Review of   Resi London, Marylebone, Central London

I don’t usually write reviews but I was so happy and satisfied with the service I received with Resi London I just had to express my satisfaction. My son recently went away for his second year at uni, he done his first year living on campus but for his second year needed to find his own accommodation. Me not living in London found it very hard to help him find somewhere in London. I browsed on Rightmove where I came across some properties from Resi London which had very reasonable prices. I called up this estate agents and explained that I did not live local but my son was looking, I gave them my son’s details and asked them if they could get in contact with him.

Within minutes they called my son and got all the details from him about what he was looking for area, etc.
After speaking to my son they arranged a viewing with him and he was so happy with the first property they recommend for him. He booked a second viewing with my son and I travelling up to London to view the property for myself. Can I just say this property was in amazing condition, I immediately made an offer on the property. Within a week the contracts were all sorted and my son was ready to move in and get ready for his second year at uni. Resi London made things so easy for my sons moving process, no stress or hassle which gave him more time to focus on his studies and exams.

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

Review of   Ludlow Thompson, East Dulwich, South East London

Inefficient, rude, unhelpful, disorganised are just a few adjectives this agency can be described with.
We have found a flat via LT and to be approved for it, we had to supply massive amount of documents. My husband who has dual citizenship had to provide birth certificate to show that he has a right to live in UK, as passport was not enough for LT. And this was followed by bank statements, letters from work, certified copy of ID, etc.

When we signed a contract, the flood gates were open, it turns out that saying out loud or via email “We do not want you to fix us with internet, electricity, gas, phone, etc supplier, we have our own” doesn’t do a trick. At least once a day for about two weeks someone would call me to ask me if I want to switch. So imagine my surprise when somehow two months after we moved in we were signed with Spark Energy (read contract very carefully, as this is actually hidden and not obvious and LT doesn’t inform you about it as they should). I am not even going to start about Spark, but LT didn’t help. Somehow the emails where I said I do not want their suppliers where missing, and by the time I came back to my office after Christmas holidays, so I could find missing emails, Spark already took over.

Flat also wasn’t checked before we moved in, so we had to postponed the move by the two weeks. We were strictly informed by LT, that rent direct debit have to be set up, as payment has to go LT account. So suddenly after first month we receive an angry phone call from the landlord asking for rent. As you can predict LT made another mistake. As much you may love the flat you found via LT, trust me it is not worth the hassle of dealing with them at any point.

Value for money:		Poor - They should not be paid at all for their poor service
Service & support:		Poor - There isn't either at LT
Quality:		Poor - Not enough space, to describe lack of it
Location:		Not rated

Review of   Red Properties,     Phone: 020 8653 5000     Address: 10 High St South Norwood

Dreadful agency I had the displeasure of dealing with. They don't listen with regards to repairs or issues.

Just letting properties in order to gain people's deposits.

Frankly this place should be shut down. Run by a immigrant calling himself a managing director with certifications he doesn't have.

Avoid at all costs.

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

Review of   happylets happy lets,     Phone: 0141 334 4633     Address: 1313-1315 Argyle Street Glasgow

Staff are not trained properly, they hire from their own website !! No proper recruitment, apparently no staff training, i spoke to manager at Glasgow office and she is worse than her staff !

They even asked me to pay 6 month rent upfront and then told me I agreed to the offer !! So they decided to reject my application, I have reported them to local authority to investigate.
On their website they talk about tenant wright and all sort of protections but they have no idea about those
and all they care is your money.

When you phone them you don't know who you speaking to, they hide their names from you.

The worst estate agent I have ever seen.

Subject to your application being approved please note payment required and their due dates below:
Remainder Deposit
J450
Required in prior to or on the day the lease is signed.
Rent for 22nd February to 23rd August
J3336.16
Required in cleared funds prior to or on the tenancy start date.

These people shouldn't be in business simple as that.

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

Review of   Initial Property,     Address: Birmingham

Stay away. House was a unfinished building site when we arrived, after a month with no heating and water leaking everywhere they send some guy who glue a broken tiles in kitchen floor on poly filer, he stolen my wedding rings and other gold items while caring unprofessional repairs. Come to change a handle in one of the window and broken the window itself. Someone else come to fix the heating and just take knob out from the radiator and that`s was it. We called our guys to fix things to proper working order and paid over 1200 pounds. Same day we received letter that landlord not gonna cover a cost plus when we ask about stolen items we have been served section 8 and 28 days to moved out. Case pending in the Court.

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

Review of   Jones J H, Machynlleth    Phone: 01654 702202     Address: 24 Heol Maengwyn

Spotted a property for sale with JH Jones in November 2012, arranged to view and after the viewing offered the asking price as a cash buyer, then after providing proof of my funds (which I have never had to do before) I waited and waited, then I was told they had received an offer above the asking price, so I increased my offer again, it was clear that the agents were still showing people the property, and would not accept my offer, they were clearly trying to start a bidding war. Days passed before being told that the vendor did not want a bidding war, but they now had three offers, (another new offer) and asked if I wanted to increase my offer, I did, again days passed and I was then told my offer was rejected. I made a new offer some J20k above the asking price again after days my offer was rejected, I personally would not trust this agent to sell a property let alone buy one from them, it is little wonder Estate agents have such a bad name and reputation. This agent is slow to reply, does not follow OFT guidelines, such as showing a property under offer when it is under offer, clearly to start a bidding war, stay well clear of this agent. I have asked for the complaints procedure which they sent but despite asking several times, have still not been given an email address for the person you have to make the complaint to. Reported to the OFT and property ombudsman.

Value for money:		Poor - Wasted time and money due to this agent
Service & support:		Poor - Slow to respond, not open, cannot trust
Quality:		Poor - Stay well clear
Location:		Average - United Kingdom

Review of   Burlington, Wimbledon    Phone: 020 8944 9898     Address: 144 Arthur Rd

If there was an award for the most unprofessional and biased Estate Agent, Burlington Residential on Arthur Road would win hands down!

Not only did they fail to keep us updated on our offer that we put up to the Landlord they failed to mention specifics which we deal breakers and or negotiable! Furthermore they failed to do their job properly and there instead of using their initiative and general common sense (here's thinking the agent we dealt with specifically had any to begin with) they would have been able make a quick let to a professional couple.

Instead they presumed we would go to asking instead of asking, told us that they informed the landlord not to go with our offer and failed to give us any feedback or advice on the property or the Landlord's basic requirements for a Tenancy.

I know all this because I am in the business myself, in a completely different area of London therefore I can assure you my opinion is not to discredit a competitor as they do not have a branch in the area I work.

