At the beginning of March EYE reported on the filming of a demonstration organised by comedian Joe Lycett at the premises of CPS Homes in Cardiff.
Lycett, and Made in Chelsea star, Jamie Laing, were joined by a crowd of students in an hour-long protest ‘rave’, blasting out music from a makeshift DJ booth outside the branch.
The demonstration was said to be against rent deposits allegedly being with-held and rental properties being entered into without advance warning, and was filmed as part of an investigation by the programme into the lettings agency’s alleged practices.
The film was aired in last Friday evening’s edition of ‘Joe Lycett’s Got Your Back’.
Lycett introduced the film by saying:
“I’ve been talking to students in Cardiff who have been dishing the dirt about a company called CPS Homes.
“CPS Homes describe themselves as Cardiff’s largest estate and letting agent.”
He then met with two Cardiff students, Lucy and Lizzie, who had paid £2,380 in rental deposits to CPS homes during their second year of university.
On leaving their property, the pair were charged for “general wear and tear” as well as damages that they say they did not cause.
They and their housemates were charged for twenty one essential repairs totalling £843.
The students were told they would get none of their money back until they agreed to these deductions.
Lycett made a visit to the new occupants of Lucy and Lizzy’s former house, to check out whether the “essential repairs” had been carried out.
Five of the essential repairs the students were charged for included: £50 for a stained mattress, £50 for a dented door, £50 for a chipped wall and blue tack mark, £60 to reseal the shower, and £60 for a carpet stain.
Lycett found that none had been repaired.
Robert Bolwell, of Dutton Gregory Solicitors, appeared on the film and was asked about the charges that were made to the former tenants.
Bolwell explained that the deposit belongs to the tenants, and that before a landlord can make a deduction they have got to prove they have suffered that loss.
Lycett then found that the tenants had been given two invoices, one for a cleaning company, and another for works by a handyman.
It transpired that the cleaning company is owned by the sister of the owner of CPS Homes, Barrie James, and the handyman is her husband.
Digging deeper into what Bolwell called “a potential conflict of interest”, it was discovered that the cleaner and handyman are the owners of the property in question.
After confronting Barrie James in the street and getting little by way of response to his questions, Lycett went on the organise the ‘rave’ which was clearly designed to be entertaining television.
Jamie Laing read out a statement from CPS Homes in response to the programme’s findings:
“For 20 years CPS Homes has successfully managed several thousand properties, providing quality accommodation for renters.
“We are satisfied that the four cases raised in the programme have already been dealt with via our rigorous complaints procedure, and through independent adjudication.
“We therefore feel the race and filming were disproportionate to the nature and small number of complaints.”
The piece ended with Lycett telling the audience that Lucy and Lizzie had been awarded “hundreds of pounds of their deposit back.”
“On top of that, Cardiff Council contacted us to say they have just audited CPS and have issued them with an action needed warning, and we have handed our findings over to trading standards who said they will investigate CPS Homes.”
Demonstration held outside letting agency ‘organised for new television show’
Not a good reflection of the industry. At all.
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Mr James left me out in the snow (literally) after he failed to show up for a viewing of a business premises he was holding keys for years ago. There was snow but it wasnt nearly enough to stop viewings …….. Mr James just didnt turn up. When I phoned the CPS office to find out what was going on I got through to him ….only to be told that the viewing was cancelled for no reason and he wouldnt be coming. Picking my jaw up off the floor I drove over to the CPS offices in Albany Road Cardiff on my way home just to satisfy myself if there were any extraordinary circumstances that would have prevented him attending…..which there werent.
I formed my personal opinion at that time….
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My daughter’s experience of CPS whilst at Cardiff Uni was worse than those shown on the show and she had lots of friends who’d experienced similar problems. I tried to help but was stonewalled by them. Not a great reflection on our industry.
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As much as i dislike these hackett jobs on agents, i think it was warranted in this case
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I just watched it, what a God awful program it is too! Why was canned laughter on what is a serious subject? And a ‘rave’ outside the office – really? Whilst I agree the owner does seem to have an attitude and there do seem to have been some questionable deductions (were inventories taken at the start of the tenancy and were they checked – that didn’t seem to have been covered), but since when have dirt and stains been fair wear and tear? We have been on a quite a few DPS/TDS training courses over the years and one common theme has always been dirt and stains are NOT fair wear and tear.
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