“We were surprised to find that this cottage is part of 4 cottages that face into a communal courtyard rather than being ‘end of terrace’.”
The cottage was disappointing from the start, the approach through the courtyard had not seen a broom in a long time and once inside there were long black dog hairs floating on the kitchen and living room floors and a musty dank smell in the living room which filled the whole of the downstairs. The cause of this smell was a filthy mop and old water left in a bucket tucked in the cupboard under the stairs.
Our holiday was abandoned early Tuesday morning as we felt we could not continue to stay in the cottage. We had problems the first evening (Saturday) with the bathroom light flickering and this was reported to the manager straightaway, the flickering caused a strobe effect and so we had to use a torch whenever we needed to use the bathroom. The following day a blocked drain at the front of the property was again reported to the manager. The blocked drain poured water into the communal courtyard and across the front door. The owner contacted us on Monday to say an electrician would be in to sort the light (that day) and the gardener would ‘take a look’ at the drain when he was in some time that week. Sadly, the electrician did not turn up and so the light was not fixed, when the owner was notified that this had not happened and sent a video of how bad the flickering was by WhatsApp, he replied that these issues (drain and light) would not normally be considered urgent and was keen to point out that he had responded to our concerns and was dismissive in his tone. Yes, he had responded to the messages but had not sorted the problems out.
The cottage was dirty with old dusty cobwebs hanging off the kitchen light, dirt accumulating around the skirting boards and across the sockets and storage heaters. There were dead flies and cobwebs at the kitchen window. There is a large gap between the kitchen floor tiles and cupboard kick boards which is full of dirt which is difficult to clean. There are 4 cracked floor tiles in the kitchen. The washing machine displays a PAT testing label stating it is due a test in 2013. There is a fire risk assessment in the information folder that is for a completely different property. The extractor fan and light is not working, and there is damage to the worktop.
The owner had been notified of these problems back in April 2024 via on online Sykes review and he had replied that this would all be sorted forthwith, however all the issues raised back then remain untouched
The bath panel is damaged and could easily cause significant harm if we had accidentally walked into it. There are also broken tiles to the bathroom walls. The shelf in the bathroom is so wobbly you cannot stand anything on it.
The light shade to the landing light is so full of cobwebs and dust it looks horrible.
When I go away on holiday, I do not expect to have to clean the minute I walk into a cottage, and I certainly do not find it acceptable to have to use a torch when using a bathroom or for my husband to shave by torchlight.
After leaving early Tuesday morning and returning home the owner was notified and photographs of all the above was sent to him so that he could tackle the issues raised. He has chosen not to respond or even acknowledge receipt of photos. We have had no other option but to escalate this to Sykes.
A vitriolic review with exaggerations and inaccuracies. In 30 years of letting experience we have never had guests who left just as we remedied their two concerns, leaving the cottage unlocked front and back, and then presented us with a list of further complaints.
We were so concerned that, on their departure we contacted Sykes/ NCCC, sending our’s and our housekeeper’s lengthy and professional correspondence (texts and emails) with the guests over two days. A text from Monday afternoon had told us the bathroom light had stopped flickering but we let our electrician check it out the next morning and he replaced the fitting.
Sykes have informed us we took appropriate action to remedy the two concerns the guests raised and that we were not given any opportunity to deal with any further complaints.
We cannot believe that, having had a series of high ratings in reviews over the previous months for the cleaning, carried out by a professional housekeeping company (in business for over a decade) the cottage suddenly becomes uninhabitable .Particularly, when our housekeeper sends a text on the day of arrival for quality control, asking if everything is ok. The guests had responded all was ok but for a faulty bathroom light and ( the next day) a blocked grate.
Please note
* the extractor fan works, but has to be pulled forward
* A Pat test had been carried out by a company in 2023 on all appliances ( not obligatory)
* The bath panel had a small area of damage to a bottom corner ( not dangerous, but has now
been replaced)
* Loose plinths have been secured
* ‘Broken’ tiles have hair line cracks
* The work surface has a small burn caused by a previous guest (size of a 50p)
* After guests left, balls of black fur were all over the sofa, stairs and floors (the guests had three
dogs, two black)
* Our housekeeper has removed cobwebs on three light shades and cleaned as required
* Outside grate (only connected to kitchen sink) now has wire cover.
cottage is as described on website
Property Owner
