Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Landlord from Hell - Eduardo Cara Diaz, 17 St Andrew's Square, London W11 1RH

Renting in London has long been known to be a nightmare. I have been extremely lucky with my time in London because I've always managed to rent from Singaporean friends who own properties here. So, I've never experienced the hell that many have complained about until now. 

I was staying at my favourite one-bedroom luxury condo in North Greenwich but the rent of £1900 + bills(around £200) per month was too expensive for me so I decided to find a cheaper alternative. I saw an ad on Short Let London on Facebook with a link to OpenRent. The room (£1250 pcm all inclusive) looked so nice, and it was in a great area, Nottinghill. When I contacted the landlord, he sent me a video of the room and it looked absolutely nothing like the image, but I decided to go have a look myself.



When I went for a viewing on 24th October 2024 at 17 St Andrew's Square, the land-in landlord, Eduardo Cara Diaz showed me around, and told me that there will only be 3 people living in the flat — himself, one other female student, and myself. (Look at the screenshots above which stated 3 tenants as well). He also said that he owns the property but I seriously doubt it. He was very insistent on me putting down a deposit immediately and him giving me the key there and then. I was hesitant and told him I needed time to think about it but I did eventually send him the deposit of £250 via Revolut that night. (I literally went for the viewing at 5.15pm, and he asked me at least 3 times to put down a deposit immediately. Look at how quick he sent me his revolut details after I left. I should have known that his desperation was a red flag. His compound does not allow dogs, and yet he agreed to let Snuffles and I stay - telling us to be discreet while moving in, and to use the small side gate so no one would see us. Snuffles also wasn't allowed to use the lawn cause dogs aren't allowed. 


 

3 days later on move-in day, he texted me to say that I needed to send him £1400 for my 5 weeks stay from 27 October - 1 December) before going over. I sent him the money promptly and moved into his place later that night at 1130pm. When I arrived, he then told me for the very FIRST time that the house is a silent house after 10pm and I was shocked. Because I actually shower at 1-2am everyday after walking my dog. He told me that won’t work and told me to shower in the morning. But I have to shower every night before I go to bed, or I can’t sleep. I have a routine that I follow. He also then told me for the FIRST time that there’s an additional male tenant living upstairs.


I told him that he should have told me all this before, because I wouldn’t have moved in. He then said "I'm sorry, you can leave now, or anytime, I'll give you your money back." So I said okay. He didn’t give me a contract to sign even though he said he drafted one, but I thought that was fine since I was going to move out anyway.
 

The next couple of days, I went for viewings. And the one night that I got home after 12am, I couldn’t and didn’t shower and ended up not sleeping the entire night. I also forced myself to be home by 9pm everyday for the next 7 days so I can shower before 10pm. I couldn’t walk my dog at night and my entire routine was messed up. This gave me severe anxiety the entire week - I couldn’t sleep, heart was racing non stop, anxiety levels were through the roof. It was so bad that I even refrained from drinking water so I wouldn't go to the toilet as it was noisy.

4 days after I moved in, on 31 October 2024, I told Eduardo that I’m moving out in 4 days time. He said okay, and that he would give me back my money : £1330. He also said he understood my situation because he wouldn't want to stay somewhere where he's unhappy at as well. I thought that was really nice of him. And he casually mentioned that his parents were coming over to stay the next day. The next day, he called me and said he can only give me the money back in December due to bad financials. I then sent him a whatsapp text to ask him to put into writing that he will return me my money. He said "sure" but never did. And he refused to sign a document saying he would return me my money. He insisted on chatting face to face but whenever I asked to chat, he would say he's not available. His parents were staying in his room, but were using the same bathroom as the female student and me(he didn't alert me about this as well). This brings the total number of people living in the house to 6, which is illegal as he doesn't have a HMO licence. I’m thinking that since l’ve vacated, he’s just using the room for himself since it’s already paid for, or to house his parents since they were staying in his room. I didn't get to speak to him until 3 November evening, the night before I moved out. I waited for hours for him because I really wanted him to sign at least a document saying that he would return me my money before I moved out.



I didn't manage to get any signed documents from him, and I moved out. It was a solid week of hell living in that place. In the one month that I've moved out, I've been calling and emailing all the relevant authorities and I'm ready to report him to all of them. My lawyer has drafted a letter of demand for me to send to him, and if he doesn't give me my money back in 7 days, I will be reporting him to all the authorities and also thinking of sending a DM to his colleagues and friends to tell them about this.

