Townends Estate Agents
based on 59 ratings. This website contains 58 user reviews of Townends Estate Agents.
Agent Information
Townends Estate Agents
Townends are in a unique position with a network of successful sales and lettings branches covering West and South West London, Surrey, Middlesex and North Hampshire meaning that we always have a large stock of property for sale and rent and a huge number of potential buyers and tenants registered with us. Whether you are selling, letting, buying or renting a property, Townends aim to make the process as hassle-free and simple for you as possible.
Offices / Branches
- Croydon - 83-85 High Street, Greater London
- Croydon - 95 High Street , Thornton Heath,
- Croydon - 201 London Road Mitcham, Mitcham,
- Egham - 10-18 Station Road North, Surrey
- Egham - 179 High Street, Surrey
- Egham - 19 St Judes Road , Englefield Green,
- Guildford - 3 Epsom Road, Surrey
- Kingston Upon Thames - 154 Station Road, Addlestone,
- London - 11 High Street South Norwood, South Norwood,
- London - 167 High Street , Putney,
- London - 364 Garratt Lane , Earlsfield,
- London - 41 The Broadway, Ealing,
- London - 440 High Road , Chiswick,
- London - 240 Blythe Road , Brook Green,
- London - 5-7 Streatleigh Parade Streatham High Road, Streatham,
- Staines - 142-144 High Street, Surrey
- Sunbury-On-Thames - The Clock House 15a Station Road, Surrey
- Twickenham - 25 London Road , Greater London
- Twickenham - 127-129 Percy Road , Whitton,
- Woking - 4 Commercial Way, Surrey
- Woking - Unit 9 Goldsworth Park District Centre, Goldsworth Park,
- View All Branches
- Update Agent details
Townends Estate Agents has not joined our 'transparent agent' scheme yet.
"If only I had known about this site before.." the most common comment we get posted from reviewers that have had a bad experience. So in response, allAgents has introduced the "transparent agent" scheme to help identify agents that are open about independent customer feedback and have nothing to hide. The scheme is FREE to join and as an incentive, allAgents will provide them with FREE LANDLORD & VENDOR ENQUIRES.
Click here and Join the 1000s of Delighted customers that have had success with our recommended agents. If however you do choose to use Townends Estate Agents, please make them aware of the scheme and ask them to get in touch if they want to become a member. - Learn more about 'Transparent Agents'.
Customer Reviews (Page 1 of 2)
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by 'Will' 23/5/2012
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Tenant)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
I beg everyone of you not go and rent any property from townends estate agent they are all thieves in their company,i went through a terrible experience with them,they can't do anything for their tenant....i regret going there look for a property.Please i beg you all don't think of going to rent from them because they will things bad for you.They will collect deposit from you but when you leave the property they will plan with the landlord of the house to keep money claiming that you damaged their property know the law will catch up with them soon and they will pay for all what they have made people go through....I am crying with tears in my eyes they are rip off.I beg you all not to make any mistake by going to them please.
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by 'Ingrid' 23/5/2012
- Branch:
- 142-144 High Street
- Services:
- Lettings (Prospective customer)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
This estate agent is VERY unprofessional but I suspect from the number of people on here complaining about them that they really don't car.
I am furious this evening. We were supposed to be seeing a flat in Egham at 6.30, followed by one in Staines and the estate agent didn't show up for either viewing!!! I tried phoning but no answer at the office. Got home to find the estate agent had emailed me at 625 to say the property had just been let and she would meet us at the Staines one instead. Does she really think I would be checking my emails 5 minutes before an appointment? This is the 3rd time this estate agent has done this on us and they aren't going to get the opportunity again!
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by 'Bob' 23/5/2012
- Branch:
- 83-85 High Street
- Services:
- Sales (Prospective customer)
- Staff Member
- Simon Bright
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
I thought I had done my homework on choosing an agent to sell our house in Croydon. They'd sold two houses nearby very similar to our own. I invited two agents around. The first was forty minutes late for the appointment, Townends weren't as bad, they were only half an hour late, with no apology. I probably got sucked into using them because the first agent - Barnard Marcus, appeared to be totally inept. Four weeks later we've dropped the price by ten thousand pounds, we think we may have had a viewing yesterday, not that anyone at Townends has called to give us feedback. Simon the Branch... (read more)
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by 'Faye' 21/5/2012
- Branch:
- 3 Epsom Road
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Landlord)
- Staff Member
- Jack Hargreaves
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? Yes
I have used used Townends to find tenants for my properties for many years now. I mainly deal with Jack who is always very polite and professional.
This branch are superb and finding tenants and I can't even remember that last time I have a void period in a property. Most of the time the tenant find service progresses smoothly, but even on the odd occassion when there may be slight hiccups, I found Townends very willing to help resolve any issues.
