Review of   Kendall Richard, Wakefield    Phone: 01924 260022     Address: 4 Cluntergate Horbury

You'll be looked after a junior who couldn't care less and doesn't have the wit or experience to be able to give you any advice even if you specifically ask for it. When they don't sell your house thanks to unrealistic valuations and poor subsequent advice they'll charge you for taking your house off the market. Try someone else who will actually put some effort in.

Value for money:		Fair
Service & support:		Poor
Quality:		Poor
Location:		Average

Review of   Square Mile Property Management Ltd, City of London    Phone: 020 7796 4622     Address: 115 Newgate St

I am a tenant in a property let through the Westferry branch of Square Mile property management. If I could give them no stars I would. Their customer service is terrible, they avoid your phone calls, ignore emails & lie about when they are in the office. It takes them ages to sort out even the smallest problem. In short if I was as bad at my job as they are at theirs I would have been sacked a long time ago. Do not use them.

Value for money:		Poor
Service & support:		Poor
Quality:		Poor
Location:		Not rated

Review of   Winkworths Estate Agent,     Phone: 0114 245 9696     Address: Sheffield, South Yorkshire

I put my house on the market in January and was happy with the price asked as it was in line with other houses on the market. This ridiculous company several times tried to send me people to view the house when I was at work and as I am single and live a long way from work it was impossible. I informed them when I was taking a two week break this July and came back to find the sign down and a letter saying they had made the decision to take the house off the market - disgusting - no consultation - no help - reallly poor service. I would not recommend them to anyone.

Value for money:		Poor - Wasted my timeenergy and HIPS money through them
Service & support:		Poor - Really dreadful
Quality:		Poor - No quality
Location:		Fair

Review of   Ludlow Thompson Ltd, Wimbledon    Phone: 020 8405 5454     Address: 43-45 Wimbledon Hill Rd

Do not even think of it! I have never been treated so badly. From the very beginning the experience has been awful. We are a very unfortunate landlord that believed all of the lies that the sales consultants tell you at their office. I can write a book of what has gone wrong but just to highlight few benefits of using this agency:

- noone ever calls you or e-mails you back
- noone ever answers phone calls
- you never receive your money on time even though the tenant pays on time
- you always receive wrong amount of money, that is guaranteed!
and then you have to chase the money but of course noone ever answers the phone nor responds to your e-mails so effectively you don't get paid until you start talking solicitors.

Stay away!

Value for money:		Poor
Service & support:		Poor
Quality:		Poor
Location:		Good

Review of   Wooster & Stock, East Dulwich    Phone: 020 7732 4757     Address: 66 Silvester Rd

Currently trying to get back my deposit and rent they owe me. Completely slow and unprofessional service. Have been waiting 6 weeks for them to return rent they overcharged me for when I vacated (which I was assured would be refunded), are trying to charge me for things on the check out inspection which were clearly documented as damaged on the inventory when we moved in (which i have pointed out to them twice now yet they remain on the final report???). Also trying to charge J94 for the pleasure of having them check the property when I left, isn't that their job or at least the landlords fee, but given as others have said before the landlord is also the owner of the agency they are always trying to pass on ridiculous fees to tenants which are certainly not justified by the level of service.

Their communication is terrible, no replies to emails, and having to send multiple emails about the same thing. We also had constantly slow service from them during the tenancy when it came to having things fixed, sending out the inventory etc yet they expect full and prompt payment and action on anything they require from you. Not sure if they are lazy or incompetent or both, but I certainly wouldn't recommend. 9 weeks later and still no response from them about my deposit when i have been ringing them, just poor excuses so have had to lodge a dispute with the deposit protection scheme to try and get them to return my deposit or at least give a reason why they haven't returned. DO NOT RENT WITH THEM.

Value for money:		Poor - high fees for poor service
Service & support:		Poor - incompetent and slow
Quality:		Poor
Location:		Average

Review of   Tobin Jones Property, Bicester, Oxfordshire    Phone: 01869 248254     Address: Pevensey House 27 Sheep Street Bicester Oxon OX26 6JF

We had an awful experience with Tobin Jones. Having been with other estate agents in the north and south of the UK I would strongly recommend avoiding Tobin Jones. They were very expensive for the quality of property. Did not reply to emails or phone calls. We had to take them to the ruling tenancy authorities as they also tried to keep our deposit for problems out with our control. We were successful and they were forced to return our whole deposit. A terrible experience from start to end.

Value for money:		Poor - Terrible. Very expensive for quality offered.
Service & support:		Poor - Terrible. Did not reply to email or telephone.
Quality:		Poor - Very poor.
Location:		Fair - Average

Review of   Robert Leech, Oxted, Surrey    Phone: 01883717272     Address: 72 station road east

Do not touch these people.

Value for money:		Not rated - Complete rip off.
Service & support:		Not rated - Contemptible
Quality:		Not rated - Disgusting
Location:		Not rated - Don't go near there.