I did my best to rectify this situation. It’s NOT even my responsbility but I tried to find replacement tenants for him. I found a really nice girl, B, who came to a viewing, and I showed her around. And B was very keen to take up the room — ready to move the next day, so I passed her the key. Eduardo said it was okay for B to transfer the money to me directly(I literally confirmed with him 3 times). I told B that I'm moving to my friend’s, and later on told her about the showering thing which is why I cut my stay short. Eduardo insisted on me giving him B's contact, which I did. B wanted to stay for an extra week from 1 December - 8 December, but the room that I vacated wasn't available. Eduardo told me that his neighbour, Maria, runs an airbnb, so I was speaking with Maria about arranging a viewing for B, but Eduardo said he would be bringing B for the viewing, so I didn't continue the conversation.


B then went to meet Eduardo the next day, and then just completely ghosted me. Eduardo told me B didn't like the airbnb, and it's my fault that the deal fell through because I asked B for the money …???? WHAT THE HELL??? He literally told me it’s okay, and then later said I should not be asking B for the money??? Anyway, I'm not sure if Eduardo lied to B about stuff, since he’s so dishonest. Also, Maria texted me saying that nothing had been arranged and Eduardo NEVER contacted her. What a liar.

I also found another girl, J, who wanted to take the room but her budget was really low, so I told her it's fine, she can pay 1000pcm instead of 1250pcm, since the room is already paid for anyway. When she got in touch with Eduardo, he tried to charge her more than what I had already paid for the room. 

I also got my friends to enquire about the room online, and Eduardo said it wasn't available???

So he might have found a replacement tenant and pocketed the extra cash generated from my vacant room, and insist that the room has been vacant, and that he has no money to give back to me.

Also, regarding the room :

the floorboards creaked all the time, my room door can't even be closed properly, shower head pressure was severely weak and water wasn't hot, mattress was so hard and thin you could feel the wire frame underneath, blinds can't be drawn fully, the room gets really noisy due to traffic, corridor light wasn't working(gotta bring my phone as a flashlight whenever I go to the kitchen), and I was told to "close my door slowly" because it creaks so loudly, and to be really quiet after 10pm that I can't even drag a chair on the floor.

I should have just stayed at North Greenwich, I know. I was trying to save £850 but ended up losing £1330 and going through hell. You truly get what you pay for.

I believe in karma, and I can't wait for this lying dishonest man to get what's coming to him. 

His details :

Eduardo Cara Diaz
17 St Andrews Square, London W11 1RH
+447874969687
https://sporteusstudyabroad.com/ - seems like his company? Filled with fake reviews ha ha

Friday, October 25, 2024

Honest Reviews of More Than 20 of the Best Bakeries in London

 

 
After spending months in London and visiting plenty of bakeries, here are my reviews of the best bakeries in London! I have categorized them according to if I will visit again — yes, maybe, no. I'm currently in London so I will be updating this listicle frequently. There are still so many bakeries that I've yet to visit — Layla's, Parker, Jolene, Kuro, Uchi, Sourdough Sophia, Little Bread Pedler etc!
 

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Best Food in London - My Favourite Restaurants, Bakeries, Cafes & More!

 
After spending months in London, and eating out plenty, I've compiled a list of the best, and my favourite, restaurants, bakeries, cafes and casual eateries in london! You can have a look at my constantly-updated google sheet which has all the places that I've visited or plan to visit — the link is at the end of this article. Feel free to share your favourite haunts with me in the comment section!

Thursday, October 3, 2024

Tokyo Food Guide - The Best Food & The Best Restaurants in Tokyo

photo kyubey best sushi omakase tokyo ginza.jpg
When Tokyo is mentioned in a conversation, it's more often than not that the topic is about food. While many rave about Ichiran, Afuri, Sushi Dai, Shake Shack, Red Rock, Luke's Lobster and some of the must-eats that Singaporeans always go for, I'm here with a list of recommendations that are not usually talked about. You most definitely should not miss them when you visit Tokyo!

Friday, September 20, 2024

Guud Fills - Halal Mexican Fusion Bowls With Free Islandwide Delivery in Singapore

Guud Fills dishes out halal Mexican fusion burrito bowls packed with delicious olive egg fried rice, pico de gallo, corn, house-made sauces, and a variety of proteins. 

The bestsellers are the Australian Striploin Burrito Bowl and Black Pepper Smoked Duck Burrito Bowl. Portions are substantial and every bowl is filling and satisfying. Clients can look forward to a myriad of flavours and textures that come together beautifully to create the perfect lunch. 

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Don Play Play - Best Halal Japanese Food Delivery in Singapore

photo IMG_7799.jpg
Started by three friends who each has a background in the F&B industry, Don Play Play is set to be the next big delivery player in town. A cheeky play on the famous phrase “don’t play play”, Don Play Play is quintessentially “Singlish”, and Singaporean. The team hopes that the catchy name, which was thought up by Miss Tam Chiak, Singapore's favourite food blogger, will capture the attention of the masses, and also reflect that Don Play Play is a proud homegrown brand. As the name suggests, Don Play Play focuses on whipping up the yummiest dons or rice bowls.