deposit deductions within 28 days from the end of your tenancy, i.e- from today
. ( Email )
2019-09-09: It has now been 28 days since the end of the tenancy. No deposit deductions have been received.
2019-09-18: It has now been 28 working days since the end of the tenancy. Ditto.
2019-09-24: Ben and ‘C’ go into SHL to ask about their deposits. The Maintenance Coördinator has left for the day, but they talk to the MD for some time. He blames the busy period before the start of the next academic year, and again tries to blame the former Lettings Manager wherever possible. When SHL’s inability to use BCC is brought up, he denies that this has ever happened (let alone happened thrice). ‘C’ expresses her concern that SHL will try to scam the tenants out of their deposit, to which the MD promises pre-existing damage will not be charged for. He then goes into a lengthy digression about how much he wishes the DPS weren’t involved in the process and SHL could just handle deposits themselves—Ben and ‘C’ are relieved this is not the case.
When Ben and ‘C’ point out their markedly better experiences in their new tenancies, he slates his competition for, as far as Ben and ‘C’ can make out, having the gall to be small enough and considerate enough to actually provide a pleasant experience for their tenants. When they bring up a popular thread complaining about SHL on the Overheard at Lancaster Facebook group, which has by this point attracted over 190 comments and 50 reactions, the MD claims that many of the people complaining aren’t from the UK and have never been tenants of SHL—quite why he thinks that foreigners are taking time out of their days to lie about a Lancastrian letting agency is not explained.
The MD says he will prompt the Maintenance Coördinator about the deductions in the morning and tells Ben and ‘C’ to come in the afternoon to talk to her about them and go through the end-of-tenancy house walkthrough videos SHL have apparently recorded. ( Email )
2019-09-25: The tenants finally recieve their deposit deductions. SHL propose £675 deductions out of a total deposit of £594. Deductions are added for, amongst other things, the damaged sofas (£200) and basement bedroom paint damage (£45). ( Email ) Needless to say, the tenants are not having a bit of this and politely tell SHL to do one. ( Email [1] [2] ) They are told not to come that afternoon because of a staff meeting
and that the end-of-tenancy videos will be emailed to them. ( Email )
2019-10-02: Ben visits 64 Blades to pick up some misaddressed mail. When he says he lived in the house the year before, the new tenants show him around. Practically nothing has been done to improve the house over the summer, and it is somehow now even worse. Inexplicably, SHL have taken away the dryer. Ben lets SHL know that he has seen all of this and that, as he promised, he has forwarded on all the evidence of issues being raised with SHL to the new tenants and pointed them in the direction of the relevant City Council authorities. Annoyed at this brazen piss-taking from SHL, he also announces that he will be putting the cost of his destroyed shoes against the deposit deductions. ( Email [1] [Attached photos] )
2019-10-03: SHL reply stating that is illegal for them to discuss the state of the property with Ben. Declaring there is obviously going to be no resolution through email, especially if you are attempting to get us to pay for your new shoes
, SHL forward the deductions to the DPS. ( Email )
2019-10-04: Ben requests clarification about how to access the end-of-tenancy videos. SHL do not reply. ( Email )
2019-10-09: Ben calls SHL and asks to speak to the Maintenance Coördinator about the end-of-tenancy videos. He is told she is in a meeting, and he leaves his details for her to call back. SHL do not call back.
2019-10-10: ‘C’ again emails SHL asking for an update, lamenting that we seem to be lacking in communication regarding 64 Blades
. ( Email )
The Maintenance Coördinator replies (only to ‘C’, not CCing in the rest of the tenants) that our conversation was reaching an unhelpful point as Ben was insisting on reporting issues on behalf of the current tenants of 64 Blades and attempting to claim compensation for personal items that had nothing to do with the deposit
and that they have forwarded on the deductions to the DPS. She says that she has removed a couple of the proposed deductions after reading through some of the emails you guys have sent
, says that as she is just the Maintenance Coordinator
she has no idea why someone told you to speak to me as [I] have very limited power over what is proposed as deductions
and that she wasn’t here when you guys first moved in and wasn’t aware of your specific case.