I would recommend Townends to any Let Only Landlord as they can always find a tenant very quickly.
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by 'Tenant' 17/5/2012
- Branch:
- 83-85 High Street
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Tenant)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
We have had a very old boiler since day one and so many times it breakes down , but what does towenends do is try to send someone to fix it which is nearly impossible .
They dont understand that we are humans not animals to be treated so badly and in a rude way.
My boiler broke down yesterday at 9 am and now it's 9 am next day. It was a very cold night and my7 months old boy was crying so I had to boil water on the cooker to get some heating to a point I burnt my both arms badly.
I called them 100 times and explained, cried, shouted, any sort just to make them listen , but they said... (read more)Was this review helpful? Yes
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by 'Sam' 9/5/2012
- Branch:
- 179 High Street
- Services:
- Lettings (Prospective customer)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
Rubbish customer service. Went to the flat with the agent only to find out she had forgotten the keys!! Said she will collect keys from office and return asap. Waited outside flat for 10 mins after which these agents have the nerve to tell that they cant come back and we will have to arrange another viewing date. Not one word of apology either!
Extremely unprofessional and not recommended if you want your money's worth!
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by 'mike c' 16/4/2012
- Branch:
- 19 St Judes Road
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Tenant)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
Lettings at Englefield green was an experience, just because you wont to rent they look down at you not knowing one day you will buy a property, always promise to call you back but never do who the f--k do they think they are, i need to write this otherwise if i go to there office it will not be nice, why are they all the same jumped up spoty kids, i will spend my money else where and other should do the same, Mike c
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by 'Putney lady' 15/4/2012
- Branch:
- 167 High Street
- Services:
- Sales (as a Buyer)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
I had an unfortunate encounter with one of the agent at Putney branch while looking for a flat to buy.
After my offer on a house he showed me was accepted, they all started calling me up to 7/8 times a day during my working hour being very rude, shouting and pushing me to call my solicitor to hurry up because they wanted to close the deal in 4 weeks. They even started calling my solicitor themselves to tell her to hurry up!! After I paid a quote to my lawyer and to the surveyor they told me the seller was going to rent the house out if I wouldn't have closed the deal in 4 weeks. They also fogot to give the key of the rear door to the surveyor when he came to do the home survey!!
The purchase of the house hasn't been an easy process with them putting me under pressure and the way they talked to me was unacceptable.
We closed the deal in 6 weeks and I would never ever recommend that agency to anyone for letting/selling/purchasing. Very rude and not professional.Was this review helpful? Yes
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by 'Len v d Berg' 2/4/2012
- Branch:
- 142-144 High Street
- Services:
- Lettings (Prospective customer)
- Staff Member
- Tamsin Boughey
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
My partner and I work for a large Corporate Organisation.
When we met almost 3 yrs ago I was renting a small 1 bedroom flat in Slough.
He was unemployed. Last year we managed to secure a position for him at the company where I work.
He moved in with me as an interim arrangement. My little flat is too small.We decided to find a larger place closer to work, in Staines.
We looked at a few usual websites and found a really nice place in Chertsey Lane. We arranged with an Agent to view the house after woork one evening in Feb, and the very next day paid the Holding Deposit. We liked the... (read more)Was this review helpful? Yes
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4
people found
this helpful.
by 'Helen Mills' 13/3/2012
- Branch:
- 3 Epsom Road
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Tenant)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
Were not made aware of all of the fees. The fees at Townends I believe are one of the most expensive. I am a student and due to this they wanted me to pay an extra £50 on top of the £50 each (2 of us). There is also a fee called 'in and out' fee. This is a fee to check that the property has the same inventory in place at the beginning and at the end of a tenancy. Our property had no inventory that required counting and thought it a waste of paperwork and money (£110). This was a total of £620 of fees before the deposit and 'holding fee'. Townends were also supposed to supply us with an 'Energy Performance Certificate' which would have let us know how energy efficient the property is. This is something that all landlords/agencies should provide. We did not know this at the time so now we are living in a flat which costs too much to heat and encourages damp and mould to appear causing us health problems! Not impressed!
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by 'joodonnell' 7/3/2012
- Branch:
- 167 High Street
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Landlord)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
I have had my flat leased out through Townends for 7 years. On the plus side the flat has always been occupied, on the negative side they are terrible at communicating. I have had an issue with my recent tenants and have found it nearly impossible to get hold of anyone to discuss the issues and to arrange an inspection. The inspection was finally arranged but getting in touch with anyone to find out the outcome of the inspection has been impossible. I would not recommend Townends to my worst enemy.
