100% lettings valuation accuracy
73% lettings fee satisfaction
Nov 06,2018
Nov 06,2018
25
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this helpful
this helpful
Absolutely the worst estate agent that I have ever had to deal with. I would not have taken the property that I am in if I had known in advance all of the fees and the terms that come with it.
They start by pressuring you into paying them the holding fee and the processing fees by telling you that other people are interested in the property, etc. - that's pretty common.
Their fees are not common, though. They describe their fees as "middling", but the truth is just that they are very expensive and they have lots of hidden fees later on.
For example, weeks after I first paid the processing fees, they then told me that I am responsible for things like paying a cleaning company to clean the windows outside the property. They include in their information pack a document called "How to Rent" from HM Government that states "The landlord must maintain the structure and exterior of the property", and I've never been responsible for cleaning the outside of the property in any other place that I've rented, and yet they still insist that it is completely normal that tenants pay to clean the exterior of the property.
As others have mentioned, they also charge a check out fee at the start of the tenancy. Again, this was not made clear until a couple of days before I moved in, so I was coerced into paying this as well. I have never been charged a check out fee by any other estate agent, so for them to claim that this is a perfectly normal fee is just an outright lie. They claim that they charge it at the start of the tenancy because sometimes tenants leave without paying it, but the truth is just that there is a ban on fees to tenants coming into place soon, so they are collecting the fee now before they are banned from collecting it in the future.
See these links for more details about that:
- https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-action-to-end-letting-fees
- https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tenant-fees-bill
- https://services.parliament.uk/Bills/2017-19/tenantfees.html
They also constantly try to sell your personal information, and trick you into consenting to excessive gathering and sharing of personal information.
For example, they try to forward your personal details on to Virgin Media because they receive a commission if you accept any of Virgin's services.
They also don't tell you on day one that you must pay for home contents insurance that includes protection of the landlord's fittings. Leaders have a sister company, Hepburns, that provides that very specific insurance, and they constantly try to trick you into forgetting to tick a box on different consent forms and data gathering forms that says "Do not send my details to Hepburns", and their websites constantly show you popups and and other information to try to direct you to Hepburns. It's a scam - you can get the same insurance cheaper from Admiral and probably others.
They pass all of the responsibility for your referencing to a company called Lettings Hub. Lettings Hub are the most invasive company that I have ever dealt with. Most companies perform a credit check on you and possibly request a letter from your company's HR department to confirm that you earn over a certain amount to afford the rent for the property, but Lettings Hub demand irrelevant details such as your marital status and they insist on your sending them full pay slips insecurely via their website. They force you to check a box that says that you accept that they may store and transmit your personal information insecurely via e-mail and that you will not hold them responsible for any leaked data. They even demanded that I tell them my office location so that they could check if my daily commute would be too expensive for me to be able to afford the rent.
Their contract is full of clauses that provide zero protection for you as a tenant, but allow them to charge further exorbitant fees for little or no reason. For example, one clause says that you must pay a cleaning company recommended by them at the end of the tenancy (and you must give Leaders the receipt as proof), but another clause says that if they are unsatisfied with the cleanliness of the property then they will take another cleaning fee from your deposit. How is it fair to force you to pay once and then claim that it wasn't good enough and then charge you again?
I discussed with them taking a very standard 12 month contract with a 6 month break clause. When the final contract came through a few days before I moved in, it said that there would be an 8 month break clause, not 6. When I challenged this point they told me that it would be a hassle to change the contract now and that the landlord would be very unhappy about it. This is simply dishonest and coercive on their part.
When I (begrudgingly) made the initial rent, deposit and check out fee payment via their website, there was an error, so when I went to collect the keys they told me that they couldn't find the payment. I showed them the confirmation page and a payment receipt and they were eventually able to track down the payment, but it's just another indication of how they are not careful with your personal and financial details.
When I asked who Leaders are regulated by, they proudly told me that they are regulated by ARLA, a body that had been partly set up by Leader's owner. I don't know the specifics, but that sounds like a complete conflict of interest; a self-regulated company is basically unregulated. You can contact the Property Ombudsman instead (which I am in the process of doing).
Leaders have demonstrated that they are expensive, dishonest and manipulative; they operate completely unethically, yet they make you feel like you are the one who is in the wrong.
