57% sales valuation accuracy
43% sales fee satisfaction
0% lettings valuation accuracy
17% lettings fee satisfaction
Jan 27,2014
Jan 27,2014
2
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this helpful
this helpful
I am currently trying to find a property to rent in the Brighton area and am finding the experience really disheartening.
For the past six months, I have been looking for a one bedroom flat for myself and my Wife.
Throughout the process we have been consistently lied to by letting agents in the most callous and calculated way.
Some of the lies are small- such as promising to phone us back to tell us if we have been successful in being chosen for a property we have asked for. Thus far, not one has called us back.
Some of the lies are big- we were recently told the property we were just about to move into was dog friendly. It wasn't. Furthermore, the letting agent (not K&C) omitted to tell us that the landlord of the property wasn't the leaseholder, and that the leaseholder was living above the property we were about to move into and he wanted to impose a curfew on us! I spoke to the leaseholder who told us he didn't really want us to move in to the property below him and so we had to back out. As I type this I am sat amongst the boxes we had packed in a flat for which we have already given our notice on.
Worse still than the lies, are the games they play. We recently viewed a property for £750 PCM. Two other people viewed it. The letting agents (King and Chasemore) capitalised on its popularity by adding a further £50 to the rental cost there and then (we know because it was changed on their website) and asking us to bid, with the property going to the highest bidder. We pulled out.
It seems that landlords and letting agents are able to act unethically with absolute impunity. There's an interesting article on this point here http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/patrick-keiller-interview-london
I have tried to get my MP to support reforming the rental industry, but she doesn't reply when I write to her, which is odd, because all my previous MPs have always responded when I have occasionally contacted them. It seems that Rent Control is not on the Green's agenda and so those of us who are too poor to afford to buy a property are left vulnerable to abuse. I have copied the letter I sent to Caroline Lucas at the end of this email.
I appreciate that although keeping a pet is both legal, and common, that it also makes it a little harder for us to find a place. It's a personal preference: some people want children, others prefer to live alone, we happen to like animals -some people do- I work from home a lot, it's nice to have the company- but it seems that my preference, unlike many others which are protected by law, is one that it's okay for people to discriminate against. More than that, it's one which letting agents like to use against us and landlords like to take advantage of. We have been shown some extremely squalid but very expensive properties that we have been pressured to take as they make concessions for pets. One property consisted of a single room and it was £1000 PCM, but the landlord kept saying "It's pet friendly. If you take it, I'll let you get a dog".
So currently, we don't know what we are going to do. We feel that our only option is to broaden our search, and so effectively, we are being forced out of Brighton. We really don't want to go-I've been here for over ten years, my Brother lives here; but the longer I spend immersed in the unscrupulous world of private lettings, the more rapidly this city by the sea is beginning to lose its lustre.
Below is the email I sent to Caroline on 14102013
Hallo Caroline-¢â‚¬Â¨> ¢â‚¬Â¨> I would appreciate your thoughts on whether we ought to look at reforming the lettings industry. ¢â‚¬Â¨> ¢â‚¬Â¨> After eight years in the same property, blessed with a thoroughly decent Landlord, I am obliged to seek a new home, as I now require somewhere dog friendly with a garden (big ask in Brighton, apparently).¢â‚¬Â¨> I am dismayed to find myself currently obliged to interact with an industry that:¢â‚¬Â¨> ¢â‚¬Â¨> Demands proportionately high rental prices as well as 6-8 weeks¢â‚¬Â¨> deposit and holding fee (one one occasion a year's rent in advance)¢â‚¬Â¨> Is able to charge confabulated and phoney "administration" fees¢â‚¬Â¨> with absolute impunity¢â‚¬Â¨> .Consistently bullies prospective tenants into making decisions,¢â‚¬Â¨> demanding cash deposits over the phone or else be threatened with losing their chosen property¢â‚¬Â¨> Consistently lies about property specifications or makes up¢â‚¬Â¨> answers to inquiries which later prove to be false (too late for the tenant who's already signed)¢â‚¬Â¨> Humiliates prospective tenants with "cattle style" group¢â‚¬Â¨> viewings in which participants are patronised and treated with tangible derision¢â‚¬Â¨> ¢â‚¬Â¨> Although I appreciate it may be hard to address the rapacious greed and scorn for the customer that dominates the industry at present, given as much of what occurs is anecdotal/ non-quantifiable, perhaps it may be at least worth exploring what the tenant gets when they pay the¢â‚¬Â¨> (approximately) £180 per person "administration" fee, given as credit reference checks normally retail to the consumer at only £7 per head (alternatively, maybe the Government could look at undercutting the industry with a more affordable referencing source!)¢â‚¬Â¨> ¢â‚¬Â¨> I love living in Brighton, but for many in my little Seven Dials community, it is rapidly losing its lustre, as quality of life dwindles under oppressively high rents and the demeaning necessity of dealing with mendacious lettings agencies and unscrupulous landlords
For the past six months, I have been looking for a one bedroom flat for myself and my Wife.
