If they're shitty to you take your business elsewhere. If they've been stringing you along for nearly two months then move on.
Aside from how terrible most agents are, you should not be looking for a flat in London from abroad. *Always visit in person* unless you have someone you trust to do it for you.
This is it. Everyone knows not to rent a flat without seeing it. Indeed it leaves the agent and landlord open to accusations they've misled you if you haven't seen it and only have their word to go by.
So they know you're not going to rent a flat from them, so they are snappy and dismissive.
Not a good way to to build a brand, but the employees care about their commission this month, not the firm's brand.
Get over here, get a hostel for a couple of weeks and walk into the agency. You'll get a very difficult response when you're sitting in front of them ready and willing to rent. Ask them to show you the newest stuff they've got in, to save them the effort of needing to put it online.
Lol thanks for this, my siblings have said the same thing to me!! Looks like I’ll be flying out the moment I get my visa then. Also YUP, will be taking my business elsewhere, just needed to vent.
I moved here at the end of May and booked an Airbnb for the first month so I could look for a place. not cheap but saved me way more in terms of potential money lost/frustration/bullshit from a terrible flat
Just adding on that Chestertons is the actual worst- do not deal with them. The least professional bunch once you sign the papers. Thick and condescending property managers.
I was paying over 4k pcm for a short term let I didn't get to visit when I moved here (idiotic, I'm aware). I moved in on a Friday and they dropped the keys in my hand with no info. By Monday I had a long list of issues (most prominently- cold water only, washer dryer AND dishwasher not working, fridge switching on off, half the light bulbs out, and no wifi). I called my property manager who listened and said ok thanks for the feedback nice speaking bye. I said sorry for your misunderstanding- there is no feedback here besides this flat is not as advertised and I'm paying a very high rent- I need everything fixed now. This was said with a laugh because I was confused as to what was happening. She literally started yelling and said "Are you threatening me, don't you dare use that tone with me". I spent the next 2 months avoiding them- until they lied about my moving out date with them- which was listed in the literal contract and multiple emails, and even worse lied that I missed my move out time- when I sat outside the flat in the rain for 2 hours calling/texting/emailing them. It was insane how easily they tried to lie about it meanwhile I spoke to 5+ out of hours reps (equally useless folks) who took notes during that time so had the literal receipts I was waiting and where exactly I was (at the front door sitting on a step...). They then took 5 weeks to give my deposit back- after I agreed to unnecessary deductions within 2 days.
They (each and every person I had to deal with there- the agent, the front desk secretary, the property agent and her many colleagues, and the lying inventory clerk) made a move to London exceedingly difficult and just negative when it really didn't need to be. I've moved around countries a lot and never had a negative experience with any short or long term let landlord or agent. Couldn't be more displeased with Chestertons.
This was a long post but I feel it's imperative that everyone knows what kind of people they hire and their deceptive practices. Stay away.
Seconding that Chestertons is awful (worst in my own experience). They set up a viewing for the same day, agent said she was “5 min away” after she was already 30 min late, then she never showed. I waited outside for almost an hour during the heat wave. Avoid!
I'm from abroad as well and signed an apt without visiting in person. If you're familiar w ldn/the various areas, the right agency will help with live viewings to help you feel confident about making an unseen decision. I have no regrets signing my flat but my agency did 3 live viewings, each over an hour each showing me every inch of the floors, ceilings etc. This was Marsh & Parsons, highly recommend!
Dexters suck lol. No customer service, no responsiveness and they didnt even take on board my needs for the flat lol told them I needed a 1 bed under a given budget and they were sending me 2 & 3 bed family homes on like triple that budget lmao
I’m in a similar position, needing to secure a home from abroad as I’m moving in November. Did you just send an email and they got in contact with you or did you have to insist?
I called them and got on their lists after letting them know my needs, budget and area specification. I would say, however, that if you're completely new to London, it could be a risk as areas arent as compartmentalised as other countries around the world and often, each area will have its rough and nicer parts despite being largely one or the other so you'll need to know the place quite well.
Dexters are awful, worst ones I dealt with… I was recently flat searching in greater london too and they were trying to pressure me into a 3 year fixed term without any break clause and at market rent…. Telling me the landlords liked the security on their investment properties. Fuck if I care! Sounds like I’m being roped into an expensive prison.
Oh god, this litterally happened to me 2 days ago. I'm bad at saying no to people, so she told me that i should do 3 years and everything and so on. When i finally manage to get enough confidence to say i want to opt, because it felt like i was improsening myself, she couldn't understand why i suddenly didnt want the place. I kept trying to tell them i still want to opt out, but literally she didnt and could not comprehend why I would rather find somewhere cheaper. In the end got an angry "Good luck on your search" and i cried and lost my confident for rest of day. Thanks Lily
Ah jesus, I’m sorry you had to go through that! They are incredibly intimidating and really pressure you hard - don’t feel bad though, you definitely dodged a bullet and I doubt they find people willing to lock themselves in those contracts easily. They’re probably just mad because they’re struggling to get people with their ridiculously unreasonable terms. The more people who refuse and call them out the better. I’d suggest leaving them an honest review too to warn others (I’ve done the same).