‘C’ again asks about the end-of-tenancy videos. SHL do not reply. ( Email )
Shortly thereafter, the DPS email Ben with the updated list of deductions. SHL have knocked off £135 worth (the damage to the basement bedroom wall, the locksmith for the first floor front bedroom and £50 for the replacement sofa) but are still asking for £540 (including £150 for the sofa, which suggests that SHL know they overstepped the mark with the £200 but are still going to try their luck). ( Image [1] [2] [3] )
2019-10-11: In order to dispute these claims, the tenants collate as much evidence as they can and produce this report. Following the DPS’ advice, Ben sends it to SHL to see if they might be able to come to a final, mutually satisfactory solution without having to go through the lengthy DPS adjudication process, as well as to allow SHL the right of reply to any of the claims made above. ( Email )
2019-10-14: SHL agree to a total deduction of £200.00, down £475 from their initial proposal.10 ( Email ) What is missing from SHL’s reply is any attempt to dispute a single claim made in this report. This is, to our minds, a tacit acceptance of them all.
2019-10-17: After some back-and-forth wrangling with SHL,11 the tenants receive their deposit money and SHL receive their deductions.
We are grateful to SHL for owning up to their mistakes and eventually agreeing to a slightly, then drastically, reduced deduction amount. We also appreciate the charateristation of this report as really creative
and definitely the most interesting way we’ve seen someone dispute a deposit claim
. In one of the final emails of this exchange, the Maintenance Coördinator expresses a wish to prevent cases like yours happening in the future.
If this is genuine, we wish them the best of luck and, as stated in the legal note below, we are happy to remove this report from search engine results if it can be shown that SHL have stepped their game up and made significant improvements that make it obsolete.
However, we struggle to square SHL’s claim that their capitulation is a gesture of good will in the interests of a quick resolution
with Ben & ‘C’’s experiences visiting the office in late September, where they were told by the MD that SHL were still fighting claims through the DPS’ adjudication procedure from two years previous; this is seemingly backed up by comments on the previously-mentioned post in the Overheard at Lancaster Facebook group. ( Screenshots [1] [2])
In addition, despite most of the actions in the section below specifically reiterating the tenants’ request to view the alleged end-of-tenancy videos, such videos have again not been provided. Between this, the SHL MD’s inability to show them to Ben & ‘C’ when they were in the office and the cancellation of the planned get-together to go through them the day afterwards (for an alleged staff meeting
, at 16:00, and unbeknownst to the company’s MD only a day earlier), we are forced to draw the conclusion that the videos do not exist and that the threat of them is used to gaslight tenants into believing that they must have left the mess claimed by SHL and agreeing to their proposed deposit deductions.
We have managed to reduce SHL’s claims by hundreds of pounds due to our willingness to fight them and our creation of a thorough paper trail over the past two years. Others on that same Facebook post have reported threatening legal action as an effective means of persuasion. ( Screenshots [1] [2] [3] ) This suggests that this aspect of SHL’s business model relies, either unintentionally or intentionally, on the fact that enough students will not be willing or able to dispute these excessive deposit deduction claims and that this number will be greater than the number of those who are.
For many students, the difference between £675 and £200 is not the fun battle of the wits that SHL have made it out to be, but something rather more stressful. If this behaviour is intentional, it is abusive and we do not believe it right to sit by and say nothing simply because we managed to come out on top. If it is unintentional, then it is a sign of profound incompetence and we believe pressure must be applied in order to motivate SHL to up their game. Either way, the correct course of action is the publication of this report.
Because you just fucking know that the sofa’s not getting replaced until they can get some poor sucker to pay for it.
SHL were proposing the following deposit deductions, for a total of £540.00 ( Screenshots [1] [2] [3] ):
Of these:
The deductions counter-proposed by the tenants were as follows:
These totalled £245.00. However, in light of the cost of the pair of shoes that were destroyed by mould [1] and the misery that the last two years had been [ this entire report ], the tenants believed that a total deduction of £200.00 was a more than reasonable sum to settle the matter. SHL concurred.
We shall now go through each proposed deduction in detail:
Fair enough.
Status: Accepted by tenants.
‘C’ cleaned the basement 48 hours before the last tenant left the property. ( Email ) It seems unlikely that in this space of time the living room could have redirtied itself enough to necessitate £25’s worth of cleaning. If the end-of-tenancy videos show otherwise, then we will stand corrected, but based on SHL’s current evasions we are beginning to doubt these videos exist.
Additionally, the deposit deduction description cites stains on furniture
. As the terrible state of the basement furniture was reported back at the start of the 2017–18 tenancy [1], and again at the start of the 2018–19 tenancy [2], the tenants dispute this portion of the deduction.
Action: SHL to present evidence to support their claim that the living room needed extra cleaning. If this is accepted by the tenants, SHL to present a reduced deduction that excludes the portion of the charge for stains on furniture
.