Throughout the process we have been consistently lied to by letting agents in the most callous and calculated way.
Some of the lies are small- such as promising to phone us back to tell us if we have been successful in being chosen for a property we have asked for. Thus far, not one has called us back.
Some of the lies are big- we were recently told the property we were just about to move into was dog friendly. It wasn't. Furthermore, the letting agent (not K&C) omitted to tell us that the landlord of the property wasn't the leaseholder, and that the leaseholder was living above the property we were about to move into and he wanted to impose a curfew on us! I spoke to the leaseholder who told us he didn't really want us to move in to the property below him and so we had to back out. As I type this I am sat amongst the boxes we had packed in a flat for which we have already given our notice on.
Worse still than the lies, are the games they play. We recently viewed a property for £750 PCM. Two other people viewed it. The letting agents (King and Chasemore) capitalised on its popularity by adding a further £50 to the rental cost there and then (we know because it was changed on their website) and asking us to bid, with the property going to the highest bidder. We pulled out.
It seems that landlords and letting agents are able to act unethically with absolute impunity. There's an interesting article on this point here http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/patrick-keiller-interview-london
I have tried to get my MP to support reforming the rental industry, but she doesn't reply when I write to her, which is odd, because all my previous MPs have always responded when I have occasionally contacted them. It seems that Rent Control is not on the Green's agenda and so those of us who are too poor to afford to buy a property are left vulnerable to abuse. I have copied the letter I sent to Caroline Lucas at the end of this email.
I appreciate that although keeping a pet is both legal, and common, that it also makes it a little harder for us to find a place. It's a personal preference: some people want children, others prefer to live alone, we happen to like animals -some people do- I work from home a lot, it's nice to have the company- but it seems that my preference, unlike many others which are protected by law, is one that it's okay for people to discriminate against. More than that, it's one which letting agents like to use against us and landlords like to take advantage of. We have been shown some extremely squalid but very expensive properties that we have been pressured to take as they make concessions for pets. One property consisted of a single room and it was £1000 PCM, but the landlord kept saying "It's pet friendly. If you take it, I'll let you get a dog".
So currently, we don't know what we are going to do. We feel that our only option is to broaden our search, and so effectively, we are being forced out of Brighton. We really don't want to go-I've been here for over ten years, my Brother lives here; but the longer I spend immersed in the unscrupulous world of private lettings, the more rapidly this city by the sea is beginning to lose its lustre.
Below is the email I sent to Caroline on 14102013
Hallo Caroline-¢â‚¬Â¨> ¢â‚¬Â¨> I would appreciate your thoughts on whether we ought to look at reforming the lettings industry. ¢â‚¬Â¨> ¢â‚¬Â¨> After eight years in the same property, blessed with a thoroughly decent Landlord, I am obliged to seek a new home, as I now require somewhere dog friendly with a garden (big ask in Brighton, apparently).¢â‚¬Â¨> I am dismayed to find myself currently obliged to interact with an industry that:¢â‚¬Â¨> ¢â‚¬Â¨> Demands proportionately high rental prices as well as 6-8 weeks¢â‚¬Â¨> deposit and holding fee (one one occasion a year's rent in advance)¢â‚¬Â¨> Is able to charge confabulated and phoney "administration" fees¢â‚¬Â¨> with absolute impunity¢â‚¬Â¨> .Consistently bullies prospective tenants into making decisions,¢â‚¬Â¨> demanding cash deposits over the phone or else be threatened with losing their chosen property¢â‚¬Â¨> Consistently lies about property specifications or makes up¢â‚¬Â¨> answers to inquiries which later prove to be false (too late for the tenant who's already signed)¢â‚¬Â¨> Humiliates prospective tenants with "cattle style" group¢â‚¬Â¨> viewings in which participants are patronised and treated with tangible derision¢â‚¬Â¨> ¢â‚¬Â¨> Although I appreciate it may be hard to address the rapacious greed and scorn for the customer that dominates the industry at present, given as much of what occurs is anecdotal/ non-quantifiable, perhaps it may be at least worth exploring what the tenant gets when they pay the¢â‚¬Â¨> (approximately) £180 per person "administration" fee, given as credit reference checks normally retail to the consumer at only £7 per head (alternatively, maybe the Government could look at undercutting the industry with a more affordable referencing source!)¢â‚¬Â¨> ¢â‚¬Â¨> I love living in Brighton, but for many in my little Seven Dials community, it is rapidly losing its lustre, as quality of life dwindles under oppressively high rents and the demeaning necessity of dealing with mendacious lettings agencies and unscrupulous landlords
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Performance statistics
| Services | Valuation Accuracy | Fees Satisfaction | Min Price of property reviewed | Max Price of property reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales | 57% | 43% | £395,000 | £575,000 |
| Lettings | 0% | 17% | £1,000 | £1,300 |
Review statistics
| From Landlords | From Tenants | From Vendors | From Buyers | Other | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
Areas covered
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- Sales
- Lettings
- Block Management
- Surveys
- Conveyancing
- Mortgage Advice
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Mar 25,2021
Mar 25,2021
0
people found
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Impersonal, didn’t follow up on sale, had no idea how chain was progressing, were completely unaware of completion date and had made no provisions for keys. Blamed everyone else - clearly do not understand what their role is. The only thing they were prompt ...
