“When you first deal with Bridgfords/Countrywide, they fill you ......”
1 Star Review
Oct 02,2013
By:
'Unhappy'
Oct 02,2013
Branch: Manchester, 21 Albion Street
Services: Lettings (as a Landlord)
Would you recommend?: No
Postcode: M3
Branch: Manchester, 21 Albion Street
Lettings (as a Landlord)
Postcode: M3
11
people found
this helpful
When you first deal with Bridgfords/Countrywide, they fill you with confidence that they will provide a second to none service. They are a large reputable organisation and that encourages you that they can deliver what they promise. You wouldn't believe how far from the truth that is!
I have been dealing with Bridgfords for 18 months, since the first time I put the property on the market. After 12 months, we lost an excellent tenant, who blamed Bridgfords for her decision to leave. She complained that they never responded to her enquiries and when they changed their bank arrangements for rent payments, they failed to tell her. This resulted into a rent payment going into the "old" account. Incredibly, Bridgfords did not think to look there and treated the rent as overdue. At this point, it was direct intervention from the landlord that sorted things out but the damage was done.
Following this incident, we had a meeting with Katy Flay, the branch manager and we were given assurances and financial inducements to remain with Bridgfords. Katy promised that she would personally manage our account and that the market was strong enough to warrant an increase in rent. These promises were empty gestures to placate us, as time proved.
When it was suggested to the tenant that the contract renewal would be at a higher rent, this prompted her to terminate and move out. Despite Katy's assessment of the market, Bridgfords could not find a tenant at the higher rent and we eventually took new tenants at the old rent. The whole affair was a fiasco!
Apart from the first month, the new tenants have never paid the rent on time. Every month, we have to ring Bridgfords to ask where the rent is? We are now 2 months in arrears and ringing Bridgfords on an almost daily basis in order to elicit any action at all. I predict losing 2 months rent (£1300) minimum and enduring a lot of hassle, doing what we pay Bridgfords to do. Their glib recommendation was to serve a Section 21 on the tenant and have them removed but that would block any prospect of recovering the rent arrears.
To be fair to Katy Flay, we have been dealing with other office personnel, including Caroline and Nicola, as Katy never answers her direct line herself (0161 236 2205). In turn, they refer you to Tenant Credit Control in some central office, to discuss arrears but they never call you back.
Another big complaint is that they constantly charge extra for tasks that you would expect to be included in the management fee. Because they control the rent and deduct their changes, so as the landlord, there is nothing you can do to stop this and complaint is futile.
Beware, when Bridgfords say that they have procedures, what they mean is they are inflexible and only do what procedures dictate; they are incapable of acting on there own. They also hide behind procedure to avoid doing any work.
There are many other small issues and complaints I have with Bridgfords service but to sum it up, they don't offer a service; you are better doing it yourself and you probably will!
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Bridgfords received fees for doing nothing whatsoever. Miss Flay tried to tempt me to stay by reducing fees by 8%, even when I pointed out that they were paid for no services a part from being 'on the books'.
If you have to use an agent, I would not recommend this company, but we all have free will.