Acorn Properties
Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2
2.7/5, 19 reviews
47% recommended
33% lettings valuation accuracy
54% lettings fee satisfaction



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“My daughter is in this process of renting a flat ......”

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Jul 10,2014
Minithumbdown
Louise
By: 'Nigel'
Jul 10,2014
3 people found
this helpful
My daughter is in this process of renting a flat with her friends. They were given little or no advice or even asked when their old tenancy expires and ended up with an overlap. Acorn issue contracts that contain irrelevant clauses or clauses that don't make sense. They include charges they say they don't levy but those charges are still in the contract. You get a different story depending upon who you speak to. Louise Butcher made much of the fact that she was a Director but didn't know what was in her own contracts. Their payment system asks for details twice for no apparent reason. The name of the holding fee changes to a reference fee and then an administration fee. Making their fee structure less than transparent. They issue invoices for the full amount to each tenant rather than specifying the amount owed by each person but then change them. All in all I have rarely come across anyone less competent to provide what is a very simple service. There are many other agencies in the area so for your own sanity use one of them
What agent could do to change your mind?
Got it right in the first place - it's not hard
Attached Filesnbsp;
Was this helpful? Yes
By: Acorn Properties Ltd
Jul 12, 2014
Dear Mr Walker,

We are very sorry that you have felt it necessarily to voice your concerns via a review site rather than go through our official complaints procedure. However, I will try and answer your points.

When your daughters group registered with Acorn Properties in March 2014 (it was your daughter’s friend who registered for the group), they asked to view several properties all with varying start dates. On our electronic data capture form (can be screen printed and emailed), the only special criteria requested was to be near public transport, within a certain area and within a certain budget. They viewed six properties located within their chosen area with one of our negotiators and decided upon an apartment. As we did not rent your daughters previous property to her (this was through another agent or private landlord) we do not know the end date of this tenancy. We ask the preferred start date when we register applicants and match properties to their criteria - there is nothing in our system to indicate that your daughter or her friends wanted a later tenancy start date. In addition, on this particular application form it is was stated that the potential tenant was not currently in rented accommodation (we can provide a screen shot to you directly of this).

If this had been raised as an issue in April 2014, when all the paperwork was in progress, it’s possible we could have found alternative accommodation for your daughter and her friends, but this wasn’t raised as an issue until nearer the start date of the tenancy (less than one week prior). At your request, although there was a pre-agreement in place signed by all potential tenants in March 2014 with the agreed start dates, we contacted and asked if the landlord would consider moving the tenancy back one month to which he then declined. The agreement to take the tenancy beginning in July had been agreed in March 2014 somewhat three months earlier.

Our tenancy agreements are provided by a leading training provider, Training For Professionals, who’s agreements have been checked by the Office of Fair Trading. There were specific clauses that at your request and with the landlords permission were removed/ amended however some the landlord declined to take out.

Your initial queries in April 2014 were dealt with by Mr John Henderson, Managing Director and then by myself in June 2014. On my email to you on the 11th June 2014, I hopefully answered all of your concerns and provided all the documentation that is given to tenants explaining our procedures, fees (which in addition to the agreement to rent and invoice) are outlined on our website following the Advertising Standards Agency guidelines.

Following another query from you in relation to our payment system I explained on the 4th July 2014, that the reason the payments system is not like a typical shopping cart checkout (and therefore one click) is because the first page collects the information that we require to tie a payment to the correct tenant/ guarantor/ property and to ensure that the relevant information attaining to payment of damage deposit is collected. This is required in order for us to issue the correct prescribed information for a tenancy, which is now required by law. In an attempt to clarify the position I also gave you a link the Deposit Protection Service website (where the tenants deposit is held).

The second page is the information required by the card processor (secure trading) and the final page is where you enter your card details. Neither of these are customisable by Acorn and are required to securely take your payment.

With regards to the Fees section, the holding fee paid by tenants upon deciding to take a property, becomes an administration fee on the invoice. The holding fee is a reservation charge so we know that tenants are serious about signing for a particular property. We do not then charge an additional administration fee.

Throughout our correspondence over the months, both via email and verbally, we have tried to answer all of your concerns promptly and with clarity. We have also taken all of your comments on board and taken any criticism constructively, especially if there are areas we could improve our service as a result.

We do have a formal complaints procedure where you will receive written correspondence from our company and are entitled to use the Ombudsman Service we are associated with if not satisfied. As you have been made aware we are a member of The National Approved Letting Scheme and have to follow guidelines and practices when it comes to complaints. In this instance we have not received any correspondence from NALS or The Ombudsman in relation to your concerns, but were made aware that you have chosen to discuss the matter on a public review site. We feel therefore it appropriate that we address this with transparency.

