Regret to inform that we have refunded the deposits for these students | UKmate's Record of Order Refusals

Last month, our finance colleague vented again in the group chat:

‘This is the third deposit refund this month alone. Is the sales team even trying to hit targets?’

Indeed, during the recent peak letting season when other agencies were desperate to fill every vacant property, UKmate did something our peers deemed utterly mad

— We proactively turned down several tenants who had already transferred their deposits.

Does that sound arrogant? Perhaps. But at UKmate, there are some profits we genuinely dare not make, nor wish to make.

01 /

Even if you pay a year's rent upfront, if you're an “indoor smoker”, please turn left and find another agency.

In September, a client fell for a property in a high-end London apartment block. The location was prime, the decor fresh, and he was remarkably generous, offering to pay the entire year's rent on the spot. But during pre-contract chit-chat, UKmate learned he habitually “smoked while gaming in his bedroom” and believed “opening the window would suffice”.

UKmate politely declined. Why such ‘stubbornness’? Because we know British properties inside out.

British flats are riddled with highly sensitive smoke alarms. One false alarm can summon fire engines, with fines starting at hundreds of pounds. More crucially, UKmate's landlords are predominantly overseas Chinese who cherish their properties. Once smoke odour permeates carpets and curtains, it becomes an incurable condition that defies even multiple deep cleans.

UKmate's commitment:

• We pledge to deliver a fresh, odour-free home to the next tenant – not a second-hand smoke chamber suffused with lingering tobacco stench.

02 /

UKmate understands the loneliness of studying abroad, but we simply cannot accommodate the “Late-Night Party King”.

A HMO (shared accommodation) property in Reading had attracted an enthusiastic prospective tenant. However, during the reference check process, we discovered he had been reported four times by neighbours for hosting late-night parties and causing noise disturbances in his previous flat.

UKmate declined without hesitation.

We recognise the importance of socialising during study abroad. Yet in an HMO, your neighbour might be an academic star racing against deadlines or a freshman needing an early start for lectures.

Your revelry should never become your flatmates' nightmare.

UKmate's Commitment:

• We insist on high-security smart locks to safeguard your privacy, not to facilitate strangers' unrestricted access;
• We strive to create quiet, low-noise living spaces so you can enjoy peaceful solitude, not be forced into strangers' revelries.

03 /

Every “particularity” exists to reserve the finest environment for those most like you – your own kind.

By now, you might think UKmate is overly fussy and strict.

Quite right, UKmate is “particular”. For we understand that when renting abroad: the “property” determines your physical comfort, while “neighbours/roommates” determine your mental wellbeing.

Over 60% of UKmate's clients are Chinese landlords who prioritise quality of life. They entrust their properties to us because they trust us.

The majority of our tenants are clean, courteous, and high-calibre overseas students who choose UKmate for the sense of security it provides. To safeguard this trust and security, we would rather offend a few than compromise our standards.

This “refusal of applications” is, in fact, our most valuable promise to every tenant who signs with us.

04 /

If you also:

✅ Automatically change your shoes indoors, cherishing the carpets;

✅ Keep communal areas tidy;

✅ Respect roommates' schedules, avoiding late-night disturbances;

✅ Or cook delicious meals and enjoy sharing them

Then congratulations — you are the ‘perfect roommate’ UKmate seeks.

Rest assured, UKmate has already ‘vetted’ your neighbours and flatmates. Like you, they are a lovely, dependable, high-calibre bunch of ‘human beings’.

In this somewhat chaotic rental market, UKmate doesn't aspire to be the biggest agency. We simply want to be the ‘family’ who understands you best and looks out for you most.

👇 To join UKmate's premium letting community. Let's see if you pass our ‘interview’!

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