Black Katz Omdömen 

Never in my life have I written a review for any company, but the experience we had with Black Katz was so horrendous that I felt I must warn others.

We were supposed to move into our property October 2022 but on our move-in date instantly noticed a barrage of problems: rising damp in multiple rooms, mattresses in the bedrooms which were completely filthy and looked soiled, and black mould all over the bathroom ceiling (among other things, too numerous to name). We reported this to BK, asking for these problems to be resolved. After countless phone calls + emails, we eventually settled on a move in date in February, where we were told these issues would be sorted. Unfortunately this was not the case.

In February, on first arrival at the property our keys did not work. Without any response from BK (whose website did not provide details of an emergency contact), we were forced to stay at a friends and pay out of our pocket to get into the property (eventually reimbursed after asking ~10 times).

Once we got into the property the chaos was unimaginable; it was a building site. Plugs sockets hanging out the wall, kitchen units all pulled out (we had no working kitchen sink), a rancid smelling fridge, curtains hanging off the rails by a thread, and a blocked, overflowing drain in the 'garden' which stunk of sewage. There was also a leak in the under-stairs cupboard (reviewed later by a specialist at being at 50% damp).

The flat remained in this state with very little progress for around 6 weeks. During this time, one poor tenant was forced to reside there due to personal circumstances. Ultimately the rising damp returned and the leak which we had kept mentioning exacerbated - the downstairs bedroom ceiling was scattered with black mould once more. Coupled with the lack of any smoke alarms in the property (an issue we raised nearly every other day), even Black Katz admitted this property was unliveable - lucky they didn't live in it.

In the end, the landlord, clutching at straws, was insistent we pay him for the one week in which the property was deemed liveable (i.e. when there was a smoke alarm). We only stayed there as BK did not guarantee that we would be able to get out of our contract, and frankly we had no other options.

Inevitably, Black Katz will try to justify their incompetence below, although at this point we have moved to a different estate agent and do not wish to be drawn into an "argumentative discourse".

Johnny is the ideal agent you would want to meet when moving to a new flat.
He has a "let's make it happen" attitude and precious skill of making things simple at the times it all looks complex and hard.
Johnny gave me comprehensive information prior to the viewing and made is easy for me to secure the flat in the right time.
He is wonderful, proactive and positive.

Tom and Johnny were a great help in finding us a property. They stayed in regular contact, explained the process thoroughly and always sent photos and videos of the properties before the viewing.

Johnny and Tom were really proactive in helping my friends and I to find a flat, staying in close contact with us and sending across potential options before they were listed online. The property market is difficult, but with their help we found a great new flat, and I can’t wait to move in!

'Johnny' helped me to find the good house.
I had a several time to find house and it was really hard time. After I met Johnny and Black Katz, they made me live in good time. He first showed me the house through virtual video and helped me look around at the house comfortably with additional information.

He responded quickly, found answer if I had any questions, and explained it to me in detail with kindness. Thanks to him working like this, I was able to sign a house easily and quickly. I'm so lucky I met him.

Very unprofessional. The flat I rented was full of dampness/many other problems. All my calls were ignored, emails ignored. Was called dramatic for expecting a flat that didnt have mould. I had to involve the council in order to get some kind of response from BlackKatz. When moving out, I was told "thankfully you will be moving out soon and I will have the pleasure of not speaking to you ever again."

Tom made sure to answer all questions and give us information quickly. He made the whole process easy for us by keeping in contact and following up on important deadlines.

I was very impressed by Black Katz and especially johnny! He is very helpful always responsive to help me out.

Johnny helped us find our new home! We were struggling for over 2 months to find a house in London and were able to finally put in a bid through his prompt help. He has been extremely helpful, kind and trustworthy throughout the entire process. Thank you Johnny and Black Katz!

Johnny arranged for a viewing 3 hours after I’ve spoken to him for the first time. “This is Amazing.” He was friendly, kind, helpful and trustworthy . The whole process went smoothly and quickly within a short time. I was very much impressed with JOHNNY and the team at Black Katz. Thank you and keep up the good work.

I had a really good experience with Black Katz. Gemma was our manager for moving in and she always takes our calls when we are unsure and have questions as student renters, and was always very understanding and reassuring in our process. She made sure we had all the references ready for our landlord and it made us feel very relaxed like we didn’t have to worry. We’re really exciting to move in and we are so happy it was easy. Thank you black katz!

I was very impressed by Black Katz and especially Aidan! He’s been extremely helpful and trustworthy thought out the whole process. He completely understood our requirements and proposed a property that we ended up renting! As soon as we requested a viewing, he arranged for us to view it in the next hour!! Incredible service and always available for help/advice. I’ve been renting in London for a long time and never had such a pleasant experience with an agent.

Me and my flatmates were really impressed with Black Katz, they helped us find the perfect property. The team is very efficient and professional, Tom our agent was very attentive and helpful.

My experience with Black Katz was very negative and I would absolutely not recommend anyone use them. I stayed in a flat managed by them for a year and a half, and throughout that time there were constant issues that were not dealt with in a timely or professional manner (some things were completely ignored). Some of the worst issues included mould and damp, which was an ongoing issue for the majority of my time spent in the property. We eventually had to involve our local council, as Black Katz had not provided someone within the required time-frame (this was a consistent issue). The property was inspected by the council and was deemed a fire hazard due to an absence of proper ventilation in the living room and kitchen.

They are very difficult to contact and rarely reply to emails quickly (unless it is in their best interest), constantly having to chase or call up several times to an answer. Very disorganised and poor communication between them and the landlord. An extremely unreliable agency, please avoid!

We had a really good experience while searching for a flat. Johnny was super helpful and listened to our requests and made the process easy.

Good help by the staff to find apartments

Black Katz have been really helpful in finding a nice property quickly. We approached them looking for something very specific and Tom was able to show us two beautiful properties in our desired area and within budget. He has gone above and beyond to make sure the process goes smoothly and we are able to move in on our desired date. Would highly recommend working with him to find your next property!

I've had a brilliant experience with Black Katz! Aidan has been so helpful, so friendly, straight forward and supportive the whole way through. From organising the viewing, to taking us through all the steps to making an offer he was always there to explain and advise. Thank you!

Johnny, was super helpful for us and kept in contact the whole time. We were ensured that the process would be as quick and easy as possible and it definitely was. Saved us a lot of stress as students in London! Thanks again Johnny!!

Overall, our experience with Black Katz has been positive, with Thomas in particular an excellent contact for finding a property and answering any questions we had at that time. He was enthusiastic and his insights helped us to understand how the market operates - which was useful seeing as this was our first time finding a rental property. However, we stopped short of giving them five stars because processing the documentation having had our offer accepted has proved frustrating, with that side of the team slow to respond to queries/questions - we've had to chase on a number of occasions, which is disappointing. Nevertheless, move-in date is next week, and we hope things will be smooth sailing moving forward, with any issues – should they arise – dealt with quickly during the tenancy.

UPDATE 12/11/24: So after more than a year of having to deal with this agency I have come to the conclusion that, while my dealings with one individual at the start were fine, everyone else has been truly disappointing. And they appear to reserve a "special" kind of service for students - namely, they're just ignored: my son's experience through the year he was a tenant was to have to constantly chase to get any movement on anything. Add to that a £400-odd charge for an end of tenancy clean (I'd like to add that having painted the property at move-in, adding rugs to cover the burns on the carpet and having cleaned it thoroughly before leaving, it was 100% in a better state than when my son moved in, so that charge was totally unjustified in our view), and a deposit that took more than four months and constant chasing to return, I would recommend giving Black Katz a wide berth. Terrible