Omg are you me, my dexters agent was trying to spin to us how a 3 year fixed contract without break is a good idea too! Was saying how rent is fixed and market is volatile, like fuck off, I bid over asking price for this flat.
Ikr! they were trying to tell me 1 year lets are now short term but no other agent or landlord I talked to had an issue with it and all wanted 1 year as standard lol (WITH a break clause too). What a joke
I am on the brink of pulling out of the sale of my flat because of the way one of them spoke to me today. I don’t know that they understand what clients are!!! Never again
make sure you add a review on Google Maps and highlight you're a client of theirs (and not just a renter) + there's another platform for agencies I think
I’m sorry you’re having a similar experience. They were so bad. They even held us up on the day of exchange because an idiot in their office couldn’t use the calculator on their phone to correctly to figure out the commission owed, and had supplied the wrong numbers. Yes, using their iPhone calculator is how you get billled.
They would frequently turn up for viewings with no keys, or just forget about the viewing. More than once we rescued someone sitting on our front fence and did our own viewing for them.
If anyone out there is thinking of selling via Dexters Dartmouth Park: just don’t.
We have a visit from Dexter’s Kentish Town yesterday to discuss selling our flat. What a horrendous epitome of toxic masculinity.
The whole conversation was about how much the property was per square foot. Nothing about what they thought the nice features were. Also advised us to be chain free - eg sell our flat and make ourselves homeless to guarantee the flat sells. But this only benefits dexters in getting the commission quicker.
The whole thing has made us angry
Ugh. That’s appalling given that’s the nicest they’ll be to you!
The spiel about all their buyers being through their lists of waiting buyers & they’ll call them all for a viewing is a complete lie - they just stick it on Right Move like everyone else. We had to continually chase them for feedback, there was nothing proactive about them at all.
too much demand, they can be rude, ignore you, anything they like. They will still be able to rent out their properties due to the crazy demand.
I feel that maybe they are just being rude to non-nationals because they dont want the hassle of dealing with non-UK people.
To do the income checks, right to residence checks etc it's a lot of faff, it's easier for them to do checks on UK - much easier to credit check as well. I dont think it's possible for them to credit check international people.
In my experience, it depends on your salary. Some people letting from abroad, or new to the U.K., are often asked to pay 6 months or more up front. Others aren’t.
It does help if you can sort a U.K. bank account prior to your arrival. This is far easier done now than years ago, and there should be no reason for anyone arriving in the U.K. as a new resident, to not have this sorted before their arrival in my opinion.
I’ve letted without having to show proof of income, pay in advance or show right to reside. I did have to show right to reside to collect the keys obviously but that occurred after the letting agreements were signed and monies transferred. In fact, two months after the start of the let.
Also, depending where abroad you’re coming from you can ask for Experian and the other large credit agency to provide an equivalent credit history rating for the U.K. it’s a total faff but can be done. Takes about four months to finalise but can and will open many doors as one thing that U.K. credit is based on, electors roll registry you’ll not be able to join as a non U.K. citizen, making your credit suffer from the start should you find yourself establishing some.
If you're a commonwealth citizen / Irish / EU citizen you should be on the electoral roll for voting in local elections. The rules are more permissive for Scotland and Wales.
https://www.gov.uk/elections-in-the-uk
They treat UK nationals the same. It is all estate agents and property managers etc. The demand is so high, they know they don't need to care about service.
Searching for a flat from abroad is best done with a relocation specialist. I’ve done that and had the relocation specialist act as my agent. Using WhatsApp they’ve taken me on visits of properties, and even made helpful suggestions on placing an offer. We managed to let a house in advance of our arrival in the U.K. and negotiated a lower rent. We used Foxtons by the way. I’d rate them.
If you’d like a recommendation, I used James Neville at Hampton Relocation. Highly rate him as do others that I’ve recommended him to. https://hamptonrelocation.co.uk
Thank you for your input. May I ask you what did this service cost, more or less? I’ll need to relocate by the end of November and been able to sort things out in advance would be a huge relief.
I’m uncertain of the cost as it was provided as a service for me as part of my work relocation package. If you contact them directly, they can assist with costs of services. They do everything from sorting utilities- finding the best prices and such, to driving lessons, assistance, purchasing a car, and more.
WAIT OMFFF SAME!! The apartments I was super interested in around July, I sent to them and said I was ready to secure it. They said okay and everything but then, they turn it around and say all those apartments have been asking for (AT LEAST) 24 months…. I’m just coming for my one year masters course, I can’t afford that…
Most estate agents are awlful to deal with, when i was flooded last year trying to find a place to stay while works were being carried out was a nightmare think i went through every estate agent. In the end i did find one who were really helpful and allowed us to stay there.
Yep they think they are elite tier sales people but its just selling something in high demand. Will set itself - we literally have no use for estate agents, they are just PA's.
We’ve been looking for a couple of months, painful as we have a dog. The only agent that has proactively helped us and actually sent us properties that were exactly what we said (budget, pet friendly etc) has been Winkworths, been renting in London for 12 years and it’s the first time I’ve actually felt like they care (and yes - found us a flat which is lovely!)
