Chimneys Lettings & Property Management
based on 20 ratings. This website contains 19 user reviews of Chimneys Lettings & Property Management.
Agent Information
Chimneys Lettings & Property Management
Description of Chimneys Lettings & Property Management is currently unavailable.
Offices / Branches
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Customer Reviews
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by 'Ken Allen' 21/5/2012
- Branch:
- 35 Market Place
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Tenant)
- Staff Member
- Rachel Sweeney
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? Yes
I have been renting through Chimneys for the last 4 years. I have found them (Rachel in particular) to be helpful, efficient and professional. If there have been any problems within the property they are quick to make sure it is fixed to a high standard.
I have and will continue to recommned Chimneys as a letting agent to anyone and look forward to another year of a successful tenancy with them.
Was this review helpful? Yes
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by 'Danielle' 15/5/2012
- Branch:
- 35 Market Place
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Landlord)
- Staff Member
- Rachel Sweeney
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? Yes
I am a landlady who owns three properties in the Wantage area and one in Bicester. Rachel at Chimneys has managed these properties for me for the past 6 years and has done so Professionally and very efficiently, any problems/maintenance to the properties are dealt with by Rachel or John promtly and I am kept informed of any problems there may be. Over the past 6 years I have had several tenants and have never had any complaints from any of them regarding maintenance work not being carried out or deposits not being repaid promtly.
I have always found Rachel, John and members of their staff to be very friendly, polite and trustworthy, I would definately recommend Chimney's to any Landlord or Tenant thinking of letting or renting a property. You will not find a more propfessional, friendly or efficient lettings company.
I have always found all staff members to be very propfessional and friendly in all aspects of managing my properties for me.Was this review helpful? Yes
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by 'Janet' 14/5/2012
- Branch:
- 35 Market Place
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Tenant)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? Yes
We recently rented a flat for a year through Chimneys and I must say that it was a very straightfotrward experience which is more than can be said for some agents we have used in the past. The application process was clear & transparent - no hiddedn fees, everything was laid out in the application form. We signed the contracts and got the keys without any fuss. At the end of the year we were checked out by John again without an effort to stick us for painting a room because we had made some small marks which had happened to us with another local agent. We got all our deposit back two days after we handed in our paid utility bills.Chimneys is a professional and friendly agency and I can only think that the people who complain did not follow the rules set out in the terms and conditions on the application form or in the check out notes you are sent at the end of the tenancy. An excellent company who don't deserve to be slagged off.
Was this review helpful? Yes
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1
person found
this helpful.
by 'Emma' 10/5/2012
- Branch:
- 6a Market Place
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Tenant)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? Yes
I am so surprised to read the negative reviews of this agency, as in ten years of renting properties, Chimneys have been simply outstanding.
They have been more than a professional business, they are understanding, patient, and in all of our dealings genuinly very caring. Throughout a difficult period with health and financial issues, we have kept them informed, and they have been simply brilliant. When we have needed to report any problems within the property, they have been dealt with immediately and resolved, and all communications from day one have been professional, sincere and always polite.
I would have no hesitation in recommending Chimneys to friends and family, and would urge potential clients to meet with Rachel and John in person, rather than believe any of the negative reviews posted here, which couldn't be further from our experience.Was this review helpful? Yes
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3
people found
this helpful.
by 'Marcus' 9/5/2012
- Services:
- Lettings (Prospective customer)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
Our experience has been next to unbelievable. The admin fees seem higher than most. They were completely slack to begin with. There was no written confirmation as to any aspect of our moving in, and at the last minute they disputed the moving in date. They have been abusive on the phone, and do not answer emails. We are unsure of what to do, but plan on taking legal advice. The point that they misrepresent tenants to the landlords is something that we suspected, and seems confirmed by others on this site. A truly unprofessional outfit - very rude. We wonder whether there is some sort of scam whereby they take admin fees, and then reject the tenant for another, quickly making £300!
I would be very interested to hear as to whether anyone has successfully taken any legal action against this agent.
Was this review helpful? Yes
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2
people found
this helpful.
by 'John' 24/4/2012
- Branch:
- 6a Market Place
- Services:
- Lettings (Prospective customer)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
We contacted Chimneys with a view to using them as our agents for letting our home as, whilst we are leaving the area, we did not want to sell our property at the moment. So, we called Chimneys to come and have a look at our house. We told them that we had the possibility of a private let arrangement with a local family but that we were, in all likelihood going to use an agent as we didn't think that'd work out which was why they were contacted. They looked round our house and all seemed to go well - in fact the woman did not seem to want to leave she liked our house so much. Two days... (read more)
Was this review helpful? Yes
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by 'Gilles' 19/1/2012
- Branch:
- 6a Market Place
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Tenant)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
After a long time, I'm finally deciding to review Chimneys... Being their tenants was one of the worst experience in our life.
It went wrong from the very beginning, back in 2008 : because they suspected our mover to be untrustworthy, they refused to hand over the keys on the agreed date and we had to spend the night in a hotel. To sort that out we had to withdraw as much money as possible to pay them cash because they wouldn't wait for the bank transfer to go through - and we could not afford another hotel night.