Status: Disputed by tenants.
As ‘C’ said, the basement living room walls are either exposed brick (in which case would not need repainting) or have been damaged by mould ( Email ), which was reported at the start of the 2017–18 tenancy [1], the start of the 2018–19 tenancy [2] and part-way through the 2018–19 tenancy [3]. As the walls were mouldy, no Blu-Tack was used on them (why would the tenants want to hang something up and get it destroyed by mould?). Again, if SHL would like to present some evidence for their claim then we would take that into consideration, but in its absence we reject this deduction entirely.
Action: SHL to present evidence to support their claim that the living room walls were marked with anything other than mould damage, and that any such marks go beyond what the National Landlords Association describe as wear and tear
.
Status: Disputed by tenants.
Ah ha ha ha ha, no. Reported at the start of the 2017–18 tenancy [1] and the start of the 2018–19 tenancy [2], as well as visible on every visit that took place [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] (or was alleged to have taken place [1] [2] [3]) during those two years. If Mr Krabs thinks she can get us to buy her a new sofa, she can go swivel.
Action: SHL to sit on the naughty step and think about what they have done.
Status: Rejected by tenants.
The deposit deduction description says there was no attempt to put out the bins
. This is because the tenants moved out during the off-week in the fortnightly bin collection schedule, and did not want to leave the bins outside for a week and a half. However, based on deduction #1 we assume one bag of rubbish costs £5, in which case £70 is fair for fourteen bags.
Status: Accepted by tenants.
Fair enough.
Status: Accepted by tenants.
Fair enough.
Status: Accepted by tenants.
‘C’ says she did not spill anything other than a glass of water on the carpet and left [her] room in an impeccable state when [she] moved out
. ( Email ) Evidence is required from SHL.
Unless SHL are referring to a big stain in the front floor front bedroom, which was still present upon Ben’s revisit [1]. However, the tenants believe it is more likely that this is a separate stain that SHL have decided is fine to leave for the next tenants.
Action: SHL to present evidence to support their claim that the first floor back bedroom carpet was stained.
Status: Disputed by tenants.
Again, ‘C’ says that the walls were stained with blue tack[sic] before [she] moved in, [she] was assured that that would not affect my deposit [but] will happily pay £20 towards repainting as [she] did add to that bluetack, but [she] will not take responsibility for it all.
( Email )
Action: SHL to present a reduced deduction of £20.00
Status: Disputed by tenants.
Fair enough.
Status: Accepted by tenants.
When asked, SHL refused to tell us whether they had been passing on our concerns to the landlord of the property ( Email ). As such, we are unable to determine who is truly at fault for the experience described in this report, whether it is one, the other or both parties—we seem to have conflicting evidence, where one minute the landlord (or a woman who claimed to be the landlord, at least) seems to have no idea about the condition of the property [1] whereas the next they are issuing instructions to SHL [2] or being complained about [3] [4]. However, as SHL state in that same email, we act on behalf of them[the landlord]
, and as such we shall assign responsibility to SHL. ↩︎
Note, however, that a second listing for the business at a former address has 57 reviews and an average rating of 2.6. SHL dispute one reviewer’s suggestion that the creation of a new business listing is a deliberate act on their part to hide criticism. ( Screenshot ) However, we note that Google provide a simple service for transferring business reviews in the event of a change of address that SHL have not used.
2019-10-31: Scratch that, it looks like they’ve shifted back onto the original Google listing, with new reviews going there and it no longer reading Permanently Closed
.
