100% sales valuation accuracy
100% sales fee satisfaction
100% lettings valuation accuracy
33% lettings fee satisfaction
...left to get your reviews in for the
2024
allAgents People Awards
Aug 07,2014
Aug 07,2014
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
My partner and I rented a house through Abbotts Countrywide last year. We have dealt with a number of letting agents in our time, but with Abbotts we had the worst, most stressful experience of them all.
At first the rep who showed us around the vacant property was friendly and not at all pushy. She explained that the landlady lived in Nottingham and was looking for long-term tenents who would make the house a home. We called up the lettings office a couple of days later to say we would like to rent the property. Once they had agreed to let the property to us we verbally agreed a move-in date and the rep explained the charges (which were considerably higher than with any other agent we had previously used) - overall the cost was about £450 (between both of us) plus a damages deposit.
Bearing in mind at the time we were living in the neighbouring county, 1.5 hour drive away and both working full-time, Abbotts seemed to make little effort to organise themselves to minimise our travelling to and from their branch several times to deliver different pieces of paperwork which could easily have been taken in a single journey.
At this point we were told that our case had been handed over to the Southend branch of Abbotts, and the staff at the Norwich branch were unable to provide any explanation of why this was. This meant that further arrangements had to be conducted over the phone.
Now we were about 2 weeks from our moving date, with no contracts signed, and having handed in the 1 month notice on our current home at the time with 2 days overlap between properties. Abbotts told us that the deposit was actually £100 more than had originally been stated.
Five days before our moving day they contacted us by phone to say that because at the time I was unemployed (we were moving so that my partner could start a new position in Norwich, so I had given in my notice at job at the time) we would have to either arrange a guarantor (this would involve taking the said guarantor's photo ID and consent form into the Norwich branch and paying an additional £60 admin fee) or pay 6 months rent upfront. We opted to pay 6 months rent upfront, although this involved borrowing money (with only 5 days till moving and having given notice on our current home, what choice did we have?), because we were both working full time and unable to organise a guarantor at such short notice along with the other preparations involved with moving house.
Then, the real killer - the morning of the move - I had our whole house packed up and my partner had gone to collect the hire van, when Abbotts called to say that the landlord needed more time to complete the inventory and we may have to wait up to a week longer before we could move in!!! We explained that as we had given notice on our current home based on the move-in date that Abbotts had agreed with us they would be leaving us with nowhere to live and after a lot of deliberation they agreed that we could move in in two days time. So my partner returned the van to the hire company and we spent a weekend in our house full of boxes.
Then moving day/2 arrived and we went into Abbotts in Norwich to sign our contract and collect our keys. We had made an appointment, and were on time, but the contract was not ready because the rep was waiting on authorisation from her colleague at the Southend branch (although Mr. Southend knew the time of our appointment he had gone on his lunchbreak). So the Norwich rep joked to us 'oh it's always stressful, eh?' and suggested that we take a walk up the road and get a coffee while we wait for Mr Southend to finish his lunch.
Finally we got the keys and moved in. Due to the delay collecting our keys and signing contracts our hire van is nearly an hour late back. Subsequently, I rang the agents several time to try to get in contact with our landlady to seek her permission to have a water meter installed, but they kept fobbing me off - saying they would call her and get back to me but then I would not hear back...I gave up in the end.
After 6 months, the agents contact us to say that they are handing back control of the property to the landlord...yes, landlord, not landlady. He came round to meet us in person because he only lived down the road (not in Nottingham). He didn't know anything about a water metre, or us paying 6 months rent up front, or him delaying our move in date at short notice so he could write an inventory.....
We would never deal with Abbotts again!
At first the rep who showed us around the vacant property was friendly and not at all pushy. She explained that the landlady lived in Nottingham and was looking for long-term tenents who would make the house a home. We called up the lettings office a couple of days later to say we would like to rent the property. Once they had agreed to let the property to us we verbally agreed a move-in date and the rep explained the charges (which were considerably higher than with any other agent we had previously used) - overall the cost was about £450 (between both of us) plus a damages deposit.