It sort of improved after that, mainly because we very seldom had to deal... (read more)Was this review helpful? Yes
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1
person found
this helpful.
by 'John' 23/12/2011
- Branch:
- 6a Market Place
- Services:
- Lettings (Prospective customer)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
Unfortunately by the time most people read the reviews the damage has invariably been done. Chimneys, as agents, are a disgrace to their profession. They are a joke. Extremely unprofessional, rude, liars...the worse experience ever. I am a respectible business man and they (in particular Rachel) should be ashamed of themselves. As soon as we were ready to move we unfortunately upset them by asking for a Draft Tenancy Agreement in advance but were refused saying that it was normal to come in a sign when we picked up the keys. We insisted...big mistake. We lost the tenancy as they made derisory comments about us to the landlord. We are now fighting for the return of the admin fees. How many others have suffered the same fate as us? We plan to take our complaints to a higher authority...these people need to understand that they cannot be allowed to continue in business causing this level of havoc and unpleasantness.
Was this review helpful? Yes
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1
person found
this helpful.
by 'Jenny' 12/12/2011
- Branch:
- 6a Market Place
- Services:
- Lettings (Prospective customer)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
Rude, unprofessional, ignorant. Responses were initially on a 'over' friendly first name basis but as soon as we wanted to check out the draft tenancy agreement it went downhill from there. All of a sudden we were deemed to be too hard and untrustworthy. When we were shown the property we were not greeted, they unlocked the door and we showed ourselves around..very strange. Their feedback to the landlords was derisory...so much so that the landlord withdrew the property from us leaving us high and dry. All in all a very unpleasant experience. We are now in the process of a small claims court application for the return of our admin fees. The most unpleasant and unprofessional Scottish people that we have ever met...they should be ashamed of themselves. Landlords and prospective tenants should avoid, avoid, avoid.
Was this review helpful? Yes
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by 'Carjo' 22/7/2011
- Branch:
- 6a Market Place
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Landlord)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
I cannot reiterate the advice of others enough - do not use Chimney's as your letting agent as either Landlord or Tenant. We have used them as our letting agent and they have gone against our express wishes with regard to how the property is let (with financial disadvantage to us), they have misled us with regard to the state of agreements with new tenants and the communication has been atrocious. When we pointed out to them that we were unhappy I received rude, abusive, arrogant & personally insulting emails. We have now changed agents and they have been deliberately obstructive and delayed handover of the keys with a risk to the security of the keys. They are the most unprofessional, rude and arrogant people I have ever had the misfortune to deal with. They have absolutely no understanding of the fundamentals of good customer service. Whether you are a prospective landlord or tenant - AVOID this agency and use someone else!!
Was this review helpful? Yes
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by 'bob' 21/7/2011
- Branch:
- 6a Market Place
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Tenant)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
No doubt the rudest people I have ever come across. How they remain in business is beyond me.They will tell lies to your landlord, they will abuse you verbally on the phone, they will put the phone down on you if they disagree with you. Without a doubt the most unpleasant Scottish people in the UK. Their lease agreement I was told by another agent was the biggest rip off she had seen in 25 years as an agent. I could go on but frankly if you read this and still deal with them its your own fault!
****DO NOT DEAL WITH THESE PEOPLE! UNTRUSTWORTHY, RUDE, LIARS!****Was this review helpful? Yes
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by 'Disgruntled' 8/7/2011
- Branch:
- 6a Market Place
- Services:
- Sales (as a Vendor)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
The 'gentleman'- I use the term loosely, who showed us around, was very un-professional and distant. We got no greeting or introduction...His first words were, 'You are here to see the house?'. Allowed us to look around on our own, and when we pointed out our worries, he dissmissed them promptly, claiming that the property was in good condition. If cracks down walls, condensation and limescale INSIDE double glazing sealed units, mould and damp, and ripped lino...This is not what we would call 'Good' order!
Was this review helpful? Yes
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by 'sotww' 7/1/2011
- Branch:
- 6a Market Place
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Tenant)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
We had so many problems with them that it would take too long to list them all here.
My advice is the same as many below: AVOIDWas this review helpful? Yes
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by 'Harold' 2/11/2010
- Branch:
- 6a Market Place
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Tenant)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
Someone below said they were rude. I think that's even more than that. They will do everything they can to make your life difficult, they will treat you like a nobody and throw accusations in your face. They might look like a respectable agency if you don't know them, or only have to deal with them occasionally. Yet never ask them to be helpful, and never tell them you disagree with them or that's the last sentence you'll make: they will say the rest for you.
Run away, this is the best advice I can give...
Was this review helpful? Yes
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by 'sash' 29/9/2010
- Branch:
- 6a Market Place
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Tenant)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? Yes
Always friendly and helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes
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by 'Blue' 28/9/2010
- Branch:
- 6a Market Place
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Tenant)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
Agree with other reviews. Happy to take your money and make promises. It all goes wrong from there - very rude and completely unprofessional in attitude and responses.