2019-12-16: Never mind, looks like they’re dual-wielding accounts now. ↩︎
The exceptions are Ben’s details, redacting which seemed like a waste of time considering the domain name of the Web site hosting this report, and SHL’s email addresses, which are publicly listed on their Web site. Also, identifying details of the SHL MD are available for free via Companies House, and details of the landlord are available for a £3 fee to HM Land Registry. There is not much we can do about that, but we have nonetheless left these details out of this report. ↩︎
‘anal in the cloist’ in Facebook Chat screenshots. ↩︎
Also ‘K’ in some screenshots. ↩︎
‘Cloist Nostrils’ in Facebook Chat screenshots. ↩︎
2019-10-23: Responding to this report, an LU Homes representative confirmed that SHL were not, and would not be becoming, a member of the scheme. They also forwarded the report on to the Housing Standards department of the City Council, as they have the regulatory powers to ensure that rented properties are healthy and safe
. ↩︎
Though at the time nobody thought to question this, in the process of writing this report we obtained a title deed for the property and discovered that the landlord is male. Unless they underwent gender reassignment surgery during the term of our tenancies, this raises the obvious question of who this woman was. ↩︎
Ben also refers to the late John Sanderson, a fraudulent Lancaster landlord exposed by Lancaster University student newspaper SCAN: Student Comment & News and the BBC’s Rogue Traders in 2015. Fun fact: the sting at the end of the video takes place on Blades Street. ↩︎
2019-10-31: According to one commenter, even this may have been £200.00 more than they deserved. ↩︎
This wrangling was not without incident, with SHL alternating between not CCing all of the tenants to CCing in the wrong tenants, at one point inexplicably sending an email to Ben, ‘L’, ‘R’ and ‘C’ from the 2018–19 tenancy, ‘M’ from the 2017–18 tenancy, another girl who was not in either group of tenants and mis-spelt versions of ‘E’ and ‘T’’s email addresses. ↩︎
After we were successful in disputing our deposit deductions, we debated for some time over whether or not to release this report publicly. We sought a range of other people’s opinions: some were enthusiastically supportive (particularly those who had had their own run-ins with SHL); some were more cautious; some outright advised against it, concerned that SHL would attempt to harass us in response. During the couple weeks between SHL blinking and us actually receiving the money into our accounts, we continued to debate this, sought legal advice and edited and re-edited the report to ensure it was as airtight as could possibly be. Finally, we decided the public interest in publishing the report outweighed the risks to ourselves. This section will detail our actions and the responses to them.
2019-10-23: We email the report to the Lancaster University Homes landlord accreditation scheme, the Lancaster University Students’ Union Vice President (Welfare & Community) and Advice service. LU Homes respond, confirming that SHL are not, and will not be becoming, a member of the scheme. They also forward the report on to the Housing Standards department of the City Council, as they have the regulatory powers to ensure that rented properties are healthy and safe
.
The report is shared in the Overheard at Lancaster Facebook group and receives a few responses before being deleted. We ask the admins, they say it was accidental and ask us to repost it. We do, and it draws many more replies. It is also posted in the Lancaster Past & Present Facebook group, where many locals express sympathy.
Ben receives an email from somebody who claims to have previously worked with SHL. They ask whether our landlord was someone they are familiar with, and suggests that, if so, the mysterious woman who showed up back in 2018 would be his sister. Our landlord is actually someone else, but as this person says, SHL…are clearly working with a whole bunch of horrendous landlords
.
2019-10-31: We submit the report to SCAN: Student Comment & News in response to a request at the end of an article about other housing issues.
For good measure, we also submit the report (along with coverage of other Lancaster housing issues) to the BBC’s Watchdog.
2019-11-01: Ben posts a review of SHL on Google, complete with a link to this report and a selection of photos.
2019-11-05: Google send Ben an email to tell him that people love [his] photos
, which is nice. ( Email )
That evening, whilst walking home past the SHL office, Ben notices an SHL-branded pick-up truck. It begins to drive off, but stops when he gets near. Though he cannot be certain of this as he was wearing earphones at the time, he is fairly certain he hears somebody shout loved the photos
from behind him after he passes the truck.
2019-11-06: ‘C’ is contacted by a Lancaster University student working on a project in conjunction with SCAN, who asks if we would like to be interviewed for a documentary on dodgy landlords. ‘C’ and Ben agree.
2019-11-07: BBC Victoria Derbyshire publish an article about dodgy landlords ripping off students and the National Union of Students (NUS)’ campaign to tighten legislation. We submit the report to the show and to the NUS’ Vice President (Welfare).
2019-12-16: Out of the blue, around 18:00 and about a month and a half after it was posted, SHL respond to Ben’s Google review. Their reply is…less than fully coherent. [ Screenshot ]
At this point, we notice that SHL seem to have reactivated their other Google business listing (though, not being familiar with the system, we are unable to say whether this was intentional on their part). Whereas one listing has an average rating of 2.7/5, with Ben’s review being the most recent,1 the other has a rating of 4.3/5 and a slew of recent five-star reviews from users with no profile pictures and no other Google reviews. Many of these reviews highlight the same specific SHL employee for particular praise. The only two reviews from users with profile pictures give one star each.
2020-01-10: Ben takes the bus to work, only to find it clad in SHL adverts. The adverts proudly proclaim that SHL are members of the Lancaster District Chamber of Commerce and the National Landlords Association (NLA), including logos for both. In order to assist these organisations in their due diligence, Ben forwards this report to the Chamber, the Association and the company that manages advertising for Stagecoach (Global).
