The UK's Largest Customer Review Website for the Property Industry
Southampton, SO19
1/5, 7 Reviews
0% Recommended
33% letting valuation accuracy
0% letting fee satisfaction
Latest Reviews
Dominik Jarosinski
DisgustedTenant
Diane and Peter
Performance Statistics
| Services | Valuation | Fees | Min Price of property reviewed | Max Price of property reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Letting | 33% | 0% | £610 | £1,500 |
Address
Countrywide Residential Lettings
38 Portsmouth RoadWoolston, Southampton, Hampshire
SO19 9AD
02380 445 899
Services offered
- Sales
- Lettings
- Block Management
- Surveys
- Conveyancing
- Mortgage Advice
Advertise on
- ?Relocation Agent Network
- ?National Homes Network
- ?Move With Us
- allAgents Portal
- ?OnTheMarket
- ?Rightmove
- ?Zoopla
Social Media
Rankings
Latest Properties
No Property Found
No Property Found
Countrywide Residential Lettings Branches (View All 102)
Beyond incompetent, ...
Share On : 
1 Star Review
By : 'Helen'
Services : Letting( As a Owner )
Rent PCM : £1500
Would you recommend ? : No
Postcode : SO14
4 Jan 2023
People found this helpful1
Beyond incompetent, Countrywide are corrupt to the last. Six months of tedious dealings with them, and they were adament not to pay us three months due rent. Instead we had to plough through time-wasting complaints forms, appeals, and ombudsmen - all internal. Neither did they repay the damage... Read Full Review
Comments (0)
Was this helpful?:
Helen said about Countrywide Residential Lettings
Services : Letting( As a Owner )Date: 4th Jan 2023
Beyond incompetent, Countrywide are corrupt to the last. Six months of tedious dealings with them, and they were adament not to pay us three months due rent. Instead we had to plough through time-wasting complaints forms, appeals, and ombudsmen - all internal. Neither did they repay the damage deposit back to us, which did not nearly cover the cost of repair and maintenance required after these four students, Ben Beddoes plus one other, Ioannis Mettas, Dimitris Stoidis, and Tom Burge, squatted in the HMO for three months at the end of their tenancy, and left the place just how dishonest, irresponsible, squatters do.
The UK's Largest Customer Review Website for the Property Industry
I'm avoid. Credit ...
Share On :
1 Star Review
By : 'Dominik'
Services : Land & New Homes
Would you recommend ? : No
Postcode : SO14
5 Aug 2022
People found this helpful0
I'm avoid. Credit adviser from countrywide is really bad. I paid him. He didn't fix mortgage for me. I needed remortgage. Bank send me information My mortgage should be finish soon. I send this email to adviser. He told me everything is ok. My new mortgage is fine. But wasn't. I... Read Full Review
Comments (0)I'm avoid. Credit adviser from countrywide is really bad. I paid him. He didn't fix mortgage for me. I needed remortgage. Bank send me information My mortgage should be finish soon. I send this email to adviser. He told me everything is ok. My new mortgage is fine. But wasn't. I losted 2% on mortgage. 2000 pounds.
Was this helpful?:
Dominik Jarosinski said about Countrywide Residential Lettings
Services : Land & New Homes( )Date: 4th Aug 2022
I'm avoid. Credit adviser from countrywide is really bad. I paid him. He didn't fix mortgage for me. I needed remortgage. Bank send me information My mortgage should be finish soon. I send this email to adviser. He told me everything is ok. My new mortgage is fine. But wasn't. I losted 2% on mortgage. 2000 pounds.
Never again countrywide
The UK's Largest Customer Review Website for the Property Industry
Stay away from ...
Share On :
1 Star Review
By : 'Frank'
Services : Letting( As a Tenant )
Rent PCM : £610
Would you recommend ? : No
Postcode : SO18
25 Mar 2019
People found this helpful4
Just a terrible service. You hope to be talking with sensible people instead they just try to charge you for anything without thinking twice. The hold your deposit for as much as they can and make you go through the pain of claiming it back. They hope you are too lazy to do that so that they... Read Full Review
Comments (0)Just a terrible service.
