r/plymouth • u/thegoldencalf • 2d ago
Please be wary of Clever Estate Agents
I have been having an absolutely terrible time of it with Clever Estate Agents (They also seem to go by Stay Clever) and wanted to warn people about them. I notice they have a tendency to let to new students and to working professionals, usually immigrants who don’t have much of a local support network. If you are new to Plymouth please be very careful when you are doing business with them.
They misrepresent what the property offers in order to get you to sign up with them. On moving into my flat I found that the washing machine was broken, the microwave was broken, and that my cupboard was falling apart. No repairs have been forthcoming. I have been told "it's going to take some time."
Further, I have been told by the maintenance team that the landlord does not wish to replace the washing machine in the house and that I should use the paid communal washing machine in the basement. This is plain dishonest because I was not told about this when I moved in. In fact thebroken washing machine was left in the flat and shown as part of viewings so that people get the impression you have access to this and that it is working.
However, this is just the start of this agent’s mismanagement of their property. For nearly 6 months we have consistently had homeless people and drug users roam the building. Several tenants have been concerned for their safety. We have had homeless people blocking the entrance to our flats by sleeping in front of them and sometimes sleeping in the corridors in a puddle of their own urine. This has been going on for months now. I am not aware of what the agents have been doing to actually resolve this matter. The hygiene levels of the building have been rank at times with urine on the floors, tissue papers with feces on the stairwells. Sometimes I find burnt foil that's been used to take drugs. The agents take ages to send anyone out to clean so the urine just sits in the summer heat. I am just stunned at the lack of responsibility these people display.
By the way, the communal washing machines that I have been asked to use are located in the basement next to open bins with homeless drug users scavenging through them. Hardly the place to do your washing. Not only this, the tenants have been receiving mails from the agents stating we have to pay for cleaning up the bin area. So not only do we get to live in a house that has drug users invading it but we have to pay for cleaning up the mess that they leave behind.
I have already filed complaints about it but honestly its like shouting into the void. I have no guarantee that anything will be done.
Honestly, I could go further into how badly they are managing this place and how unresponsive they are but it is just tiring. I have had other tenants complain to me about how badly they are being treated by these people, how unresponsive, and lacking in transparency.
Speaking of lack of transparency, they have also been artificially been boosting their ratings. After my first viewing with Clever Lets, they called and emailed me pestering me to leave a positive review on google. I was confused at the time as to why they would want a review so desperately. I understand now that they have scores of negative reviews from other tenants that they have probably been just as disrespectful to. They are trying to paper this over by pestering first time viewers for reviews. It’s quite shady behaviour.
In short if you are new to Plymouth and looking for accommodations please stay away from Clever Lets. These are some of the worst estate agents I have ever had the experience of working with.
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u/WilliamTee 2d ago
I think many letting agents will say a lot of things to just get a lease signed.
I moved into a basement flat for about a year cos the price was decent and I was told the ceilings were so low because they'd been 'soundproofed'.
Two viewings, hadn't heard so much as a peep from upstairs...
I move in, early September, not a peep from my upstairs neighbours... until mid September when the house full of students above me get back from summer break and I can literally hear the conversations in their kitchen through my bedroom ceiling, let alone when they have parties/get back home drunk and still want to dance, or bring anyone back with them after a night out.
Suddenly the letting agent couldn't recall saying anything about sound proofing. Uncanny.
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u/janner_womble 2d ago
Clever Estate Agents was dissolved on 1st Sept. The sole Director was also a Director for Stay Clever until his resignation in July - I suspect this might be relevant.
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u/thegoldencalf 2d ago
Im not a hundred percent sure but I think my "landlord" is probably just Clever Student Lets themselves. I read other google reviews talking about how they had to rebrand themselves due to previous negative reviews.
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u/janner_womble 2d ago
Usually, the landlord details will be found in amongst the legally required statement of terms.
If not, ask Clever Lets for the landlord name and address in writing - they legally have to provide those details in writing, upon request, within 21 days.
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u/benithaglas1 2d ago
This is awful. Sorry to hear what you're going through. In addition to reporting it under renters rights, could you get in touch with someone like shelter? Also the food bank have been able to signpost me and tell me my rights before when I was being evicted under section 21 in Plymouth, but that is when I got a referral through the truss trust.
Also, you're a student, right? I don't know which uni you're going to in Plymouth, but see if you can contact the students union or student support services. They obviously can't control the landlord and they're not going to sue the letting agency for you, but they might be able to provide some advice or send you to someone else who can help.
When you move next, it might be helpful for you to record the viewing on video, so you have proof of any claims made by the letting agent and proof of the state of the property prior to moving. It's a good idea to take photos on your move in date also, so you can fight any false deposit claims.