The NLA reply, stating that it takes complaints about its members very seriously
and that they shall review the report. They provide a link for raising a formal complaint to the NLA against SHL, but Ben declines on the basis that they are already aware of the report and his work is now done. Out of curiosity, however, he does take a look at the NLA Code of Practice members pledge to abide by and identifies no fewer than six clauses that SHL have definitely (and in most cases repeatedly) breached.2 The NLA say they will begin an internal investigation.
2020-01-13: The Lancaster District Chamber of Commerce thank Ben for his email and tell him it has been passed on to the CEO.
2020-01-21: Google send Ben an email saying that [his] review is making a difference
and has been read by 104 people.
There are three purposes to publishing this report:
There is a chance that, as a result of this publication, SHL and/or the landlord of the property may experience financial damage in the form of lower income from spurious deposit deductions and lost tenants, as well as reputational damage in the form of negative press. As a result, they may wish to attempt to issue a SLAPP to the authors of this report in order to silence it, potentially by claiming it to be defamatory. To do so is their prerogative, but we believe any such action will be unsuccessful. Here we shall go through the Defamation Act 2013 to see why.
Firstly, s 1 of the Act states that a claimant must prove that the defendents action has caused or is likely to cause the body serious financial loss
. Unfortunately, we do not believe publishing this report is likely to cause a sufficient degree of loss. Relevant case law includes: Cooke v MGN [2014] EWHC 2831; Lachaux v Independent Print Ltd and another [2019] UKSC 27; Jameel v Dow Jones & Co Inc [2005] EWCA Civ 75; and Schellenberg v BBC [2000] EMLR 296.
Secondly, s 2 states that It is a defence to an action for defamation for the defendant to show that the imputation conveyed by the statement complained of is substantially true
, which we consider this report to be and which we have sufficiently evidenced.
Thirdly, s 3 provides a defence of opinion, provided such statements are clearly labelled as such and that an honest person could have held the opinion on the basis of any fact which existed at the time the statement complained of was published
, which we believe to be the case.
Fourthly and finally, s 4 provides the defence of public interest, provided the statement complained of was, or formed part of, a statement on a matter of public interest; and the defendant reasonably believed that publishing the statement complained of was in the public interest.
We believe this to be the case.
In addition, in a good faith effort to comply with the spirit of s 17 of the Data Protection Act 2018 we are willing to add a <meta name="robots" content="noindex"> tag to the page (which will cause it to cease being indexed by Web search engines) if and only if SHL are able to provide convincing evidence that they have made significant changes to their business practices and that the issues highlighted in this report are no longer applicable.
Finally, whilst SHL did start appending a confidentiality disclaimer reading PLEASE NOTE THIS E-MAIL IS FOR THE RECIPIENT ONLY.
to their emails, beginning with the 2019-09-25 email containing the initial list of proposed deposit deductions, we do not believe that this alone is sufficient to create a legally-enforcable contract of confidentiality between the us and SHL, hence have also included images of these emails as evidence in this report.
If, despite the above, legal action is to be taken, please direct all baseless threats to Ben at me+shl@bengoldsworthy.net—his new, far more pleasant-to-live-in flat is only a short walk from the courthouse.
