91% sales valuation accuracy
95% sales fee satisfaction
95% lettings valuation accuracy
97% lettings fee satisfaction
Jun 29,2009
Jun 29,2009
7
people found
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Once we moved in, the managing agent was very incompetent. Certain repairs needed doing: it took them four months. We kept chasing them up, but they didn't bother to respond until we reported them.
Constantly breached the tenancy agreement.
I'd never use them again and advise anyone reading this not to.
Constantly breached the tenancy agreement.
I'd never use them again and advise anyone reading this not to.
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Latest Reviews
11th Feb 2022
reviewed by 'Maryann Eason'
17th Dec 2021
reviewed by 'Fergie'
20th Aug 2021
reviewed by 'Jack'
13th Jul 2020
reviewed by 'Nicholas'
Opening Hours
Address
Hotblack Desiato
314 Upper Street
Islington,London
Greater London
N1 2XQ
02072260160
Performance statistics
| Services | Valuation Accuracy | Fees Satisfaction | Min Price of property reviewed | Max Price of property reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales | 91% | 95% | £123,000 | £9,995,000 |
| Lettings | 95% | 97% | £330 | £5,300 |
Review statistics
| From Landlords | From Tenants | From Vendors | From Buyers | Other | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 95 | 1 | 168 | 7 | 32 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
Areas covered
- EC1V
- N1
- N16
- N5
- N8
- NW1
- NW5
- N7
- NW6
- WC1X
- NW8
- EC1
- E8
- N16
- N4
- E1
Services offered
- Sales
- Lettings
- Block Management
- Surveys
- Conveyancing
- Mortgage Advice
- Home Builder
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Feb 11,2022
Feb 11,2022
0
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Stuart Shiers exemplifies professionalism. He never failed to be attentive to my questions and concerns regarding the sale of an inherited property in Islington, especially as an American citizen. Stuart’s expert and knowledgeable advice regarding the UK market and how to price and successfully ...
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Feb 14, 2022
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Thank you for those glowing comments! We always try to go the extra mile and for our efforts to be recognised in reviews like yours, makes it all worthwhile! ...
Dec 17,2021
Dec 17,2021
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I live in the north of England and wanted to sell my flat in Islington with the minimum of travel and hassle. Stuart Shiers of Hotblack Desiato was recommended by an estate agent friend. He gave me good realistic advice and drove a difficult sale ...
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Aug 20,2021
Aug 20,2021
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Woeful. Never got back to me despite 4 emails and numerous calls. Why oh why would one let with them...
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Apr 23,2021
Apr 23,2021
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Having managed my flat in Islington reliably and efficiently for nearly 15 years, I had no hesitation in asking Hotblack Desiato to market and sell it when I put it on the market. In difficult conditions, they found a buyer. Throughout all the period leading up ...
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Jul 13,2020
Jul 13,2020
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We received excellent service from Hotblack, from both Camden office and subsequently Islington office. Phifi Tsannos at Camden office ably dealt with our first buyer for a sale that collapsed due to the effects of lockdown.
Stuart Shiers at Islington, starting with the relaxation of ...
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Apr 24,2020
Apr 24,2020
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We initially sought to sell our Islington flat in July 2018. We received excellent advice from Stuart Shiers of Hotblacks. Sadly the market was in a bad state because of the Brexit chaos at the time. We took the flat off the market but were sufficiently ...
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Apr 24, 2020
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I wish all our sales were as straightforward as this one! Your timing first time around was not so good, with the effects Brexit was having on market and economic uncertainty at their height, in 2018. Timing for your your second attempt was was impeccable however, as you found a narrow window post General Election and pre- CV-19 lockdown, when the market was making a strong recovery. Thank you for your kind words, and recommendation. Do drop by to say hello, next time you are in Islington! ...
Apr 14,2020
Apr 14,2020
0
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The second time I have used Hot Black Desiato to sell a property in Canonbury NI. Stuart Shiers was excellent from the outset. Professional, personable and a calming head with good advice when the sale ran into problems. The valuation proved just right and his ...