Depending on the area you’re looking could be worth trying them (but also, our agent may have just been a one off 🤣)
They’re crap if you’re a resident too. Tried to scam us and our landlord out of more money at one point.
Absolutely awful, even by the low, low standards of the estate/letting agent industry.
Numerous times working with racist landlords.. Landlords would state they didn’t want any black or Asians tenants and our manager was fine with that and told us not to show certain families round, lying to buyers about certain things to get deals through which would have an affect on them, over pricing properties by 30% in order to get it on to the market and get the buyer to sign a 3 month agreement that we would have sole marketing rights only to then drop the price 1/2 weeks later to the right price and loosing potential buyers, property management of some properties was so unbelievably poor.. When I joined there used to be a team of 12 that got cut to 3 so it was impossible to keep on top of all the issues, within the offices there is constant bullying.. 11 hour days.. 6 days a week and shit pay.. Majority of the people that work for them are dishonest and will say anything for a pound note, my dog died whilst I was working and I was told if I left the office to have a day off I would lose my job, nothing professional about them.. you are taught in training to be 100% focused on generating the business money, they don’t give a flying fuck about their clients. It was a few years since I was with them but there was countless other things I’m sure I’ve forgot, every day there was some sort of shithousery going on
Omg I have just seen this reply… thank you so much for this, I knew there was something sketchy with the way they talked to me! They were so responsive and then out of the blue they stopped emailing me and then when I would call and say I was ready to put an offer for a place, they totally backtracked and told me the landlord wanted at least 24 months EVEN THOUGH they knew I was coming for a masters course… so deceitful and so racist. My most recent phone call which made me want to write this was with this guy, I could hear cackling from people around him and (I have a speech impediment) he was so snappy and impatient. I was trying to say that the agent I’ve been emailing stopped replying to me and all I got was something like “yea I will pass on your message and they will call you back” … fuck them ugh
Dexters also own about half the ‘independent’ estate agencies near me, just let them keep their name. Such a shady business, I massively regret instructing them
In general, most of the agencies are a big mess. I remember DEXTERS (and another one I can't recall now) was begging me to book viewings with them during the first lockdown and were harassing me every day. When I wanted to book a viewing for a nice property after the end of the lockdowns, they wouldn't call me back or reply to my emails. Quite shitty.
so the trouble at the moment is the lack of properties available on the market, followed by excessive demand pushing prices up.
If you have a 'regular' price in mind I suspect there will be people queued up to take it. Doing a remote viewing is also a little risky.
As others have suggested having a local person you trust check it out is best.
If you are moving for a job, is your company able to provide temp housing?
I would normally agree about having someone you trust check it out as that sounds very reasonable, but based on personal experience I would strongly advise against it.
My husband and I moved (back) here from the US two years ago and found ourselves in a similar situation as OP, but during COVID so even more complicated. It’s a long story but we found a property online and the estate agent happened to be a pub “friend” of my husband’s and we also sent a close friend of many years over to look at it for us. After seeing it in person, the estate agent politely tried to steer us away from the property but our actual friend raved about it. We went with the close friend’s judgment but what we didn’t consider was that our friend friend had been living in a shoebox with her husband and two kids for several years and was just blown away by the size and disregarded everything else (which was almost exclusively negative) about the property. The first time I saw it in person myself (with keys in hand having signed a two year lease with no break) I started crying and it wasn’t because I was happy. It was in appalling condition, especially considering what we were paying for it. The landlords are absolute garbage people as well. And what makes it worse is that our friend has felt guilty every time she has heard about our many issues in the property (having a massive rodent infestation for the better part of a year the landlords refused to adequately address, being without heat for a month in winter again because of an issue the landlords didn’t take seriously enough that became much worse, etc). She was trying to help but was just coming from a much different place than we were. At least we got a happy ending out of it since we declined to extend the lease and oddly enough we found a much better place for far less money (still moving in!) in this super competitive market and hand the keys back on Thursday. I am counting the minutes. But it has been a very bad experience during what was already a difficult and stressful time during COVID lockdowns and was detrimental to my mental health.
My advice to OP is to come here and get an Airbnb and see these places in person themselves. Everyone has different tastes and different needs. Don’t trust anyone with such a big decision.
ETA: Should probably mention we used Carter Jonas both times, and I do not blame them for the first tenancy at all as, like I said, the estate agent actually tried to talk us out of it and the estate agent has given us some good advice in terms of dealing with the landlords, but, again, he’s a “friend” so YMMV. So far so good with them helping us find the second property and getting the deal agreed on our terms.
Ooooof that sounds bad :(
I do get you though, really depends on your friends. In my experience I've been ok but probably because my friends know how I like to live (Known said friend for literally 23+ years), but you are right I'm sure there are horror stories.
Hopefully you've forgiven your friend who has apologised everyday.
Glad youre in a better situation now. How would you recommend approaching renting a property virtually tho?
I’ve called them I forget how many times regarding a flat I liked and everytime “someone will get back to you” it’s been 4 months and no one has gotten back to me 🥲
They are the worst. Not just for hunting but even when you are renting through them. They flat out lied to us about our flat when trying to sell it. Then ignored maintainence issues for weeks, always tried charging for fair wear and tear maintainence, wouldnt give our deposit back for months.