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Comments
## Comments ### Comment by Charlotte on 2019-10-23 06:10:45 +0000 As a student who has fallen in love with Lancaster I understand just how important both the student and local populations are to our small city. Unfortunately some people still try to prey on unsuspecting young adults moving away from home for the first time, and with yet more students joining the university, there are yet more opportunities for student housing to rip us off. Everyone is aware of the recent horrors with Caton Court, but it's happening with local letting agents and landlords too. Give this report a read if you have some spare time and want to experience the student side of letting in Lancaster! (And if you're a landlord, please be decent, we try our best we promise!) (Facebook share) ### Comment by Charlotte on 2019-10-23 09:37:56 +0000 It's getting to the time for all of us students to start looking for a place to stay next year 🏡 Following our horrendous 2 year tenancy with Student Housing Lancaster (SHL) which ended in hundreds of pounds of deposit deductions that we reduced by £475, we'd like to impart some wisdom with you: 👵🏼 * If you're considering SHL, give this report a read 🤓 * No matter who you're with, KEEP A PAPER TRAIL! Take pictures, send emails confirming what was said in person/over the phone, you'll thank yourselves later 🧐 * Don't settle for anything less than you're paying for, keep bugging them 💸 * Read this report if you have some spare time and fancy a giggle at gems such as “SHL to sit on the naughty step and think about what they've done” 🤭 Yours truly, Concerned postgrads/ex-students (Facebook share) ### Comment by Charlotte on 2019-10-23 10:03:09 +0000 @John as a first year student I thought the same, clearly we were wrong. Their name makes them one of the first to pop up in search engines and the sheer number of houses they mismanage makes them seem very popular, it’s incredibly misleading (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Season on 2019-10-23 11:52:39 +0000 @Kiera @Jakob oh no (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Emma-Louise on 2019-10-23 14:57:36 +0000 I had some horrid conditions when I was a student and rented local housing. Really take the biscuit at what some landlords deem acceptable ☹️ (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Karen on 2019-10-23 16:01:15 +0000 I rent privately in Lancaster and whilst it has not been quite so bad, I too have had to send several emails in the past about issues with the house so I completely sympathise. With so many people living under one roof in student housing, there should be extra support not less. But you’re right, they try to take advantage of inexperience --- it’s all about the money! It’s disgraceful. (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Trina on 2019-10-23 16:08:36 +0000 Sadly it's not just students who have appalling housing conditions. It's tenants across the board locally. What I will say is this, Housing Standards at Lancaster City Council will help where they can. I think it would be useful if their contact details were included in a welcome pack for every student. (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Becca on 2019-10-23 16:18:19 +0000 I rented in Lancaster (I'm from Lancaster, went to uni elsewhere) and it was awful. The house was soaking damp, mouldy, and the landlord just would not help despite it being present from day one. (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Charlotte on 2019-10-23 16:31:34 +0000 @Trina my new letting company have done this! There’s a notice board in the kitchen with plenty of useful information, including emergency numbers, Samaritans, and housing help (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Shein on 2019-10-23 16:39:32 +0000 I think people who complain about students forget that students pay on average 70 per cent of their income on housing and like the private market sector the landlords are out to make loads of money. To.me it's all wrong. Some students are paying 9000 a year. I was lucky to have a grant so I didn't start with a debt. The system is all wrong. How much more is it going to be with BREXIT. I suggest the rich will be wanting to make more money. (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Charlotte on 2019-10-23 16:43:43 +0000 @Shein I agree. With 6 people renting that house it was bringing in almost £600/week, and you can clearly see the issues we suffered with it (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Michael on 2019-10-23 16:56:46 +0000 How on earth can they advertise some of these houses as 6 beds the rooms must be like shoe boxes the robbing b- --- --- --- --- --- s. (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Alfred on 2019-10-23 17:04:02 +0000 Most people do not realise that property let to students does not have to pay Council Tax. This is another loss to our City Council thanks to Margaret Thatcher. Many houses in Lancaster which are let to students are built of stone with no damp courses. A family living there will be heating it for most of the day, but most students will only be there for a few hours. The NUS may be able to help, but they may point out that conditions for students are far worse in big cities such as London and Glasgow. (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Graham on 2019-10-23 17:11:31 +0000 why didn’t Tony Blair change the law back? (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Charlie on 2019-10-23 17:44:34 +0000 Hi @Lancaster University Students’ Union -- this is something you need to be focusing on. There are still slum landlords in our city (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Patrick on 2019-10-23 18:38:20 +0000 @Charlie what steps did you take when you were a member of the city council to prevent these issues? Surely the council is better equipped and has more authority to deal with these issues than the Students Union? Or is it a similar situation to whenever reforms to private rents are proposed in the House of Commons and your party vote against it because it would affect their personal income because too many are landlords themselves. If I recall correctly your party voted against making homes fit for human habitation. Perhaps if they had voted the