Bearing in mind at the time we were living in the neighbouring county, 1.5 hour drive away and both working full-time, Abbotts seemed to make little effort to organise themselves to minimise our travelling to and from their branch several times to deliver different pieces of paperwork which could easily have been taken in a single journey.
At this point we were told that our case had been handed over to the Southend branch of Abbotts, and the staff at the Norwich branch were unable to provide any explanation of why this was. This meant that further arrangements had to be conducted over the phone.
Now we were about 2 weeks from our moving date, with no contracts signed, and having handed in the 1 month notice on our current home at the time with 2 days overlap between properties. Abbotts told us that the deposit was actually £100 more than had originally been stated.
Five days before our moving day they contacted us by phone to say that because at the time I was unemployed (we were moving so that my partner could start a new position in Norwich, so I had given in my notice at job at the time) we would have to either arrange a guarantor (this would involve taking the said guarantor's photo ID and consent form into the Norwich branch and paying an additional £60 admin fee) or pay 6 months rent upfront. We opted to pay 6 months rent upfront, although this involved borrowing money (with only 5 days till moving and having given notice on our current home, what choice did we have?), because we were both working full time and unable to organise a guarantor at such short notice along with the other preparations involved with moving house.
Then, the real killer - the morning of the move - I had our whole house packed up and my partner had gone to collect the hire van, when Abbotts called to say that the landlord needed more time to complete the inventory and we may have to wait up to a week longer before we could move in!!! We explained that as we had given notice on our current home based on the move-in date that Abbotts had agreed with us they would be leaving us with nowhere to live and after a lot of deliberation they agreed that we could move in in two days time. So my partner returned the van to the hire company and we spent a weekend in our house full of boxes.
Then moving day/2 arrived and we went into Abbotts in Norwich to sign our contract and collect our keys. We had made an appointment, and were on time, but the contract was not ready because the rep was waiting on authorisation from her colleague at the Southend branch (although Mr. Southend knew the time of our appointment he had gone on his lunchbreak). So the Norwich rep joked to us 'oh it's always stressful, eh?' and suggested that we take a walk up the road and get a coffee while we wait for Mr Southend to finish his lunch.
Finally we got the keys and moved in. Due to the delay collecting our keys and signing contracts our hire van is nearly an hour late back. Subsequently, I rang the agents several time to try to get in contact with our landlady to seek her permission to have a water meter installed, but they kept fobbing me off - saying they would call her and get back to me but then I would not hear back...I gave up in the end.
After 6 months, the agents contact us to say that they are handing back control of the property to the landlord...yes, landlord, not landlady. He came round to meet us in person because he only lived down the road (not in Nottingham). He didn't know anything about a water metre, or us paying 6 months rent up front, or him delaying our move in date at short notice so he could write an inventory.....
We would never deal with Abbotts again!
Comment on agent fees
The fees were expensive and did not reflect the service on offer, let alone the service received.
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Agent Response / Add a Comment
You can use this form to reply to the above review or a displayed comment on the above review.
Browse popular links for estate agents, letting agents and properties nearby
Latest Reviews
29th Jan 2024
reviewed by 'Mauro'
12th Apr 2023
reviewed by 'Ed'
15th Oct 2021
reviewed by 'Michael'
8th Sep 2021
reviewed by 'Hannah'
Performance statistics
| Services | Valuation Accuracy | Fees Satisfaction | Min Price of property reviewed | Max Price of property reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales | 100% | 100% | £185,000 | £200,000 |
| Lettings | 100% | 33% | £575 | £1,500 |
Review statistics
| From Landlords | From Tenants | From Vendors | From Buyers | Other | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Areas covered
Services offered
- Sales
- Lettings
- Block Management
- Surveys
- Conveyancing
- Mortgage Advice
Advertise on
Members of
Rankings
Overall
Overall
Latest Properties
No Properties
Jan 29,2024
Jan 29,2024
0
people found
this helpful
this helpful
From the moment ive walked in on Abbotts office I was really welcomed!Very nice team ..friendly and efficient.