If you would like to make a formal complaint in writing, please email [email protected]

Kind regards

Louise Greetham (formally Butcher)
By: Acorn Properties (Jesmond) Ltd
Jul 11, 2014
Dear Mr Walker,

We are very sorry that you have felt it necessarily to voice your concerns via a review site rather than go through our official complaints procedure. However, I will try and answer your points.

When your daughters group registered with Acorn Properties in March 2014 (it was your daughter’s friend who registered for the group), they asked to view several properties all with varying start dates. On our electronic data capture form (can be screen printed and emailed to you), the only special criteria requested was to be near public transport, within a certain area and within a certain budget. They viewed six properties located within their chosen area with one of our negotiators and decided upon an apartment. As we did not rent your daughters previous property to her (this was through another agent or private landlord) we do not know the end date of this tenancy. We ask the preferred start date when we register applicants and match properties to their criteria - there is nothing in our system to indicate that your daughter or her friends wanted a later tenancy start date. In addition, on this particular application form it is was stated that the potential tenant was not currently in rented accommodation (we can provide a screen shot to you directly of this).

If this had been raised as an issue in April 2014, when all the paperwork was in progress, it’s possible we could have found alternative accommodation for your daughter and her friends, but this wasn’t raised as an issue until nearer the start date of the tenancy (less than one week prior). At your request, although there was a pre-agreement in place signed by all potential tenants in March 2014 with the agreed start dates, we contacted and asked if the landlord would consider moving the tenancy back one month to which he then declined. The agreement to take the tenancy beginning in July had been agreed in March 2014 somewhat three months earlier.

Our tenancy agreements are provided by a leading training provider, Training For Professionals, who’s agreements have been checked by the Office of Fair Trading. There were specific clauses that at your request and with the landlords permission were removed/ amended however some the landlord declined to take out.

Your initial queries in April 2014 were dealt with by Mr John Henderson, Managing Director and then by myself in June 2014. On my email to you on the 11th June 2014, I hopefully answered all of your concerns and provided all the documentation that is given to tenants explaining our procedures, fees (which in addition to the agreement to rent and invoice) are outlined on our website following the Advertising Standards Agency guidelines.

Following another query from you in relation to our payment system I explained on the 4th July 2014, that the reason the payments system is not like a typical shopping cart checkout (and therefore one click) is because the first page collects the information that we require to tie a payment to the correct tenant/ guarantor/ property and to ensure that the relevant information attaining to payment of damage deposit is collected. This is required in order for us to issue the correct prescribed information for a tenancy, which is now required by law. In an attempt to clarify the position I also gave you a link the Deposit Protection Service website (where the tenants deposit is held).

The second page is the information required by the card processor (secure trading) and the final page is where you enter your card details. Neither of these are customisable by Acorn and are required to securely take your payment.

With regards to the Fees section, the holding fee paid by tenants upon deciding to take a property, becomes an administration fee on the invoice. The holding fee is a reservation charge so we know that tenants are serious about signing for a particular property. We do not then charge an additional administration fee.

Throughout our correspondence over the months, both via email and verbally, we have tried to answer all of your concerns promptly and with clarity. We have also taken all of your comments on board and taken any criticism constructively, especially if there are areas we could improve our service as a result.

We do have a formal complaints procedure where you will receive written correspondence from our company and are entitled to use the Ombudsman Service we are associated with if not satisfied. As you have been made aware we are a member of The National Approved Letting Scheme and have to follow guidelines and practices when it comes to complaints. In this instance we have not received any correspondence from NALS or The Ombudsman in relation to your concerns, but were made aware that you have chosen to discuss the matter on a public review site. We feel therefore it appropriate that we address this with transparency.

If you would like to make a formal complaint in writing, please email [email protected]

Kind regards

Louise Greetham (formally Butcher)

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Opening Hours
Address

Acorn Properties
59 St Georges Terrace
Jesmond,Newcastle upon Tyne
Tyne and Wear
NE2 2SX
0191 212 2020

Performance statistics
Services Valuation Accuracy Fees Satisfaction Min Price of property reviewed Max Price of property reviewed
Lettings 33% 54% £600 £2,500
Review statistics
From Landlords From Tenants From Vendors From Buyers Other
1 1 6 8 0 0 0 0 2 1
Areas covered
Services offered
  • Sales
  • Lettings
  • Block Management
  • Surveys
  • Conveyancing
  • Mortgage Advice
Members of
Latest Properties

No Properties

“Acorn Properties in Jesmond have been the bes......”