other way things might be a little different today. (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Martin on 2019-10-23 18:47:15 +0000 As a Lancastrian born and bred I’m saddened to hear the misery that some students are experiencing. This however will not be pertinent to my home town alone and is an indication of the parlous state of this country. If people keep voting for Tory governments who are only interested in “business and capital” and in complete deregulation of all aspects of our lives then this is exactly what you get. There is a better way of running this country for the vast majority of us,we’re all being exploited by rail companies,utility providers,banks etc,not to mention the effects of climate change. The sooner we all wake up and challenge the ruling elite the better. The worst thing people can do is to repeat the old mantra that they are not interested in politics and all politicians are the same. Those things are false and people need to engage.Get organised and stand up! Good luck to all new residents of what I believe to be a wonderful city. (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Katie on 2019-10-23 19:30:25 +0000 Money grabbing comes to mind! Just horrendous, hope it hasn’t put any of them off the area for good. (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Charlie on 2019-10-23 21:19:29 +0000 @Patrick hi Patrick many thanks for your comments and I think you are referring to the Homes (Fit for Human Habitation) Act which became law this year and received support from all parties and it does this: “The Act came into force on 20 March 2019. It is designed to ensure that all rented accommodation is fit for human habitation and to strengthen tenants’ means of redress against the minority of landlords who do not fulfil their legal obligations to keep their properties safe.” Here is the law: [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/homes-fitness-for-human-habitation-act-2018/guide-for-landlords-homes-fitness-for-human-habitation-act-2018](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/homes-fitness-for-human-habitation-act-2018/guide-for-landlords-homes-fitness-for-human-habitation-act-2018) As a City Councillor between 2015-2019, the Council piloted a scheme to ‘license’ landlords in the West End in an attempt to weed out slum landlords. It’s something I supported and wanted to trial in Lancaster. Sadly, like MPs, there are Green, Conservative and Labour Cllrs at the time who were landlords in Lancaster and I don’t think there was much appetite at the time for such a scheme. As a County Councillor, we have an award winning Trading Standards service which I have been happy to support deal with property companies who do not comply with this legislation. We have brought agencies together on this issue --- our Safeguarding Boards and our Health and Wellbeing Partnerships deliberately include housing associations and authorities on them in order to make sure that issues like damp, hoarding and fire safety are regularly scrutinised and policies put in place to safeguard people, especially the most vulnerable. LUSU should make it clear in its welcome literature to students that there are bad landlords in Lancaster, or lobby the University itself to do so. ‘Lancaster Uni Homes’ is a great scheme however there aren’t enough houses to fulfill demand therefore people are forced to go to unaccredited providers. My ask is: LUSU and LU should provide more support BEFORE making a housing decision The Council should carry on their licensing scheme for HMO landlords (not just students as there are families who suffer from poor landlords too) Once again thanks for your comments Patrick and I hope you are well. (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Patrick on 2019-10-23 21:33:54 +0000 TL; DR. I'll assume it was an attempt at making excuses and pointing the blame elsewhere following rule No.1 of the Tory handbook. (Facebook comment) ### Comment by John on 2019-10-23 21:44:40 +0000 As a Lancastrian like Martin, I'm concerned about how situations like this can be allowed to happen. The perception of myself and I suspect others, is that if the name of the company has the word ‘student' in it then it has something to do with the university. Obviously this isn't the case. I also feel that the university should be more involved in where and how their students are housed. (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Michael on 2019-10-23 21:48:09 +0000 Literally just thinking about doing something similar to this! Btw, just in case anyone is still fighting SHL about deposits being returned, if SHL can not provide proof they filed their deductions with the DPS before the 28 day mark, legally they have to hand over the full sum to the tenants with no deductions. We threatened them with legal action if they couldn’t provide proof they’d filed the report and got our deposits back in days. Also to make this point absolutely clear, as a previous tenant of an SHL managed property: DO NOT RENT A HOUSE FROM THEM! And if you’re a landlord and you genuinely have your tenant’s best interests at heart please ditch SHL and leave them to go bankrupt through their own stupidity! (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Tonina on 2019-10-23 23:38:33 +0000 This report is the best thing I have read! Thank you for putting so much time & effort. The post from FB you have included screenshots for was mine. I literally couldn't believe they have said we are not from the UK (what's the relevance? Easier to bullshit perhaps?) and not their tenants when I have literally posted a screenshot of our email chain. Sometimes they get tangled in their own lies.