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7
people found
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by 'Lynne' 11/2/2012
- Branch:
- 364 Garratt Lane
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Landlord)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
I am ashamed to confess my son used to work for this agency. Despite this, I received rotten service too. To be fair, the initial team setting up the let were good and the tenant they found was a dream. An initial plumbing repair was charged at cost and I was issued with an invoice from the contractor for my records.
The trouble began last summer when the tenant reported the boiler and a bathroom light as not working. Townends organised the repairs and charged me more than £900 for the work including the VAT. Despite repeated attempts over the next six months, they refused to let me... (read more)
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6
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by 'PollyA' 8/2/2012
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Landlord)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
I am paying for a fully managed service. My first tenants were wonderful and in two years had only one tiny issue which we sorted immediately. In the past year however my new tenants have had a steady stream of problems which have cost me a small fortune. Plumbers and electricians seem to have very high call out charges in Staines and even when they fail to find or fix a problem or worse still actually break more than they fix Townends have not once challenged either the tenants or the workmen and have just passed the exorbitant fees on to me. I thought I was paying for a value add service and that Townends would verify that issues or breakages were not due to tenants negligence and that workmen only charged for a job well done. I only wish I'd seen this website before I signed up with them. I was beginning to think all agents were the same but now I realise they are not. Time to change my agent.
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7
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by 'Matt' 4/2/2012
- Branch:
- 5-7 Streatleigh Parade Streatham High Road
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Landlord)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
Appaling - I mistakenly paid for Townends to manage my property thinking it would make life easier how wrong.
A heater failed - townends engineer recommened they were removed and replaced as they were "Obsolete" - had my plumber go round and fix as parts were readily available.
They replaced a failed Shower pump - the "plumber" they sent couldnt join pipes, so a few weeks later the flat is flooded, there contractor returns to fix leak - blows immersion in the process - they return to replace immersion and manage to blow fuse and timer.
Now the shower pump they fitted has failed as it was the wrong bore for a flat....
All the way through they've treated us as the ones casuing problems and taken the contractors side - I do beleive im teh customer and who is paying them for teh privelege of having my flat destroyed....
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7
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by 'Croydon_Townends' 4/2/2012
- Branch:
- 83-85 High Street
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Tenant)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
Another true story ...!
The heating has never worked in the 5 months I’ve lived in this flat (even though they are contractually obliged to provide it). As a cold snap has arrived throughout the UK I have had to resort to withholding rent. According to 'Croydon Guardian' the temperature in Croydon at present (4 Feb 2011) is -1.5c !!
Despite me complaining that the heating has never worked and i reported it a long time ago, I received a threatening letter today from Rebecca Grant (rent control manager) demanding payment or i will be charged interest and be given a bad reference for not paying rent!
I will leave you to think of words to describe these humans, as like the heating my voculabulary is failing ...
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5
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by 'Nearly_Homeless' 30/11/2011
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Tenant)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
A disgrace. Like many of the other comments on here, not only were Townends unprofessional and lacked communication skills, they too, almost left us homeless.
We viewed a property on the 2nd of the month and signed up on the spot on the condition that the moving date was the 5th of the following month. We managed to reduce the ‘fee’ by about £100 but it was still £500 including credit reports at £50 each and the check in report.
On the 3rd we received confirmation that the landlord had accepted our offer and that the moving date was the 5th as agreed. We completed the... (read more)
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1
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by 'Nearly Homeless' 30/11/2011
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Tenant)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
A disgrace. Like many of the other comments on here, not only were Townends unprofessional and lacked communication skills, they too, almost left us homeless.
We viewed a property on the 2nd of the month and signed up on the spot on the condition that the moving date was the 5th of the following month. We managed to reduce the ‘fee’ by about £100 but it was still £500 including credit reports at £50 each and the check in report.
On the 3rd we received confirmation that the landlord had accepted our offer and that the moving date was the 5th as agreed. We completed the... (read more)
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3
people found
this helpful.
by 'Hayley' 28/11/2011
- Branch:
- The Clock House 15a Station Road
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Tenant)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
Townends are in my opinion, just awful.
Helpful as ever when trying to find us somewhere to rent but after that they just didnt want to know.
For example, the light fitting in the bathroom which didnt work for 8 months (still broken upon vacating the premises), even though my flatmates partner is an electrian and gave the full diagnosis of what needed to be fixed with the light , this information was passed onto Townends but no, nothing.
