“The property is lovely, but the management of the property is where it's let down.”
There is a list of maintenance issues that need to be addressed including, drainage by the back door flooding into the property, loads of marks on the wall, the table in the kitchen had two broken supports that need reattaching, climbing frame, while amazing, the ladder is broken and comes away from the frame, one of the downstairs double mattresses is terrible to sleep on, the Hive heating system wasn't working so we had to manually turn heating on and off, the bridge over the stream had wire ...
There is a list of maintenance issues that need to be addressed including, drainage by the back door flooding into the property, loads of marks on the wall, the table in the kitchen had two broken supports that need reattaching, climbing frame, while amazing, the ladder is broken and comes away from the frame, one of the downstairs double mattresses is terrible to sleep on, the Hive heating system wasn't working so we had to manually turn heating on and off, the bridge over the stream had wire netting on it that needs replacing as it's got lots of pokey metal bits on it and a general tidy up of the garden is needed with toys and litter from previous tenants, the hot water is also set to 80c so is scolding hot and what seems to be a reoccurring issue of full bins. There was one bin collection during our stay but the bins were already overflowing when we arrived.
There is also no booklet to help with how things work in the house, like the heating system, bin days etc.
The communication with the property contact was really bad. Taking a long time to address issues or no replies and we had two people turn up unexpectedly doing maintenance (unsuccessfully on the drain), a courtesy text would have been appreciated.
I wouldn't recommend this property to anyone with accessible needs as there a loads of steps up and down in the house and you need to go down stairs to access the garden.
Positives are that it's a lovely house in a great location, the hot tub is brilliant, the garden in general is lovely, there is additional off street parking at the top of the garden which isn't shown, the lounge is comfortable and if we used the wood burning stove, would make it very cosy. It just needs a bit of money spent on the maintenance and improvement to the management and it would be so much better.
Hi Albert, thank you for taking the time to leave detailed feedback. We’re pleased you enjoyed North Cottage, its location, garden and hot tub, although we’re sorry some aspects of your stay didn’t meet expectations.
You were the first guest to bring the external drainage issue to our attention. Once reported, we arranged for maintenance to attend. With the recent change in weather, heavier rainfall and falling leaves, the issue had only just become apparent and has now been addressed.
North Cottage has had back-to-back bookings throughout peak season. While maintenance is carried out between stays, larger cosmetic jobs such as repainting are scheduled during quieter periods when the property is vacant. Inevitably, busy holiday homes experience some wear and tear over the summer, which is addressed as part of our ongoing maintenance.
We apologise for the inconvenience with the Hive. Occasionally the Wi-Fi connection drops, temporarily disconnecting it and requiring the heating to be controlled manually at the boiler.
The other maintenance points mentioned in your review were not reported to us during your stay. They have now been logged, with the climbing frame and hot-water temperature being prioritised for inspection.
Regarding communication, your messages were received later in the evening and responded to the following morning. However, we agree that a courtesy message should have been sent before maintenance attended and apologise for this.
We’re also aware of the issues with bin collections and are currently changing waste providers to improve the service.
Thank you again for your feedback. We take all comments seriously and will use them to continue improving North Cottage and our guests’ experience.
Property Owner