They were very committed in find me the place I was looking for and always looking for my best interest!
Well....they donne so amazing well ...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Apr 12,2023
Apr 12,2023
0
people found
this helpful
this helpful
We been dealing with Jenna Vincenza Allen, the biggest lier at Norwich branch! Our offer was never passed to the seller, she decided that offer was to low, but after two weeks we contact Abbotts again to find out if property is still available, different ...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Jan 17,2022
Jan 17,2022
3
people found
this helpful
this helpful
TENANTS BEWARE. Negligent agents facilitating shady landlords to rip off tenants. Landlords left the rental property truly filthy and didn't move out on time - they were still there and had belongings in the rental after I'd started paying rent. I was left without a ...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Dec 03,2021
Dec 03,2021
0
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Millie Samways from Property Management has been helpful in following up closely with reported issue with landlord and contractor. Much appreciated....
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Oct 15,2021
Oct 15,2021
0
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Excellent service, and backup. Follows though with what he has promised to do in a timely manor.Truly say its been a pleasure to do business with Christopher Fulcher. Very customer focused just what you need as a partnership . Working together for the common goal. ...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Sep 08,2021
Sep 08,2021
0
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Danielle at Abbott's was brilliant so lovely and easy to talk to, she was on it and kept me updated throughout which was so helpful. If it wasn't for her we wouldn't have completed when we did! I felt Danielle done the job of all ...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Jun 15,2021
Jun 15,2021
0
people found
this helpful
this helpful
we rented a property which was not fit for purpose and treated with contempt and ignorance.
absolutely disgusting service.
avoid at all costs
lied to council ,making false accusations which were unfound.
property devoid of heating upstairs, electrics faulty, drainage blocked,water leaks,cobwebs totally ...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Jun 12,2017
Jun 12,2017
6
people found
this helpful
this helpful
So where to begin... They lie to you and communication is awful. They let themselves in whenever they want to and don't do repairs. Or if they do it takes them months and months. The staff are rude and abusive. Just completely unprofessional. It's not ...
read full review
read full review
Comment on agent fees
Really bad!
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Aug 12,2016
Aug 12,2016
8
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Sick of all these hidden fees and charges! Charged me £24 for a reference full well knowing I could not use that reference due to the fact they did not tell me when my rent was due, allowed it to run late by nearly a month ...
read full review
read full review
Comment on agent fees
Crap fees try to get every last penny from you making up no end of admin charges and other bizzare charges
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Aug 07,2014
Aug 07,2014
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
My partner and I rented a house through Abbotts Countrywide last year. We have dealt with a number of letting agents in our time, but with Abbotts we had the worst, most stressful experience of them all.
At first the rep who showed us around ...
read full review
read full review
Comment on agent fees
The fees were expensive and did not reflect the service on offer, let alone the service received.
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Jul 02,2013
Jul 02,2013
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Our property was put up for sale and we then went in to the office to register our requirements for what we were looking for. We had previously stated more than once that we did not need any mortgage advice and yet we still found ...
read full review
read full review
What agent could do to change your mind?
Nothing could change our minds about using this agent.Attached Filesnbsp;
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
Jun 11,2013
Jun 11,2013
0
people found
this helpful
this helpful
I have found Abbotts Countrywide Norwich to be professional during the sale of my property. When a few problems arose, they were quick to get involved with communicating with the buyer and helping resolve any issues. I've also used them in the past and have ...
read full review
read full review
Was this helpful?
Yes
Yes
No fees information available
Kindly note that legally, letting agents need to publish information about their tenancy fees, government-approved redress schemes and client money protection schemes on their website and on third party websites (on which agents are listed). For properties to lease/rent in England, agents need to keep this information up to date and precise on allAgents or specify within the property description.
Complaints Procedure
No procedure set.
Last updated at 8:57 AM 03/09/2018 by heather heather