A washing machine broken for 6 weeks and when I called the maintenance department to (rightly) complain about the lack of urgency in getting it fixed,... (read more)Was this review helpful? Yes
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2
people found
this helpful.
by 'pete' 1/11/2011
- Services:
- Lettings (Prospective customer)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
following my partners decision to vacate and not use Townsend services delays and threats have continued for months without any return of deposit. my partner a doctor and former minister for medical research has been issued with onerous charges; the latest £150 for repairs to a toilet accompanied with a photograph (undated). fortunately having photographed around the flat prior to my partner leaving the premises i am now seeking advice from the police on townsends action. Action Fraud on 0300 1232040 were very helpful.
its very frustrating these organisations continue to extort money from peope in this way i hope they are soon put out of business.Was this review helpful? Yes
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by 'Unhappy from Chiswick' 31/10/2011
- Branch:
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Tenant)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
It has taken 4 months to get a new tenant added to the lease of our property. The person we were dealing with started out fine, but in the last few weeks became rude and threatening. Probably because we felt we needed to contact her daily in a vein attempt to finally get things sorted out, given it had dragged on for 3 months already at this point!
She was extremely slow to respond to correspondence and calls, and has taken far too long to do something which in my opinion is the bread and butter of this company - a tenancy agreement! We started the process of getting a new tenant addes... (read more)
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by 'Eliza' 31/10/2011
- Branch:
- 3 Epsom Road
- Services:
- Sales (Prospective customer)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
Wow. These guys really took the biscuit. I generally think estate agents get unfairly bad press but this is so deserved. After giving them strict instructions that I was the main point of contact (my mother unfortunately is experiencing memory problems) to act for my mother, it was most astonishing to find out that the property had been advertised online at a much lower value than the 3 others I approached had come in at and that there was an open viewing for a week's time. Considering I'd heard none of this and we weren't looking to move until the new year, this was all a bit of a shock.
Even when I phoned to complain, no one seemed to want to take responsibility for this and they even started blaming each other. Great. A company that screws it team. And how dare they request 'we hope this doesn't impact our future relationship.' There is no future relationship. And yes, I will be contacting Ombudsman.
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by 'poorme' 26/10/2011
- Branch:
- The Clock House 15a Station Road
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Tenant)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
Strongly advise not handing over any money to these people. They've made my life a misery for months.
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2
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by 'Tanya' 25/10/2011
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Tenant)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
They completely ignored us for a month regarding a renewal and we spent hours trying to get in touch with them via email and phone. We even took time off of work to go into our local office - but they couldn't reach the Chertsey office either. They were rude from the start and just make really pathetic excuses/lies instead of properly dealing with our complaints. Now they want us to pay a £180 admin fee to them after we've spent ten times as much time on this as they have. Worst service I've ever dealt with.
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3
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by 'A Awni' 22/10/2011
- Branch:
- 25 London Road
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Landlord)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
This is by far the worst estate agents I have ever dealt with in the last ten years
It was a big mistake to use them, I've signed the tenancy agreement 3 weeks ago, and despite numerous phone calls/ emails I still haven't received my copy, the rent money was paid to them on time, yet had to chase them several times to get it transfered to my bank account, numerous fees deducted of course.
The letting staff are rude, arrugant & very unhelpfull, I was trying to find any comlaint system they might have so I can use, couldn't even find a decent website with any information about this.
I will write to head office but doubt I will get anywhere.
Avoid at all costs, even if they tempt you with reduced fees, stay away is my honest advice.Was this review helpful? Yes
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1
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by 'Sebastian' 12/10/2011
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Tenant)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
The bad experience started with the fact that I've booked viewing appointment and travelled 300 miles from Scottish border only to find out that I won't be able to see the property as the tenant did not agree to the proposed viewing time. Since I had no other options, I had to sign the agreement despite the fact that I did not see the interior of the house. The check-in experience was very bad - the agency forgot to do the check-out so we had to wait for an hour to start the process plus the agent was very unpleasant and didn't even apologise. We were not given access to the shed and garage although this was not mentioned in the advertisement nor in the tenancy agreement plus the advert clearly showed these on pictures. The agency failed to resolve the issue and did not take responsibility for dishonest advertising. The only luxurious thing about Townends are the outrageous fees that are not reflected by the service at all.
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5
people found
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by 'Croydon_Townends' 7/10/2011
- Branch:
- 83-85 High Street
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Tenant)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
A true story...!
My flat from Croydon Townends has huge windows and no netcurtain/curtain/blinds. I can’t change the fittings etc. so I used mark-free scotch tape and newspapers for privacy & sleep (until they install blinds – I’ve been waiting 7 weeks).
Simon Butt from property management told me (in writing) to remove them today (due to breach of contract for ‘altering the window’) and threatened to send someone into my flat (with their management keys) to remove them (at my cost)!! I thought this can't be right ...
I notified his manager Luticha McNeal (head of property management at Townends) who also told me to remove them (in writing for other reasons). Also, she wrote I could instead ask permission for me to put curtains up (for 2 weeks until they install blinds) - is drilling curtain rails into the wall is less destructive & temporary than mark-free tape and newspaper?
To top it off, they appear to have violated the Property Misdescriptions Act 1991 by falsely advertising a concierge - who of course is not present. Need i say more ..
