Pinnacle

BEWARE! To all that are thinking of using this company, do yourself a favour and go with a different agent, this company is a complete and utter joke and should be made to stop trading. The service you receive from their staff is beyond a joke, you'd get better service from a dog. You call them and are greeted with "calls are recorded" before getting through, you then make a complaint with them, they then speak to you worse than trash and fail to follow any complains procedure let alone log the complaint.

They deny any calls ever being made, they apparently do not record calls either and then they turn around and state "oh we outsource to a different company to take all our calls" um excuse, you're a tiny little letting agent and you have to outsource for calls to a call centre don't make me laugh. Read all other reviews and you'll save yourself time and stress by NOT DEALING with this pathetic excuse of a letting agent.

I urge you, if it's either rent through Pinnacle, or go without a home. choose the latter. We were with Pinnacle as an agent for 3 years and we spent pretty much the entire time desperate to leave them. From the moment we picked up the keys to our very first rental, we knew that we weren't going to have an easy time. We firstly arrived at the property realising that one of the locks on the front door was broken.

We reported the issue within 10 minutes of being in the property. The lock was NEVER fixed, even after reporting the issue 3 more times. We immediately contacted the agent that we dealt with, she met us at the property, we walked around the property and took photos and notes. ALL of the carpets were marked. ALL of the walls were marked, damp ridden & full of holes.

A light fitting was broken. A drawer in the freezer was broken. Window seals were covered in damp/mould. The 2 cupboards that were against outside walls were full of damp/mould. The flooring in both the bathroom & kitchen were not fitted properly, were not fitted against walls, cupboards etc. so, damp had got underneath and were lifting. Our first 2 days at the property were spent painting, professionally cleaning carpets, de-moulding most rooms and cupboards AND we replaced the flooring in full, in the bathroom & kitchen, sealed windows/ frames. all at our own expense, as we already had word from the agent, that they nor the landlord were likely to take on any of the cleaning/repairs.

Over the course of our time as tenants, we had to report multiple repairs, many of which we had to remind Pinnacle of/ Chase, sometimes for days. We had to go over 24 hours without water to the property, until we called an emergency plumber. Between year 1 and year 2 of our tenancy we were told that the Standing Order that we originally set up, would have to be done again (we would have rather a direct debit, but they only work with Standing Orders).

After we set up the Standing order Pinnacle told us that the payment would not be made in time, so we had to transfer the funds. a day later we noticed that not only did the transfer go through, but so did the Standing Order, after all. Once we informed Pinnacle, they told us that they would send us 1 months worth of rent back. But, they would do so using BACS.

Meaning that it would take 5-7 working days. after almost a week, the money DID land in our account. But, they accidentally sent it to us twice. They immediately noticed and hounded us to transfer some back asap using bank transfer. Funny how when they owed us, it would get to us whenever. but when they made the mistake and we owed them money, it had to be immediate. Finally, when we were able to sort out alternative accommodation and let Pinnacle know that we'd be vacating the property.

We were sent an email including instructions on how/where to make sure we deep clean the property. Also requesting that we film a video just prior to exiting the property for the last time, illustrating the cleanliness of the property & showing all windows, doors, cupboards, drawers & lights working as they should. The email also stated along the lines of, our deposit would be dependant on the video.

All of this goes to show that they DO NOT enter the property to clean or inspect before the next tenants take on their lease. So, I do hope that they don't charge the landlords for any cleaning or inspections/repairs. because we, the tenants, do that work. After we left the property for the last time, we sent Pinnacle the video and posted the keys through their Cardiff branch postal box.

We logged in to the Tenancy Deposit Scheme website (where all deposits are kept legally now). We requested our despot back. Weeks go past and the TDS inform us that they have not had any response from Pinnacle and that we should submit a 'statutory declaration'. TDS knew that Pinnacle would not comply. I tried to call Pinnacle dozens of times and sent them multiple emails, asking why they had not agreed to release our deposit money back. But, to no avail.

Truly, truly awful. Hard to get hold of and simply don't respond to important issues. My landlord is excellent so when my boiler broke I forgave and forgot the fact that Pinnacle ignored my repeated attempts to get them to fix it because I managed to get hold of the landlord independently. NOW HOWEVER, I can't pay my rent because despite my giving them all the information they asked for to set up a standing order there is no standing order and they won't even give me bank details to pay myself. What should I do? Probably easier to knock on the landlord's door with a wad of cash rather than try to go through Pinnacle. Never knew an entire company could be so inept.