I will not continue with this review and waste anymore of your (the reader's) time as I hope I have expressed my opinion clearly. All I will say is with Negotiators, like the one that dealt with our offer, they have employed in that office I am not surprised why Burlington Residential have not expanded, what a pity.

Hopefully this will be seen by the write people and an internal audit should be carried out on basic customer service and that there ARLA Regulations, apparently they have these, are followed at all times!

Regards,

An unhappy Applicant.

Value for money:		Average - Property was not aggressively priced but still over market value
Service & support:		Poor - There was no Service, nor support
Quality:		Poor - Property = good, Agents = below poor
Location:		Average

Review of   Aboda Homes, Wisbech    Phone: 03333 440773     Address: 60 Gorefield Road

They took a lot of care when taking photos of my home so it looks its best. Photos are brilliant. Great little video tour shows my house in a different way to other agents. Fees are good value too. Nice people to deal with.

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

Review of   Aboda Homes, Wisbech    Phone: 03333 440773     Address: 60 Gorefield Road

To pay a small unknown agent money upfront to sell my house, you can say I was very sceptical to say the least.

But Alex took the time to explain various payment options, and talked through what was included and all the additional service and marketing options they offered.

When I compared what I would be charged by my current agents when they sold, against the upfront fee that Aboda would charge, I decided to pay everything in one go upfront.

Very impressive presentation of my home - took a lot longer than any other agent taking photos and making sure all the rooms were tidy and presentable, and the photos do look far better than the other agents - almost like those professional photos you get in posh mansions!

I also had a video and virtual tour as well - when I saw them I was very impressed and - I would buy my house all over again!.

Alex asked me to offer some comments and review the service - which I am happy to do, as I say I am a converted sceptic. He is also a pleasant nice young man and very enthusiastic. I hope this will go some way to supporting him in his business and convert any sceptics too!

All the best Alex,

Amanda H

Value for money:		Excelent - I was charged just over J500 to sell my home - seems good value to me
Service & support:		Excelent - so far so good!
Quality:		Excelent - good photos, great little video and virtual tour
Location:		Fair - no high street office, sorry Alex only minor negative for me

Review of   Martyn Russell Property Services, Reading, Berkshire    Phone: 01189266655     Address: 3 Church Road, Earley, Reading, RG6 1EY

I was tricked in paying more money for my credit check, when I asked for a refund I was laughed at and then ignored. If you use these people you deserve the miss-treatment for not using this information by avoiding them and not telling everyone not to use MARTYN RUSSELL property services (3 church rd, Reading, Near the University).

A BIG WARNING FOR STUDENTS - I made a complaint about this agent with Reading University (and Reading college. They also overcharge on fees and anything else you want to do, They wanted J90 just to renew the contract. The advert for my place said “ALL BILLS INCLUDED”, that was a lie, I moved in and was charged for internet.

Value for money:		Poor - Thats a laugh
Service & support:		Poor - Non existant
Quality:		Poor - Non
Location:		Poor - Hard to find

Review of   Braithwait, Maida Vale    Phone: 020 7289 8889     Address: 44 Formosa St

Accepted our offer, insisted on a quick exchange, and then - once we had incurred survey, mortgage and legal fees - delayed on providing lease paperwork for 6 months, before re-marketing the property, only at a price that was 20% higher than previously agreed. The owners of Braithwait seem to think that because they developed, owned and represented this property, that somehow they can cheat with impunity. Do not trust them, do not deal with them and do not bother entering into any conversations with them at all. Save your breath...

Value for money:		Poor
Service & support:		Poor
Quality:		Poor
Location:		Poor - United Kingdom

Review of   Robinsons estates, Dunstable, Bedfordshire    Phone: 01582 661112     Address: 2o West Street, Dunstable, Bedfordshire LU6 1SX

Poor customer service, dreadful communications!! Would never use this company again!!! I would never recommend this company to others!!!

Value for money:		Poor - given the service I would think not!!
Service & support:		Poor - None evident
Quality:		Poor - None evident
Location:		Not rated

Review of   Entwistle Green, Chorley    Phone: 01257 279023     Address: 9-11 Market St

For over two months I was messed about by Entwistle Green Cleveleys regarding a property I had wanted to buy, they sent me to partner company 'Countrywide' to get a survey done having requested 'assurance' this was a Freehold property. This was incorrect, only when the solicitor got involved did it come to light the property was leasehold. Entwistle Green won't give me any refund and claim this ok for them to do so and that the information they provide doesn't have to be correct.

They provide inaccurate information, leave you out of pocket, they will avoid you if you try and speak with them as they claim to be on holiday every week. I would sincerely suggest avoiding this company completely.
I am disgusted and heartbroken at the way they have dealt with my complaint and am now seeking a reputable agent to buy from.

Value for money:		Poor - I got nothing but pointless incorrect information for J400
Service & support:		Poor - Won't call you back, won't answer emails
Quality:		Poor - Dreadful, no contact from them, late to appointments, poor all round
Location:		Poor

Review of   Philip James Wilson, Stockport    Phone: 0161-431 5556     Address: 218 Heaton Moor Rd

Philip James Wilson are brilliant. They really take the stress out of moving and are excellent in all respects.

I am not normally one to write reviews but feel compelled to because of the amazing service we got and want to pass this on to prospective buyers in the Stockport area.

I've summarised by evaluation in stages, as follows:

1st stage: meeting client, taking photos, making a video, compiling the brochure.
All stages were done promptly and in full negotiation with me. The quality of their images were brilliant and they really 'sold' the house in their attention to detail and emphasis of the best features of the house.

2nd stage: informing about viewers, showing them around and keeping us updated.
Again, very reliable. They kept in touch with us about the prospective buyers' opinions and offered helpful advise.

3rd stage: making/accepting offers and the rest of the process.
To echo the above, they were always at the end of a phone. Very courteous, friendly and informative. Nothing was too much trouble.

Mortgage advisor: The mortgage advisor doesn't officially work for PJW but has his office there. He is brilliant, very knowledgeable and talks you through all the options. Again, he keeps in touch regularly, and nothing is too much trouble.

To all those in the stockport area who wish to sell their house, we highly recommend this estate agent - they are the best by far. Try them - you will be delighted and then pass on your gratitude by recommending them to others!

Value for money:		Excelent
Service & support:		Excelent
Quality:		Excelent
Location:		Excelent

Review of   Victorstone, Camden Town, Central London    Phone: 020 7388 5504     Address: 90-93 Plender Street

As a long time resident of the area, I have come to rely on Victorstone for their expertise regarding the neighborhood. This is especially true of Loui, who has on more than one occasion offered me invaluable advise when renting in the area. Any issues that have arisen over the years have been dealt with swiftly and promptly. It's a pleasure to say that his help extends beyond the “signing on the dotted line” stage. On numerous occasions, including the time I locked myself out, Loui has been just a phone call away. I can't praise the service highly enough, Victorstone are an honest, friendly and caring firm who get things done with the minimum of fuss.

