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		<title>AllAgents - Reviews of  spark-sons</title> 
        <link>http://www.allagents.co.uk/rss/Spark & Sons</link> 
        <description></description><item>
		<title><![CDATA[12/1/2012 - J rated Spark & Sons 1 star]]></title>
		<link>http://www.allagents.co.uk/spark-sons/</link>
		<description><![CDATA[DON'T GO HERE!! AVOID AVOID AVOID. 
I've had nothing but trouble, so much that I in the end moved out before my tenancy was up, instead we resigned the contract with another person. It has now been more than three months since I moved out and I have still not received my deposit, even though they've promised to do so since I moved out. (I asked when the contract was resigned how long it would take before I got my deposit and they said about a week)

To sum it up, Spark and sons are only a bunch of greedy incompetent loosers,<br />This person would not use Spark & Sons again.]]></description></item><item>
		<title><![CDATA[5/9/2011 - Peadoff rated Spark & Sons 2 stars]]></title>
		<link>http://www.allagents.co.uk/spark-sons/</link>
		<description><![CDATA[I gave two stars because giving one star often doesnâ€™t register. If I could give 0 stars or even better go into negative stars then I would.
Don't quite no where to begin with this agent; we were with them for almost three years. Beyond the ridiculous agency fees every time you sign up for another term, their service and attitude is absolutely shocking...this is what I hear from friends who have also experienced Peter Sparks and his bandits.

We'll focus on the times that we needed them...firstly when we discovered none of the blinds in the house worked it took about 3 months to get one replaced and then we felt a little rude to ask the others to be replaced!

Then when the dishwasher broke and was no longer functional it took so many phone calls and letters to arrange a replacement, again at least 6 weeks...then Peter and the bandits moved it themselves looking like they were going to die trying.

Lets move onto the fridge now that kept having a wee on the floor as it had reached the end of it's days. Another 2 months to get replaced - again Peter and the Bandits moved it in and did not properly install it when it arrived leaving it in a dangerous state - good thing I read the manual as any normal person would do. Better than this...the old fridge was left on the drive way for all the other residents in the building to observe for around another 8 weeks at least.

How about the incredible amount of mould in the flat?
Plenty of that to discuss with Peter Sparks who said that we didn't ventilate the property enough...OK so the mould was never there before we moved in? What a joke, Peter was so patronising in his comments about the mould which was having serious health implications on me and my girlfriend that we did go to the doctor for help. What was Peter and the bandits' remedy - a lick of paint, not the obvious re-pointing that needed doing on the outside of the building...they didn't even have to do anything but talk to the managing agents about it - instead we just had an argument about it which caused some tears and a hour discussion in Peters office about he should really treat human beings and to get an apology out of him and admit he was wrong - but damn right I got at least that.

Wait! The best is yet to come...
About four months ago we got a email to say the landlord was thinking of moving back in for a couple of weeks. We could either leave our possessions in and go somewhere else for a few weeks or move out.
OK, so we asked for letter in writing from the landlord which we never got, instead we just got - I suppose you would call it a step down from an eviction notice - a letter that said that landlord was moving back to the UK and needed possession of the property. We moved out and got about half our rent cut after we asked for some help with the cost of moving which as you know is astronomical especially when you're not prepared for it.
We've moved now, but 4 weeks later the property is back on the market with a Ł125 increase on rent...it just looks like we got moved so they could hide the entire mould and bump the price up. We have no evidence that the landlord ever moved in. Peter throughout always claimed Data Protection on the landlord, I never saw or heard from the landlord unless it was in Peters own words, so I have no idea if I ever heard the truth or whether the landlord ever heard the truth.

Please do not use these guys...my friends experience is over a dodgy electricity meter which is trebling the actual cost of their usage, they warned Spark and Sons and nothing was done, now they have to pay a years bill over 3 times the actual cost.

Respect yourselves and your understanding of humanity and ignore the little green devils that offer you promises of hope and easy living.
We are not with them any more, my asthma is better.<br />This person would not use Spark & Sons again.]]></description></item><item>
		<title><![CDATA[24/6/2011 - Alvaro rated Spark & Sons 1 star]]></title>
		<link>http://www.allagents.co.uk/spark-sons/</link>
		<description><![CDATA[AVOID!!!! By far the worst letting state agency in Brighton. I rented a few houses, and I have never encountered a company with so many liars and decievers. I rented a room from them from September to April. The first thing they did was trick me to believe that the rent was for 6 months, when it was actually for 7. 

