As part of our #HousingHorror week, we are detailing students’ personal stories. During our reporting, we asked each letting agency named for their response of letting property. Andrew Pellegrino of Myuniaccommodation.com gave us this statement, which we are happy to reproduce here. Identifying information, including the names of tenants, the property involved and the names of representatives of Myuniaccommodation.com, have been removed. Otherwise the statement is reproduced in full.

We always give tenants at least 24 hours notice. It is imperative for us that the tenants trust us and know we respect their privacy and their home.

With regards to [this incident], our office manager posted a hand delivered letter through the letterbox informing them of the viewing. I think it’s fair to deuce that it is [this incident] we are referring to, as this is the only property we received a query from and it is a property [the landlord] asked us to try and fill.

[A Myuniaccommodation.com representative] knocked on the door as normal and waited, not getting any response he repeated this twice more before entering.

Strangely there was a girl in the property in room one but ignoring the knocking. Later she claimed to [the landlord] that no notice had been given.

[The representative] has worked for me for a number of years and has always been professional and liked by tenants. It’s not uncommon for him to know the tenants who live in the properties where we are conducting viewings as he often found the accommodation for them in the first place.

Even though in November his father was in the final stages of terminal cancer he still maintained his professionalism and composure. This year I actually received a letter from a tenant at [another property] singing his praises. This may appear relatively insignificant but it’s not usually the top of a student to do list.

There were other agents conducting viewings and also the landlord himself. [The landlord] is a customer focused landlord and to reassure him we suggested that with future viewings I would personally text all the tenants from the company mobile, this way we would have proof in the itemised bill should there be any doubt regarding our viewings notifications, otherwise, if there is more than one agent it can be difficult for tenants to keep of track of who is or isn’t providing the correct notice and ultimately entering their home.

I personally did the next viewing, knocked on the door, waited and with no reply repeated this twice before entering. I also found the tenant to be in and again ignoring the knocking. The prospective tenants and me received a very cold welcome, however, I can understand how frustrating it is for the current tenants having so much interest over a few months by a number of agents and prospective tenants, when all they want is for the property to be filled quickly and to be left alone.

Again, they complained to [the landlord], claiming they were not informed, however, this time we had itemised proof from our T mobile invoice and this confirmed we had given notice.

On the next viewing, again we informed the tenants by company text and asked [the landlord] to attend, which he did.

We didn’t actually fill the property, so I would assume there would also have been other viewings after us.