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

Review of   Roundtree Real Estate, Barnet    Phone: 02082032111     Address: 39 Brent Street

I have used this company recently to sell my mothers house and rent out another property for me and i was very impressed. They were very efficient and professional at dealing with all my property needs in Hendon. Thank you

Value for money:		Excelent - very fair
Service & support:		Excelent - excellent
Quality:		Excelent - excellent
Location:		Excelent - Hendon London

Review of   Red Properties Ltd, South Norwood, South East London    Phone: 0208683500     Address: 80 High Road, South Norwood, London SE25

This company everyone should be wary of. Independent Estate agents running scams against housing benefit tenants. They provide homes with disrepair and claim they will repair the property once you move in and never carry out their promise. They run auctions in respect of properties they have advertised for a additional price to the one advertised to make you pay more than you should. They abuse customers by filling in their housing benefit forms. They attempt to charge tenants twice the amount of weekly rent than normal by filling out a mandate as well as a housing benefit form. Send criminals to attack tenants, monitor tenants employment history, harass them and throw them out illegally. Well known for illegal evictions. Please stay well clear at all costs. Breaking the law on every sphere.

Value for money:		Not rated
Service & support:		Not rated - NONE BLAME DISREPAIR ON CUSTOMERS
Quality:		Not rated - AWFUL
Location:		Not rated - AWFUL

Review of   J C Roxburgh Estate Agents Troon,     Phone: 01292314313     Address: 19/21 Ayr Street, Troon, KA106EB

I got jc roxburgh to find a tenant 6 months ago, and they did, and gave me a six month lease under a finders fee. Fair enough, Six months I asked them to provide me with a fresh six month contract, and they agreed they would do it for 144.00pounds including vat..and the agreement was they would contact my tenants, and ask them to come into their offices, and they would sign and jc roxburghs would witness it to complete a legally sound contract and they also agreed to give form AT5 before signature..

After taking my money, they did not ask my tenants to come in, just posted the form to them, (they wrongly sent it to me initially) and it was finally returned to me, after unpteen calls to them when I was totally ignored, and the form wasn't witnessed, and no AT5s were issued..I went into their offices, and Maureen eaglesham, would not see me, and stayed in the back office, and they advised, they would not issue AT5s, and they felt it totally unnecessary to witness the legal documents...the upshot being I paid 144pounds for 6 digits to be changed, and a print button being pressed, and they totally disregarded our agreement..

I have been very unfairly treated, they have been dismissive, and the matter was referred to the director Mr McKean, who also said, there is no need for at5 to be issued beforehand and they would not witness it, nor do they for all the other renewals they do...huh????? so do be careful...by the way my lovely tenants, are totally unimpressed with them too, and have received similar treatment in the past...this is my personal experience...this is reported " without prejudice", and is MY personal experience, but I feel it needs to be told..for other prospective clients to make a judgement..

Value for money:		Poor - zero they take money and don't do what is required
Service & support:		Poor - zero they ignored me utterly, and never called back
Quality:		Poor - zero I will never use these people again...ever...
Location:		Average

Review of   Abacus Estates, Hampstead    Phone: 020 7431 3777     Address: 104 Fortune Green Rd

This real estate agency is not good at all. They literally stood us up twice and we had to view a flat on our own, waking up the tenants on a saturday morning. We then called the agency that said that they had other flats and that they would call us back "in ten minutes". But we actually had to call them back 3 or 4 times without getting any clear responses as to whether or not the flats would be seeable.

The process of finding a flat in London is extremely exhausting and going through bad estate agencies is really not worth your time. Abacus is definitely one of them.

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

Review of   Hardman Estates, Crewe, Cheshire    Address: Nantwich road

It was recommended by Amy Hardman to use her brother Andrew Hardman of Midcheshire Removals to transport our furniture over to Australia in June 2010 he spent the 4000 pounds we gave him upfront and disappeared with our furniture and money in contacting Amy she denied it had anything to do with her however after an extensive search we found that she was the original director of the company. We found her very unhelpful and said it had nothing to do with her. We eventually got our furniture some 5000 pounds later.

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

Review of   Seymours, West Byfleet    Phone: 01932 354494     Address: 40a Station Approach

Seymours looked after the top of our chain, a small chain that consisted of 2 properties, our buyer’s property sold through Seymours and our property sold through Richmonds. Once my wife and I had finally found the property that we wanted (a difficult task due to an extensive wish list) we were one of two interested parties. Despite having the higher offer the vendor needed to move quickly so instructed her estate agents (Ashwells) to check out how solid our chain was... this was supposed to be a formality given the short chain and having been under offer for 2 months.

Enter Vince Nigrelli - A senior partner at Seymours whose arrogance and nonchalant attitude frustrated Richmonds, myself and more importantly Ashwells who had little joy getting much re-assurance from Vince who refused to return calls and spend any time imbuing confidence. Vince’s performance was so poor that Ashwells expressed deep concern about Vince and felt that he was reason enough to suspect problems with a quick completion.

In an attempt to rescue what was a dying bid to win the property I contacted Vince with this feedback hoping to encourage him to contact Ashwells to reassure them that the top of the chain was solid and could move quickly. He claimed that he had returned calls and spoken to Ashwells (and Richmonds who I also asked to find out information) when I told him that they hadn’t heard from him he hung up on me. I later discovered that he spoke with our buyers and told them I called him a liar and a cheat... ironically proving this false claim to be true!

Don’t sell your properties through Seymours as they clearly spend no time researching their buyers as Vince... a SENIOR partner... was unable to confirm that our buyers purchaser had a mortgage offer, 12/14 weeks after putting our buyer’s property under offer!!!! This and his un-professional conduct ultimately cost us the house we wanted.

If you live in Byfleet or West Byfleet, I suggest that you use Richmonds who I have found to be really open and professional and who Ashwells described as “superb” and “really helpful”.

Value for money:		Not rated - Cannot coment - didn' sell my house through them
Service & support:		Poor
Quality:		Poor
Location:		Not rated

Review of   Ellisons, Wimbledon    Phone: 020 8944 9494     Address: 13 Queens Rd

ELLISONS LETTINGS WIMBLEDON.

