Hedley Cottage in Yarm

We were told we’d get a full refund, but it still hasn’t been given. Gareth, the host, said the refund depended on us leaving a positive review. The apartment felt like an unfinished building site. The bath drained onto the floor, the shower wasn’t fully fitted and couldn’t be used, and the toilet wouldn’t flush. The sink taps spun around and leaked underneath, the tiling was unfinished, and wires were hanging from the ceilings, including in the bathroom. None of the radiators worked and they were leaking. The TV couldn’t be used, and the washing machine listed wasn’t there. The stairs were uneven and dangerous. There was seating and crockery for only four people despite the place being let for six. The kitchen had only two large spoons for utensils. The windows had no latches to close them fully, and there were no blinds on any windows, including the bathroom.

The heating in Ridley House was unreliable, swinging between freezing and unbearably hot. My boss’s family came to Yarm for a holiday and ran into problems with the apartment. Maintenance was awful, and when someone did show up, the repairs were only partly done or didn’t fix things. The management was unresponsive and unprofessional, which made it difficult to get anything sorted. I wouldn’t recommend this apartment, as there are better options in Yarm.

We paid £507 through Airbnb for a listing describing a “3 bedroomed / 6 person LUXURY 5 STAR apartment,” with a washing machine and TV. What we found was an unfinished building site. There were two bedrooms and a sofa bed in the lounge, not three bedrooms, with building dust and materials everywhere. The shower cubicle was still being fitted, with spacers in place and no shower head or mixer valve. The bath drained onto the floor and through a gap under it into the apartment below. The sink taps spun around and leaked, the toilet wouldn’t flush, and the bathroom tiling wasn’t finished. A bathroom light hung two feet from the ceiling with exposed wires, and other lights were hanging out of ceilings too. In a zone 1 area this is highly dangerous, and an official sign-off would have meant immediate closure on safety grounds. There was no blind at the bathroom window beside the toilet and bath, so we hung a towel there for privacy. Radiators were fitted but didn’t work, with valves and their boxes left on the floor. There was no washing machine, and the fridge still had delivery packaging inside. The windows had no catches or locks, and there were no blinds in any room, including the bedrooms and sleeping area. The TV was unusable and still in its packaging, with no aerial cable, and it wasn’t a smart TV. There was a strong paint smell, and the stairs were extremely dangerous, with uneven heights and depths, unlevel steps and unfinished edges. An apartment listed for six had just four plates, bowls, cups and glasses, and four places at the table. The welcome message said “MUST NOT FRY ONLY USE AIRFRIER,” but there was no air fryer. The kitchen had only two large spoons, with no knives, chopping board, bottle opener or tin opener. We called the host’s agent, Gareth. His first response was to say he was having a really bad day, then he told us a stag party had stayed the night before and pulled the shower off the wall and broken the TV. Gian's review below is from the guest who stayed in the same apartment in the days before us, for one night after paying for five, and describes the same unfinished building site. We sent Gareth photos and videos. He said a full refund was “only fair” and repeatedly called the owners “good people” and “honourable”. For two weeks he said the owners were away over Christmas and New Year. A week later, he said he’d be meeting them later that week to get their agreement to the refund. Eventually he said they’d refund us only if we wrote a positive review. We said we’d leave no review if we got the promised refund, but wouldn’t write a false one. No refund arrived. It felt as though there had never been any intention to pay us, and that he was stringing us along until we gave up. Be careful trusting descriptions or reviews of properties that Gareth acts as agent for.

Our five-night booking for the Lotus apartment was for a Christmas visit with family in Yarm. We had travelled from Italy, and check-in was listed as available from 3pm. Instead, Gareth contacted my sister in Yarm on Saturday morning to say the place was being tidied and might be ready later than agreed. In the afternoon he asked for another hour, and only at 6.30 did he send the access codes. We were having tea at my sister’s house by then, after a long, tiring journey. Looking back, we think the delays were deliberate so he wouldn’t have to show us the mess in person. The apartment still smelled of paint and wasn’t ready to let. There was no heating, the bathroom didn’t work, and it had only just been tiled and wasn’t finished. Electrical wires came out of the walls. The shower had no head or mixer, and using the bath sent water flooding onto the floor. There was no toilet paper, and our towels had been left on the grout-covered floor. The wardrobes weren’t assembled, and the refrigerator was off, with its shelves and instructions still unpacked inside. Towels were also thrown on the table and floor as a sort of welcome. The radiators didn’t work, and their valves had been left beside them. How were we supposed to shower during our five-day stay? After a miserable first night, we had to leave and pay for somewhere else. Gareth had insisted on an advance £800 payment by BACS and refused credit card payment. He knew we were coming from Italy to see family and that we were honest people. He didn’t answer our calls or messages after we left. His handling of this was shocking and disgraceful, and he ruined our Christmas. He disappeared with our money without explaining anything. Dishonesty never pays, Gareth. You’re a scammer. I don’t know whether this is how you usually treat guests or whether we got special treatment. You’re a disgrace in a lovely town like Yarm, and people should know and be careful about staying in your apartments.