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by 'Anonymous' 5/10/2011
- Branch:
- 10-18 Station Road North
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Tenant)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
I gave them 1 star because there is no lower rating. Firstly, our property was not ready to be moved in to (damage inside and outside the property, some appliances left in lethal condition e.g. lawnmower tied together with duct tape that came apart during use), about 20 things were badly wrong. It is 3 months into our tenancy and they still have not fixed the issues. Keys missing for rooms/external doors, big drainage hole on the patio, a broken bed and wiring sticking out of walls were just a few issues worthy of note.
Dealing with the Maintenance Department is a nightmare. They never... (read more)
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by 'Tee' 14/9/2011
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Tenant)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
Email to Townends:
I am very angry about the unprofessional, disrepectful service I have received from your company and the amount of time I have had to put in to chase your employees.
During August, we were in email contact with your renewals team. Once I agreed on increased flat rent, communication stopped. The last email I received from our account manager was on August 18.
We then attempted to contact the renewals team by email many times, as well as by phone. Despite calling nearly everyday and leaving many voicemail messages we were never able to get through. Finally, I... (read more)
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by 'screwyouTownends' 23/8/2011
- Branch:
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Tenant)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? No
The Pre-Tenancy team in head office in Chertsey are, utterly utterly appalling. Lzzy, arrogant, contemptful and rude, they have made my own renting of a new property one of the most stressful and unpleasant expereinces imaginable. How something so benign and straightforward can be drawn out more painfully than a drunken dentist pulling teeth, is quite beyond me. I'm FURIOUS with them and am in the process of making a complaint to the Townends Managing Director - although God only knows what he will do about it... Avoid at ALL costs.
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by 'verypleased' 10/8/2011
- Branch:
- 41 The Broadway
- Services:
- Lettings (as a Tenant)
- Experience:
- Would you use the agent again? Yes
After reading some of these reviews i am quiet shocked! I have used Townends on 2 occasions in 2 areas. I have found them most helpful and very easy to deal with! There are other agents in this area that i would not tocuh with a barge pole, however i found Townends a breath of fresh air.
Yes their fees are high... but so are other agents. There is nothing forcing you to use Townends or any other agent infact, so why complain about fees. Dont like it - dont use them - its that simple!Quiet Simply - I have found townends great to deal with and i have recommended them to friends and family. i am looking forward to moving into my new flat in 2 weeks!
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![Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/dialog/feed?app_id=159335870805641&picture=http://allagents.co.uk/images/logo-thumbs.png&description=We have had a very old boiler since day one and so many times it breakes down , but what does towenends do is try to send someone to fix it which is nearly impossible .
They dont understand that we are humans not animals to be treated so badly and in a rude way.
My boiler broke down yesterday at 9 am and now it\'s 9 am next day. It was a very cold night and my7 months old boy was crying so I had to boil water on the cooker to get some heating to a point I burnt my both arms badly.
I called them 100 times and explained, cried, shouted, any sort just to make them listen , but they said " we have called British gas and they will come to you soon" it\'s 25 hours later with a broken boiler and a sick baby and a restless mother with both arms burnt .
This is how towenends treat their valuable customers
By the way when I called their emergency line which is from 8 to 11pm , the person told me that I have called him 8 times and woken his other half up!!! But am I not suppose to call this number in between them hours for emergency??? My call was at 10.48 and he said its almost 11pm , how funny that he gets paid to operate till 11pm not BEFORE/&display=popup&link=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/24862/&redirect_uri=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/24862/ "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=My partner and I work for a large Corporate Organisation.
When we met almost 3 yrs ago I was renting a small 1 bedroom flat in Slough.
He was unemployed. Last year we managed to secure a position for him at the company where I work.
He moved in with me as an interim arrangement. My little flat is too small.
We decided to find a larger place closer to work, in Staines.
We looked at a few usual websites and found a really nice place in Chertsey Lane. We arranged with an Agent to view the house after woork one evening in Feb, and the very next day paid the Holding Deposit. We liked the house. Its a small-ish 2 bedroom house with a nice dining room, lounge and small conservatory.
After paying the Holding Deposit, twe went back to do some measuring. The Landord took my partner up to the bedrooms to see what the sizes were. He was of Middle Eastern ethnicity, and of Muslim faith.
The Landlord asked my partner if my partner and I were "planning on sleeping in 2 separate beds", upon which my partner replied that we share a bed as we are a couple.
This startled the landlord.
When my partner mentiond this to me, I suspeced that this might be a problem. I emailed the Letting Agent and asked her to verify that our Orientation would not be a problem. In her replies she stated that the Landlord was totally OK with this. And I was still not convinced. The Landlord started to change the Contract, and my name on the contract was wrong. I sent the contract back twice to get it sorted over a period of 3 weeks. Every time the contract came back my name was wrong and there were changes made.
