Rosie Nolan’s ceiling is all over her floor. While she tries to get it back overhead, rather than underfoot, she talks to students let down by Grant Management, and discovers some (literally) shocking instances of customer service.

For those of us who weren’t freshers this fine September, the flat-hunting ordeal should now be reaching its conclusion. While the ones who sought shelter from the University in first year will recall the feeling of numbing excitement suppressed beneath feigned apathy during move-in weekend, anyone who has flown the nest for pastures new (and privately let) this year might have had more depressing duties to keep them busy than meeting one’s studious/hyperactive/morose new neighbours.

Back in January, my first year flatmates and I pondered the potential difficulties of lassoing together a group of compatible people to rent a flat with in September.

We stumbled over the hurdle of “the one to leave behind”. We bickered over window views and thickness, carpet vs. floorboards and fridge size.We debated the pitfalls of renting a flat six flights of stairs up (good for legs, bad for nights when drink was consumed).

But having established some common specifications, we thought we’d nailed it.

Apart from one tiny little issue.

“It’s with Grant Management?”

Daddy Nolan, not known for his dramatic outbursts, practically shrieked down the phone.

“Yes, but they’ve improved now. They had to change things so they could get accreditation.”

“But didn’t you learn?”

Unfortunately we hadn’t learnt to avoid Grant Management. They’d double-let our first flat even after we’d paid a holding fee and deposit.

“They’ve helped us find this really nice new one for the same price.”

Ominous silence emanating from Daddy Nolan, followed eventually by a grunt.

I ignored him.

We breezed through the letting process. Paid our various stratospheric sums of money. Viewed the flat twice, smugly chanting “We have, we have, we have almost moved” as we mounted each of those six tortuous flights. Erupted into gleeful smiles whenever we contemplated what we’d be able to do in this flat that had been forbidden in University ones, such as lighting candles

Instinct, although never to be ignored, was brushed under Grant Management’s spherical carpet and we signed away our future happiness for the keys to a top floor flat.

Five months on. Myself and Flatmate B are perched opposite one another at the table in our “new” flat, huddled round mugs of tea, reminiscing sadly about this time last year, and wishing we were still young and innocent and untainted by letting agent ugliness.

In the two months we’d been back in Edinburgh so much had gone wrong, the only viable cure was tea and talking therapy.

“Remember our old hall ceiling? And the way it never partially collapsed?”

Like here.

“Oh God, yeah that was great. And all those nights our lock didn’t break and we weren’t locked out till six?”

Like here.

“Absolutely. Personally, my favourite thing about Warrender Park Crescent was the wallpaper…I mean, it was plain, but there was no damp on it.”

Like here.

“I quite liked that the whole building was, you know, structurally sound. No dry rot which meant we had to suddenly move out for two weeks.”

Like here.

“Definitely. But it did sometimes smell a bit funny, when everyone had been cooking different things.”

“At least it wasn’t a gas leak.”

Like here.

“Yeah, I suppose.”

Admittedly, not all of the above were foreseeable. And Grant Management continually deflect responsibility for the worst of it by saying they “weren‘t aware” and that they sympathise fully with our run of “bad luck.” But no matter how hapless the students, or how unpredictable the damage sustained by one little flat, the buck has to stop somewhere. And, in my opinion, this should be with the letting agency who haemorrages your student loan every month in exchange for an inhabitable property.

In reality, however, once they have your money, customer care seems to cease to be a priority. While the list of problems with our residence drips on with the monotony of a leaky tap, the despair and frustration might be somewhat assuaged if Grant Management could convey with sincerity that they are as appalled by this catalogue of catastrophes as we are. Perhaps by making our flat inhabitable without weekly prompting from us.