Just avoid Leaders at all costs. Pick ANY other estate agent. If you see a property listed on RightMove or Zoopla, check if Leaders is the agent and keep looking for another property - it just isn't worth dealing with them.
They start by pressuring you into paying them the holding fee and the processing fees by telling you that other people are interested in the property, etc. - that's pretty common.
Their fees are not common, though. They describe their fees as "middling", but the truth is just that they are very expensive and they have lots of hidden fees later on.
For example, weeks after I first paid the processing fees, they then told me that I am responsible for things like paying a cleaning company to clean the windows outside the property. They include in their information pack a document called "How to Rent" from HM Government that states "The landlord must maintain the structure and exterior of the property", and I've never been responsible for cleaning the outside of the property in any other place that I've rented, and yet they still insist that it is completely normal that tenants pay to clean the exterior of the property.
As others have mentioned, they also charge a check out fee at the start of the tenancy. Again, this was not made clear until a couple of days before I moved in, so I was coerced into paying this as well. I have never been charged a check out fee by any other estate agent, so for them to claim that this is a perfectly normal fee is just an outright lie. They claim that they charge it at the start of the tenancy because sometimes tenants leave without paying it, but the truth is just that there is a ban on fees to tenants coming into place soon, so they are collecting the fee now before they are banned from collecting it in the future.
See these links for more details about that:
- https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-action-to-end-letting-fees
- https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tenant-fees-bill
- https://services.parliament.uk/Bills/2017-19/tenantfees.html
They also constantly try to sell your personal information, and trick you into consenting to excessive gathering and sharing of personal information.
For example, they try to forward your personal details on to Virgin Media because they receive a commission if you accept any of Virgin's services.
They also don't tell you on day one that you must pay for home contents insurance that includes protection of the landlord's fittings. Leaders have a sister company, Hepburns, that provides that very specific insurance, and they constantly try to trick you into forgetting to tick a box on different consent forms and data gathering forms that says "Do not send my details to Hepburns", and their websites constantly show you popups and and other information to try to direct you to Hepburns. It's a scam - you can get the same insurance cheaper from Admiral and probably others.
They pass all of the responsibility for your referencing to a company called Lettings Hub. Lettings Hub are the most invasive company that I have ever dealt with. Most companies perform a credit check on you and possibly request a letter from your company's HR department to confirm that you earn over a certain amount to afford the rent for the property, but Lettings Hub demand irrelevant details such as your marital status and they insist on your sending them full pay slips insecurely via their website. They force you to check a box that says that you accept that they may store and transmit your personal information insecurely via e-mail and that you will not hold them responsible for any leaked data. They even demanded that I tell them my office location so that they could check if my daily commute would be too expensive for me to be able to afford the rent.
Their contract is full of clauses that provide zero protection for you as a tenant, but allow them to charge further exorbitant fees for little or no reason. For example, one clause says that you must pay a cleaning company recommended by them at the end of the tenancy (and you must give Leaders the receipt as proof), but another clause says that if they are unsatisfied with the cleanliness of the property then they will take another cleaning fee from your deposit. How is it fair to force you to pay once and then claim that it wasn't good enough and then charge you again?
I discussed with them taking a very standard 12 month contract with a 6 month break clause. When the final contract came through a few days before I moved in, it said that there would be an 8 month break clause, not 6. When I challenged this point they told me that it would be a hassle to change the contract now and that the landlord would be very unhappy about it. This is simply dishonest and coercive on their part.
When I (begrudgingly) made the initial rent, deposit and check out fee payment via their website, there was an error, so when I went to collect the keys they told me that they couldn't find the payment. I showed them the confirmation page and a payment receipt and they were eventually able to track down the payment, but it's just another indication of how they are not careful with your personal and financial details.
When I asked who Leaders are regulated by, they proudly told me that they are regulated by ARLA, a body that had been partly set up by Leader's owner. I don't know the specifics, but that sounds like a complete conflict of interest; a self-regulated company is basically unregulated. You can contact the Property Ombudsman instead (which I am in the process of doing).
Leaders have demonstrated that they are expensive, dishonest and manipulative; they operate completely unethically, yet they make you feel like you are the one who is in the wrong.
Just avoid Leaders at all costs. Pick ANY other estate agent. If you see a property listed on RightMove or Zoopla, check if Leaders is the agent and keep looking for another property - it just isn't worth dealing with them.