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Apr 20, 2020
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Thank you for your positive feedback and recommendation. Achieving repeat business from a client is incredibly rewarding and I am delighted you decided to instruct Hotblack Desiato for a second time! ...
Jan 29,2020
Jan 29,2020
0
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Property management could be better, but in general I had a good experience. I rented a two bedroom flat with a friend for almost two years. We had a few delays with the boiler and the bathroom repairs and I am not exactly sure why ...
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Dec 11,2019
Dec 11,2019
0
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We had the best experience renting our house through Hotblack. Ripon was available to do viewings at any time, even when we had to bring our kids in toe. He was understanding and knowledgable. Negotiation was fast and courteous. And when we were ready to ...
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Nov 27,2019
Nov 27,2019
0
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Very helpful and efficient - took all of the stress and burden off of me during a busy time. I would use them again without hesitation....
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Nov 21,2019
Nov 21,2019
0
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Ripon is epic. He showed me round a property that I wasn't expecting to fall in love with, I just happened to be in the area seeing another of his properties, and it turned out to be the one. I did fall in love with ...
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Nov 14,2019
Nov 14,2019
0
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Professional, helpful, kind, clear explanations and great support. (and even a so pretty guy!) I'm in a very delicate phase of life and I'm feeling so lucky and happy to have an agent so prepared and supportive....
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Nov 04,2019
Nov 04,2019
0
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Ripon is a professional and reliable lettings negotiator. His working attitude is good and keen to help and provide detailed information. I appreciate his help for my accommodation in London in such a short period of 2 weeks.
I found the excellent teamwork spirit of Hotblack ...
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Nov 02,2019
Nov 02,2019
0
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Ripon helped us to secure the perfect unit for our needs in the heart of Angel. He readily answered all of our questions and made the whole process smooth. He was very approachable, friendly and easy to work with. Would highly recommend contacting Ripon for ...
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Oct 12,2019
Oct 12,2019
0
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Hi Ripon,
My experience with yourself and the office has been very good. From meeting you at the viewing all the way to handing over the keys the office and yourself has been very supportive to both Harry and myself.
Whilst a few things were ...
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Sep 18,2019
Sep 18,2019
0
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Fully organised hand over of tenants. We got a lot of interested people and they understood our requirements and provided a nice overview of each prospect allowing us to make our decision. Emails are always well explained and answers are always in a timely manner. ...
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Aug 19,2019
Aug 19,2019
0
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We were able to find our flat with Ripon Danis who is very different from the other real estate agents we met. Knowing I wouldn’t be able to take cars, he was willing to walk with me across different areas in London to see ...
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Aug 02,2019
Aug 02,2019
0
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Ripon Danis at Hotblack was the most helpful and attentive agent I have experienced to date in the UK. Ripon went over and above to understand me, what I was looking for in a flat and actually gave proper consideration to which flats may suit ...
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Jul 14,2019
Jul 14,2019
0
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I can't speak highly enough of Stuart. He was instrumental in the successful purchase of our new house, in all likelihood if a different, less proactive and present agent had been involved, the purchase of the house would have fallen through. The house purchase was ...
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Jul 17, 2019
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Thanks for your glowing review, Seb. Your purchase was certainly challenging but your desire for the house overcame all the obstacles that might have caused others to falter. I am sure you will do an amazing job modernising and we all wish you both every happiness in your new home. ...
Jul 01,2019
Jul 01,2019
0
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Seamless Rental Process.
We worked with Ripon to find our flat and it was a seamless process throughout. He was very responsive and helped us through getting our paperwork together and finalizing the tenancy. He was always available to help and answered our questions very ...
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Jun 20,2019
Jun 20,2019
0
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Such a good letting experience after having many bad experiences in London. Ripon was so helpful throughout the process, was always quick to answer any questions we had, and ready with all the information we needed. We experienced some issues on our side during the ...