-They said that the room included microwave and a cleaning lady every two weeks. There was no microwave and the cleaning lady never came for 7 months. 

-The house had many many problems from the first day which they refused to take care of...we had non-working showers, non-working toilets, etc. 

-Eventhough they said the room came with a lock, I had to buy a new one because it didn't work. When I went to them to tell them my lock didn't work their answer was, literally, &quot;it's not our problem, you should buy a new lock&quot;. 

-They are never there to help you. I had a problem and had to leave 2 months early. I did everything in my hand so as to have other person occupy my place, I put ads and had people go to the agency to fill my space for those 2 months or to make another contract. But they made up ridiculous clauses so as to make it impossible for them to rent the house. Basically, they did everything they could not to help me, and had to pay for the 2 months I wasn't there. 

-Every time you have a problem, they are always busy &quot;but they'll call you as soon as they're through&quot;. Needless to say they never call and you end up giving up. 

-They refused to give me back my deposit and had to raise a dispute. 

-The last month of my rent, I payed by bank transfer. I signed so they send standing order of one month. But the standing order they sent was not of one month, like I signed. Instead, it kept going forever until I cancelled it. Luckily I didn't have money in the bank for those months they charged me illegally; if I had had money, it would have been sent to them. And after all the problems with the deposit, I'm pretty sure I would have had to go to court so they gave me that money back. Nonetheless, this didn't spare me of the banking fee. So I lost money just because they decided to charge me after my rent finished. 

There just couldn't be more reasons to stay away. Really really horrible. Go to any other letting agency (whose comission is, by the way, less than this one), or just rent by gumtree; or you'll most definitely lose money.<br />This person would not use Spark & Sons again.]]></description></item><item>
		<title><![CDATA[18/4/2011 - Honest John rated Spark & Sons 1 star]]></title>
		<link>http://www.allagents.co.uk/spark-sons/</link>
		<description><![CDATA[If you are looking for an agent that will treat you 'The Tenant' as an inconvenience, except when it is time to pay more money, and that is EVERY six months, for doing absolutely nothing, then choose these jokers. Otherwise I would look elsewhere. I have been renting in brighton for some years and have yet to find anybody anywhere nearly as bad as Sparks and Sons.<br />This person would use Spark & Sons again.]]></description></item><item>
		<title><![CDATA[31/3/2011 - OsborneM rated Spark & Sons 1 star]]></title>
		<link>http://www.allagents.co.uk/spark-sons/</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Agree with all the other bad review - terrible letting agent.  Never returned calls and messages, pushy, never resolved any problems with the flat - mostly just told me to call the landlord who was worse than useless.  Only time they did respond was when there was a fire in the en-suite shower cupboard (can't call it anything else, shower was unusable) next to me and my sleeping 4 wk old baby due to a faulty fan that had been incorrectly fitted (didn't switch off when turned off light and overheated to extent it caught fire) and was unsuitable for where it was. They were quick to organise someone come in to paint over that negligence but haven't seen them since. Avoid.<br />This person would not use Spark & Sons again.]]></description></item><item>
		<title><![CDATA[6/12/2010 - brightontenant rated Spark & Sons 1 star]]></title>
		<link>http://www.allagents.co.uk/spark-sons/</link>
		<description><![CDATA[I have had a thoroughly miserable 6 months renting a flat through Spark and Son. I am a good tenant; have always paid my rent on time and kept the flat clean and tidy but they have been appalling agents. We have had a leak in the ceiling for the whole of out tenancy. This had ruined our carpet and some furniture. The wall below the leak is damp and mouldy. At times our electricity cuts out because of the leak. Sparks have done nothing despite being informed about the situation from the very beginning. They do not answer calls and when they do, they fob you off with promises of return calls which they never make. My window frame broke off in August and has yet not been repaired. Please do not rent with this agent. I am so relieved to be out of my contract. Even though we will receive no compensation for the <br />This person would not use Spark & Sons again.]]></description></item><item>
		<title><![CDATA[26/7/2010 - DikereeDoo rated Spark & Sons 1 star]]></title>
		<link>http://www.allagents.co.uk/spark-sons/</link>
		<description><![CDATA[I am using S&S's to fully manage my apartment in Brighton. Its been awful. Firstly they were viewing the property to tenants when we asked them not to as we were getting the place ready and had only moved out some expensive personal items. Secondly, they never return calls. They do not have time to talk to you on the phone and get snappy and irritated when questioned over decisions they make. We have an agreement with them in writing about how much money they can spend on diy jobs before they need to call us (if it is expensive). They completely ignore this figure and just charge us at the end of the month regardless if we know about the work done or not. It has caused numerous arguments with myself and my husband as he asks me to talk to them, then i can't get hold of them for a month. Even though we are paying them to fully manage, they call us asking us to arrange locksmiths, plumbers etc. 