Comment on agent fees
Their fees are higher than other estate agents, they charge for things that other estate agents do not and many of the fees are hidden.
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Latest Reviews
16th Nov 2023
reviewed by 'Peter Lockley'
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reviewed by 'Rachel'
30th Jun 2022
reviewed by 'KSL'
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reviewed by 'G'
30th Aug 2020
reviewed by 'Julia'
Opening Hours
Address
Leaders
13 Station Road
Burgess Hill
West Sussex
RH15 9DE
01444 239666
Performance statistics
| Services | Valuation Accuracy | Fees Satisfaction | Min Price of property reviewed | Max Price of property reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lettings | 100% | 73% | £775 | £1,700 |
Review statistics
| From Landlords | From Tenants | From Vendors | From Buyers | Other | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Areas covered
- RH15
BN6
BN8
Services offered
- Sales
- Lettings
- Block Management
- Surveys
- Conveyancing
- Mortgage Advice
- Home Builder
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Latest Properties
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Nov 16,2023
Nov 16,2023
0
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Best Letting agents in town! I am a DIY landlord previously and have recently signed up to the Leaders Premier Managed service. I had the pleasure of dealing with Alex Hodge at valuation stage who is very personable and knowledgeable. The lettings chaps Tommy and ...
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Sep 05,2022
Sep 05,2022
0
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this helpful
Moving in to my first proposal alone.
Alex was very helpful and made it as stress free as she could.
Every question answered and promptly
Highly recommend...
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Aug 01,2022
Aug 01,2022
0
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Alex was professional, personable and made the whole experience painless. Nothing I asked was too much and any questions I had were answered with knowledge and substance. A seamless experience....
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Jun 30,2022
Jun 30,2022
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
We are a family who rented via Leaders for five years until very recently. Our experience is that Leaders wholly represent the interests of the landlord and have no interest whatsoever in their tenants.
Right from the start of our tenancy, when we reported issues ...
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Mar 09,2021
Mar 09,2021
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
I originally contacted to rent out my property. I said I would like to get everything in place ready for following year.
I told them I'm happy with everything, I WILL CONTACT THEM WHEN IM READY TO RENT.
Now I have had non stop phone ...
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Aug 30,2020
Aug 30,2020
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Horrible service, when Sarah came to the flat for viewing she did not even lock it after leaving , leaving it insecure, open for anyone to come, she presented terrific charges for cleaning after contract expired like a dirty oven which was cleaned a a lot ...
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Comment on agent fees
my partner was badly overcharged because the horrible neighbor in upstairs flat number 10 was jumping like mad till late at night, I went upstairs one day and asked her- should I call an ambulance because my partner struggles with high blood pressure episodes and his face is very red now, she Ignored me and carried on for a whole year.I doubt her mental stability.My partner mentioned a problem to the landlord but the answer was- Not my problem, well it's his problem! because it's very unlikely he will have long term tenants with a neighbor upstairs who is so selfish! also we heard a smoke alarm in the flat upstairs going on and off as she forgot about a toast she put to a toaster.Well it shows that the place is not even safe to live in!
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Oct 28,2019
Oct 28,2019
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
I only have one positive to share - the contractors Leaders recommended. Anytime Installations have saved the day by completely refurbishing by 2 bedroomed rental property. The whole experience from beginning to end has been seamless, stress free and completed at a fair price. Leon is ...
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“Lauren was a great help with finding a property farst and I was able to move forward quickly big thanks to Lauren...”
May 28,2019
May 28,2019
0
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Lauren was most helpful and pashant as I am working a lot the time and always kept me up to date with what's going on . We had some trouble with the lettings hup but other than that all went well...
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Comment on agent fees
Good
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Nov 28,2018
Nov 28,2018
0
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Thanks to all at leaders burgess hill in particular Gail for all her sterling work with viewings and explaining everything in detail.the move went well I love my new home . Yes the initial outlay was quite expensive but you get what you pay for ...
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Bad
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Nov 06,2018
Nov 06,2018
25
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Absolutely the worst estate agent that I have ever had to deal with. I would not have taken the property that I am in if I had known in advance all of the fees and the terms that come with it.
They start by pressuring ...
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Comment on agent fees
Their fees are higher than other estate agents, they charge for things that other estate agents do not and many of the fees are hidden.