Review of   Tate Partnership, Chiswick, West London

My experience of Tate Partnership was very disappointing. They had a real bias for the landlord and showed no customer care. When the boiler broke in the middle of winter there was no apology nor no out of hours service. There were a lot of hidden and unnecessary costs. The way the handled the end of tenancy was incredibly poor, they behaved unethically and caused a lot of problems. In my opinion be very careful of them if renting a property.

Value for money:		Poor
Service & support:		Poor
Quality:		Poor
Location:		Not rated

Review of   William H Brown, York, North Yorkshire

Agency if part of Sequence and having used Bagshaws in Staffordshire for property search, I was impressed by their sales and service. The initial meeting and valuation was very polished, slick and professional. However, we had only one viewing in 3 months of marketing our property (and that came as a result of a Right Move alert when we first went live). The contact from the agent was poor, and even worse when one of the staff left - we had no communication from them, only when we rang them.

With no activity on the horizon a couple of friends made test calls to the office - what appalling response, one of them was told they couldn't tell them a lot about the property as it was a new listing (almost 3 months!!) no effort to sell or encourage the buyers to view our property even though they had rung up to ask about it. No follow up on the enquiry, even though one said she was coming to view properties in the area the following week. it wasn't flagged to us or was the customer called back to arrange a viewing. They're happy to sit behind the internet marketing, even though their own literature indicates that 39% of sales are generated through their pro-active approach.

Desperately disappointing to say the least, when we raised our concerns the only suggestion was to drop the price - but with no customer feedback to indicate that that would secure a sale. We're now 3 good selling months down the line, around J700 lighter (paid an initial J190 fee) and the outrageous HIP charge they make of J399 + vat (no longer needed!!)

Value for money:		Poor
Service & support:		Poor
Quality:		Poor
Location:		Good

Review of   Cairds Estate Agent, Ashtead, Surrey    Phone: 01372221678     Address: 35 The Street, Ashtead, KT21 1AA

They were fantastic and made the whole experience almost enjoyable. They offered a friendly yet professional service that made us feel truely valued clients. We would not hesitate in recommending them!

Value for money:		Excelent - They used everything at their disposal even though our house was small
Service & support:		Excelent - Kept us fully informed at all times
Quality:		Excelent
Location:		Excelent

Review of   William H Brown,     Address: Harrogate

I initially went with William H Brown in Harrogate to sell my house. Never again. They're inefficient, incompetent and above all, dishonest. I ended up moving to another agent in Harrogate who managed to do well in a matter of days what William H Brown had been unable to do in months. If you're looking for an estate agent in Harrogate, whatever you do, please don't choose William H Brown as you'll probably end up regretting it.

Value for money:		Not rated
Service & support:		Poor
Quality:		Poor
Location:		Not rated

Review of   Homes4u Group, Manchester    Phone: 0161-448 4800     Address: Davenport Buildings/414 Wilmslow Rd

Absolutely awful experience dealing with agent who are very keen to sign you up and take the money but not actually provide a professional service in return! H4u were employed for a full management contract to manage my house. Tenant kept a pet which was not agreed to and it caused damage to sofa and floor. Agent didnt follow proper procedures in dealing with my claim as inventory and photos needed to be signed. This cost me hundreds of pounds. This wasn't an isolated incident, agent had door locks and fires fitted without asking me permission first. Stay clear unless you are going to manage the property yourself and pour money down the drain. I would not recommend this agent to my worst enemy.

Value for money:		Poor - 1 star is generous
Service & support:		Poor - Service is appalling
Quality:		Poor - Quality is not in their dictionary
Location:		Fair - They had no excuse not to visit nearby house at least

Review of   Thomas Paige,     Phone: 0843 363 2877     Address: 254 Kingshill Avenue, Hayes, Middlesex, UB4 8BZ

Really poor communication - wanted to view a nice property to buy (unfortunately advertised only by this Mickey Mouse agency) and the agent failed to show up. No phone call, no nothing and a waste of 3 hours of my time: it is not exactly like I live round the corner!!! Tried to call his mobile but the agent was unreachable!

Value for money:		Not rated
Service & support:		Poor
Quality:		Poor
Location:		Not rated

Review of   Douglas Martin, Hendon    Phone: 020 8202 6333     Address: 18 Central Circus

Do not use Douglas Martin to purchase a property. They are extremely unprofessional and dishonest. The owner likes to use bully boy tactics to increase the price and expects you to place a deposit to ensure the property is taken off the market.

Douglas Martin have a terrible reputation of making up 'other interested parties' and will constantly hound you to pressure you into making a decision. They have no integrity and are incredibly rude!!! Do not deal with this agent!

Value for money:		Not rated
Service & support:		Poor
Quality:		Poor
Location:		Not rated

Review of   Select Properties, Hayes    Phone: 020 8569 2000     Address: 392 Uxbridge Rd

I paid my deposit and a months rent in advance, but the agent retained all of the deposit, despite the landlord agreeing that nothing should be deducted.

I contacted the agent over 20 times and finally gave up. Do not deal with this guy - he is a cowboy!