First and foremost for all to be aware. They are very, very good at taking their fee upfront for the year which is in excess of J1300.00. If the tenant moves out after six months breaking contract they will only off set a discount if you use them again. This only encourages them to drag their heels getting you a new tenant and you have no choice but to try another agent because you are losing money. The new agent in turn will turn out to be better than ELLISONS and get you a better tenant and quicker. ELLISONS don't care they have all ready got your money and don't wont to give any back regardless of their terrible service.

Very good at: Convincing you to take on a tenant even though you have a bad feeling about the tenant and they are grief even before they move in.

Very good at: Getting you a tenant who will trash your home destroy your furniture and appliances. Leaving you in debt to the tune of thousands.

Getting you someone who stops you doing viewings to potential buyers and renters, you can not even show the place to people until they have moved out because the place looks like a crack house which no-one would want to rent or buy. So you are losing renting money looking for a new tenant after they have moved out.( I lost J1200.00 to this alone).

Coming up with excuses why they have not paid the deposit money back into your account after it has been agreed by the landlord and tenant. Here is just a few. A power cut stopped the money transfer, they put through the wrong account number, they accidentally charged me twice for the booking out inventory.

Very good at Not keeping you updated or answering calls or E-mails within a reasonable time frame.

This is a very brief over view please believe that this company is grief. Adding up thier fees J1300.00. Damage to my property. J1000.00, lose due to having an empty property J1200.00. This does not take into account my lose of earnings and repair work which I had to do whilst the teanant was still in the property. If I took all that into account the total lose would exceed J5000.00. But who knows if you like grief losing shed loads of money ( I personally could not afford this sum and are still in debt thanks to ELLISONS). This is the ideal agent for you.

Value for money:		Poor - they take a years money up front if tenant moves out you get no refund
Service & support:		Poor - dissmiss your concerns and hardly ever get back to you
Quality:		Not rated - None
Location:		Poor - lettings for morden in wimbledon

Review of   Winkworth, Forest Hill, South East London    Phone: 020 8613 0775     Address: 11 Dartmouth Road, SE23 3HN

My experience with Winkworth Estate agent in Forest Hill horrible when I brought a house from them. Let me just highlight a few areas:

1. On making my first offer it was rejected; however, they never sent an official letter to confirm this.
2. Then later called up saying that another client who had offered 5,000 more than us, was not suitable so we can then make another offer on the property.
3. The service is disgraceful, they are utterly incompetent, never return a call.
4. They were short staff and didn’t have anyone to show us around an empty property so gave us the key. Then accused me, without proof, of damaging the property that I was in the middle of buying (it was very near completion). The property was old and run down and needed extensive refurbishment anyway.
5. They even tried to extort money from me!
6. I was heavily pregnant at the time (7 months) and the manager was so rude when I made queries kept calling me a “stupid women”.

Overall, I would NEVER use them again they are unprofessional liars !

Value for money:		Poor
Service & support:		Poor - AVIOD THIS AGENT
Quality:		Poor
Location:		Average

Review of   Winkworth, New Cross    Phone: 020 7277 7298     Address: 157 New Cross Rd

My experience with Winkworth Estate agent in New Cross Gate was nearly traumatic when I tried to buy a house and I would imagine it to be as bad for renting. It took us nearly a year to get the house after we identified it as the house we wanted. First of all we had an estate agent who had no idea what he had to do and he actually said it himself, the agent manager did not even train him so he duplicated papers, created a whole mess and confusion amongst the solicitors and us and the seller.

At the nearly end of the whole buying process, the estate agent phoned us couple of days before us finally signing the deal and moving in, to inform us that he had found another client who had offered J5,000 more than us, so that we were off the deal basically. This came as a disaster as we had given notice to leave our rented flat and we were expected to move out so we ended up homeless for 3 weeks with a 9 month old baby… This came after months and months of us waiting for the agent to kick out the occupier of the house we wanted to buy; this occupier had not paid the rent from, more or less, the beginning of her tenancy. The buying process got also very delayed because the estate agent recommended a very dodgy solicitor to the seller of the house and the seller employed this man.

This solicitor had no idea what he had to do but did not seem interested in finding out. In the meantime the estate agent showed no sort of apologetic manners or any accountability towards us as we were the buyer and not the seller, even though we ended up homeless because of his mess. This estate agent pretended to be really skilled and knowledgeable but in practice he had no idea of the procedures to follow and how the whole system works.

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

Review of   Philip James Wilson, Stockport    Phone: 0161-431 5556     Address: 218 Heaton Moor Rd

I obtained a couple of quotations prior to making my decision to appoint an Estate Agent to sell my home. During the visit by Mike Wilson from Philip James Wilson, he immediately impressed me by bringing with him, a personalised Report which outlined exactly what I needed to know about his Company's history, their expertise and very importantly, his and his Company's excellent understanding of the house market, in particular, the local house market. There was no hard sell tactics, just a professional presentation, exactly what I needed.

The brochure was sent to me for approval, prior to its issue and the quality of the brochure was first class, as were the photographs of the house, in fact, it was so good, I was almost tempted to put an offer in for the house myself!

The support from Christine and her colleagues in the office was excellent too, calls were returned promptly and I was always at ease during telephone conversations, a real benefit, especially with the many stresses moving house can bring.

Despite the economic climate and perhaps a less than bouyant house market, I managed to sell my house within a week, which I am sure was achievable in no small way to the expertise of Philip James Wilson.

I would recommend them to anyone considering to take that all important step to move house.

Value for money:		Excelent - excellent presentation and personalised Report.
Service & support:		Excelent - excellent support from the office.
Quality:		Excelent - excellent in terms of all aspects
Location:		Excelent - In the "Heatons" - a vital factor

Review of   Philip James Wilson, Stockport    Phone: 0161-431 5556     Address: 218 Heaton Moor Rd

We decided to sell our house in Heaton Moor late in 2010, sooner than we had planned but in response to the cooling of the market and gloomy prospects for sales in 2011. We interviewed several agents and selected Philip James Wilson - we liked their approach, thoroughness and longer opening hours.

Within a week of engaging PJW the house was on the market with excellent supporting material both on the Web and in hard copy. Philip James Wilson handled all the viewing as we were frequently away. We had immediate strong interest and within couple of weeks we had offers. Unfortunately after some delay the first purchaser decided not to proceed, having apparent financing problems.

The house went back on the market just before Christmas but despite continuing interest we din't receive an offer until February. Julie at PJW gave us excellent support in negotiating a satisfactory price with a hard-nosed purchaser. The sale was delayed as the purchaser was self-employed and again Julie provided an excellent link to the purchaser to keep things on track despite only exchanging contracts the day before completion.

Without the professional support of all the staff at PJW we don't believe that our sale would have been achieved either so quickly or despite the various difficulties we experienced.