Please don't use them, Peter seemed great, but we were duped. Don't make the same mistake.

 <br />This person would not use Spark & Sons again.]]></description></item><item>
		<title><![CDATA[14/6/2010 - BrightonOne rated Spark & Sons 1 star]]></title>
		<link>http://www.allagents.co.uk/spark-sons/</link>
		<description><![CDATA[I was renting a property with Spark and Sons last year. We had numerous reasons to call them for problems and constantly found that it took 3 or more calls before they would bother to call back. 

While in the house, we discovered that our property's electricity meter was also wired to the flat below us, and we were paying for their electricity. It took us months to get Spark & Sons to recognise this, including one phone call where we were told "it's not our problem". 

After they recognised it, they said they'd rewire the house within a week. They haven't yet. Instead they set up a complicated arrangement whereby they reimbursed us a figure based loosely on our bills, and charged our neighbour the amount afterwards. However it turns out they had actually started taking a fixed amount extra from our neighbour's rent for the electricity, without telling us how much this was, allowing them to give us back less than they'd taken from him and profit from their mistake!

They also expressed disbelief when they found out about the problem, saying that they'd been renting the property for years without knowing. So that's years' worth of tenants being ripped off. Well done them. <br />This person would not use Spark & Sons again.]]></description></item><item>
		<title><![CDATA[10/4/2010 - mamadingo rated Spark & Sons 4 stars]]></title>
		<link>http://www.allagents.co.uk/spark-sons/</link>
		<description><![CDATA[We have been renting from Spark & Sons for 2 years now and I have always found them ok. I have used alot of letting agents in Brighton/Hove in the last 15 years and I have found that they are one of the better ones.

Yes, they are not easy to get hold of and they dont return your calls but they have always fixed things and even came to our house to do contracts as it was easier for us than coming into the office.
Most letting agents are shockingly bad and I am sure Spark &Sons have their moments but if you take no crap from them and make them sort stuff out they will do it.<br />This person would use Spark & Sons again.]]></description></item><item>
		<title><![CDATA[19/12/2009 - Gary Mechan rated Spark & Sons 5 stars]]></title>
		<link>http://www.allagents.co.uk/spark-sons/</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Tremendous Service, couldn't recommend more highly. I was delighted. Pleasured almost.

Peter Spark lent me a fiver as well!<br />This person would use Spark & Sons again.]]></description></item><item>
		<title><![CDATA[15/12/2009 - nighthawk rated Spark & Sons 1 star]]></title>
		<link>http://www.allagents.co.uk/spark-sons/</link>
		<description><![CDATA[
If you know what is good for you, do not use this company. They are absolutely atrocious, and the propriator (Peter Spark) is one of the most corrupt, avaricious people that I have ever had the misfortune of doing business with.

Let me illustrate the scene last time I had to visit the Spark and Sons office: I arrived ten minutes early. In the hour I waited for Peter to show up, I had a clear view of the telephonist. He took no less than ten calls from tenants and told them all the same story - 'Peter is unavailable, but I can take your name and number.' Instead of taking these peoples' names and numbers, this absolute pretender just drew squiggly lines in the ledger on the desk in front of him. This, as I'm sure you will agree, is appalling, and it also explains how difficult it is to get a problem rectified with this company. 

The staff are rude and disrespectful (last time Peter Spark came to my property, he pointed at some of my housemate's belongings and asked, "Whose is all this crap here?") and show absolutely no regard for their tenants. I have been waiting for nearly 11 months for the dishwasher to be repaired. Nothing yet.