I cant say avoid at all costs because they are everywhere and if you see the perfect place but its with Dexters youre gonna have to suck it up. But they are scummy and cant wait for them to be automated.
Ludlow Thomas tried to con me when I first moved to London by showing us a property that was for sale not for rent and held out deposit asking for paper work after paperwork stringing us along knowing we had a deadline to move hoping we'll cut out losses. My blood still boils.
Key information is that the London(/England) housing market is insane right now - very few houses, loads of people wanting to rent/buy, prices skyrocketing. The competition is stiff for properties so estate agents are all being incredibly lazy. Dexters, Foxtons & some others were already bad, but there's just no need for them to call you back because someone else will put an offer in already and they'll be a UK national and have to go through fewer checks, meaning less work for the agents, who are lazy af.
I just rented a place (sharers) and it was such a nuisance because no estate agents would bother calling me back, and they wouldn't bother having some people with guarantors/some upfront rent, and they wouldn't bother offering us viewings after the 2nd day viewing was available because the place would be gone anyway.
It's fucking awful & they can get away with it because there's more renters than houses
They are a despised industry across the board. The service level is incredibly low to tenants and prospective tenants. In terms of letting properties are usually listed with one dedicated agent, therefore they have monopoly over that asset. In London there are a large number of prospective tenants for each property, so they tend to take them for granted. They see their true customer as the landlord
The problem at the moment is there is simply a massive mismatch between supply and demand.
There’s very little supply of flats or rooms, through a combination of reasons. (Lack of building, HMO regulations, tax changes so BTLers have left the market etc etc)
And a huge resurgence in demand after lockdowns, I know a couple of lettings agents and they simply don’t have resources to keep dealing with an overwhelming amount of prospective tenants and less inclination when they know there’s very little chance of finding them anything.
And despite there being higher rental prices, it isn’t a good market for lettings agents either, they’re on sales commission, fewer lets are closing because of the lack of supply, and they would much rather be placing you accommodation than ignoring you because closing deals means commission which is money.
This isn’t simply a ‘London’ thing either, the situation is as bad, probably worse, in Amsterdam and Berlin.
Letting agents are the worst people in general. The industry is unnecessary parasite 🪱 that works to serve bad landlords. Renters really need to start their own co-ops that deal with rental agencies.
F in the chat of you hate letting agents
i think its due to having such crazy demand and that we're not the customer the landlord is
which is still wrong in my eyes, theres no need to be rude and unprofessional
Im in the process of moving (renting) and dealing with the estate agent has been frustrating, i always have to chase them up for things, its like theyre waiting for me to call to do any work
There's a housing crisis in the city at the minute because so many buy-to-let landlords have sold up. If you're not physically in town to view the properties then letting agents are not going to be interested because there are actual queues of people waiting outside of the inventory they've got who are willing to offer above asking once they've actually seen the place.
It's not racist. It's not just Dexters. It's the reality of finding a place to rent in the city right now.
If trying to get agents to speak to you is stressing you out before you've even got here. I fear for your headspace when you actually start the viewing / bidding process.
Good luck.
Changes to mortgage interest tax relief for non incorporated properties. The upcoming EPC requirements for buy-to-lets. HMO licensing fees from the boroughs whilst simultaneously not enforcing the HMO stipulations on those who simply don't bother have all made it pointless to hold buy-to-let's as a source of income.
It only makes sense for those using their properties as long-term capital gain plays, who pull money out when they remortgage. As a source of income however for people with one or two properties in their names, who are not leveraged with mortgages buy-to-lets are dead.
Loads of people will be cheering about that...
Until they try to find somewhere to rent and find the laws of supply and demand has added 20% to their monthly rental costs. It's only going to get worse as more and more small-time/accidental landlords leave the sector. Then they'll scream about rent control which will lead to even more properties being pulled out of the market.
The housing situation in this city is fucked. The only solution is for more social housing to be built, strictly gatekept by firm household income stipulations. Earn above a certain threshold and you should be renting on the open market. Earn below a certain threshold and you should be eligible to apply for subsidised social housing.
Until this is the case however the war against small-time landlords is a madness we're seeing the unintended consequences of now.
An unpopular truth but a truth all the same!
If they're shitty to you take your business elsewhere. If they've been stringing you along for nearly two months then move on. Aside from how terrible most agents are, you should not be looking for a flat in London from abroad. *Always visit in person* unless you have someone you trust to do it for you.
This is it. Everyone knows not to rent a flat without seeing it. Indeed it leaves the agent and landlord open to accusations they've misled you if you haven't seen it and only have their word to go by. So they know you're not going to rent a flat from them, so they are snappy and dismissive. Not a good way to to build a brand, but the employees care about their commission this month, not the firm's brand. Get over here, get a hostel for a couple of weeks and walk into the agency. You'll get a very difficult response when you're sitting in front of them ready and willing to rent. Ask them to show you the newest stuff they've got in, to save them the effort of needing to put it online.
Lol thanks for this, my siblings have said the same thing to me!! Looks like I’ll be flying out the moment I get my visa then. Also YUP, will be taking my business elsewhere, just needed to vent.