Value for money:		Excelent - Very cost effective considering the scope of services
Service & support:		Excelent - Friendly, helpful and hIghly professional
Quality:		Excelent - Super presentation both on web and hard copy
Location:		Excelent - Very central and visible in Heaton Moor

Review of   Curtis Haines, Bromley    Phone: 020 8464 0931     Address: 20-21 Church Rd

Useless.
In 1 year:
Moved into filthy flat - apparently "professionally cleaned".
3 months to restore central heating in Winter.
1 month to fix a shower.
4 months to lay a floor resulting in bedroom doors no longer be able to be closed.
Cheap contractors used - laid carpet over stones, door (above), failed to fix a leak in a wall.

No coordinated management at all, didn't have a clue what was going on, never returned calls or responded to letters.
Staff always polite to be fair but nothing ever got done unless you chased and chased and chased.

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

Review of   Philip James Wilson, Stockport    Phone: 0161-431 5556     Address: 218 Heaton Moor Rd

Having previously advertised my property with another agent, I changed after eight weeks and wished that I had initially marketed my property with Philip James Wilson. The quality of the photographs were the best I have seen on the internet, sales staff were in contact with feedback within 24 hours of viewings and details of mailshots were emailed every fortnight. Staff would even be in touch if only to let me know that they had been unable to speak in person to potential buyers. Overall I found Philip James Wilson to be a very efficient, professional and reliable company. I would undoubtedly use them again and have no hesitation in recommending their service to others.

Value for money:		Excelent
Service & support:		Excelent
Quality:		Excelent
Location:		Excelent

Review of   Philip James Wilson, Stockport    Phone: 0161-431 5556     Address: 218 Heaton Moor Rd

Phillip James have offered a well priced package with excellent support from staff who were are well knowledged with their customers. Would recommend.

Value for money:		Good - Fairly Priced
Service & support:		Excelent - Nothing was too much trouble
Quality:		Excelent
Location:		Good - Good for locals

Review of   Philip James Wilson, Stockport    Phone: 0161-431 5556     Address: 218 Heaton Moor Rd

PJW's could not have done more to make our house sale happen. The staff were always polite and helpful. They kept us fully informed all the way through the process and moved the solicitors on to ensure the chain of sales did not break. I would definitely use this estate agent again.

Value for money:		Excelent
Service & support:		Excelent
Quality:		Excelent
Location:		Excelent

Review of   Philip James Wilson, Stockport    Phone: 0161-431 5556     Address: 218 Heaton Moor Rd

The Philip James Wilson branch in Heaton Moor offered a great service when selling my property for me. I chose them due to theri superior marketing, competitive pricing and knowledge of the area, I was also really impressed with the service they offered in the Reddish area with Nicola Siddiqi.
The whole team were professional, helpful and seemed really focussed on selling my house. I would not hesitate to recommend!

Value for money:		Excelent - In a difficult market, house sold in good timescale
Service & support:		Excelent - superb. Especially Nicola Siddiqi
Quality:		Excelent
Location:		Excelent

Review of   Philip James Wilson, Stockport    Phone: 0161-431 5556     Address: 218 Heaton Moor Rd

Very happy with service indeed. Regular updates and pushed everything through as quickly as possible. Highly recommended.

Value for money:		Average
Service & support:		Excelent
Quality:		Excelent
Location:		Excelent

Review of   Philip James Wilson, Stockport    Phone: 0161-431 5556     Address: 218 Heaton Moor Rd

Getting the valuation right for your property is crucial in this market. The research they had done meant that when Philip James marketed the property, I had a good offer within a week which I accepted. Would have no hesitation in selling (or buying) from them in the future. Thanks...

Value for money:		Good
Service & support:		Excelent
Quality:		Good
Location:		Average

Review of   Philip James Wilson, Stockport    Phone: 0161-431 5556     Address: 218 Heaton Moor Rd

Just over 12 months ago we made the decision to sale our home, as this was the first time we had done this we asked around our family and friends for some good companies. When every person come back with a different estate agent we decided we may need to do a bit more research.
So we took a week off work and invited 5 different estate agents to come and value our property. We marked them all on the same criteria and Philip James come out on the top of our list.

The main reason we went with them was the booklet and the quality of the photo's they could take, in a age when everybody goes on Right Move to find a home, we didn't feel they had to be local to us.
Once we made the decision to go with Phillip James Wilson they were extremely efficient and reliable. We had about 15 viewings and sold out house in 6 months, which in current market is great. We found all the staff extremely helpful and professional. We would use them again in future.

Value for money:		Good
Service & support:		Excelent
Quality:		Excelent
Location:		Average

Review of   Philip James Wilson, Stockport    Phone: 0161-431 5556     Address: 218 Heaton Moor Rd

We recently used Philip James Wilson to market and sell a large vacant residential property in Stockport. The sale process was lengthy partly due to the condition of the property and level of refurbishment required - thus limiting its appeal. However, at all times PJW demonstrated a professional approach advising us as vendors of all interested parties, accompanied viewings and general market conditions in relation to offers received. A professional, friendly and courteous service was provided by PJW staff throughout the sales period.

I would not hesitate to use PJW in future for any further sales we may have and would recommend them to anyone seeking the services of an estate agent in this area.

Value for money:		Excelent
Service & support:		Excelent
Quality:		Excelent
Location:		Excelent

Review of   Philip James Wilson, Stockport    Phone: 0161-431 5556     Address: 218 Heaton Moor Rd

I dealt with the Philip James Wilson practice over a period of months selling my house. I found the staff in the branch office pushed to sell the property in a quiet market, followed up on leads on potential vendors and kept me updated with regular calls & e-mails. They toured potential buyers round the property and gave honest and open feedback which helped a great deal in tailoring the presentation.

The photo's that appeared in the marketing brochure were, in my view, significantly better than photo's taken by other agencies. A small point I know, but it's the initial view that the buyer gets.

Pricing was right - competitively pitched. Overall impression that I would happily recommend Mike and his team at Philip James Wilson to anyone looking to sell.

Value for money:		Good - Competitively priced compared to others in the area
Service & support:		Excelent - Regular phone calls to let you know what is happening;
Quality:		Excelent - Great photo's in the brochure
Location:		Good - Right in the middle of Heaton Moor

Review of   Philip James Wilson, Stockport    Phone: 0161-431 5556     Address: 218 Heaton Moor Rd

Nicola - Thank you for all your help and support during the sale of my house. You were always readily available to talk to and you kept me updated at every step. I would not hesitate to recommend Philip James to anyone because the service was second to none from start to finish. Many thanks

Value for money:		Excelent
Service & support:		Excelent
Quality:		Excelent
Location:		Excelent

Review of   Myler & Co, Widnes    Phone: 0151-424 5100     Address: 77A Albert Rd

Mylers where ment to be looking after my houses, houses wrecked no checks, never get rent on time if at all.

