2nd Apr 2026 (6 days ago)
The sales team were genuinely lovely, no issues there at all.
The lettings side however was a completely different experience.
The referencing company they use is honestly shocking – it does not have a single review above 1 star. On top of that, my referencing actually showed as completed and successful on their system, and they even confirmed over the phone that I had passed. Despite that, the estate agents told me there was still an issue.
To try and move things forward, I offered additional payslips and bank statements, and said I could even get them officially stamped by my employer. They refused to accept any manual documents at all, which I’ve never come across before with any agent.
Instead, their process requires you to give third-party access to your personal data - bank account and HMRC account, with no alternative option, again a red flag as this isn’t a legal requirement due to obvious GDPR an security reasons. I wasn’t comfortable with that, so I explained I was happy to provide everything needed, just not by giving that level of access.
When I spoke to Hayley in lettings (who was very defensive and not helpful) , I called to ask what I could to help them complete the process and also said I didn’t understand why standard documents weren’t being accepted when they’re normally more than enough - although if I’ve passed referencing no further docs should be required anyway. The immediate response was that my application would be rejected and my holding deposit could be retained if I didn’t agree to share my data that way, which didn’t sit right with me at all.
I called again to follow up after the referencing company confirmed I had passed all checks (i contacted the referencing agency directly incase there was a miscommunication or error on their website), and was then told that the person I had spoken to worked in a different office… even though it was the same number and office, which just added to the confusion.
Later on, I was told the landlord had actually decided not to proceed anyway – which completely contradicted what I’d been told earlier about referencing being the issue.
To be fair, they did refund the holding deposit in full, which I assume is because the situation wasn’t handled properly and they realised they legally could not retain my deposit as I passed all checks.
Overall, the whole process felt confusing, inconsistent, and unnecessarily rigid. I’ve rented before and never had an experience like this.... Read more