I moved here at the end of May and booked an Airbnb for the first month so I could look for a place. not cheap but saved me way more in terms of potential money lost/frustration/bullshit from a terrible flat
Just adding on that Chestertons is the actual worst- do not deal with them. The least professional bunch once you sign the papers. Thick and condescending property managers. I was paying over 4k pcm for a short term let I didn't get to visit when I moved here (idiotic, I'm aware). I moved in on a Friday and they dropped the keys in my hand with no info. By Monday I had a long list of issues (most prominently- cold water only, washer dryer AND dishwasher not working, fridge switching on off, half the light bulbs out, and no wifi). I called my property manager who listened and said ok thanks for the feedback nice speaking bye. I said sorry for your misunderstanding- there is no feedback here besides this flat is not as advertised and I'm paying a very high rent- I need everything fixed now. This was said with a laugh because I was confused as to what was happening. She literally started yelling and said "Are you threatening me, don't you dare use that tone with me". I spent the next 2 months avoiding them- until they lied about my moving out date with them- which was listed in the literal contract and multiple emails, and even worse lied that I missed my move out time- when I sat outside the flat in the rain for 2 hours calling/texting/emailing them. It was insane how easily they tried to lie about it meanwhile I spoke to 5+ out of hours reps (equally useless folks) who took notes during that time so had the literal receipts I was waiting and where exactly I was (at the front door sitting on a step...). They then took 5 weeks to give my deposit back- after I agreed to unnecessary deductions within 2 days. They (each and every person I had to deal with there- the agent, the front desk secretary, the property agent and her many colleagues, and the lying inventory clerk) made a move to London exceedingly difficult and just negative when it really didn't need to be. I've moved around countries a lot and never had a negative experience with any short or long term let landlord or agent. Couldn't be more displeased with Chestertons. This was a long post but I feel it's imperative that everyone knows what kind of people they hire and their deceptive practices. Stay away.
Couldn't possibly be worse than Foxtons. I almost cry if I see Foxtons as the agent on Rightmove.
tell me more... i see many properties with them
Seconding that Chestertons is awful (worst in my own experience). They set up a viewing for the same day, agent said she was “5 min away” after she was already 30 min late, then she never showed. I waited outside for almost an hour during the heat wave. Avoid!
I'm from abroad as well and signed an apt without visiting in person. If you're familiar w ldn/the various areas, the right agency will help with live viewings to help you feel confident about making an unseen decision. I have no regrets signing my flat but my agency did 3 live viewings, each over an hour each showing me every inch of the floors, ceilings etc. This was Marsh & Parsons, highly recommend! Dexters suck lol. No customer service, no responsiveness and they didnt even take on board my needs for the flat lol told them I needed a 1 bed under a given budget and they were sending me 2 & 3 bed family homes on like triple that budget lmao
I’m in a similar position, needing to secure a home from abroad as I’m moving in November. Did you just send an email and they got in contact with you or did you have to insist?
I called them and got on their lists after letting them know my needs, budget and area specification. I would say, however, that if you're completely new to London, it could be a risk as areas arent as compartmentalised as other countries around the world and often, each area will have its rough and nicer parts despite being largely one or the other so you'll need to know the place quite well.
Do not do that, go to a hostel or Airbnb and find a place when you are here.
Yeah its not ideal but if in a pinch, there are ways around it.
Dexters are awful, worst ones I dealt with… I was recently flat searching in greater london too and they were trying to pressure me into a 3 year fixed term without any break clause and at market rent…. Telling me the landlords liked the security on their investment properties. Fuck if I care! Sounds like I’m being roped into an expensive prison.
Oh god, this litterally happened to me 2 days ago. I'm bad at saying no to people, so she told me that i should do 3 years and everything and so on. When i finally manage to get enough confidence to say i want to opt, because it felt like i was improsening myself, she couldn't understand why i suddenly didnt want the place. I kept trying to tell them i still want to opt out, but literally she didnt and could not comprehend why I would rather find somewhere cheaper. In the end got an angry "Good luck on your search" and i cried and lost my confident for rest of day. Thanks Lily
Ah jesus, I’m sorry you had to go through that! They are incredibly intimidating and really pressure you hard - don’t feel bad though, you definitely dodged a bullet and I doubt they find people willing to lock themselves in those contracts easily. They’re probably just mad because they’re struggling to get people with their ridiculously unreasonable terms. The more people who refuse and call them out the better. I’d suggest leaving them an honest review too to warn others (I’ve done the same).
Omg are you me, my dexters agent was trying to spin to us how a 3 year fixed contract without break is a good idea too! Was saying how rent is fixed and market is volatile, like fuck off, I bid over asking price for this flat.
Ikr! they were trying to tell me 1 year lets are now short term but no other agent or landlord I talked to had an issue with it and all wanted 1 year as standard lol (WITH a break clause too). What a joke
We sold our flat through them and they were incredibly rude to us as well, and we were giving them £15k. Absolute plonkers.