The Landlord made some assumtions which he used to base the Reference Checks on, and subsequently, a week before the day we were suppose to move in, he withdrew the offer. We had alread paid the Security deposit of £1650, and upon the Landlords insistance another deposit of £2350 plus Admin fees and a Holding deposit of £500.
In total they took £4500. Our monthly rent was only agreed on £1100.
We did stipulate, that should the Landlord withdraw, we would be refunded in full. This was also agreed in writing by email. We suspected the Landlord did not openly want to reject us as tenants because we were a gay couple, as we would be protected under current legislation. But he made certain assumptions that gave him a reason to withdraw the contract, even though all our references and checks were passed.
So now we are stuck. We already gave notice in our current flat. We are looking out for a new place, but the Letting Agent is not forthcoming with our refund of £4500.
I have sent her an email asking when we can get this back so we can use it to secure another place to stay in.
On Friday 23 March Tamsin at Townends told me my money would be paid into my bank account on Tue 27 March.
On Tue 27 March I checked and there was nothing. I called and spoke to the Lettings Manager, who promised me he would call Head Office and authorise the payment, and that it would be paid into my Bank Account on Fri 30 March.
On Fri 30 March I checked and there was nothing. I called Townends and the person answering told me that the Lettings Manager is now in a "meeting", and I should call the Head Office accounts dept and talk to them.
A man in the Head Office initially said they received no authorisation to pay me, then afterwards stated the someone just handed him a piece of paper with the authorisation required to refund me. He promised that I will get my money paid into my bank account on Tuesday 03 April. I was really upset because I needed to pay a deposit on another property which we are signing a contract for.
This Agent was a bad mistake for us. Homophobic Landlords should be prosecuted. His ultimate excude was that he was advised by his lawyers to withdraw from the contract AFTER he made us pay £4000 deposit. And now we struggle to get it back.
My guess is that he was hoping we did not have that kind of money, which would have forced us to pull out. Sadly it backfired on him, and he had to pull out in the end.
And now we struggle to get the deposits back Townends./&display=popup&link=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/22475/&redirect_uri=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/22475/ "Share on your Facebook Wall"){kind=logo}
. There is also a fee called 'in and out' fee. This is a fee to check that the property has the same inventory in place at the beginning and at the end of a tenancy. Our property had no inventory that required counting and thought it a waste of paperwork and money (£110). This was a total of £620 of fees before the deposit and 'holding fee'. Townends were also supposed to supply us with an 'Energy Performance Certificate' which would have let us know how energy efficient the property is. This is something that all landlords/agencies should provide. We did not know this at the time so now we are living in a flat which costs too much to heat and encourages damp and mould to appear causing us health problems! Not impressed!/&display=popup&link=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/21199/&redirect_uri=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/21199/ "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=Appaling - I mistakenly paid for Townends to manage my property thinking it would make life easier how wrong.
A heater failed - townends engineer recommened they were removed and replaced as they were "Obsolete" - had my plumber go round and fix as parts were readily available.
They replaced a failed Shower pump - the "plumber" they sent couldnt join pipes, so a few weeks later the flat is flooded, there contractor returns to fix leak - blows immersion in the process - they return to replace immersion and manage to blow fuse and timer.
Now the shower pump they fitted has failed as it was the wrong bore for a flat....
All the way through they've treated us as the ones casuing problems and taken the contractors side - I do beleive im teh customer and who is paying them for teh privelege of having my flat destroyed..../&display=popup&link=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/18570/&redirect_uri=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/18570/ "Share on your Facebook Wall"){kind=logo}
. As a cold snap has arrived throughout the UK I have had to resort to withholding rent. According to 'Croydon Guardian' the temperature in Croydon at present (4 Feb 2011) is -1.5c !!
Despite me complaining that the heating has never worked and i reported it a long time ago, I received a threatening letter today from Rebecca Grant (rent control manager) demanding payment or i will be charged interest and be given a bad reference for not paying rent!
I will leave you to think of words to describe these humans, as like the heating my voculabulary is failing .../&display=popup&link=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/18559/&redirect_uri=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/18559/ "Share on your Facebook Wall"){kind=logo}
 we finally heard back from our contact at Townends – she said she had been on holiday and she advised that she would contact the landlord to see what was going on. We still didn’t hear back that day. On the 22nd we called back again as we hadn’t heard anything and were advised that while the tenancy agreement problem was just a typo initially, they have found that the current tenant needs a few extra days and our moving date will be the 9th. Apparently this was OK to change the dates as they hadn’t received our references yet so they say until then they can change terms at anytime. We had completed the reference information on the 3rd and I know that my employer wasn’t contacted until the 21st. It was in no way our fault that these references weren’t completed by this time.