A prime example of how compassionately we were treated is conveyed by the “alternative” accommodation we were offered while the dry rot repair work – which obliged us to move out – was underway. Even though we had signed a lease agreeing to a twelve-month residency in a Grant Management flat (which was undermined by the requirement that we move out for a fortnight in our first month) their magnanimous proposal consisted of:

a) Rehousing us permanently in another Grant Management flat which was not the property we had chosen, and – crucially – cost almost £90 extra per person per month.

b) Finding our own place to stay for the two weeks, having been refunded our first four weeks (not one month) rent. Let’s not forget that £291 wasn’t going to travel very far in the Fringe-festooned tourist capital at the height of its busy season. In fact, since the refund arrived almost two weeks late and just as we were about to move back in to the (partially) restored flat, it didn’t help us very much at all.

Not an overly caring attitude from the people we’d signed a contract with to put a roof over our heads. Come to think of it, they even had some trouble getting the roof to stay there.

Alan Williamson, a 4th year psychology student, admits similar architectural anguish:

“The day before I was due to leave my GM flat, a hole developed in the roof and water leaked in through the ceiling during a heavy rainstorm. The hallway of the flat was completely flooded and the closet toilet was also soaked (water came in through a skylight).

My flatmate received an electric shock when using the toilet and it became apparent the problems were serious - paint was flaking off the walls and it was in danger of damaging our property in the bedrooms. We called GM’s “emergency line” and they first said they would send out a plumber. I called back an hour or so later and they said there was nothing they could do because it was too dangerous to send a roofer out. Basically, we were - pardon my language- f****d.

We tried our best to dry out the flat but it was hopeless. I heard from my old flatmates it took GM over a fortnight to do anything about the damage. Instead of replacing the damaged carpet, they issued fan heaters. This is a fortnight after the incident, remember, so those were as much use as a chocolate biscuit in the event of fire. The service we received from GM was appalling and hardly befitting of the caring, sharing image they like to create for themselves.”

Grant Management have a massive share of the student flats in Edinburgh and many other cities all over Britain. Surely, something they should know is how to do business without infuriating the people with the least money and the most to lose? However, given the number of complaints Student has received, we know that we’re not an isolated case. Heinous examples of Grant Management’s spectacular mismanagement are materialising more frequently than mould on our damp-stricken walls. A Student colleague sadly related his Grant Management woes, whereby his flat went without a phone point for their entire year of residence, in spite of increasingly more exasperated reminders to Grant Management.

“When we first moved in to our Grant Management flat in October 2007, everything was great apart from one small thing: there was no landline phone socket. It wasn’t a huge complaint; certainly, it should have been easy to remedy.

“When we called, we were told someone would be sent over to deal with it. No-one ever came. When we called again, we were told there was no record of our previous call. When we offered to employ our own electrician, we were told this was against the terms we had agreed to when we moved in. When we pointed out that the lease also required us to have a landline phone for emergency calls, we were told someone would be dispatched to deal with it. When we said we’d been told that many times before, we were told there was no record of our calls.

“This cycle repeated over and over again. There seems to be an atmosphere of casual incompetence at Grant Management that gets very tiresome after a while.”

Greg Traill, a 2nd year French student, experienced similar indifference when he and three flatmates moved into their Tollcross flat in August this year.

“First, they gave me keys to the wrong flat. Then it was basically up to me to go back to Coates Crescent and exchange them. That afternoon, the handle on my bedroom door fell off, effectively shutting me out of my room; we couldn’t get hold of anyone on Grant Management’s emergency line, so we had to call an independent locksmith who told us only two of the three screws on the handle had been secured. He charged me £65 and wrote on the receipt that it was an incorrectly fitted handle so I could at least get my money back, but even though Grant Management said they would send me a refund by cheque, it’s been five weeks and I’m still waiting.”

Something of a double standard, considering the alacrity with which their credit control department will chase up unpaid rent.

Greg’s troubles don’t end here, however.

“We viewed the flat a couple of times, the second time in July, before moving in on the first of August. At that viewing, we noticed a few things that should be fixed before we moved in, such as the toilet seat, which was broken and about to fall off, and the chest of drawers in one of the bedrooms. I said to the agent that these must be fixed before we moved in and she reassured us that they would be.”

And so, returning on the first of August, were Greg and co pleased with their new place?