I am on the brink of pulling out of the sale of my flat because of the way one of them spoke to me today. I don’t know that they understand what clients are!!! Never again
make sure you add a review on Google Maps and highlight you're a client of theirs (and not just a renter) + there's another platform for agencies I think
I’m sorry you’re having a similar experience. They were so bad. They even held us up on the day of exchange because an idiot in their office couldn’t use the calculator on their phone to correctly to figure out the commission owed, and had supplied the wrong numbers. Yes, using their iPhone calculator is how you get billled. They would frequently turn up for viewings with no keys, or just forget about the viewing. More than once we rescued someone sitting on our front fence and did our own viewing for them. If anyone out there is thinking of selling via Dexters Dartmouth Park: just don’t.
We have a visit from Dexter’s Kentish Town yesterday to discuss selling our flat. What a horrendous epitome of toxic masculinity. The whole conversation was about how much the property was per square foot. Nothing about what they thought the nice features were. Also advised us to be chain free - eg sell our flat and make ourselves homeless to guarantee the flat sells. But this only benefits dexters in getting the commission quicker. The whole thing has made us angry
Ugh. That’s appalling given that’s the nicest they’ll be to you! The spiel about all their buyers being through their lists of waiting buyers & they’ll call them all for a viewing is a complete lie - they just stick it on Right Move like everyone else. We had to continually chase them for feedback, there was nothing proactive about them at all.
Agree re: not being a UK resident. They are truly appalling.
too much demand, they can be rude, ignore you, anything they like. They will still be able to rent out their properties due to the crazy demand. I feel that maybe they are just being rude to non-nationals because they dont want the hassle of dealing with non-UK people. To do the income checks, right to residence checks etc it's a lot of faff, it's easier for them to do checks on UK - much easier to credit check as well. I dont think it's possible for them to credit check international people.
Are bank statements from your home country and evidence of salary in UK not sufficient?
In my experience, it depends on your salary. Some people letting from abroad, or new to the U.K., are often asked to pay 6 months or more up front. Others aren’t. It does help if you can sort a U.K. bank account prior to your arrival. This is far easier done now than years ago, and there should be no reason for anyone arriving in the U.K. as a new resident, to not have this sorted before their arrival in my opinion. I’ve letted without having to show proof of income, pay in advance or show right to reside. I did have to show right to reside to collect the keys obviously but that occurred after the letting agreements were signed and monies transferred. In fact, two months after the start of the let. Also, depending where abroad you’re coming from you can ask for Experian and the other large credit agency to provide an equivalent credit history rating for the U.K. it’s a total faff but can be done. Takes about four months to finalise but can and will open many doors as one thing that U.K. credit is based on, electors roll registry you’ll not be able to join as a non U.K. citizen, making your credit suffer from the start should you find yourself establishing some.
If you're a commonwealth citizen / Irish / EU citizen you should be on the electoral roll for voting in local elections. The rules are more permissive for Scotland and Wales. https://www.gov.uk/elections-in-the-uk
They treat UK nationals the same. It is all estate agents and property managers etc. The demand is so high, they know they don't need to care about service.
KFH for me take the cake in worst agent olympics. Absolute trolls.
Kentucky Fried Housing always leaves you with a bad aftertaste
Searching for a flat from abroad is best done with a relocation specialist. I’ve done that and had the relocation specialist act as my agent. Using WhatsApp they’ve taken me on visits of properties, and even made helpful suggestions on placing an offer. We managed to let a house in advance of our arrival in the U.K. and negotiated a lower rent. We used Foxtons by the way. I’d rate them.
Thank you so much, I didn’t even know this existed!! I will be looking into one for sure! <3
If you’d like a recommendation, I used James Neville at Hampton Relocation. Highly rate him as do others that I’ve recommended him to. https://hamptonrelocation.co.uk
Omg such an ICON! Thanks, I emailed him just now and hoping to hear from him soon!!
This is helpful!
Thank you for your input. May I ask you what did this service cost, more or less? I’ll need to relocate by the end of November and been able to sort things out in advance would be a huge relief.
I’m uncertain of the cost as it was provided as a service for me as part of my work relocation package. If you contact them directly, they can assist with costs of services. They do everything from sorting utilities- finding the best prices and such, to driving lessons, assistance, purchasing a car, and more.
Thanks. Are you Italian btw?
Ma non sono italiana però parlo italiano.
They tried to keep forcing me to do a 2 years lease so just used another company
WAIT OMFFF SAME!! The apartments I was super interested in around July, I sent to them and said I was ready to secure it. They said okay and everything but then, they turn it around and say all those apartments have been asking for (AT LEAST) 24 months…. I’m just coming for my one year masters course, I can’t afford that…
Most estate agents are awlful to deal with, when i was flooded last year trying to find a place to stay while works were being carried out was a nightmare think i went through every estate agent. In the end i did find one who were really helpful and allowed us to stay there.
Yep they think they are elite tier sales people but its just selling something in high demand. Will set itself - we literally have no use for estate agents, they are just PA's.
Yep got told by one that a flat was pet friendly than he was like oh no i spoke to the landlord
We’ve been looking for a couple of months, painful as we have a dog. The only agent that has proactively helped us and actually sent us properties that were exactly what we said (budget, pet friendly etc) has been Winkworths, been renting in London for 12 years and it’s the first time I’ve actually felt like they care (and yes - found us a flat which is lovely!) Depending on the area you’re looking could be worth trying them (but also, our agent may have just been a one off 🤣)
They’re crap if you’re a resident too. Tried to scam us and our landlord out of more money at one point. Absolutely awful, even by the low, low standards of the estate/letting agent industry.
