7th May 2026 (14 days ago)
Avoid Barnard Marcus West Kensington/Shepherds Bush – A Management Nightmare
I am writing this to warn other landlords about the persistent failures and lack of professional accountability at the Barnard Marcus West Kensington/Shepherds Bush branch. My experience has been a masterclass in how to mismanage a property while charging a premium for the privilege.
The "Sales Pitch" vs. The Reality
The Branch Manager, Andreja, is very effective at selling you the earth. He promises a high-level, seamless management experience, but the reality is you are handed a bag of dirt. Once the contract is signed, the proactive service disappears, and you are left to deal with a branch that seems more interested in internal politics than property management.
Non-Existent Service & Expensive Maintenance
Despite paying for "Full Management," I found their tenant management services to be effectively non-existent. When issues arise, you have to scream at the branch just to get a response. Their after-care for property maintenance is extortionately expensive, yet the service remains sluggish. You end up doing the coordination yourself while they continue to collect their fees.
Billing for Everything, Delivering Nothing
The "hidden" costs are relentless. They will bill you for every minor administrative task—annual statements, tax reporting, and various "extra charges"—even though these should be covered under a management fee. In my case, they even billed me for tax administration services that were entirely based on their own internal errors.
Formal Complaints & Internal Politics
The level of incompetence reached a point where I was forced to go through a grueling formal complaints procedure just to get Andreja to do his basic job. It is clear that this branch suffers from a total disconnect between departments (Lettings vs. Accounts). I spent months caught in the middle of their internal "mess," with one department claiming a task was finished while another proved it wasn't. They played internal politics at my expense, leaving me to face the fallout of their administrative failures.
The Fallout
Their inability to correctly process simple change-of-ownership documentation led to severe errors in financial reporting and tax statements. To this day, the branch remains disorganized, reactive rather than proactive, and fundamentally incapable of providing the service they sell.
Verdict: Save yourself the stress and the extra charges. This branch talks a good game but fails entirely on delivery. Protect your investment and your sanity by going elsewhere.... Read more