Value for money:		Poor - took there money i never seen any
Service & support:		Poor - What support
Quality:		Poor - nil
Location:		Poor - only staff Marco, Dean, Paul never there

Review of   Boulevard Properties, Saltcoats    Phone: 01294 605900     Address: 43 Countess St

Really bad experience with this Estate Agent. Property was advertised for rental on a website (free) which doesn’t get a lot of exposure to potential tenants / buyers. Sent three viewers to see the house which were unsuitable. There seemed to be no real interest in the property after weeks of advertising and had to advertise it with another Estate Agent in the end who got me a tenant within a fortnight. They seem cheap but the phrase ‘buy cheap, buy twice’ really does ring true with this outfit. Watch out for hidden fees too which they seem to forget to tell you about.

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

Review of   Victor Stewart, Broadstairs, Kent

Victor Stewart Estate Agents. I'll keep this simple.
1. They come across extremely well. Very knowledgeable.
2. Said they do viewings with customers (Which they do, if the buyer or estate agent turn up!)
3. They do not inform you if viewings have been cancelled (I observed the viewing from a neighbours house - WHOOPS! There was no viewing, when I phoned them to ask what happened, they said the client didn't show up! Funny that, neither did the estate agent!!! When I confronted them to let them know no one bothered to arrive they apologised, you do have to feel sorry for them don't you!)
4. Say they ensure buyers have the funds available (Oh no they don't! We had our house sold for a couple of months, only to then find out the endowment being used had a shortfall and was tens of thousands short, GREAT WORK GUYS!).
5. They won't hold you back changing agents (Oh sorry! Of course they will, they have no Energy Performance Certificate which we gave them originally to hand to our new agents. Mind you I suppose that was our fault in trusting someone else to do the right thing).
6. Giving back the keys (Told them to post them as I couldn't get down to collect them. 3 days later, no keys. After a phone call, the keys were supposedly stuck in the post. Next day they arrived first class and the letter and keys had been franked with the same date I originally made the phone call, strange that because all my other first class post arrived next day, but not theirs!).
So if you want pure incompetence, empty promises, and bucket full of lies you know who to use. Victor Stewart of Broadstairs.

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

Review of   Howard Estates, Maida Vale    Phone: 020 7289 0104     Address: 9 Clifton Rd

I’m writing to tell you about very bad service I have recently received from Howard Estates - http://www.howardestates.co.uk which I feel potential customers and the market have a right to know before dealing with such an incompetent and discourteous people.

They took me to see a property that was in no state to view; it was dirty and unkempt and when I questioned the agent, he admitted that the current tenants were being evicted and that the landlord wasn’t prepared to “fix the place up.”

I then emailed the other agent who had set up the viewing to complain and received a very rude text back saying ‘please refrain from sending those emails to my offices’. I followed up with a phone call and was told a different reason for the state of the property being the way it was (clearly one of the agents was hiding the truth) and was told in an entirely rude manner to take my search elsewhere and that they were going out of their way to show me the property at 7pm (as if it was out of their working hours) and I quote “Do you think we enjoy doing viewings at 7pm?!”

For a business that claims on their website to offer “friendly service” and pride themselves on “flexibility, working outside office hours” in a highly sought after area, I am absolutely shocked and appalled at their service.

I have saved the texts and conversations for interest and would be happy to share these.

Thank you.

Value for money:		Poor
Service & support:		Poor - Utterly rude and incompetent
Quality:		Poor
Location:		Good

Review of   Park and Bailey, Crawley, West Sussex    Phone: 01293527152    

Been trying to sell thru them for 2 months now. Had 3 viewings. Trying to buy too, but they have not rung to suggest we view any of their properties. When I decided to serve notice they said I had set the wrong price. Except. They set the price ! They then set a new, lower price which I also agreed to. Still no viewings. Oh dear. Then rang last week to serve notice and try a new estate agent. This finally woke the salesman up a bit and he suggested a joint 'winner takes all ' agreement with my new choice. New guy agreed. One week later, rang for an update ( they had insisted I had to be sole for a 2 week notice) and spoke to the owner. Looks like his salesman hadn't agreed it with him! So he ended our agreement immediately. Apathy really isn't the word. They don't seem to know the Market area, despite being local, and can't seem to suggest how to progress, waiting instead for your suggestions. Far too hands- off for my liking!!

Value for money:		Average - Same fees as three other local agents I contacted
Service & support:		Poor - Their total inaction forced me to action !
Quality:		Fair - Can't say they are poor. Or they would be out of business ?
Location:		Poor - Although near me, not in town centre. Low exposure.

Review of   Beadnall & Copley, Harrogate, North Yorkshire    Phone: 01423 503500     Address: 8 Albert Street

We contacted these agents on deciding to move to Harrogate (only visited twice before) having seen an apartment they had for rent. Paid their fee to get it. Paid a deposit. Went to move in and agent Tom Wildblood told us the landlord had rented it out for five days but we could stay for five days move out and then back into it. Reluctantly we agreed to this having just sold our property.

In the five days we were there we discovered there were several late night bars/clubs immediately around the building. Noise with windows closed was horrendous and went on until about 04.00 in the morning Thursday through Sunday. Contacted the agent after two days said he knew nothing about noise problems in the area. Taking into account his office is about five minutes walk away. He never got back to us. I wrote him a letter before the five day period was up. Never called me on that. Unable to stand the noise we did not return after the five days. He and Beadnall Copley refused to refund us and said we should have asked if there was any noise ot bars and clubs in the area.

Also we already had a our mail forwarded to this address. Asked him to forwarded to our Sussex address and never did. After three weeks had to drive from Sussex to Harrogate to get it. This then took four days before he would retrive it from the apartment. In the meantime we had the expense of hotel bills.
There ultimate excuse was my complaint should be with the owner of the property. However, never met him, saw him or delt with him. Only with Tom Wildblood of Beadnall & Copley. How told me he was from Harroagte and been in this business his working life but had no idea the building where we rented had any problems with noise. Lost J900.00 And had nowhere to live except some friends in Sussex.

Value for money:		Not rated - Not when you cannot sleep at night
Service & support:		Not rated - Absolutely none whatsoever
Quality:		Not rated - Quality of building good - quality of agent dreadful
Location:		Good

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

Liars. Unprofessional.
The service is disgraceful, they are utterly incompetent, never return a call, when they send something most of the time they send the wrong stuff (they even sent me a different tenant's contract once!!).....
Once your contract will be due, they'll DO ANYTHING they can to throw you out (raising rent 60% - changing clause of contract etc...) as they get commissions on new tenants. I had personally have to file to Police complaints for harassment and had to wait more than 2 months to get my deposit back as I had to go to adjudication because they were trying to rip me off.
AVOID to rent with these agents at any cost!