Awful agency! Been with no hot water and heating for almost two weeks, got told it would take two- three days for the part for the boiler and still nothing. My house is freezing! It's starting to affect my health. I shouldn't have to sleep in extra clothes just to keep warm. Have tried several times ringing, texting, emailing and nothing! Getting the council involved now and the environmental health officer as this is an emergency.

There quick enough to ring you for rent but don't communicate otherwise. Also contractor came into my room and went through all my stuff to do pat tests, no warning or anything. Not what I want after a 12 hour night shift! Reported the fence was broken months ago, pinnacle refused to do anything about, reported again as the weather was going to take a turn for the worse, and wanted to prevent the fence to completely break down, yet again pinnacle ignored emails and calls and come up with every excuse, I now have no fence in my garden, no privacy no the neighbours can see everything, all the loose screws ripped my cats paws open which lead to very expensive vet bill.

They've not once apologise and just called me aggressive. Reported blocked drains months ago, nothing still has been done. The smell is just awful! Sometimes I can't go by the kitchen sink and wash dishes because of this. Contractors refuse to wears masks when they eventually do come to property, they don't care about covid or anything. I am a vulnerable person and have to be careful.

There quick enough to message you about rent and money but are extremely slow when coming to fix things. Horrendous agency! I'm trying to find a new place to live. AVOID this agency! They discriminate against disabled people, they lie, and ignore maintenance issues.

Just moved into one of their properties. Professional service in the lead up to moving in. After moving in had a couple of issues that needed resolving these were dealt with professionally and promptly. Highly recommend this letting agency Cathy

One of the worst letting agent I ever come across my life. Never ever rent with them. If you already renting better to cancel and move. They don't care about the costumers and one of the poorly trained staff in the entire industry. If you renting with them already forget about your deposit. They are really the worst agency in Cardiff. If you go with them that will be your biggest mistake in life.

Honestly got to be the WORST estate agent EVER! so much I'm Embarrassed for them! I think they sit and drink coffee all day. I mean 4weeks I been waiting for a call back, and I get through to admin, apparently? I don't know what files they are dealing with as not a sole is getting back to anyone? its got to a point I've give up and gone else where but the only thing is these are the only ones with places in the main city on the market.com. I couldn't tell you what the places are like as I haven't been able to look at one as they don't get back! A JOKE! I had to put one star to post but NO STARS

Still waiting to hear back from them after a couple of weeks. Called a lot of times on different properties with offers put down without even viewing them and always the calls go to an admin who has no idea what's going on but to take messages that never get delivered. Your company is in shambles and i will always always chose a different letting agency.

One should not deal with their business in the manner you are and I do hope that people soon realise that they shouldn't be in business with you. Shame on the fact that you still have good landlords on your list. They should go to a different company.

I booked two viewings for 2 different properties on Tuesday. The 'tenants cancelled' both and only gave me the option of viewing one which I agreed to on Friday. On Friday I turned up to the propery at a time agreed and the agent did not show! Baring in mind I had to travel over half an hour after a long week in work. When contacting pinnacle asking why there was nobody here they said they would investigate the problem and ring me back ASAP but I received no phone call what so ever. Very unprofessional, I would highly recommend never booking anything with these.

Never have I known anyone to lie so blatantly to someone's face. Had several problems with rats that was not sorted for months, there were CHEWED THROUGH BRICK, after sending someone out to "fix the issue" they put foam in all the holes, beyond me how they thought expanding foam would offer any resistance. Only after 2 months of calling did they send someone out who knew what he was doing and we had the problem resolved.

My bed which had a broken support down the middle was not fixed for 3 months despite several reports and multiple visits from repair men. Having to sleep with a car jack holding up the bed to make it somewhat comfortable. But all of that can be excused for how poorly they have treated my friend a student from India who lives in another pinnacle property.

He lost his key on the flight here and stayed at our accommodation for the night thinking we could get the problem resolved in the morning. We were lied to about a spare key being ten minutes away to call back 2 hours later to find no one had filed the issue and no one had been sent out. This is inexcusable and completely taking advantage of someone in a vulnerable position. Leaving no option but to pay over 100 to a locksmith to break in or try and retrieve another key from another flatmate who was no where near Cardiff.

Any 5 star review has not been left by a student, I might go as far as to say any review above 1 star, 0 if possible has not been left by a student. Any positive review has been left by staff or by landlords who could not care less for the housing conditions of the students they are so obviously exploiting. How the get away with such exploitation is shocking and needs to come to an end, CPS Homes gets enough attention but Pinnacle are 100% on par if not worse than their competitors.

