Casa, Abbey Court, LS5

We have lived at Abbey Court for nearly a year, and during that time we have not had a single day without some sort of issue. That's actually quite an achievement. Most companies strive for consistency in customer service. Casa has achieved consistency in customer frustration. Casa's greatest strength is making you believe something is about to be fixed. You'll be told the issue is being investigated, escalated, monitored, reviewed, or actively being worked on. Then several months pass, the problem remains exactly where it was, and a brand new issue appears to keep it company. Let's start with the communal bin store, which deserves its own section. The bin store was fitted without an adequate lock, leading to months of anti social behaviour right outside residents' homes. It then became occupied by homeless people for months. Despite numerous emails and complaints, the issue dragged on for ages. During this time, residents struggled to dispose of rubbish properly and regularly had to walk past waste and human faeces. Just a reminder that homes here start at around £1,600 per month. If you've always dreamed of paying premium rent prices to live next to overflowing rubbish, human waste, maggots, rats, unpleasant smells and mystery liquids covering the floor, then Abbey Court may be exactly what you're looking for. The bin situation is particularly fascinating. Casa's solution is usually to explain whose fault it isn't. Sometimes it's the council's fault because of bin collections. Sometimes it's the builders' fault. Sometimes it's the residents' fault for "not disposing of rubbish appropriately". What is rarely provided is an actual solution. Residents are repeatedly told to flatten cardboard and dispose of waste correctly. A fair request in principle. However, I ask you this: would you want to spend any longer than absolutely necessary inside a bin store full of maggots, rats, foul smells and human waste? A bin store where opening the door sometimes came with the added surprise of discovering a small community of homeless people living inside? Most residents are trying to get out as quickly as possible, not settle in and organise a recycling workshop. The best part is that Casa has been "working on improvements" for months. The issue was reported at the start of the year. By June, it was still not properly resolved. At this rate, the maggots will probably have their own residents' committee before the improvements arrive. Before moving in, we were reassured that builders on site work at reasonable times and are respectful regarding noise. In reality, expect loud music throughout the day, weekend working, bank holiday working, shouting, swearing and general disruption. If you have children, keep the windows shut unless you'd like the builders to contribute to their vocabulary development. Of course, when you raise these concerns, Casa will explain that they don't actually have control over the builders. This is an interesting position given that the builders are working on their development. Apparently everyone is responsible except the company managing the site. If something breaks in your property, prepare for a similar experience. Maintenance requests can take months to resolve despite repeated phone calls, endless emails, formal complaints and constant chasing. At one point it genuinely felt quicker to learn how to repair the water tank/boiler ourselves. Security is another excellent feature. For a premium rental development, the main security provision appears to be the Ring doorbell that residents have to pay for themselves. This allows you to safely witness all of the anti social behaviour, disturbances and ongoing problems from the comfort of your own home. It's less of a security system and more of a live streaming service for management failures. You also get the added benefit of the development's alarm systems, which frequently remind everyone how secure the empty properties are by going off at random intervals. Even when Casa staff are present on site, meaningful assistance is often difficult to find. To be fair, the £1,600+ monthly rent does come with one notable perk. Resident events. During our time here we received a free pizza and a coffee. It was a brave attempt to compensate for the overflowing bin store, rats, maggots, anti social behaviour, maintenance delays, noise disruption and alarm systems. Whether one pizza represents fair market value for all of that is a matter for debate. Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of living here is the complete lack of accountability. If you read the reviews, there is a recurring pattern. The builders are responsible. The council is responsible. The residents are responsible. The only group that never seems responsible for ongoing issues at a development managed by Casa is Casa. In summary, if your dream is to pay luxury rental prices for student accommodation levels of management, ongoing maintenance problems, construction noise, overflowing rubbish facilities and endless promises that things are "being worked on", then Abbey Court is the perfect place for you. If, however, you expect a clean, secure and well managed development where problems are resolved within a reasonable timeframe, I would strongly recommend looking elsewhere.

Despite the flats being newly built, these already have a plethora of issues. Heating/insulation is a major issue, many of the apartments are cold enough that you can see your breath while sat inside, even with the useless electric radiators on. There are strong draughts and gaps/cracks where the property has settled, but the management team are dragging their heels on any maintenance work. The issue with cracks/the rush to build and get people in has meant there is still moisture in the walls, causing plaster beetles to crawl out of all the cracks, vile for the price point of these flats. There are NO community events. I have lived here for months and there was one free pizza night (photo op for the development) many many months ago, but nothing since. You will likely never actually see the management team around anywhere. If you're looking for pet friendly/community feel, there are far better places to rent e.g. Uncle or the Junction in the city centre (which somehow cost almost the same as this place). Water heaters!! If you value your sleep/freedom from migraines do not rent here. The water heaters in the apartments, make an extremely loud noise multiple times a day (over 70++DbA) lasting about an hour and half. Its loud enough to vibrate the floors and lasts over an hour each time. Often late into the night/early hours of the morning. You can also hear the heaters of the apartments around you, from inside your apartment or when you're in the hallway. Other residents have been lovely through interactions mostly on the residents app (mostly used to flag possible crimes/shared issues). They are building further homes on the development and you will see debris, dug up ground, and litter all around the building site/roads along the development, which looks an awful mess. Moda in general has negative reviews on the different properties they manage. They are only interested in supporting you to give them more money, any actual issues and you're on your own. There are many, far better companies to rent from.

Horrendous, from start to finish. Regular leaks, gaslit by management, faulty alarm systems meaning you will get woke up at 3 am regularly from vacant properties and no one wanting to resolve the issue. ‘Smart heating’ system doesn’t work so you can’t actually utilise the nest system. Sewerage problems with it backing up in your garden. They are well aware of the issues but don’t care. Almost everyone that moved in when I did left their tenancy early.