Brigham Farm Apartments

The apartment was noisy because there’s no soundproofing, so sounds from upstairs carried through and were really disruptive. There were odd smells everywhere, and the bathroom hot-air heater stank. Heating was limited to that and a portable electric heater, since central heating wasn’t available until October. The rooms were mouldy and dirty, the cutlery was dirty, the Wi-Fi barely worked, and the outside area was overgrown with weeds.

This was our December 2023 review for Duddon. We ended up cutting our Keswick trip short, but before leaving we checked the property again out of curiosity. Four days after arrival, it was still untouched. The owner never got in touch, and we eventually received a refund. Getting inside had already been difficult. We hadn’t been given the lockbox code, and staff had several codes on file but couldn’t reach the owner or housekeeper to confirm the right one. It took a few attempts to get in. Once inside, it was clear nobody had cleaned: half-stripped beds, used bedding on the floor, used towels hanging up and in the bath, rubbish in the bins, and no toilet roll. It was snowing and 0°C outside, the property was cold, and we couldn’t turn on the heating. We reported all this, but were told that because we’d booked through booking.com they couldn’t move us elsewhere and advised us to contact the agent. The agent couldn’t reach the owner either. They logged a live complaint and said they’d give the owner 24 hours to respond. Meanwhile, we’d have to find and pay for somewhere else, though they said a refund should be possible. We visited the office in Keswick, whose head office had already contacted them about our situation. They said paperwork issues meant they weren’t managing the property, which was still being handled by the owner, so they couldn’t do much. We found somewhere else at short notice, but spent an anxious few days unsure whether we’d get our money back.

We stayed here in March and were shocked by what we found, as shown in the photos attached to this review. We had to pay at short notice for another place in Keswick, which was lovely, but the unexpected cost put a real strain on our finances. It’s been over a month since we sent an official complaint, and we’re still chasing a refund and compensation with no resolution in sight. We shouldn’t have to keep chasing for this kind of experience, and expected it to be dealt with promptly. Now we’re looking at taking the complaint further through legal proceedings.

We stayed with my two adult sons and found the place clean and warm. It’s inexpensive accommodation in Keswick, with off-road parking, and it does what it promises. The crockery and cutlery were a mismatched collection, which amused us, but it wasn’t a problem.