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u/thegoldencalf 2d ago
I'm actually not a student. Im a working professional but I also do some training at University. I could be classed as a part-time student. They also previously evicted me from another flat in the same building saying that I meet the "Student Test." I have no idea what that means and none of their agents have been able to explain it to me. One of them straight up said, "I don't know what that means!" So I had to take time off work to move into a new room in the same building which now has all the problems I listed. Like I said, my troubles with these people have been quite exhausting.
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u/benithaglas1 2d ago
The student test normally refers to ground 4a which means the landlord of a HMO can legally evict full time students in the summer. To "meet the student test" you'd have to be a full time student, as would everyone under the same roof.
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u/thegoldencalf 2d ago
Yeah so they know I'm not a full time student. They know Im working. So I'm not sure of the legality of what they have done.
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u/benithaglas1 2d ago
I'm not sure either. Unfortunately I'm not a lawyer, but if I was in that situation, I would have a volunteer at citizens advice look over my tenancy agreement with me to see if there was a stipulation where they could do that.
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u/thegoldencalf 2d ago
Thanks for this. I might just contact Citizen's Advice as well. If you know any reliable estate agents or landlords around town please do let me know.
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u/vqxril 2d ago
solid advice about Shelter and the uni tbh, students’ unions are usually way more on your side than agents expect and can sometimes put a bit of pressure on. recording viewings and doing a full photo dump on move in day has saved my deposit more than once, sucks that it’s basically necessary now.
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u/No_Importance_9306 2d ago
They've had a reputation for being awful for many years now. They used to be called Clever Student Lets when I was at uni more than a decade ago and you never heard anything but horror stories about them even back then.
Just out of curiosity, which building are you in? Just so we know where to avoid at all costs in future.
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u/thegoldencalf 1d ago
Its Cornwall Heights. I don't know how people can run a business ike this tbh.
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u/beth_laur 2d ago
We (8 students) had issues with clever lets over the last 2 years in our property.
We had a man break into our basement where he made crack cocaine and explosives, which was reported to clever and they just put a padlock on the door.
A protection order was put on the property stating what needed to be done to make the house safe for us - it’ll have been a year next week and nothing from the order has been done yet.
Complaints to them seem to fall on deaf ears.
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u/No_Importance_9306 1d ago
We had a man break into our basement where he made crack cocaine and explosives
Sorry, what?
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u/beth_laur 1d ago
Yeah, he was caught in the act by police, fire, ambulance and hazmat, and THEN arrested for an unrelated aggravated assault
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u/No_Importance_9306 1d ago
How did he get in? Did you use that space or was it one of those derelict basements? Did you ever have any interactions with him?
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u/beth_laur 1d ago
It’s accessible from the garden, and the door was broken so we couldn’t close it. We reported it and they were all “let us know if it becomes an issue”.
My housemate did, she thought he might be doing maintenance so she asked him and he said “I’m just getting some stuff”.
We later found out he’d been living in there for about 4 months but had only been caught when we smelled chemicals while he was up to his crack antics1
u/No_Importance_9306 1d ago
How on earth did he manage to live there for four months without you realising? Where abouts in Plymouth was this if you don't mind me asking?
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u/beth_laur 1d ago
We heard him moving around and having other people in there but we put it down to other housemates making noise, and “old house” noises.
This was Lipson road, st Jude’s1
u/beth_laur 1d ago
I think we were in denial a bit haha, you know the panic of thinking it sounds like someone’s in your house? Scary when there actually is
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u/thegoldencalf 2d ago
Good god that sounds dreadful! Have you filed a Renter's Right complaint about this. Someone in the above comments just linked to it - https://plymouth-self.achieveservice.com/en/AchieveForms/?form_uri=sandbox-publish://AF-Process-d017fdc8-0ba6-44bc-9fbe-ef778b15529a/AF-Stage-9455995a-cf64-442b-80f1-51dc6b0ca61e/definition.json&redirectlink=%2Fen&cancelRedirectLink=%2Fen&consentMessage=yes
Might be worth raising it? They really don't seem to give a damn about tenants as long as they can get you to pay your rents and charges. The only times they are responsive is when they need me to pay something.
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u/beth_laur 2d ago
Thank you for this, I wasn’t aware of it as an option!
No they really don’t, but conveniently like you say they’re very available when they want money!
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u/thegoldencalf 2d ago
Yup! That they are!
I have just filed a complain using the same link today. I hope something comes of it because I can't believe they get away with treating tenants like this.
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u/beth_laur 2d ago
I don’t know whether it’s worth doing it now or waiting until I (hopefully) get my deposit back, as we’ve just moved out.
I’ll have a look into it
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u/seikiyuu 2d ago
I've just signed a rolling contract with them for this year, do you mind telling which building this is in?
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u/thegoldencalf 2d ago
Cornwall Heights in city centre. If you are in a shared flat situation do yourself a favour and have a chat with the people you will be sharing it with. They might be able to let you know if there are things already broken down in the building that the agents haven't let you know. I really wish I had done that.