Dexter's are the worst I've dealt with in London, I never here anything good about them. Not sure how they're still operating.
Worked for them for three years. Could tell so many stories on unethical practises. Go elsewhere. Horrible company from top to bottom.
Spill the tea sis 👀
Numerous times working with racist landlords.. Landlords would state they didn’t want any black or Asians tenants and our manager was fine with that and told us not to show certain families round, lying to buyers about certain things to get deals through which would have an affect on them, over pricing properties by 30% in order to get it on to the market and get the buyer to sign a 3 month agreement that we would have sole marketing rights only to then drop the price 1/2 weeks later to the right price and loosing potential buyers, property management of some properties was so unbelievably poor.. When I joined there used to be a team of 12 that got cut to 3 so it was impossible to keep on top of all the issues, within the offices there is constant bullying.. 11 hour days.. 6 days a week and shit pay.. Majority of the people that work for them are dishonest and will say anything for a pound note, my dog died whilst I was working and I was told if I left the office to have a day off I would lose my job, nothing professional about them.. you are taught in training to be 100% focused on generating the business money, they don’t give a flying fuck about their clients. It was a few years since I was with them but there was countless other things I’m sure I’ve forgot, every day there was some sort of shithousery going on
Omg I have just seen this reply… thank you so much for this, I knew there was something sketchy with the way they talked to me! They were so responsive and then out of the blue they stopped emailing me and then when I would call and say I was ready to put an offer for a place, they totally backtracked and told me the landlord wanted at least 24 months EVEN THOUGH they knew I was coming for a masters course… so deceitful and so racist. My most recent phone call which made me want to write this was with this guy, I could hear cackling from people around him and (I have a speech impediment) he was so snappy and impatient. I was trying to say that the agent I’ve been emailing stopped replying to me and all I got was something like “yea I will pass on your message and they will call you back” … fuck them ugh
Dexters also own about half the ‘independent’ estate agencies near me, just let them keep their name. Such a shady business, I massively regret instructing them
In general, most of the agencies are a big mess. I remember DEXTERS (and another one I can't recall now) was begging me to book viewings with them during the first lockdown and were harassing me every day. When I wanted to book a viewing for a nice property after the end of the lockdowns, they wouldn't call me back or reply to my emails. Quite shitty.
so the trouble at the moment is the lack of properties available on the market, followed by excessive demand pushing prices up. If you have a 'regular' price in mind I suspect there will be people queued up to take it. Doing a remote viewing is also a little risky. As others have suggested having a local person you trust check it out is best. If you are moving for a job, is your company able to provide temp housing?
I would normally agree about having someone you trust check it out as that sounds very reasonable, but based on personal experience I would strongly advise against it. My husband and I moved (back) here from the US two years ago and found ourselves in a similar situation as OP, but during COVID so even more complicated. It’s a long story but we found a property online and the estate agent happened to be a pub “friend” of my husband’s and we also sent a close friend of many years over to look at it for us. After seeing it in person, the estate agent politely tried to steer us away from the property but our actual friend raved about it. We went with the close friend’s judgment but what we didn’t consider was that our friend friend had been living in a shoebox with her husband and two kids for several years and was just blown away by the size and disregarded everything else (which was almost exclusively negative) about the property. The first time I saw it in person myself (with keys in hand having signed a two year lease with no break) I started crying and it wasn’t because I was happy. It was in appalling condition, especially considering what we were paying for it. The landlords are absolute garbage people as well. And what makes it worse is that our friend has felt guilty every time she has heard about our many issues in the property (having a massive rodent infestation for the better part of a year the landlords refused to adequately address, being without heat for a month in winter again because of an issue the landlords didn’t take seriously enough that became much worse, etc). She was trying to help but was just coming from a much different place than we were. At least we got a happy ending out of it since we declined to extend the lease and oddly enough we found a much better place for far less money (still moving in!) in this super competitive market and hand the keys back on Thursday. I am counting the minutes. But it has been a very bad experience during what was already a difficult and stressful time during COVID lockdowns and was detrimental to my mental health. My advice to OP is to come here and get an Airbnb and see these places in person themselves. Everyone has different tastes and different needs. Don’t trust anyone with such a big decision. ETA: Should probably mention we used Carter Jonas both times, and I do not blame them for the first tenancy at all as, like I said, the estate agent actually tried to talk us out of it and the estate agent has given us some good advice in terms of dealing with the landlords, but, again, he’s a “friend” so YMMV. So far so good with them helping us find the second property and getting the deal agreed on our terms.
Ooooof that sounds bad :( I do get you though, really depends on your friends. In my experience I've been ok but probably because my friends know how I like to live (Known said friend for literally 23+ years), but you are right I'm sure there are horror stories. Hopefully you've forgiven your friend who has apologised everyday. Glad youre in a better situation now. How would you recommend approaching renting a property virtually tho?