🤯 (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Caroline on 2019-10-24 04:05:51 +0000 You need to name in order to shame the landlord of 64 Blades Street. This will also assist other students in avoiding renting from that particular person. Also who is responsible for SHL the owner/director of this company? They should be ashamed of themselves renting out derelict disgusting properties! (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Trina on 2019-10-24 08:51:50 +0000 The only active director listed with Companies House is Matthew Wiggins. (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Robert on 2019-10-24 09:45:32 +0000 If you took two minutes to read then you’ll see that the Homes Act is now law, Charlie has worked hard as a councillor on this issue, and LU / LUSU could do more on top of the good work they already do. Instead, you threw about accusations and then buried your head in the sand... (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Karen on 2019-10-24 12:34:56 +0000 @Shein The foreign students are paying nearly double that per year. Imagine the impression they get of our country when they’re subjected to this sort of housing. It’s quite embarrassing really 😞 (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Kiera on 2019-10-24 12:41:18 +0000 never again (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Patrick on 2019-10-24 12:56:31 +0000 I'm sure we can agree to disagree on most points here. I do agree that LUSU and the University could be doing more but the big point is that the Council have the authority to enact change and use the full scope of the law. The Union does not have this power. The act is a watered down version of what it should have been and serial landlords like JRM and his millionaire friends saw to that. Knowing Charlie as I have I can't imagine Charlie working hard at anything apart from furthering his own political career. If his former constituants had as much faith in him as you do then maybe he would still be an elected councillor and might have less time to make vapid arguments online for a bit of political point scoring. I didn't bury my head in the sand, in fact I did something worse. I walked away from an argument and left it unchallenged. Rookie mistake on my behalf. (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Mike on 2019-10-24 16:13:39 +0000 Why was rubbish left in the hall, stairs etc.? Why did you leave the property in an appropriate state? I'm not passing judgement or taking sides, I'm just interested as a tenant of a rented property myself. (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Charlotte on 2019-10-24 17:39:24 +0000 There was one bag of rubbish in a room and the rest in the kitchen, as we didn’t want to leave the bags in the garden for over a week as we’d had issues with wildlife splitting the bags before (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Mike on 2019-10-24 18:02:13 +0000 @Charlotte I thought council don't take domestic rubbish that are not in wheeled bins? (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Charlotte on 2019-10-24 18:02:57 +0000 @Mike they don’t. Our wheelie bin was full, none of us have a car, and we were all getting public transport home so no parents available to drive to the tip. SHL agreed to remove the excess rubbish, we thought it was best to leave it in the kitchen rather than the garden We did agree with the deposit deductions for rubbish removal, as is in the report, that is not something we are contesting (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Mike on 2019-10-24 18:25:56 +0000 Sounds fair enough. The amount of effort and time you have clearly put into your report is commendable. I hope other students don't experience the same. (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Grace on 2019-10-24 20:43:17 +0000 I found this post really hard to follow, you’d have to be very interested indeed to read all of it, which I attempted, a more readable form would have been appreciated. But I do so LSH have swindled you left right and centre. (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Lorna on 2019-10-24 22:24:47 +0000 @Patrick all politicians are the same. They jump on the bandwagon of any story but rarely do anything when in a position of privilege. Charlie is a joke. Sacked by his own party says it all! [https://www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/news/conservative-group-severs-ties-with-lancaster-city-councillor-1-9619832](https://www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/news/conservative-group-severs-ties-with-lancaster-city-councillor-1-9619832) (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Patrick on 2019-10-25 12:51:56 +0000 I do try and steer clear of personal attacks. One can't maintain any vestige of the moral high ground if we sink that low. But now you've brought it up..! 😂 (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Charlie on 2019-10-25 14:13:39 +0000 @Lorna another anonymous account, with Mister family members as friends? Sharing the same link? I think this is harassment now guys. @Patrick and thanks for not resorting to personal attacks Patrick, it is much appreciated. I’ve actually taken a step back from politics, I don’t have any points to score, but the standard of housing in Lancaster for students is something very close to my heart. Hence why I have landlords harassing me on Facebook because I’ve been speaking truths others don’t like. Once again, I hope you are well. (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Steve on 2019-10-25 15:37:24 +0000 a tenant with the name ‘anal in the closet' on his fb feed is not likely to be taken seriously even if the situation is not good, a stupid name like that dont help the situation (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Lorna on 2019-10-26 14:26:16 +0000 @Charlie think you need to get a grip and a life and go visit a doctor with all your conspiracy theories! 😂 (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Charlie on 2019-10-26 18:07:07 +0000 @Lorna I'm so sorry Lorna however the intimidation from the Mister family in the past few weeks has really got to me. I would really appreciate meeting you to discuss your concerns face to face, my number is [07891813640](tel:+447891813640) and my email address is [Charles.edwards@lancashire.gov.uk](mailto:Charles.edwards@lancashire.gov.uk) I can arrange surgery appointments at Lancaster Town Hall, Morecambe Town Hall or County Hall in Preston (Facebook comment) ### Comment by Lorna on 2019-10-28 17:10:36 +0000 @Charlie erm no thanks. Politicians like you are the reason why so many normal people have given up on politicians and politics. You’re all full of BS and hell bent on pedalling your own agenda. Seems that’s why you were kicked out by your own party. By the sound of it you have your own personal agenda against this so called Misters based on how much you keep going on about them! (Facebook comment)