The Troublesome Experience with Nestaway Rent Homes: A Detailed Account

Introduction:

I rely on several startup service-based apps in Bangalore that greatly enhance my comfort and convenience. Over time, I have explored various apps and remained open to trying out new ones, and for the most part, my experiences with these companies have been fantastic, significantly improving my quality of life.

My Experience with Nestaway:

However, this positive trend took a nosedive when I came across Nestaway, a rent technology startup that claims to provide affordable deposits and rents for homes without the involvement of brokers or interference from house owners. Their tagline emphasizes their unique offerings, such as houses without brokers, reasonable deposit amounts, fair monthly rent, basic utilities (water, electricity, etc.), amenities (WiFi, housekeeping, etc.), and most importantly, homes that do not discriminate.

Unfortunately, I must warn others not to fall for Nestaway’s claims. Personally, I will never rent a home through Nestaway again, and I strongly advise against it.

It is evident that Nestaway has invested a significant amount of money in marketing and advertisements, but they have neglected to invest in their ground team, such as hiring professional management graduates.

To illustrate the issues I faced, let me share an example from my previous property (House ID 32558). The property manager was a former security guard of the same building, who could not even communicate effectively in English. Astonishingly, he resided in the same building, just one floor below the security office. This raises concerns about Nestaway’s hiring practices. Shouldn’t they consider employing individuals with college degrees?

One of the core problems with Nestaway, among many others, is their customer care service. While their representatives may sound helpful over the phone, they often close tickets with generic and unhelpful templates. Regardless of the issue raised, their standard reply is to either talk to the property manager and figure it out or move to another property. They absolve themselves of any responsibility, leaving tenants frustrated and without proper assistance.

Furthermore, Nestaway’s property and zonal managers exhibit a lack of accountability towards customer care. On the other hand, the customer care team displays a lack of trust in their tenants. Whenever we raise a request, they respond with statements like “Talk to the property manager” or, worse, provide updates claiming that the reported issue does not exist.

The customer care department at Nestaway seems to be comprised of individuals whose sole purpose is to process refunds for failed transactions and copy-paste generic responses. I would like to highlight a few instances that demonstrate the lack of intelligence in their replies:

1) The property I rented did not match the photos provided. It was significantly different (House ID 32558).
Customer care response: If the property does not match the photos, you can move to another property. However, for waiving onboarding and offboarding charges, the manager must certify the discrepancy, and if they fail to do so, we do not care.

2) The kitchen, as shown in the photos, lacked a sink.
Customer care response: You should talk to the property manager, who can inform the owner about installing a sink. If the owner refuses, you can once again move to another property. As for waiving off onboarding and offboarding charges, the manager’s certification is required, and if they do not comply, we do not care.

3) Incidents of theft occurred in the house (House ID 32558), and I wanted to relocate.
Customer care response: We apologize for the inconvenience, but our only suggestion is for you to move to another property. Whether you choose to do so or not, we do not care, and we will not provide a free transfer.

4) I was charged for cleaning the kitchen and fridge in the shared kitchen.
Customer care response: The property manager and the team have stated that the kitchen

is not shared, regardless of what you say. You should talk to them and resolve the issue. It’s worth noting that the same fridge was used by Nestaway staff to steal our Coke and ice cream.

5) After transferring to another Nestaway property due to frequent thefts, I encountered various issues.
Customer care response: We have informed the team and asked them to look into the matter. It has been 30 days, and they are still requesting additional time.

To exemplify the service request concept, I faced a significant issue in the house where the water supply ceased working on a daily basis after I moved in. Additionally, the lift was out of order, causing inconvenience for residents on the 5th floor who struggled to go in and out of the building (House ID 32558).

Adding to my grievances, the Zonal Manager of the previous property, Anil, resorted to threatening me over the phone, attempting to silence my online posts. He even insinuated that he wanted to locate me to send someone to physically harm me. When I informed the customer service team about this and mentioned the possibility of involving the police, their response was a mere apology.

To compound matters, Nestaway employs a group of “property managers,” each of whom I have encountered (including three at House ID 32558) possesses the following common traits:

- Young and inexperienced.
- Lacking proper training.
- Non-graduates or uneducated (as exemplified by the security guard-turned-manager at House ID 32558).
- Lack of accountability.
- Prioritization of sales over maintaining existing tenants.

Based on my personal experiences, I cannot, in good conscience, recommend Nestaway as a reliable rental partner for anyone. Perhaps, if you are a single college student seeking temporary accommodation for partying or other similar activities, Nestaway may suit your needs. However, keep in mind that the property manager will turn a blind eye, as was the case in House ID 32558.

During my transition to another Nestaway property due to the recurring thefts, I encountered arbitrary and unnecessary charges that had become expected from Nestaway. These charges included painting expenses, damage charges, and charges for a missing WiFi router (which I am confident I left in the property), in addition to the usual move-out charges. Astonishingly, I was even billed over Rs 2500 for cleaning the kitchen and fridge.

When I raised a ticket regarding this issue, the customer care team insisted that the charges were valid since they received an update from their team stating that I had occupied the entire house, despite providing evidence that the kitchen was shared by four rooms. This incident demonstrates Nestaway’s lack of trust in its tenants. I can honestly say that I have encountered less hassle at a government office than I did with Nestaway.

Initially promising a hassle-free living experience, Nestaway ultimately became the biggest hassle in my life. Their service degraded over time, resulting in delays and the removal of essential infrastructure that was meant to address the issues they were contractually obligated to resolve. Moreover, they imposed random charges, and when confronted, they claimed that the system automatically generated them, requiring me to follow up and assist in coordinating the most trivial issue resolutions.