Was this helpful?:
Frank said about Countrywide Residential Lettings
Services : Letting( As a Tenant )Date: 25th Mar 2019
Just a terrible service.
You hope to be talking with sensible people instead they just try to charge you for anything without thinking twice. The hold your deposit for as much as they can and make you go through the pain of claiming it back.
They hope you are too lazy to do that so that they can take advantage of that and get the money. They don't even want to talk with you when providing evidences.
Additionally once you are in the house be ready to a constant increase in rend every year, well beyond average renting prices. After i left the place they rented for far less then I was requested (but refused to accept).
The UK's Largest Customer Review Website for the Property Industry
I regret using them. They are ...
Share On :
1 Star Review
By : 'Wezza'
Services : Letting( As a Owner )
Would you recommend ? : No
Postcode : SO18
4 Mar 2015
People found this helpful3
I regret using them. They are completely incompetent. They have no idea about customer service. They did nothing right. Everything we ever asked them to do, they messed up and either just didn't do or even worse did the very opposite. They caused us so much additional stress with their... Read Full Review
Comments (0)Was this helpful?:
Wezza said about Countrywide Residential Lettings
Services : Letting( As a Owner )Date: 4th Mar 2015
I regret using them. They are completely incompetent. They have no idea about customer service. They did nothing right. Everything we ever asked them to do, they messed up and either just didn't do or even worse did the very opposite. They caused us so much additional stress with their incompetence. When you try and sort an issue out they never phone you back, they never apologise for things they did completely wrong and we were paying them to be our agents! They clearly think they can just take your money and not do anything. They are just about profit and basically don't care about anything else. The also think it's appropriate to just change your power suppliers without your knowledge, I assume they get some kind of commission from the energy supplier they swap you to. Do they think we are not going to notice they have changed supplier and just along with it! The cheek of it. The only way we can stop them treating people like this is by not using them. Please don't give them your buisness.
The UK's Largest Customer Review Website for the Property Industry
I have received nothing other ...
Share On :
1 Star Review
By : 'DisgustedTenant'
Services : Letting( As a Tenant )
Rent PCM : £1400
Would you recommend ? : No
Postcode : SO22
12 Sept 2014
People found this helpful1
I have received nothing other than appalling service from Countrywide letting agents. Unfortunately I have never dealt with such a shoddy, disorganised and obnoxious company. I'm thrilled to have moved out of the frankly deplapodated property that I was renting from them. Despite this, I am... Read Full Review
What agent could do to change your mind?
Change literally everything about your company. The manner in which I have been dealt with has been sickening. You treat people like dirt on the floor and it\'s disgusting. You are easily the rudest company I\'ve ever dealt with.
Comments on Agent Fees
Ridiculous. Absolutely Ridiculous.
Comments (0)Was this helpful?:
DisgustedTenant said about Countrywide Residential Lettings
Services : Letting( As a Tenant )Date: 11th Sep 2014
I have received nothing other than appalling service from Countrywide letting agents. Unfortunately I have never dealt with such a shoddy, disorganised and obnoxious company. I'm thrilled to have moved out of the frankly deplapodated property that I was renting from them. Despite this, I am appalled that this company are withholding nearly £2000 of our deposit as they simply can't be bothered to send it back, and claim to have not received emails sent six times. A truly disgusting company - if you value your home, finances or safety stay far, far away.
The UK's Largest Customer Review Website for the Property Industry
Blundells, a trading arm of ...
Share On :
1 Star Review
By : 'Diane'
Services : Letting( As a Owner )
Rent PCM : £695
Would you recommend ? : No
Postcode : S20
1 Sept 2014
People found this helpful0
Blundells, a trading arm of Countrywide Residential Lettings Ltd provided a ‘fully managed property service' for us over the last 3 years, charging 10% of the rental for their services. We were led to believe that they would ensure our property (previously our home) was being well looked... Read Full Review
What agent could do to change your mind?