Share on :
May 15,2021
Minithumbup
By: 'Bella'
May 15,2021
1 people found
this helpful
Acorn Properties in Jesmond have been the best agent we have dealt with in Newcastle. After a terrible experience last year, we were worried about coming on board especially after reading reviews! We loved the house so decided to just to go with it. Our ...
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Was this helpful? Yes

“Thank you Acorn especially to Olivia for find......”

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May 12,2021
Minithumbup
Olivia
By: 'Mr King'
May 12,2021
1 people found
this helpful
Thank you Acorn especially to Olivia for finding me such a lovely property to rent. You went above and beyond to help me....
read full review
Was this helpful? Yes

“VERY POOR After signing for a house and payi......”

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Apr 20,2021
Minithumbdown
By: 'mollie'
Apr 20,2021
0 people found
this helpful
VERY POOR After signing for a house and paying our deposits with Acorn properties in Newcastle we were very excited to move in come September. We contacted the estate agents 5 months to see if we could move in a week earlier to find out the ...
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“Thank you Acorn Properties. Rented a propert......”

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Mar 21,2021
Minithumbup
Richard
By: 'Harry'
Mar 21,2021
0 people found
this helpful
Thank you Acorn Properties. Rented a property through these guys in Gosforth, very professional. Richard listened to our requirements and matched a lovely house, wasn't late for appointments unlike other agents!!!! The landlord seems really nice too. Would definitely use again....
read full review
Was this helpful? Yes

“Professional and knowledgeable agent who goes......”

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Mar 20,2021
Minithumbup
By: 'CM'
Mar 20,2021
0 people found
this helpful
Professional and knowledgeable agent who goes above and beyond. I have rented as a student and now a professional, Acorn have been great to deal with. Many student agency's have a bad reputation in the area, but Acorn are one of the best. They seem ...
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Was this helpful? Yes

“Awful year of misconduct, and overall terrible service from day 1....”

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Aug 03,2018
Minithumbup
Louise
By: 'Daniel'
Aug 03,2018
4 people found
this helpful
Where do i even begin... From day one this letting agent and the incompetent staff who work in branch have been nothing but problems the entirety of our tenancy, to the point where i as the Lead tenant had to get legal assistance from Jackson ...
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Comment on agent fees
Outrageous
Was this helpful? Yes

“We have used Acorn for the last 2 years and have ......”

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Dec 07,2016
Minithumbup
By: 'Martin'
Dec 07,2016
0 people found
this helpful
We have used Acorn for the last 2 years and have nothing but praise for their organisation. The house is monitored and maintained to a high standard with regular visits and checks and excellent communication subsequently. Their charges are very reasonable and the monthly statements clear. ...
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Comment on agent fees
Their fees are in line with all the other agents, and bearing in mind the efficiency with which they get things fixed or updated represent excellent value for money
Was this helpful? Yes

“I am a landlord and have used Acorn Properties for ......”

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Oct 12,2016
Minithumbup
Louise
By: 'Christine'
Oct 12,2016
1 people found
this helpful
I am a landlord and have used Acorn Properties for many years. I have always found everyone to be helpful, efficient and professional. As soon as my properties become empty Acorn always have a new tenant ready to move in. Louise has been especially helpful ...
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Comment on agent fees
I find the agents fees to be in comparison with all other Letting Agents in the area.
Was this helpful? Yes

“If I could rate them with no star, I would! ......”

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Sep 28,2016
Minithumbdown
Olivia
By: 'Myrto'
Sep 28,2016
6 people found
this helpful
If I could rate them with no star, I would! Absolutely ridiculous. By far the worst agency in the UK. Staff and managers extremely rude, reluctant to understand tenant's needs and offer a solution. Charging for anything you can imagine, even for providing meter readings. ...
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Comment on agent fees
They agency charges for everything you can think of. Fees include: Admin fees - we almost paid £500 for a 2 bedroom flat Meter reading fees- they ask for £20 to provide you with the meter readings Check out fees- they asked us for £50 check out and inventory preparation fee Deposit deductions- We had unfair deposit deductions even if the place was professionally cleaned before we moved out. Reasons provided for deposit deduction absolutely ridiculous- unfair and with no grands, but after endless arguments we had to no other option but to accept. Reasons for deposit deduction £50 1) hair found on bed mattresses - I doubt it 2) for not removing already existing air-fresheners fitted on the walls 3) for leaving in the flat machine manuals, cables and lamps which already existed and were stored in a cabinet. they classed that as rubbish. Any attempt for negotiation proves to be useless as they are determined to charge you for anything the can possibly think of and you have no other option but to accept it. Honestly, the absolutely worst agency, agents and managers I have ever dealt with. Absolutely disgusting!
Was this helpful? Yes
By: Louise Greetham
Nov 10, 2016
View all comments (1)
Dear Myrto, We understand that you are not happy with the checkout deductions, but having looked at the check out photos myself, the property was not left in a suitable condition nor was it fit for new tenants to move in without some additional work being carried out. This included some areas of cleaning, rubbish removal and replacement bulbs. When any tenant vacates, we provide you with a detailed letter to help prevent deductions. In one of your emails you state that we ' rob our customers in ...