Poor service, do not fix anything and expect you to pay for standard wear and tear repairs.

I would give this ZERO STARS If I could, I've never known an estate agent to be so blatantly incompetent, I reported MICE in my shared house on Monday 01/03/2021, it is now Friday 05/03/2021 and I haven't received a single update, how can they allow that to go on? How can they allow their tenants to live with MICE for that long. I genuinely can't believe it.

It has affected my mental health, I can't sleep and because of my phobia of the vermin I struggle to muster up the courage to leave my room. I may add that they're aware of this and how it affects me and all I get is "Okay, let me just get a contact number from you and we'll get someone to get in contact with you as soon as possible." And guess what, they never ever get in contact.

I'm always stuck calling them myself again and again and again and still not getting anywhere. Please, for your sake DO NOT RENT WITH PINNACLE. DO NOT PUT YOURSELF THROUGH IT. Renting with pinnacle is one of THE WORST decisions I've ever made.

I have rented through 7 different agencies in my life and have never been treated as badly as with Pinnacle. They are unresponsive through email and tell you to email when you call so communication is impossible. They even altered dates on photographs for their closing inspection of the property, with dates 3 days in the future from when the inspection summary was sent by email!

No morals - especially worrying considering the number of students renting off them. They took our money, left us with maintenance issues in the house that they never managed to fix in the year long tenancy. They deemed the house in generally good cleanliness throughout on closing inspection and still billed us for cleaning without providing a receipt.

They have no escalation process for complaints. They have no process for disputing their closing inspection charges other than complaining to the deposit protection agency. Avoid avoid avoid. I didn't listen to the warnings because I was fooled by friendly staff as a prospective tenant. Once they've taken your money though it's a different story.

Dreadful company with inept staff who are all useless. I went with pinnacle for my 4th year house when studying at Cardiff University. We were informed the repairs that needed doing would be carried out by the agency before we moved in. They weren't. Despite calling and calling it was impossible to get through and the repairs were not done till halfway through the year.

You can never get through on the phone so don't expect to. Throughout the year I had money issues so couldn't pay the rent on time a couple of times, when it came to the last payment they told me I owed 900, instead of telling me in a timely manner they made me panic. I then had to threaten legal action to get my deposit back, this took ages despite me leaving the room clean and spotless.

Eventually I got it back and I was forced to work with a debt management person who worked for th agency to pay back the debt. She was nice, and I eventually paid my debt by July 2018 a year and one month after moving out. I was then pursued in June 2019 for 300 pounds 'unpaid' rent. I was livid and eventually managed to prove through evidence of bank statements that I had paid back the debt.

Again staff were unhelpful and aggressive in the way they handled it (that was on the one in a million that they actually answered the phone) I threatened to go to the ombudsman and a solicitor and eventually I got the confirmation from them that I did not owe them anything. I saved this email. This is not a legitimate letting agents. These people are fraud artists and the fact this company is legitimate staggers me as it is run by clowns. Avoid at all costs.

It's been almost 2 months since the end of our contract and we left the property, yet they still haven't returned the deposit or responded to our calls/emails about it. We've only received one email regarding the deposit in which the claimed total deduction was mysteriously 200 more than what their own list of charges added up to! Several phone calls later and they revealed it was a 'mistake'.

Every time we've called since to check up on the situation, they appear clueless and say they'll get back to us asap, then fail to do so (this has happened 5 times in the last 3 weeks!)

Seemingly great. And great when they want your business but upon finishing Uni and contract running out on the 30th of June! The house inspections were done after the new tenants had been moved in which I think is ridiculous the charging us cleaning when the pictures clearly show the house in a tip with the new tenants! The house when we left was as spotless as possible! Additionally, today's date is the 26th of August, contract ran out on the 30th June! Having multiple promises of 7-10 working days, we have yet to receive our house deposit! However, if this was the other way round, they'd be on us like a shot for no payment! Four house mates 300 down, pinnacle 1,200 up!

NEVER RENT OR BUY A PROPERTY WITH PINNACLE! Unless you want a big fat bill at the end for hundreds of pounds! We'd rented with Pinnacle for a year. Never will I go back to them looking for a flat. When our tenancy came to an end in October we got a HUGE bill through the post charging us for various 'damages' that we had apparently caused to the property!

We hadn't. We hadn't caused any of them. The total bill racked up to over 510! These included absence things such as 'the removal of a book shelf the new tenant decided they didn't want'. This book shelf didn't belong to us. It belonged to the owner of the property. Why were we getting charged to remove it then? Its not ours in the first place.