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Jun 17,2019
Jun 17,2019
0
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Jess and Ripon did an excellent job letting my Islington flat. They were proactive on getting it up on the internet within a day or two and achieved a good price for the let....
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Comment on agent fees
About average for this sort of agent and negotiable.
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Jun 11,2019
Jun 11,2019
0
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I've had a great experience with the Hot black desiato team in Islington, Ripon was lovely showed me the perfect flat and got everything going so promptly very professional and the best part they are always just a phone call away....
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May 28,2019
May 28,2019
0
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We worked with Hotblack Desiato to sell our flat in Islington and secured a quick sale at our desired asking price.
They were friendly, responsive, professional, had a good understanding of our local market and managed our expectations well rather than trying to hook us ...
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May 28, 2019
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Hi Tony
Many thanks for taking the time to write a review. I am delighted the sale went smoothly and the timing worked out well for you. Very best of luck with your new home, when you eventually move in, and with the new addition to your family!! ...
Apr 28,2019
Apr 28,2019
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Thank you, for turning what would usually be a stressful experience, into a smooth transaction.
I recently decided to move my elderly Father closer to me. I viewed a small property to purchase and within 11 weeks of making an offer, I was holding the keys ...
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Apr 29, 2019
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'Lanny'
Thanks you for your comments and generous praise. It means a lot. I hope your Dad settles in well into his lovely new flat! ...
Mar 27,2019
Mar 27,2019
0
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We interviewed four prospective agents to sell my Mother's home. The time Stuart initially spent carefully guiding us through the process was upheld right through to the end. Along with great patience, Stuart was always available to explain situations in detail and in person if ...
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Comment on agent fees
Very fair. As I wanted to go with Stuart, he matched the best quote we received from a competitor. Everything was as informed with no hidden surprises.
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Mar 27, 2019
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Thank you. It was likewise great to have you deal with our sale for us. ...
Feb 07,2019
Feb 07,2019
0
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I have been a tenant with Hotblackdesiato for 8 months now and have found the experience to be quite smooth and pain-free. When our laundry machine leaked during the first week of our tenancy, help was called immediately and the situation was remedied in a timely ...
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Feb 07,2019
Feb 07,2019
0
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Jess was an absolute legend in leasing the apartment. She was so easy to communicate with, was flexible, understanding and was clear with everything. Hugely helpful and responsive too....
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Feb 07,2019
Feb 07,2019
0
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I have been using Hotblack Desiato for over 15 years to rent out three flats in London. They have always found me a good tenant and mostly in a short space of time. The communication is very good Stephen is fantastic and I would have no ...
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Comment on agent fees
I find the agents fees very competitive.
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Feb 07,2019
Feb 07,2019
0
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Excellent service for marketing and finding tenants, and the responsiveness of the agents to tenant and landlord queries alike is very good....
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No comment.
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Jessica
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Stuart
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Samantha
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James
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James
Tenant Fees
Overall Fees
£0 (inc. VAT), Pay UpfrontFees & Payments (as permitted under the Tenant Fees Act 2019)
Holding Deposit - One week’s rent
Security Deposit - 5 weeks rent to £50,000pa or 6 weeks if higher
Change of Tenant/sharer - £50 inc VAT or reasonable costs if higher
Failure to return keys plus cost of changing locks - Full replacement costs
Early Termination - Re-marketing costs (See below)
Variation of Contract - £50 inc VAT (see below)
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
Please visit our website www.hotblack.co.uk or call our office on 020 7226 0160 for our complaints procedure
Last updated at 9:41 AM 01/09/2017 by Stuart Shiers
Best Letting Agent in N1 
Could you say more about them breaching the tenancy agreement? We have a viewing scheduled with them on Saturday and it would be very useful to know what kind of agency it is. Are they "just" incompetent or unethical too? Thanks a lot for your insight.