As we had to move on the 5th and couldn’t have the time off work on the 9th to do the move, as a sign of ‘goodwill’ they asked if they waived £300 of their fee could we move on the 9th, we said no, we couldn’t take time off and we had no where to put our belongings for the time in between - so they said they would ask the existing tenant the same. We were told all of this is a huge coincidence and nothing to do with the date of the agreement being wrong. They also said, they would never have a move in date on a Sunday (the 13th) which is why this was definitely a typo.
We already had a bad taste in our mouths and didn’t want to go through Townends any longer and despite having only a week and a half to find a new place we would rather not have any more dealings with Townends, as we just knew there was something fishy with them and the dates. However, as they had our holding deposit we would lose £500 if we walked. Thankfully, there could be no agreement on dates and we all agreed to cancel the agreement, we contacted head office to complain and we got back £400 of our £500 holding deposit. £100 taken off for references.
I did mention to the manager of the branch that I have read the reviews and wish I had read them BEFORE we contacted them, his response was: People only every write bad reviews, it’s not a reflection on us as a company. I disagree.
As much as we weren’t too far out of pocket, we were still left with 1 and a half weeks to find & sign up for a new property.
Straight after we cancelled, I took a look at the same property online which I hadn’t done before (because they had contacted us rather than us seeing the property online originally) - it was still listed as ‘under offer’ and I saw that the date available was the 13th, Sunday the 13th, when apparently, they don’t do Sundays for moving dates. It had been the 13th all along and instead of losing us right from the start, they lied until we had no time to back out and were almost forced to go along with this.
Fortunately I feel we had a lucky escape. We then went to a smaller agent who treated us brilliantly, and charged a lot less. Our property is also cheaper and a lot better and I’ve learned never to use Townends again. Moving is an emotional time for those involved and they have no remorse for putting people in horrid situations that are hard to get out of if there is potential for them to get a sale. ./&display=popup&link=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/15842/&redirect_uri=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/15842/ "Share on your Facebook Wall"){kind=logo}
 we finally heard back from our contact at Townends – she said she had been on holiday and she advised that she would contact the landlord to see what was going on. We still didn’t hear back that day. On the 22nd we called back again as we hadn’t heard anything and were advised that while the tenancy agreement problem was just a typo initially, they have found that the current tenant needs a few extra days and our moving date will be the 9th. Apparently this was OK to change the dates as they hadn’t received our references yet so they say until then they can change terms at anytime. We had completed the reference information on the 3rd and I know that my employer wasn’t contacted until the 21st. It was in no way our fault that these references weren’t completed by this time.
As we had to move on the 5th and couldn’t have the time off work on the 9th to do the move, as a sign of ‘goodwill’ they asked if they waived £300 of their fee could we move on the 9th, we said no, we couldn’t take time off and we had no where to put our belongings for the time in between - so they said they would ask the existing tenant the same. We were told all of this is a huge coincidence and nothing to do with the date of the agreement being wrong. They also said, they would never have a move in date on a Sunday (the 13th) which is why this was definitely a typo.
We already had a bad taste in our mouths and didn’t want to go through Townends any longer and despite having only a week and a half to find a new place we would rather not have any more dealings with Townends, as we just knew there was something fishy with them and the dates. However, as they had our holding deposit we would lose £500 if we walked. Thankfully, there could be no agreement on dates and we all agreed to cancel the agreement, we contacted head office to complain and we got back £400 of our £500 holding deposit. £100 taken off for references.
I did mention to the manager of the branch that I have read the reviews and wish I had read them BEFORE we contacted them, his response was: People only every write bad reviews, it’s not a reflection on us as a company. I disagree.
As much as we weren’t too far out of pocket, we were still left with 1 and a half weeks to find & sign up for a new property.
Straight after we cancelled, I took a look at the same property online which I hadn’t done before (because they had contacted us rather than us seeing the property online originally) - it was still listed as ‘under offer’ and I saw that the date available was the 13th, Sunday the 13th, when apparently, they don’t do Sundays for moving dates. It had been the 13th all along and instead of losing us right from the start, they lied until we had no time to back out and were almost forced to go along with this.
Fortunately I feel we had a lucky escape. We then went to a smaller agent who treated us brilliantly, and charged a lot less. Our property is also cheaper and a lot better and I’ve learned never to use Townends again. Moving is an emotional time for those involved and they have no remorse for putting people in horrid situations that are hard to get out of if there is potential for them to get a sale. ./&display=popup&link=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/15840/&redirect_uri=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/15840/ "Share on your Facebook Wall"){kind=logo}
, even though my flatmates partner is an electrian and gave the full diagnosis of what needed to be fixed with the light , this information was passed onto Townends but no, nothing.