It was there when we moved in. Other charges included rips in the sofa, chips in the mirror, broken freezer draw, all of which were like that we moved in! Replacement of a blind (the blind fell down due to extreme damp coming in through the walls, which we consistently rang them up about and they did nothing about), broken bed and springs gone (we rang them up about this too, had to sleep with a wooden board under the mattress for support for half the year!).

And finally to top it off they are unbelievably charging us 285 for 'light cleaning' throughout the flat! I agree light cleaning did need to be done and accept a charge for this but not to this amount. The flat is a one bedroom and has two rooms. Small rooms. This would take them an hour to clean. If that. They are obviously trying to make a bit of extra cash from us because nobody in there right mind would pay someone 285 to go round with a duster for an hour. That's a weeks wage for most people!

If I knew cleaners were getting paid this much I would have become a cleaner years a go! The sad thing is I'm sure they tried the same thing on the previous tenants. Probably charged them for the same things too. After emailing them and informing them that basically we weren't idiots and we weren't going to pay this and would take legal action if they didn't remove the charges.

They eventually got back to us and decided to remove some of the charges but kept the cleaning on there (the most expensive one of course). We are still considering legal action against them for this. I will never recommend Pinnacle to anyone looking to rent or buy a flat in the future.

As I student I always loved complaining about Pinnacle. I hated it when they suddenly decided our house needed a new dishwasher - a spanner in the works when we just thought we'd balanced that classic student argument of who does the dishes. It would be nice, of course, if they made us feel like we had a little say in these matters; I would be happier if they called us up and explained why they were doing it.

Anything other than plonking a huge dishwasher in front of the kitchen window, seemingly without reason. But then, hearing all the horror stories from friends with different agencies, I'd consider myself lucky. They may be slow in answering queries, but there's nothing like a handful of Black Jacks and a cup of fresh coffee to pacify your rental related rages, and the staff always seem willing to have a laugh with you.

The best thing they've ever done for us is try and get us out of an awkward housemate-swapping situation. Despite admitting that they had never had a case like ours, they were quick to re-advertise the house at no cost to us. They are also willing to do a bit of bartering for you. We asked them to negotiate when our landlord tried to up the rent, and saved a whole 2.50 a month each, so that every month we could have a pint on Pinnacle.

If you don't ask, you don't get! So while I don't think I would actively recommend Pinnacle, I do think that compared to the majority they are okay. I'd like to think that when I use a professional agency I will be treated with a little more respect but until then, I guess I'll have to deal with it. URBAN CHALLENGE: Go in with friends and see who can subtly 'acquire' the most black jacks

Coming before CPS and Barbara Rees but after Keylet, Pinnacle are the middle child in this trifecta of awful estate agent experiences I've had the misfortune of having. Myself and three housemates found a wonderful house. Spacious, tastefully decorated and in a great place all for a reasonable price, it was perfect for what we wanted. There were a few cosmetic things that needed fixing, and we signed the contract under the belief that the fixes would be made during the two months we were paying half rent over the Summer. September turns up and no, nothing's been done. Alright.

Maybe Pinnacle just didn't get around to it. We politely inform them that nothing's been done and that we were expecting to come back to have everything fixed as promised. They said it was in process. Cool. Two months later, nothing. We inform Pinnacle that we rented the house on the promise that this would be fixed, otherwise we wouldn't have rented it.

We are, in no uncertain terms, told that no such agreement was made. We sent them the e-mail and informed them that, in accordance with the law, we'd be paying half rent until the part of the agreement was honoured. In January, nothing's been done and the landlord turns up, unexpectedly. He wants to know why we've stopped paying our rent.

We inform him of everything and he informs us that he received no such information from Pinnacle. Nothing about the agreed changes, nothing about us paying half-rent until everything was fixed. All Pinnacle had done is stopped paying the landlord the rent we were paying them and then told him we were refusing to pay. The landlord agrees with us, gets in his own construction crew and agrees that we should pay half rent until it's finished. Apologises profusely and leaves.

The construction isn't perfect, but it's at least something. A month later, with the construction still a long way from being finished, Pinnacle inform us that we should be paying full rent again and owe back rent from October. We contact the landlord, he informs us he knows nothing about this. We storm down there, Pinnacle inform us that the landlord is demanding all the rent.

The incompetence gets worse from there, unbelievably. Long story short, do not use Pinnacle. Whilst they aren't as malicious or as blatantly thieving as Keylet or CPS, they more than make up for this in incompetence.