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Oct 19,2020
Oct 19,2020
0
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Warning . The mortgage advisor is corrupt . He tricked a foreign lady in rodmell ave to sign a document to sell at a lower price because he wants the property. She does not want to sell with them but wants to go to fox n son ...
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Sep 17,2020
Sep 17,2020
0
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Extremely poor customer service. They do not sort out anything whatsoever after they have made a serious mistake due to their sheer negligence and incompetence. I met their letting manager at one of our property which we were selling. However as our buyer loss their ...
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Apr 18,2019
Apr 18,2019
1
people found
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this helpful
Firstly, on signing the contract and being give the keys, at the beginning when we received the flat, it was dirty and dusty because of the flooring extension in the building and the kitchen floor was totally uneven, dips in places when you walk on ...
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Jul 03,2017
Jul 03,2017
5
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Shocking service. Wouldn't know the word customer service if it slapped him in the face.
Don't expect any response. Gave notice last week and still waiting for property to be taken offline.
Over promised and just never even delivered let alone under delivered...
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Aug 26,2016
Aug 26,2016
4
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Dreadful ! 12 hours after signing up with them I changed my mind as I felt they had been too pushy, and over valued my property, but having already paid a deposit for some legal fees I requested my money back. However after numerous emails , and visits ...
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Comment on agent fees
BAD, wanted 1.5% commission
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Jan 11,2016
Jan 11,2016
4
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Avoid. I replied to a "Mr & Mrs R are desperate to buy in your street" letter. I explained I was testing the water so wanted no marketing under any circumstances but I would accept viewing if someone was very keen. Many came but no Mr & ...
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Jan 15,2015
Jan 15,2015
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Incompetent is an understatement. From the time we first went with them we've had nothing but problems. When we first moved in we were mislead about fees and now that we have moved out they are not returning any of my calls or emails regarding ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
Respond to phone calls and emails. Actually keep the tenant informed.Attached Filesnbsp;
Comment on agent fees
Over charged for a very poor service and missed advised when agreed to the letting.
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Dec 10,2014
Dec 10,2014
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Pushy agent, the "Manager" came to see me. very fake and insincere - told me how wonderful my property was and then spent the next 30 mins trying to get me to sign up with him. telling me about buyers and how no other agent has ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
Changed to pushy guy coming to see meAttached Filesnbsp;
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Oct 10,2014
Oct 10,2014
0
people found
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Made a huge error with our contract renewal. Charged us then claimed new comntract was invalid.
Took ages to get blinds ready on house.
Really rude and refused to apologize despite errors...
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Sep 30,2014
Sep 30,2014
0
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Have bought and sold through King and Chasemore this year. A new team has clearly distanced themselves from previous comments on here - I found them great to deal with. They sold my property very quickly where my previous agent failed and they were always ...
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Comment on agent fees
They charged a bit more than the first agent I was with, but that didn't matter as I got the result I wanted
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Sep 07,2014
Sep 07,2014
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Agent did not turn up to the appointment, although i got confirmation that she was coming on the the day itself. Waited for about half an hour then rang again and was told agent has gone to another appointment (?!!) So i asked the man answering ...
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Jun 13,2014
Jun 13,2014
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
King and Chasemore have lied constantly during my tenancy to myself and my landlords. They told my landlords I could no longer afford the rent so that they could kick me out and increase the rent, getting then a larger %. Legally you can only increase ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
Other Agent fees were far more reasonable. Another way King and Chasemore con money from people. Disgraceful.Attached Filesnbsp;
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Apr 16,2014
Apr 16,2014
5
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Absolutely dreadful agent , use them at your peril, and that's coming from some-one who actually used to be an estate agent. I cannot stress how bad they are. All the staff are inexperienced and do not have a clue how to progress a sale. They ...
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Jan 27,2014
Jan 27,2014
2
people found
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this helpful
I am currently trying to find a property to rent in the Brighton area and am finding the experience really disheartening.
For the past six months, I have been looking for a one bedroom flat for myself and my Wife.
Throughout the process we have ...
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Jan 24,2014
Jan 24,2014
1
people found
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this helpful
I found King & Chasemore through Right Move for a property that I was told was dog friendly so I went to view it. I viewed the property and wanted to take it but as there were 2 others viewing the property they would let me know. ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
I will never use King & Chasemore. They are completely useless. They need to have a massive overhaul on staff training and customer care.Attached Filesnbsp;
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Sep 13,2012
Sep 13,2012
5
people found
this helpful
this helpful
This business appears to operate as a mortgage advisor with a sideline in estate agency. As a result of our experiences with them we now actively avoid properties marketed by K&C and certainly would never engage them to sell a property.
- After putting ...
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Feb 01,2011
Feb 01,2011
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Terrible service. Unorganised. Unreliable...
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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.
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