“I don’t normally respond to feedback requests, but I emailed Menai a month ago to express my concerns and as they haven’t troubled themselves with a response, I’m publishing them here.”
We love the house, it has great sentimental importance to us (we hosted our wedding reception here in 2016 with a marquee in the garden), however, I don’t feel it’s being particularly well looked after and that aggrieves me. Before we arrived, in fact when were in the car on the way there, Menai called us to tell us there were challenges with the central heating - that the radiators would need turning down as the heating was on constantly. We accepted this - the electrician came on the Saturday (we haven’t noticed a difference). However, this is but one of many problems, that indicate that the property is simply not being maintained adequately. This list is by no means exhaustive, but in the time we were there we identified - - Extensive and significant peeling of paint across the house and in numerous rooms - this damages the atmosphere (I’m sure it’s obvious why) - instances of black mould, most notably and particularly in the back toilet downstairs beyond the utility room - this is a health hazard - the shower in the back of the property hums loudly like a steam train when it’s used - this means we can’t shower once the kids are in bed - the radiators by those back bedrooms hum loudly in the middle of the night , this has bothered me as I’ve tried to go to sleep and I think woken one of the kids up over the weekend - the signal to the sky box is not tuned in properly and on a quiet night with little inclement weather, the system cut out repeatedly (this is the only TV in the house and so with small kids, that can be a problem) - we found a number of radiators with their thermostatic valves taken off (I couldn’t reattach them) and so the heating for these radiators could not be turned up or down - the sofas (which are the same as were here in 2016) are clearly very ‘well loved’ and are screaming out for replacement. The cushions are threadbare (which you must know as they have loose covers), the back of one has a large hole in it - some of the mattresses have clearly enjoyed long and illustrious careers and are in need of retirement - the springs offer little to no support and in one of the double beds, the mattresses are so worn that they are no longer the same height (the middle double bedroom over the back door) - the Bath which overlooks the parking courtyard has a dangerous fault - when the water drains from it, it leaks down through the ceiling in the kitchen, down the wall and onto/into the plugs/light switches above the dishwasher and drenches the floor - this could cause a serious electrical problem. The water isn’t draining properly, that bath cannot be safely used until a plumber has stopped the leak - the back door leading out of the main living room does not meet fire regulations - there is a ‘knack’ to unlocking it, which we can usually manage. However, if we had to manage it in a fire, I wouldn’t bet my children’s lives on it. That lock absolutely must be replaced now - the door handle for the back door has rusted off - we have found the odd stain to the carpet, not the end of the world but not the right ambiance either - some of the towels had stains - in truth, the internet is too slow for the devices of 2022 - the window of the ground floor bedroom is closed only by a single hand latch - this is not secure and to me represents a security risk I sent clear photos to Menai of many of these concerns. We love this property, it pains us to see it falling into disrepair. However, the listing and the condition are not as consistent as they should be. I told Menai about this by email on 19DEC22. I’m writing this on 14JAN23, as at now, they have not responded. I rated myself as unlikely to recommend Menai because in my list of concerns are two serious safety concerns and they have seemingly done nothing.