Our property managers should have been managing our property in accordance with the tenancy agreement. They should have ensured that \'the property was kept clean and well aired at all times\'. When it clearly wasn\'t they should have informed us and given us chance to end the tenancy. I know we all have personal standards on cleanliness, but Blundells/Countrywide\'s tolerance of filth and grime is breathtaking. Perhaps sending our property managers on a refresher course to be able to spot the difference between a well maintained, and a neglected property, may help them to provide a better service
Comments on Agent Fees
With the exception of rent collection we feel we paid £69 a month for them to oversee theft, neglect and deterioration to our property over a 3 year period
Comments (0)Blundells, a trading arm of Countrywide Residential Lettings Ltd provided a ‘fully managed property service' for us over the last 3 years, charging 10% of the rental for their services. We were led to believe that they would ensure our property (previously our home) was being well looked after by the tenants while we were out of the country, or at least advise us otherwise.
Was this helpful?:
Diane and Peter said about Countrywide Residential Lettings
Services : Letting( As a Owner )Date: 31st Aug 2014
Blundells, a trading arm of Countrywide Residential Lettings Ltd provided a ‘fully managed property service' for us over the last 3 years, charging 10% of the rental for their services. We were led to believe that they would ensure our property (previously our home) was being well looked after by the tenants while we were out of the country, or at least advise us otherwise.
The property was always (according to Blundells/Countrywide) ‘well maintained and looked after', but 3 years and 2 tenants later, we have had hundreds of pound's worth of belongings stolen, and thousands of pounds worth of damage caused to the property. Not knowing the true extent of the damage towards the end of the last tenancy, we asked my brother to organise some ‘freshening up' decorating. The subsequent film he took of how the last tenants were living, was shocking. Curtains were closed, a window blacked out, it was filthy, and the mould-spread in this, a modern property, was remarkable.
The first tenants stole a wardrobe, bedside cabinets, bar stools, rugs and televisions. Blundells accepted the tenant's excuse that they gave them to charity, because the' Landlords told them they could'. We ‘won' second hand value from their tenant bond, but it was nothing compared to the true cost of replacement.
With the second tenants we had over £500 costs to clean our semi- detached property to make it fit to live in. The toilets were irretrievably blackened by limescale build up, the carpets were irretrievably stained, 11 lightbulbs had blown, wooden worktops ruined, lots of breakages
Mould assessment and remediation costs alone were over £1600. The mould extended to every upstairs UPVC window and cill, affecting curtain linings and decorations
Every report Blundells/Countrywide did (most of which we had to insist upon) reported the house as ‘well maintained and cared for' – just once it was reported by our property manager Kirstie Green as ‘a little untidy in places'. I dread to think what standards of cleanliness this property manager lives in.
Our neighbours now also report that an additional person that we did not know about resided at the property for the 2 year tenancy. Whether this was an ‘official' sub-let or not, we do not know, but extra keys were cut in contravention to our contract.
Being concerned as we were with this company, we felt we had to become more ‘active Landlord's', even from overseas. We checked up on them as much as we could, demanded action on the one issue we knew about (at that time the mould was limited to the en-suite) and even contacted the tenants personally because we didn't trust Blundells/Countrywide. Our property managers Kirstie Green and Tristan Hickey did not seem to appreciate our interventions and played an extremely obstructive game thereafter. Unfortunately all their behaviour and shortfalls were supported by Peter Lee, their Regional Director, and so there is little incentive for the staff to be anything but confident with the appalling service they offer.
When we approached the tenant to at least get some of the money back through the tenant bond, Kirstie Green caused mischief by e-mailing the tenant, advising him to go to dispute, rather than supporting us, her clients and explaining to the tenants the serious damage they had done to the property. Then Blundells/Countrywide sent a sub-standard claim to the tenant bond scheme without our knowledge and against our wishes. Fortunately MyDeposits agreed to accept a further 15 pieces of evidence from us, and as a result we managed to secure all the tenant's bond.
The Ombudsman awarded us £75 for ‘aggravation' which was derisory, but at least this award acknowledged the unprofessionalism of those property management staff concerned.
However we were not successful in our claim against Blundells/Countrywide for failing to manage our property. The Ombudsman's report only says that he has not found against Blundells/Countrywide for the damage because they followed ‘The TPO Code of Practice'. As we understand it Blundells/Countrywide only need to manage issues raised by the tenant, or the Landlord. Everything else (unless it's likely to kill someone) can be ignored. If the Landlord is out of the country like us, and the tenants are quietly but systematically neglecting and abusing the property, nothing has to be done. Then when the tenant leaves the property the Landlord (wrongly believing his property has been ‘well maintained and cared for') is in for a shock - left to fight for the tenant bond, and then, when the costs were as great as ours, through the small claims court. You really are at the mercy of your tenants, and how they choose to treat your property.