A washing machine broken for 6 weeks and when I called the maintenance department to (rightly) complain about the lack of urgency in getting it fixed, resulted in a full on arguement with the rudest person I think I have ever spoken to in my life.
The intercom buzzer and phone that worked very intermitantly then stopped working altogether and when an electrician was sent by Townends to look at it told us, 'I don't know why they sent me, i've never dealt with intercoms befrore'. Again, still not working upon vacation.
Then when trying to find out information about getting the deposit back, acknowledged read receipts for emails sent to them by us but no responses.
Definitely would never rent through them again, they do not make it a pleasant experience, if anything we dreaded something going wrong as we knew it wouldn't be resolved easily and we would have to face attitude from the Townends team.
Stay away!/&display=popup&link=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/15717/&redirect_uri=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/15717/ "Share on your Facebook Wall"){kind=logo}
. fortunately having photographed around the flat prior to my partner leaving the premises i am now seeking advice from the police on townsends action. Action Fraud on 0300 1232040 were very helpful.
its very frustrating these organisations continue to extort money from peope in this way i hope they are soon put out of business./&display=popup&link=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/14640/&redirect_uri=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/14640/ "Share on your Facebook Wall"){kind=logo}
 to act for my mother, it was most astonishing to find out that the property had been advertised online at a much lower value than the 3 others I approached had come in at and that there was an open viewing for a week's time. Considering I'd heard none of this and we weren't looking to move until the new year, this was all a bit of a shock.
Even when I phoned to complain, no one seemed to want to take responsibility for this and they even started blaming each other. Great. A company that screws it team. And how dare they request 'we hope this doesn't impact our future relationship.' There is no future relationship. And yes, I will be contacting Ombudsman./&display=popup&link=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/14595/&redirect_uri=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/14595/ "Share on your Facebook Wall"){kind=logo}
.
Simon Butt from property management told me (in writing) to remove them today (due to breach of contract for ‘altering the window’) and threatened to send someone into my flat (with their management keys) to remove them (at my cost)!! I thought this can't be right ...
I notified his manager Luticha McNeal (head of property management at Townends) who also told me to remove them (in writing for other reasons). Also, she wrote I could instead ask permission for me to put curtains up (for 2 weeks until they install blinds) - is drilling curtain rails into the wall is less destructive & temporary than mark-free tape and newspaper?
To top it off, they appear to have violated the Property Misdescriptions Act 1991 by falsely advertising a concierge - who of course is not present. Need i say more ../&display=popup&link=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/13446/&redirect_uri=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/13446/ "Share on your Facebook Wall"){kind=logo}
, about 20 things were badly wrong. It is 3 months into our tenancy and they still have not fixed the issues. Keys missing for rooms/external doors, big drainage hole on the patio, a broken bed and wiring sticking out of walls were just a few issues worthy of note.
Dealing with the Maintenance Department is a nightmare. They never return calls (just yesterday I called them, and was told after a quick call to contractors they would get back to me; they have not) even if you leave a message with a person. They are incompetent (our contact said he would have a meeting with his manager which, it later transpired, never took place) and upon complaining they have treated us to apologies and excuses and claims that it is an "isolated incident". I see from reviews on this website that it is not, as others seem to be having some of the same problems. Once they get your money, they do not care at all; the local branch manager told us she was washing her hands of us because we had signed the contract and couldn't speak to anyone face to face.
Something others may also find interesting is that we have been told that it is not their company policy to actually check properties before tenants move in; you could get a property in any condition, you will not know with them. Our landlady has had massive problems with them and will not be using them again./&display=popup&link=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/17916/&redirect_uri=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/17916/ "Share on your Facebook Wall"){kind=logo}
.
We finally got through to the original renewals contact today, after nearly a month, and she said that she was waiting for our flatmate to get in touch. This makes absolutely no sense as none of us have been able to reach anyone helpful. Additionally, in my emails I expicitly asked what was happening, what they needed from our side and how I could help push along the process. I was ignored.
Moreover, our landlord - your other client - was notified about the situation and is also very dissatisfied. He has also attempted to chase your renewals team.
I'm still baffled at your audacity to charge us an administrative fee, particularly as your team said this was for "the time it takes to do the paperwork"! We have put much more time and effort into what should have been a simple renewal.
I have spent many frustrating hours calling and emailing your inadequate, excuse-ridden team. I have had to take time out of my work day to do YOUR job and have even had to visit your office during work hours.
I left many email and voicemail messages with my contact information and yet was never contacted.
This is absolutely ridiculous and I am quite livid. Your team needs to learn the basics of customer service and not force their customers to do their job for them.
I look forward to your reply./&display=popup&link=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/14416/&redirect_uri=http://www.allagents.co.uk/review/14416/ "Share on your Facebook Wall"){kind=logo}