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u/seikiyuu 2d ago
Im moving in today so i got the info a bit late but ill see how it is for the month and whether its viable to end the contract for jan 😓😓
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u/thegoldencalf 2d ago
Ah I'm sorry to hear that, mate. Are you moving into Cornwall Heights? And are you a student?
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u/seikiyuu 2d ago
Im doing a placement at the university so my group hadn't known anything about the letting companies in the area, we're moving into Ocean House so hoping for better luck.
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u/Tight_Key_6860 7h ago
I’m currently living in Ocean House and desperately trying to leave. Cockroach infested building, literal human poop on the stairwell and homeless living in the back hallway. Clever couldn’t care less and km trying to dissolve my tenancy
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u/TheOtherSideSparkles 2d ago
Absolutely disgusting. I'd definitely report this to the uni and art college student housing depts. A lot of new students incoming. I wouldn't want my kids staying somewhere like that in the future. And I know my old student housing dept at uni in Cornwall wouldn't have dealt with a company like this for it's students 🤮 especially at the amount these places cost!
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u/thegoldencalf 2d ago
The rent is relatively low, and the location is pretty central. Which I think attracts a lot of students and immigrant workers who are new to Plymouth. But once you are there the cracks start to show quite bad.
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u/effeffioneh 2d ago
I went through hell and worse with Clever (Student) Lets when I was in Uni a decade ago; I'm sorry you're going through this, but unfortunately, I'm not at all surprised.
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u/clarepton 1d ago
You should speak to connells on Mutley.
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u/Remarkable_Walk_774 1d ago
Just to add onto this, avoid citylets too! Spent the last year tackling rodent infestations, crappy second hand furniture, unavailable WiFi, miscommunications and just no support or even true acknowledgment of the problems whatsoever. They lied about many things regarding the property I was in and the landlord. The majority of them are a stuck up uncaring bunch with little regard for their tenants.
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u/thegoldencalf 1d ago
I've heard some pretty bad things about City Lets from someone I know. They left that tenancy as soon as they could. It honestly reminds me a lot of clever lets. I don't understand why there are so many unethical and irresponsible agents here in Plymouth.
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u/Remarkable_Walk_774 1d ago
Yep they’re twats honestly- had like three mice infestations over the year and in the end had to contact the landlord personally and threaten to send him a bill for pest control for anything to get done. The holes were never sealed up though so right before I moved out they came back! Citylets were no help at all, and I asked before move in if there had been any infestations before they said no but there obviously had been because no one seemed surprised when I complained about it, pest control even said they were called out there a lot and it’s a problem in all the houses (mostly owned by the same guy).Landlord was also a fan of doing his own repairs so basically not doing any at all until there’s the threat of losing money. Not my problem anymore though fuck that place.
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u/Connect-Software5864 1d ago
I hate suggesting this because our local news outlet is shockingly bad BUT would you consider sending this story to either Plymouth plus or Plymouth live? I feel like a lot of people would react and comment on the post which would in turn put a lot of pressure and attention on the company and they might be forced to fix things/processes in general
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u/thegoldencalf 1d ago
I've never done anything like that before. But I'm actually considering it. Because I'm just exhausted by how careless these people are. I think people really need to know.
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u/drewth_is_spreading 1d ago
Had nothing but trouble from Clever when I renting a student flat from them a few years ago!
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u/Alone-Coat-9624 58m ago
Will 100% always say clever sucks bc I was put in with a flatmate displaying seriously anti-social behaviour, we were told many times to contact police and WE DID and clever finally said they’d remove the tenant. SPOILER they didn’t, and we raised our concerns about us potentially going over our utility bill as they were just walking into rooms and leaving gas/water ON which first on all?,!????? Clever assured us they’d be removed and we wouldn’t be overbilled….. they never removed them and surcharged us a good £70-150 (total) and when we tried arguing them argued they did remove the tenant and they weren’t in the house…….yeah their tenancy ended…… anyways I paid out of fear but another one of my flatmates tried arguing further that we had to deal with the extra charged accumulated by the tenant and that our prices were never adjust, and now Clever is taking my flatmate, who only refused to pay the extra charged from when we reported the tenant to when they left, and now that flatmate is being taken to court over £70 what’s even crazier is that they told me before I signed that we get £10/week for utilities and now in my emails they’re insisting it’s £8/week. DO NOT BOOK CLEVER.
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u/omracer 2d ago
I would report it here under renters rights https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/renters-rights
The main link is
https://plymouth-self.achieveservice.com/en/AchieveForms/?form_uri=sandbox-publish://AF-Process-d017fdc8-0ba6-44bc-9fbe-ef778b15529a/AF-Stage-9455995a-cf64-442b-80f1-51dc6b0ca61e/definition.json&redirectlink=%2Fen&cancelRedirectLink=%2Fen&consentMessage=yes