“Well, apart from being given the wrong keys, and the whole door handle incident…no. The toilet and chest of drawers were still broken, the kitchen bin hadn’t been emptied, the toilet brush was filthy from the previous residents…it wasn’t brilliant, having to sort all of that out the moment we moved in. We’ve phoned them various times, about the stuff needing fixed, and the only time anyone has turned up was an electrician to re-fit some plugs. And he then found out that in the kitchen, the fridge and cooker had been wired together so they couldn’t be turned on or off independently of one another. Grant Management just don’t seem to care, and you’d expect much better service for what we’re paying.”

Nevertheless, Grant Management - like any letting agent registered with the Edinburgh Landlord Association - is endorsed by, and entitled to advertise with, EUSA. How can an organisation specifically designed to protect and publicise our student rights work with a company which shows such apathy towards the same duties?

Can it be that we (the unlucky few) and all of those people who contort their faces in expressions of mingled pity and disbelief when we mention that we’re with Grant Management, have allowed our atrocious experiences to taint an otherwise reputable company? Can EUSA President and sworn enemy of poor student accommodation, Adam Ramsay at least offer some impartial advice?

“If students have any problems with Grant Management, they should report them to the EUSA Advice Place. If Grant Management haven’t improved as they claim, they ought to lose their accreditation. If there’s consistent evidence that they haven’t improved, we will have no qualms about making sure students know this.”

In response to Peter Grant’s statement: Grant Management didn’t offer us compensation; they offered us a refund of four weeks’ rent. Two of those weeks were spent in our flat, in a state of transience, disruption and uncertainty and the two which followed were spent in other premises. A good-will gesture? Not nearly good enough.

Statement from Peter Grant, Chief Executive of Grant Management:

In the case of Rosie Nolan’s flat we can respond specifically. The core issue is that the council carried out a common repair on the building. As the council manages this, we are not in a position to really comment on what they have done. There will have been disruption to all occupiers of the building, and I believe the landlord did the right thing by offering compensation. Rosie was advised as soon as we were aware of the common repair. We offered various solutions that were possible and practical at short notice. The hole in the ceiling was caused by the council workmen, and should now have been fixed. I believe all problems are now either resolved or very close to being resolved.

What should you do if you have a problem with a Grant Management property?
Advise us of the problem on our tenants’ number – 0845 230 2288. We will do all that we can to resolve it quickly
- If you feel your problem is not being properly handled contact me by email on:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Small repairs:
Rented or owned, things sometimes go wrong in a home. Past tenants more often than not leave a property in a good condition when they vacate, but not always. A cleaning company manages the work of ensuring the property is ready for the next tenants. A video inventory of the “before and after” helps us solve disputes that may arise when tenants vacate. We always ask tenants to advise us when something arises, and we will put tenants in contact with the independent sub contractor. This allows contractor and tenant to liaise, and helps get the work done quickly. We do not employ contractors direct.

Bigger repairs:
A major repair such as a leak can get complicated if insurance companies, the council or neighbours are involved. Again we will instruct them on the same day. The council may not be able to respond quickly. The insurance company may demand an assessor visits. Estimates may be required. A neighbour may refuse access. Normally a leak would be fixed quickly (ie within 24 hours). Re-instatement can sometimes take longer. If a major storm hits a city, then lots of householders are affected. We are normally able to get contractors to give us a priority rating.

Safety:
In the event of a gas leak, switch everything off and dial 999. If a leak is affecting an electric item, switch it off, and switch the circuit off at the mains fuse board.

Emergencies:
Real emergencies (which cannot wait until the day after) should be notified to our 24hr emergency repair line, which is .
0131 220 6360
How can Gm help in the event of a repair? We log a repair and assign an independent contractor as we are notified. We give the tenants the contractors’ details so they can speak to them direct. We also have a web site at www.gmhelp.com http://www.gmhelp.com that gives practical advice.

How can tenants help in the event of a repair? Speak to the contractor direct. Inform us if the contractor has given poor service, or has not carried out the repair when he said he would. We will assign another contractor and give you his name.

[Student provided details of all complaints, the streets on which they occurred and the dates on which they were reported to Grant Management.]