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

Review of   Colin Bibra, Ealing, West London

Colin Bibra estate agents are awful!

This event can be demonstrated through a catalogue of errors from start to finish:

- when we arrived at the property the estate agent was late and arrived with another customer which made us very uncomfortable.

- when we rang to ask about the break clause we were told there was a standard one month break clause- so we paid a holding deposit.

- however when we received the paper work it stated 'break clause no' so we rang to consult them.

- over this whole process i had four different people talking to me, all saying conflicting things, clearly they had not spoken to each other.

- when asked to put the break clause in writing they went conspicuously quiet, and lied to us again that there would be a break clause.

- a more senior member of staff then admitted there was not, and tried to pressurise us into moving a month sooner than originally agreed, which upset our financial plans.

- they then admitted to showing more people the property as we would not pay up until the break clause was sorted, even though we had paid them the holding deposit.

- a VERY mistrustful company. We are now waiting to have our money returned to us.

- Overall the staff were VERY VERY RUDE and tried to tell us we had made mistakes, when clearly it was them just telling us whatever we wanted so we would pay up.

Terrible company who have made the experience of moving in with my boyfirend upsetting and traumatic. Never use this company!

Value for money:		Poor - fees are cheap but service is appaling
Service & support:		Poor - The staff lied to us on several occasions
Quality:		Poor
Location:		Poor

Review of   Opus Move, York, North Yorkshire    Phone: 01904 790070     Address: P.O. Box 614, York, North Yorkshire YO26 0EU.

We bought our house through these agents. At first we were quite impressed by their friendly attitude but as soon as problems came up they showed their true colours. If you buy a house through them do not believe anything they say. If you have to deal with them make sure you are aware that any information they give you may not be correct. They seem very reassuring but do not check their facts before answering simple questions. As they do not have an office it could take around 5 hours to get hold of them in an emergency.

Value for money:		Poor
Service & support:		Poor
Quality:		Poor
Location:		Poor - They don't have an office

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

After moving into a property run by Square mile they said they would fix a few little things, which they never did. After a year they tried to put the rent up by a huge amount so we decided to move out, after 6 months of moving out we have still not had our deposit back they tried to say we owed them thousands in unpaid rent which we had to prove was untrue and then they say the total amount of the deposit will have to be used to clean the property and replace broken items. Which is not true. I have never been so upset in my life over the lies from these people. If you chose these estate agents take loads of clear pictures when you move into a property and get in writing what you think is marked or damaged. And take plenty of photos when you move out to prove that the place was in a good state.

Value for money:		Poor - definetly not value for money
Service & support:		Poor - no service or support
Quality:		Poor - they do not know what quality is?
Location:		Not rated

Review of   Townends Group, Chiswick    Phone: 020 8994 7022     Address: 440 Chiswick High Rd

Disgusted with this company. They lie, they bully and they extort. They told fairly tail stories about the property, the attempted to extort a huge deposit out of me without actually telling me the costs and time after time they told me "these are all the costs". Every time I wanted it in writing they just added more costs on. I had to go through everything with a fine toothed comb as it seemed they were looking for any opportunity to rip me off. These guys charge for everything and anything and attempt to back you into a corner so they can extort you. I've reported them to Consumer Direct who have passed my findings to Trading Standards.

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

Review of   Perry Bishop, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire    Phone: 01242 246 980     Address: 140 Bath Road, Cheltenham, GL53 7NG

In spring 2010 we decided to sell our property in Leckhampton. After a couple of disappointing valuation/marketing experiences with two of the larger Cheltenham based agents my partner suggested trying Perry Bishop as she had noticed that they seemed to be successfully closing a lot of sales in the area.

Perry Bishop's representative, Steve, impressed us with his friendly yet highly professional approach during the initial valuation and discussions so we decided to place the property on the market with them.

We had alot of viewings and received an offer for the amount we wanted within two months. Throughout the process Steve and his colleagues kept us fully informed and provided great advice.

All in all we could not be happier with the service we received - thanks Steve and Perry Bishop!

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

Review of   Pearsons, Lytham St Anne's    Phone: 01253 724231     Address: 35 St Annes Road West

Avoid this estate agent at all costs. They failed to inform me of the simplest of things such as tenants late rent payments - communication was awful. They employed contractors that charged extortionate prices and got the job wrong. When I complained the manager left a message on my answer service asking me never to contact the office again. No effort made to rectify my complaints.
Very happy to take commission but reticent to work for it.

Value for money:		Poor
Service & support:		Poor - Little communication.
Quality:		Poor - No effort made to 'manage' property.
Location:		Good

Review of   Townends,     Phone: 020 8946 7744     Address: 364 Garratt Lane, Earlsfield, SW18 4FQ

In June 2010 the water started dripping from our ceiling. We asked Townends for help but they said there was nothing they could do. I had to find the private telephone number of the gentleman owning flat above us myself; as you can imagine it wasn’t easy.

Townends officers did nothing to help us fix the problem, acting in the most unprofessional way, almost parading their indifference.

It is December. For six months we have been living in a flat where walls and ceilings are covered with mould. We have been catching colds from sleeping with windows open to fight the headache causing smell. Few days ago, Townends got back to us, offering J50 in vouchers in compensation, claiming the circumstances were out of their control.

It took them half a year to COMMENCE dealing with the situation.
Their officers did not NOTHING to help us. They did not attempt to help us find the gentleman owning the flat above when the water was running down our walls, they didn’t help to stop the leakage and didn’t lift a finger for six months, despite multiple complaints, letting our flat be consumed by mould. What factors exactly were out of control, the staff?

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

Review of   Future Homes UK Ltd, Wembley    Phone: 020 8795 2482     Address: 717 Harrow Rd

Incompetent, disorganised estate agents. Did not know it was possible for people to lie so so much. Later found out that their 'manager' was convicted for fraud, another employee had been to jail for conspiracy & the former owner who now works there, Liz, had used the tenants deposits to offest the companies debts. Please safe yourself some trouble and do NOT use these agents.

Value for money:		Poor
Service & support:		Poor - Did nothing but forward useless emails
Quality:		Poor - Exceptionally poor would better describe the service I received
Location:		Average - They are conveniently situated near the station to lure customers in

Review of   Spread Agency, Belfast, County Antrim    Phone: 02890447636     Address: Spread Agency, 5 Cromac Avenue, the gas works

Spread Agencies are an estate Agent in the heart of Belfast City Centre, Based in the old gas works.