“If I could give less than one star I would. ......”

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Sep 07,2016
Minithumbdown
Olivia
By: 'db'
Sep 07,2016
5 people found
this helpful
If I could give less than one star I would. Acorn is by far the most unprofessional company I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with. I hope students in the future read this review and decide to go with another letting agency. We ...
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Was this helpful? Yes
By: Louise Greetham
Nov 10, 2016
View all comments (1)
Dear Giulia, We are sorry that you feel that your experience with Acorn Properties was not a good one. There is a standard charge in our tenancy agreement which was emailed to all tenants in Feb 2015 when you were completing the first stage of paperwork. It's company policy to send each tenant/ guarantor a copy of the draft tenancy well in advance of the tenancy starting in case you have any questions. We wouldn't ‘slip' a clause into an agreement. As this had been overlooked by you in Feb ...

“Possibly the worst lettings company in the UK. They completely ......”

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Jul 09,2016
Minithumbdown
By: 'JL'
Jul 09,2016
5 people found
this helpful
Possibly the worst lettings company in the UK. They completely disrespected students, charged abdominal prices and further charged upon everything possible for example to change a light bulb a call out cost of £30 plus the lightbulb on top EACH - WITH 7 TENANTS. Their end of ...
read full review
Comment on agent fees
Extortionate
Was this helpful? Yes
By: Louise Greetham
Nov 10, 2016
View all comments (1)
Dear JL, The review you have written is about a Landlord not Acorn Properties as Rita Stobbs does not and has never worked for Acorn. The fees you have been charged are between you and the landlord as they manage the property themselves. Acorn has no awareness or involvement in a tenant find check in or check out. We would appreciate that you confirm the facts prior to writing a review which could be detrimental to our reputation. If you still require some advice, please let us know, Regard ...

“I used this company to find a tenant. They found ......”

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Dec 05,2015
Minithumbdown
Louise
By: 'SV'
Dec 05,2015
5 people found
this helpful
I used this company to find a tenant. They found one but got the paperwork so wrong that they told the tenant to pay the rent into someone else's account. Acorn also paid the deposit into the same wrong account. They denied any liability for ...
read full review
Was this helpful? Yes
By: Louise Greetham
Nov 10, 2016
View all comments (1)
Dear Mr Vogel, As this is still an ongoing legal matter and involves your business partner/ ex girlfriend, we cannot comment further. Acorn Properties ...

“Thought I'd leave a review on here so people know ......”

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Apr 10,2015
Minithumbdown
Emily
By: 'Nuts'
Apr 10,2015
3 people found
this helpful
Thought I'd leave a review on here so people know what to expect from Acorn, I've been with Acorn for two years now, the only reason being one of the excellent landladies they represent. I've been through most of the review sites (Google/Facebook/AllAgents) ...
read full review
What agent could do to change your mind?
Reflective of Newcastle properties
Attached Filesnbsp;
Comment on agent fees
Reflective of Newcastle properties
Was this helpful? Yes
By: Louise Greetham
Nov 10, 2016
View all comments (1)
Dear Reviewer, apologies for not replying to your review until now, however we were not alerted to it until today. We are disappointed to hear that your experience was not a good one and I would still after this time like to understand who and what happened to you. Did we manage the property you lived in? Where we receive a negative or positive review, we will always try to reply. As it is with many companies, reviews are not always reflective of the situation and many written do not portray ...

“Acorn Properties are the most unprofessional company I have ever ......”