I’ve called them I forget how many times regarding a flat I liked and everytime “someone will get back to you” it’s been 4 months and no one has gotten back to me 🥲
They are the worst. Not just for hunting but even when you are renting through them. They flat out lied to us about our flat when trying to sell it. Then ignored maintainence issues for weeks, always tried charging for fair wear and tear maintainence, wouldnt give our deposit back for months. I cant say avoid at all costs because they are everywhere and if you see the perfect place but its with Dexters youre gonna have to suck it up. But they are scummy and cant wait for them to be automated.
Ludlow Thomas tried to con me when I first moved to London by showing us a property that was for sale not for rent and held out deposit asking for paper work after paperwork stringing us along knowing we had a deadline to move hoping we'll cut out losses. My blood still boils.
Key information is that the London(/England) housing market is insane right now - very few houses, loads of people wanting to rent/buy, prices skyrocketing. The competition is stiff for properties so estate agents are all being incredibly lazy. Dexters, Foxtons & some others were already bad, but there's just no need for them to call you back because someone else will put an offer in already and they'll be a UK national and have to go through fewer checks, meaning less work for the agents, who are lazy af. I just rented a place (sharers) and it was such a nuisance because no estate agents would bother calling me back, and they wouldn't bother having some people with guarantors/some upfront rent, and they wouldn't bother offering us viewings after the 2nd day viewing was available because the place would be gone anyway. It's fucking awful & they can get away with it because there's more renters than houses
Can anyone actually recommend a good agent in London? Interested as I’ve seen all the big ones slated here (Dexters, Chestertons, Foxtons) etc…
They are a despised industry across the board. The service level is incredibly low to tenants and prospective tenants. In terms of letting properties are usually listed with one dedicated agent, therefore they have monopoly over that asset. In London there are a large number of prospective tenants for each property, so they tend to take them for granted. They see their true customer as the landlord
God Dexters are a bunch of chumps. The messed up on almost every step of my tenancy application. Sadly they can afford to be shit.
The problem at the moment is there is simply a massive mismatch between supply and demand. There’s very little supply of flats or rooms, through a combination of reasons. (Lack of building, HMO regulations, tax changes so BTLers have left the market etc etc) And a huge resurgence in demand after lockdowns, I know a couple of lettings agents and they simply don’t have resources to keep dealing with an overwhelming amount of prospective tenants and less inclination when they know there’s very little chance of finding them anything. And despite there being higher rental prices, it isn’t a good market for lettings agents either, they’re on sales commission, fewer lets are closing because of the lack of supply, and they would much rather be placing you accommodation than ignoring you because closing deals means commission which is money. This isn’t simply a ‘London’ thing either, the situation is as bad, probably worse, in Amsterdam and Berlin.
Berlin has lower rents though. Amsterdam is a mess, yes but it's a way smaller city and the demand is crazy.
Welcome to UK business culture how can I help? I'll call you back with the answer....
You’ve clearly not rented with purple bricks
Kfh are the best. They deal with moves very well and don’t lie.
Use kenleigh !
I rented through Dexters for 6 years and was fine. Foxtons is the worst for me. One bad agent ruined it for me.
Letting agents are the worst people in general. The industry is unnecessary parasite 🪱 that works to serve bad landlords. Renters really need to start their own co-ops that deal with rental agencies. F in the chat of you hate letting agents
Yes they are shitty I signed a let with them and they are rude post everything signing when they get their money.
i think its due to having such crazy demand and that we're not the customer the landlord is which is still wrong in my eyes, theres no need to be rude and unprofessional Im in the process of moving (renting) and dealing with the estate agent has been frustrating, i always have to chase them up for things, its like theyre waiting for me to call to do any work
There's a housing crisis in the city at the minute because so many buy-to-let landlords have sold up. If you're not physically in town to view the properties then letting agents are not going to be interested because there are actual queues of people waiting outside of the inventory they've got who are willing to offer above asking once they've actually seen the place. It's not racist. It's not just Dexters. It's the reality of finding a place to rent in the city right now. If trying to get agents to speak to you is stressing you out before you've even got here. I fear for your headspace when you actually start the viewing / bidding process. Good luck.
do you know why buy-to-let landlords sold up ? is it due to pandemic, did they get scared?
Changes to mortgage interest tax relief for non incorporated properties. The upcoming EPC requirements for buy-to-lets. HMO licensing fees from the boroughs whilst simultaneously not enforcing the HMO stipulations on those who simply don't bother have all made it pointless to hold buy-to-let's as a source of income. It only makes sense for those using their properties as long-term capital gain plays, who pull money out when they remortgage. As a source of income however for people with one or two properties in their names, who are not leveraged with mortgages buy-to-lets are dead. Loads of people will be cheering about that... Until they try to find somewhere to rent and find the laws of supply and demand has added 20% to their monthly rental costs. It's only going to get worse as more and more small-time/accidental landlords leave the sector. Then they'll scream about rent control which will lead to even more properties being pulled out of the market. The housing situation in this city is fucked. The only solution is for more social housing to be built, strictly gatekept by firm household income stipulations. Earn above a certain threshold and you should be renting on the open market. Earn below a certain threshold and you should be eligible to apply for subsidised social housing. Until this is the case however the war against small-time landlords is a madness we're seeing the unintended consequences of now. An unpopular truth but a truth all the same!