Value for money:		Poor
Service & support:		Poor - Does not respond to calls or if he does fobs you off.
Quality:		Poor
Location:		Good

Review of   Lenwell Property Services Ltd, Luton    Phone: 01582 616263     Address: 8 Wellington Street

The customer service at Lenwell is absolutely horrible. They will be nice to you till they get you to sign the contract and then when you have to deal with management department you will be very sorry you ever chose this letting agency. They treat their tenant as rubbish and not answering the phone and never ringing back. If you are dealing with this agency my personal advice would be if you agree on any work that they promising to do or anything at all have it in writing so make them write you email with confirmation rather than agreeing on something verbally because afterwards they are denying anything they agreed on verbally. I just moved out from the house and of course they kept almost my all deposit because there were few marks on the walls which is ridiculous because I was living there for two years and it is just wear and tear. I am sensible person and I look after the place I live and also I work hard for that money and feel completely ripped off by this letting agency. They should be reviewed by some trading standards or watch dog. I would better sleep outside than go to rent from Lenwell in Luton again.

Value for money:		Poor - they never carry out any work they promised to do
Service & support:		Poor - Absolutely rubish!!!
Quality:		Poor - never ever would use it again
Location:		Poor

Review of   Midland Homes, Birmingham    Phone: 0121-551 6077     Address: 164 Oxhill Rd

We contracted Midland Homes in march 2009 to find and vet a suitable tenant. They failed, and put a totally unsuitable tenant in our property. By unsuitable we mean; she was on a tag, had a probation officer, and a police liaison officer. She has intimidated, harassed, and verbally abused the residents. If Midland Homes vetted this person, did they fail to find, or choose to ignore, her outstanding issues ? The director of Midland Homes, personally guaranteed us, the deposit, within 2 to 3 weeks of the tenant moving in. Over 4 months later we are still waiting.

Midland homes were contracted to arrange, regular payment of the correct rent. To today, 05-08-2009, from 28-03-2009, we have received 1 payment, on 17-07-2009, which appears to be for 1 months rent.
Midland Homes are evasive and rude when we have questioned them about all these issues, constantly defending the tenant, even when we provide evidence, ie police logs, to back the other residents statements.

We as landlord, pay for midland homes services, so, one would think that they, midland homes, have a duty of care, to, who has contracted their services. Not so, midland homes appear to believe their responsibility, lies with the tenant. This is causing a conflict of interest. After failing to provide us with a complaints procedure," put it in writing" was their response, and failing to resolve any of our issues, we have been forced to go to the property ombudsman.

We believe this company, Midland Homes, have failed in their code of conduct, and would advise any perspective landlords to STAY WELL CLEAR !!!!!.

Value for money:		Poor - NO
Service & support:		Poor - NONE
Quality:		Poor - NO
Location:		Not rated

Review of   J Lord & Co, Northwich    Phone: 01606 351133     Address: 457-459 London Rd Davenham

We have recently sold our property through J Lord & Co from Davenham. When we originally went into office she asked us which Solicitor we would be using and we said that we were going to shop around, she informed us that CFP in Northwich were always very good and that they dealt with CFP a lot, so against our better judgement we used them. I WOULD NOT recommend them, we only spoke to our Solicitor on two occasions and one of those was because we had complained. But thats another story. After a inital flurry of activity and viewers (some who were quite unsuitable for our property).

We received an offer vastly under the asking price and we felt that Jackie Lord talked us into accepting a very low offer with her "Estate Agent" talk. After feeling like we would never be able to sell our property we accepted this low offer. After we had accepted the offer J Lord & Co contacted us on less than 5 occasions. We were not kept "in the loop" and at times did not know what was going on. On 2 occasions I rang and asked for Jackie to ring me back and no call was returned. Jackie did however ring me 2 days before completion advising and I quote "I guess by now you know that you have exchanged contracts and completion is on thursday". When I rang the following day and asked to speak to her she was not in so I spoke to Rebecca in the office and explained to her that we were unhappy with the service that they had provided, never updating us etc and she did apologise.

However I spoke to Jackie Lord 2 days after that and at no point did she offer an apology for the extremely poor service we have received. She was just not interested, you would have thought that as we have family in Davenham Village and know an awful lot of people that she would have been concerned that we were unhappy with the service provided. But it felt like "You've paid me now, Ive got your money, I dont have to be nice to you"! I would NOT recommend putting your property up with this agent, the service we received was very poor and they are a lot more expensive than some of the agents in Northwich Town Centre, most of whom would give a much better service for your money. BE WARNED! Don't fall for her Estate Agent Patter!

Value for money:		Poor
Service & support:		Poor - Service was very poor and unacceptable
Quality:		Poor
Location:		Fair

Review of   strutt and parker,     Address: shropshire office

if you have one of the offices to strutt and parker come to your house with a possible listing,, they will try to charge you 850 pounds outfront to list and if they can't sell your place in two months ,, they keep the money and have you lower the selling price,,aren't they regulated by the real estate board? I have never in any years I have been doing real estate heard of this ripoff,,,, Beware....folks...

Value for money:		Poor - ripoff out front money scam
Service & support:		Poor - agents don't tell you about the money at first
Quality:		Poor - hungry agent comes to the house for the listing
Location:		Poor - offices everywhere ,,, you are the prey