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Feb 24,2015
Minithumbdown
By: 'Sascar'
Feb 24,2015
3 people found
this helpful
Acorn Properties are the most unprofessional company I have ever had to deal with. Initially numerous things in our contract were incorrect, when we renewed the contract with them they simply crossed items out in pen instead of re-writing. The cost of renewing the contract ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
The agents were paid extortionate amounts for the inadequate job that they did on administration forms, like the letting contract and agreement to rent.
Attached Filesnbsp;
Comment on agent fees
The agents were paid extortionate amounts for the inadequate job that they did on administration forms, like the letting contract and agreement to rent.
Was this helpful? Yes
By: Tricia
Feb 24, 2015
View all comments (1)
Sascar, Please can you contact us urgently to discuss this issue? Without any mention of address or a property reference we are unable to comment or reply thoroughly. However after reading your review I can state that generally do not use paper contracts so your comment about amends being made in pen are confusing. Also our contracts are emailed out for electronic signature to all tenants and their guarantors prior to tenancy commencement and again once signed so you should all have had a copy? ...

“My family has used Acorn Properties for the last 15 years ......”

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Aug 08,2014
Minithumbup
Louise
By: 'Michael'
Aug 08,2014
0 people found
this helpful
My family has used Acorn Properties for the last 15 years managing various properties that we have in an around the Newcastle area and have always have a very strong professional and personal relationship with John, Louise and their team. My latest contact with Acorn came ...
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Comment on agent fees
Initial fee was what we expected and was the same as other firms in the area.
Was this helpful? Yes

“I source apartments for staff at the company where I ......”

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Jul 24,2014
Minithumbup
By: 'Michelle'
Jul 24,2014
0 people found
this helpful
I source apartments for staff at the company where I work. I have repeatedly had excellent experiences with Acorn Properties. The staff are helpful and very knowledgable and know how to provide a great service. I would most definitely recommend them to anyone looking to ...
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Comment on agent fees
Very reasonable, especially for the excellent level of service provided.
Was this helpful? Yes

“My daughter is in this process of renting a flat ......”

Share on :
Jul 10,2014
Minithumbdown
Louise
By: 'Nigel'
Jul 10,2014
3 people found
this helpful
My daughter is in this process of renting a flat with her friends. They were given little or no advice or even asked when their old tenancy expires and ended up with an overlap. Acorn issue contracts that contain irrelevant clauses or clauses that don't ...
read full review
What agent could do to change your mind?
Got it right in the first place - it's not hard
Attached Filesnbsp;
Was this helpful? Yes
By: Acorn Properties Ltd
Jul 12, 2014
View all comments (2)
Dear Mr Walker, We are very sorry that you have felt it necessarily to voice your concerns via a review site rather than go through our official complaints procedure. However, I will try and answer your points. When your daughters group registered with Acorn Properties in March 2014 (it was your daughter’s friend who registered for the group), they asked to view several properties all with varying start dates. On our electronic data capture form (can be screen printed and emailed) ...

“Appalling student letting company. Had to email multiple times to ......”

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Dec 09,2013
Minithumbdown
By: 'vbuchanan7678'
Dec 09,2013
2 people found
this helpful
Appalling student letting company. Had to email multiple times to receive receipt of a down payment. Forgot to give out individual room keys when they gave the property keys. Brought people round for house viewings without any prior warning and their apology on the matter ...
read full review
Was this helpful? Yes
By: Acorn Properties (Jesmond) Ltd
Jul 10, 2014
View all comments (1)
Dear vbuchanan7678 As mentioned to another reviewer we were not aware of this site and have not responded as we didn't know about your review until today. This is an anonymous site, therefore we have no way of knowing which property this relates to and the circumstances surrounding it. We do take any negative comments very seriously, so if you'd like to contact me directly my email address is [email protected] and I am very happy to investigate this further. Kind regards ...

“As a tenant of a 'furnished' property managed by Acorn ......”

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Jul 27,2012
Minithumbdown
By: 'DontChooseAcornPropertiesJesmond'
Jul 27,2012
2 people found
this helpful
As a tenant of a 'furnished' property managed by Acorn I have been consistently let down. When we moved into the house the property was barely habitable and had been left in an absolute tip; the hoover was full of plaster, the grill pan had ...
read full review
Was this helpful? Yes
By: Louise Greetham
Jul 10, 2014
View all comments (3)
Dear Reviewers, Firstly, we were not aware of this site and have not responded as we didn't know about either review until today, we apologise for the non-response. Secondly, as this is an anonymous site, we have no way of knowing if the properties are in fact managed or tenant find until we know the addresses of the properties in question. We work with many landlords all with different service level agreements. We do have an official complaints procedure and although both reviews are ...
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 9:16 AM 10/10/2019 by heather heather

Awards won by Acorn Properties, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 2SX



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