There was also a small matter of<br />This person would not use Spark & Sons again.]]></description></item><item>
		<title><![CDATA[20/3/2009 - carl rated Spark & Sons 5 stars]]></title>
		<link>http://www.allagents.co.uk/spark-sons/</link>
		<description><![CDATA[I had been renting a property from this estate agency for two years and I found them to be very good. When ever I had any issues or problems with leaks or boiler breaking down it was dealt with immediately. When I finished my tenancy with them 4 weeks ago I found them very proffessional and recieved my deposit back from them a few weeks later. I would not hesitate to use them again.<br />This person would use Spark & Sons again.]]></description></item><item>
		<title><![CDATA[13/3/2009 - claire rated Spark & Sons 1 star]]></title>
		<link>http://www.allagents.co.uk/spark-sons/</link>
		<description><![CDATA[In my experience of nearly 2 years renting a flat with them they are very pushy with wanting access to your property when you are not in, have ofetn wanted access to the property without giving 24hrs notice, once brought the landlady round at 9.30 am on a Saturday morning with no prior notice other than a phonecall at 9 am to say they were 'running late' and would be there at half past !!!!! In my opinion they do not care about their tenants and are at times downright rude. They will try and get money out of you at every opportunity, and do not be surprised if they do not get back to you about repairs, repairs are left half done for weeks and they generally ignore you on a regular basis. <br />This person would not use Spark & Sons again.]]></description></item><item>
		<title><![CDATA[27/2/2009 - Mark W rated Spark & Sons 1 star]]></title>
		<link>http://www.allagents.co.uk/spark-sons/</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Have had nothing but terrible service since renting a property early last summer. The house has a pool with maintenance, but one month after moving in the maintenance was cancelled without even notifying me.

Despite numerous telephone calls and visits nothing has been sorted. The pool is green, dirty and unusable.

Phone calls are rarely returned, and I have currently been waiting over 4 weeks for a call back regarding the expiration of my lease.

Do not rent with this company, they are incompetent to the highest level.<br />This person would not use Spark & Sons again.]]></description></item><item>
		<title><![CDATA[22/2/2009 - BigNoodles rated Spark & Sons 1 star]]></title>
		<link>http://www.allagents.co.uk/spark-sons/</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Rented a managed flat from spark and sons. We had a broken toilet for two weeks. When we called to remind them of the problem, they did all they could to get you off the phone. They clearly didn't write any notes or do anything about it until we actually visited them in person. The exact same thing happened when the fridge broke (it was furnished flat). It was a battle to recover the deposit. Visited them in person, made a fuss and got the deposit back.
Awful. Avoid.

You can post reviews on their own domain name at: http://sparkandsons.co.uk. It will appear on the site's homepage!! All comments welcome!<br />This person would not use Spark & Sons again.]]></description></item><item>
		<title><![CDATA[9/2/2009 - Mark rated Spark & Sons 1 star]]></title>
		<link>http://www.allagents.co.uk/spark-sons/</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Absolutely awful. Make promises they can't keep, ignore you, absolutely shocking.<br />This person would not use Spark & Sons again.]]></description></item><item>
		<title><![CDATA[12/1/2009 - claudine rated Spark & Sons 1 star]]></title>
		<link>http://www.allagents.co.uk/spark-sons/</link>
		<description><![CDATA[This person did not leave a review.]]></description></item><item>
		<title><![CDATA[1/9/2008 - peach rated Spark & Sons 1 star]]></title>
		<link>http://www.allagents.co.uk/spark-sons/</link>
		<description><![CDATA[This person did not leave a review.]]></description></item><item>
		<title><![CDATA[27/3/2008 - Disgruntled Goat rated Spark & Sons 1 star]]></title>
		<link>http://www.allagents.co.uk/spark-sons/</link>
		<description><![CDATA[Our son rented from them for 2 years, they never answer our calls, are still as ignorant and incompetant as they were when he first moved in. We are still waiting for the deposit to be returned, and I've a feeling we won't get it back. PLEASE AVOID DO NOT USE.. 

He was 6 months without hot water, and there was a problem with the ceiling, which looked as though it might cave in any minute. We phoned them, and wrote to them - nothing. 

They should not be trading. They aren't registered on the Estate Agents Association either, which speaks volumes. Be warned, and do not use!<br />This person would not use Spark & Sons again.]]></description></item>
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