All we can say is that we employed Blundells/Countrywide to manage our property and give us peace of mind that our house was being looked after while we are out of the country. It's been anything but, hours spent chasing them up, trying to recover costs, second guessing their obstructions and mischief, making complaints about them. Both you and your property are in a very vulnerable position if you use this agent.
If you are already using Blundells/Countrywide and experiencing problems, please feel free to contact us on the address below and we can at least share some of the tricks of the trade that the Adept Works office in Sheffield have used.
e-mail: landlordprotectiongroup@gmail.com
Blundells are a trading arm of Countrywide Residential Lettings Ltd. so beware of either - same system, same processes, same appalling service!
The UK's Largest Customer Review Website for the Property Industry
We are moving from our ...
Share On :
1 Star Review
By : 'Boobear'
Services : Letting( As a Tenant )
Would you recommend ? : No
30 May 2012
People found this helpful6
We are moving from our property and the management company instructed Morris Dibben to rent the property out. We left the keys to our rented property with Morris Dibben. After recent letter drop by the police, stating there were break in's in the area, we have been double locking all our doors and ... Read Full Review
What agent could do to change your mind?
Agent was incompetent; I used to be an estate agent, worked in lettings and run my own estate and lettings agency. The service and attitude is one I have never encountered at any other estate agents or lettings, even other Countrywide offices. To improve the agent in question must, set up basic training, put basic procedures in place, oversee the first months training. To leave someone in this state and to respond with prove it, is wholly unprofessional, inadequate and no sense of customer service.
Comments (0)We are moving from our property and the management company instructed Morris Dibben to rent the property out.
Was this helpful?:
Boobear said about Countrywide Residential Lettings
Services : Letting( As a Tenant )Date: 30th May 2012
We are moving from our property and the management company instructed Morris Dibben to rent the property out.
We left the keys to our rented property with Morris Dibben. After recent letter drop by the police, stating there were break in's in the area, we have been double locking all our doors and checking all our windows our locked.
Morris Dibben was duly informed and the business in the area had received the same letter drop also.
We informed Morris Dibben we were away for five days only to come back to find we had been broken into and the house was a mess.
Morris Dibben had one viewing in this time and the Police said the door was not double locked as it would be very hard to get into and to enter the property the door or frame would need to be broken. The door on our return was shut. On asking Morris Dibben if they had double locked the front door they said they hadn't but we would find it hard to prove !! What a brilliant business response and a caring responsible attitude to someone who has been burgled.
Wholly inadequate awful customer relations, no apology, no care, no professionalism, no way I would trust them with a key, let alone a property. As a letting and estate agent they can't double lock a door.
I used to work for Countrywide before quickly moving to a reputable Estate Agents and Letting company, so I am aware of procedures and responsibilities. Such as if you cannot lock a door, you must phone the office and get a second person out to help and never leave the property, this was though with the other agents I worked for.
We took the property off the agent, before the house move sped up, so the management company instructed Morris Dibben to rent the property out. We keep the property in a very good condition and it was rented from pictures, so no need for the agent to come round, thankfully.
Then to add insult to injury on the property being rented out, I spoke with one of the rentable agents and they asked if we could move in a matter of 4 weeks, I replied that I would need to speak with my wife and solicitors, for timelines.
The next email I receive from the management company was stating Morris Dibben said you have agreed to move out in 4 weeks time !
This has now been rectified with the management company and they have been told our dates as agreed with the solicitors.
An utterly unprofessional service and from my previous experience working for and alongside Countrywide, they have not improved, if anything they are drastically worse.
A poor excuse for what is claimed to be a professional outfit and in the words of agents, to avoid disappointment later, steer well clear of this incompetent company today.
The UK's Largest Customer Review Website for the Property Industry
1 - 7 of 7 items
No Staff Registered
NaN - NaN of items
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