Was this review helpful? Yes
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by 'Chilli' 28/9/2010
- Branch:
- 6a Market Place
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Tenant)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
The worst letting agent ever. ***** ******* is the rudest person I have ever come across. Moved to another property with a different agent and it took us18 months to get our deposit back. Cannot stress enough how much you should avoid this agent like the plague. Please learn by our mistake - this company is dreadful and the sooner they go out of business the better.
Admin note: Agent's name has been removed.
Was this review helpful? Yes
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by 'flossy' 23/3/2010
- Branch:
- 6a Market Place
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Tenant)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
Very unproffessional, rude, disrespectful and impossible to deal with. Beware initially very helpful and say all the right things, wait till you have moved in... And we are quiet undemanding people.
Was this review helpful? Yes
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by 'Pat' 29/4/2009
- Branch:
- 6a Market Place
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Tenant)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
The worst experience of my life! Never, never and never again with them!! They were rude!
Was this review helpful? Yes
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by 'hilary' 28/4/2009
- Branch:
- 6a Market Place
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Tenant)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
User 'hilary' rated Chimneys Lettings & Property Management but did not write a review.
 to be helpful, efficient and professional. If there have been any problems within the property they are quick to make sure it is fixed to a high standard.
I have and will continue to recommned Chimneys as a letting agent to anyone and look forward to another year of a successful tenancy with them./&display=popup&link=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/24996/&redirect_uri=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/24996/ "Share on your Facebook Wall"){kind=logo}
 and so called and left a message saying we wished to go ahead please. We had no reply so we telephoned again and my wife had a conversation with a woman from the company who was rude, abusive and eventually slammed the phone down as she stated we had mislead them. We were prospective landlords with this firm and had made things very clear from the start. At first my wife was bemused. She is now very upset by the abuse she received. I am so glad we did not do business with this firm. I would recommend that you use the far better estate agents in town. DO NOT USE THIS FIRM./&display=popup&link=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/23611/&redirect_uri=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/23611/ "Share on your Facebook Wall"){kind=logo}
![Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/dialog/feed?app_id=159335870805641&picture=http://allagents.co.uk/images/logo-thumbs.png&description=After a long time, I'm finally deciding to review Chimneys... Being their tenants was one of the worst experience in our life.
It went wrong from the very beginning, back in 2008 : because they suspected our mover to be untrustworthy, they refused to hand over the keys on the agreed date and we had to spend the night in a hotel. To sort that out we had to withdraw as much money as possible to pay them cash because they wouldn't wait for the bank transfer to go through - and we could not afford another hotel night.
It sort of improved after that, mainly because we very seldom had to deal with them.
Things went wrong again when planning to leave, some 2.5 years after. We had to move before the end of our term, and tried to arrange a checkout earlier because we could not come back to the UK just for that. They refused. We tried to arrange for a sollicitor to attend the checkout on our behalf. The mere mention of the word "sollicitor" was to them a declaration of war. Communication, which was incredibly irrespectful, entirely stopped and they would not deal with us at all - which was quite bad considering they owed us our £1200 deposit and £300 overpaid rent.
We managed to claim our deposit back through the Deposit Registration Scheme (TDS), and we won on the ground that Chimneys had behaved badly (checkout had never been conducted).
We then complained further to the Property Ombudsman, and eventually got back the rest of the money they owed us + some more as compensation for having been treated so poorly. During the complaint process, the argumentations and explanations they've sent was full of lies, insults and accusations.
As someone said below, when people read these reviews most of the harm is already done. Yet everyone ought to know how bad they are. I would then encourage anyone having had a bad experience with these people to do all they can to complain. There are limits to what a human being can do to another, and Chimneys clearly need to learn those limits./&display=popup&link=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/17722/&redirect_uri=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/17722/ "Share on your Facebook Wall"){kind=logo}
 should be ashamed of themselves. As soon as we were ready to move we unfortunately upset them by asking for a Draft Tenancy Agreement in advance but were refused saying that it was normal to come in a sign when we picked up the keys. We insisted...big mistake. We lost the tenancy as they made derisory comments about us to the landlord. We are now fighting for the return of the admin fees. How many others have suffered the same fate as us? We plan to take our complaints to a higher authority...these people need to understand that they cannot be allowed to continue in business causing this level of havoc and unpleasantness./&display=popup&link=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/16850/&redirect_uri=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/16850/ "Share on your Facebook Wall"){kind=logo}
, they have misled us with regard to the state of agreements with new tenants and the communication has been atrocious. When we pointed out to them that we were unhappy I received rude, abusive, arrogant & personally insulting emails. We have now changed agents and they have been deliberately obstructive and delayed handover of the keys with a risk to the security of the keys. They are the most unprofessional, rude and arrogant people I have ever had the misfortune to deal with. They have absolutely no understanding of the fundamentals of good customer service. Whether you are a prospective landlord or tenant - AVOID this agency and use someone else!!/&display=popup&link=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/11360/&redirect_uri=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/11360/ "Share on your Facebook Wall"){kind=logo}