Joseph, Adele and Nora run a friendly family Estate Agent, wither you are looking to buy, sell or rent Property. Joe's Mum Nora as been in the business for 30 years.

They are very open and transparent with any work which you need to get carried out, fast friendly Service, nothing is ever to much trouble for them and if they can't carry out the work they will get the LandLord to carry out the repairs for you.

If I was buying, renting or selling a house from this Agent then I would do so safe in the knowledge that they are a very reputable company.

Value for money:		Excelent - The houses to rent are excelent Value
Service & support:		Excelent - Great service and Support from the very start
Quality:		Excelent - Excelent
Location:		Excelent - Close to Belfast City Centre. Local Transport Available

Review of   Jeremy Leaf & Co, East Finchley    Phone: 020 8444 5222     Address: 98 High Rd

This estate agency told me a price for their service at the beginning, which was not a problem, but after the service was carried out, the invoice came through, and they were charging me more than they told me in the first place. After phoning up to see what was going on, they rudely told me that it was my fault for getting the price wrong in the first place, and that I should have said something before they came round!

How could I do that when the invoice came after they where there. They said that, they could not control the post office as to when they delivered the letter. The post mark was the day they came over. I had to pay OR ELSE!!!!

I am totally outraged by this whole experience, and will never go to this agency again.

Everyone looking to use Jeremy Leaf, stay well clear.

Value for money:		Poor - They are untrustworthy
Service & support:		Poor - Rude and unprofeesional
Quality:		Poor - Untrustworthy
Location:		Poor

Review of   Whites Independent Lettings,     Phone: 01329 286545    

I have not dealt with people that are capable of lying so much. Never to use them again.

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

Review of   Freeman Forman, Eastbourne, East Sussex    Phone: 01323 417788     Address: 44 Terminus Road, Eastbourne

Absolutely appalling service. Lured by leaflet that said they had a Mr & Mrs P who were interested in properties like ours and that they also had 7-8 other people looking for a property in our area. Didn't submit details of listing for our approval for 2 weeks and published awful photos and description without our approval or consent.
Had ONE viewing (asked whether the other people existed) and they were not even on the market themselves.

Visited their office on the Saturday and complained and said we wanted out of contract. Nobody got back to us until late Monday evening. Wrote a complaint to the Regional Director and got a totally unsatisfactory reply. Sent and e-mail saying we would contact the TSO and Ombudsman and that got an immediate response of a phone call where it was agreed that the contract would be terminated and this was confimed by e-mail. And then to cap it all we get a letter saying that contract is terminated but we can't market property with anyone else!! Basically trying to hold us to ransom. This was from the MD. Clearly he didn't communicate with the RD.
Yet another e-mail fired off.

DO NOT TOUCH WITH A BARGE POLE.

Incidentally they also form part of a group of companies one of which is King & Chasemore who also leafleted us about 6 months ago saying they had people interested in properties in our area, yes you've guessed it a Mr & Mrs P.
We never did see them.

Essentially we were signed up under false pretenses and their service stinks.

Depending on their response we are off to the Trading Standards Office and the Ombudsman and also the small claims court next.

Value for money:		Poor - Didn't market our property at all.
Service & support:		Poor - Office staff polite but managers useless and couldn't care less.
Quality:		Poor - Abysmal, took rubbish photographs
Location:		Poor

Review of   Chancellors, Abingdon    Phone: 01235 524505     Address: 19 Market Pl

Our flat is difficult to sell, as it is one-bedroom but has two additional rooms that a 1-bed would not have - albeit not bedrooms. It is in a fantastic, convenient location and is a character property.

Chancellors in Abingdon have marketed very slowly, and very poorly and have consistently lied about the actions they are taking. They have also lost us what seemed to be an almost guarenteed sale, by failing to give the potential buyer the information they needed.

I will add that our contact in Chancellors in Botley has been nothing but professional, efficient and helpful. I wish our branch could learn from him.

UPDATE: They have now LOST our sale by not telling the buyer we accepted their offer, and not bothering to tell us when they withdraw their offer! the first we heard about the withdrawn offer was from an estate agent at another branch. We will be making a formal complaint.

1. They claim to provide weekly, tuesday updates. We have had one, when WE rang to find out why it had not happened.
2. They made our listing live before we approved, then took 2 weeks to correct the basic errors they had made.
3. Despite assurances, they have failed to advertise us in the last 4 editions of the property paper.
4. They failed to let us know when a buyer cancelled a viewing, so we still had to vacate (with a 7 week old baby).
5. They broke our cellar door whilst showing people round.
6. They have ignored emails from us.
7. Despite constant requests, they only send updates to my husband, and not myself as well which I find rather insulting.

Value for money:		Poor
Service & support:		Poor - Lost our sale through gross stupidity and incompetence.
Quality:		Average
Location:		Average

Review of   The Carrington Partnership, Stockport, Greater Manchester    Phone: 0161 480 0099     Address: 240 Wellington road, Stockport

Rented a property from them and spent 2 days cleaning and now they won't give me my deposit back as they say its dirty which is untrue. Very rude on phone. I read other reviews on the net and seems they have done this to a lot of people so my advice is to AVOID!!!!!

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

Review of   Square Mile Property Management, Docklands, East London    Phone: 0 20 7538 0062     Address: 39 Westferry Road, E14 8JH London

The property management is the worst service I ever received: I have been requesting services for months without answer. Not to the emails, not to the calls.
I sent an email to customer services with the same luck.
I am now seeking to terminate the contract for breach of agreement.
My advice: stay away from Square Mile.

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

Review of   rouge property Ltd, Harrow on the Hill, Greater London    Phone: 020 8515 9860     Address: 34 - 36 Lowlands Rd, Harrow, Middlesex, HA1 3AT

This agency never discloses hidden charges they are going to charge to the customer. They will get you sign the contract without discussing their charges, fees etc (tenancy renewal charge, check out fees). So please beware of this estate agent. Be mindful they do not know the word "Customer Service". Never reply to customer queries and problems.

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

Review of   Hamptons, Caterham, Surrey    Phone: 01 883 345 255     Address: 29 Station Road, Caterham, Surrey, CR3 6LB

Hamptons in Caterham, Surrey is an estate agents to avoid at all costs. The service is appalling, the staff full of excuses for incompetent service and the stress levels involved for the client who is paying them such huge fees beyond belief.

I would advise all potential clients thinking of selling or letting a house to look elsewhere. There is no lack of choice.

Value for money:		Poor - Extremely poor
Service & support:		Poor - Appalling
Quality:		Poor - Appalling
Location:		Not rated

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   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   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