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Sep 06,2018
Sep 06,2018
0
people found
this helpful
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I am taking time just to acknowledge the professional, and attentive service provided by Alex in dealing with our rental agreement and issues arising from our residency. Alex very swiftly has dealt with issues of snagging points when we first moved in and positively and ...
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Comment on agent fees
Fees though seemingly high are in line with other agents.
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Aug 23,2016
Aug 23,2016
8
people found
this helpful
this helpful
I would avoid this agent at all costs. (Writing from an ex-tenant's perspective. Staff are rude, arrogant and unfriendly and, when we announced we would no longer be renting, they pretty much acted as though we were a supply of cash which was now obsolete. ...
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Apr 30,2014
Apr 30,2014
0
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We bought 2 new buy-to-let houses in Bolnore Village Haywards Heath. The first one in January 2014 and the second one in March 2014. Living in France there was a fair amount of snagging detail to be finalised with Bovis the house developer. Leaders provided a service second ...
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Apr 30,2014
Apr 30,2014
0
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I have been using Leaders for around the last 8-9 months and have found their service to be excellent. I'm an overseas landlord and was very apprehensive about letting my property. Leaders found me an ideal tenant who has recently extended his stay. They have ...
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Jan 30,2014
Jan 30,2014
0
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I wanted to say how helpful and fantastic the team at Burgess Hill are. It started from being shown around a number of properties by Claire, at short notice and it was the best fun I had ever had and very useful. She knew exactly ...
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Jan 02,2013
Jan 02,2013
1
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Excellent and professional service offered by all at Leaders (BH), especially Becky Stocker who we found to be extremely helpful and knowledgeable. First class service and would strongly recommend this branch and we would definitely use again....
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Nov 22,2012
Nov 22,2012
0
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We've rented two properties through Leaders Burgesshill over the last eight years and on both occasions have found all members of staff to be knowledgeable, helpful, friendly and efficient. We rented our last property for almost six years. Throughout this time we dealt mainly with ...
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Nov 21,2012
Nov 21,2012
0
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My property, that I rent through Leaders, is managed by the Burgess Hill branch for the Landlord. If i need to contact them with issues regarding the property i have found the staff, especially Sarah, very helpful and professional and willing to do all they ...
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Nov 15,2012
Nov 15,2012
0
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I have been a Landlord with Leaders in Burgess Hill for 12 years and have always been very impressed with the service and the resposiveness of everyone at the Burgess Hill branch. Leaders now manage 5 properties for me and I would not hesitiate in recommending them ...
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Nov 07,2012
Nov 07,2012
1
people found
this helpful
this helpful
In December 2011 we rented our property for the first time due to my job being rolcated to Asia. We were unsure of the process and what to expect.
We rang Leaders and another couple of agents. Gail Scannell from Leaders was the first to come ...
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Nov 05,2012
Nov 05,2012
1
people found
this helpful
this helpful
I found Gail and her team at Leaders, Burgess Hll to be incredibly helpful and at all times professional in letting my house in Hassocks. She always went 'the extra mile' and I am very happy with the service I received - I shall continue ...
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Nov 04,2012
Nov 04,2012
0
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We have always found Leaders honest, professional, helpful and committed. Gail always makes herself available when we need information or help of any kind - even when she is busy in other branches or with other matters/clients. Rebecca keeps us in the loop with ...
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Nov 03,2012
Nov 03,2012
0
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Leaders have always been professional and helpful. They are proactive in finding tenants and resolving any problems that crop up. I would not hesitate to recommend them....
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Nov 03,2012
Nov 03,2012
0
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Leaders took this flat which had been on the rental market with other letting agents and immediately the following day after instruction arranged several viewings and acheived the full rental value.The flat had been marketed by another local agent for 4 weeks with no success....
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Nov 03,2012
Nov 03,2012
0
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I have rented two properties through Leaders Burgess Hill and they have been so helpful both times. When looking for a property they had the most choice and their website is very good.
On the rare occasion I did need to contact leaders re: a ...
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Nov 01,2012
Nov 01,2012
1
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Ive found the team at Leaders, Burgess Hill to be dedicated, professional and courteous in all of my dealings with them. They have gone above and beyond the call of duty and when I was faced with unexpected challenges, have been there to offer advice ...
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Nov 01,2012
Nov 01,2012
0
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We always call on Leaders at Burgess Hill on a finder only basis for our rentals. They have a good solid base and presence in the area, great premises which are easily visible and in the High Street and a professional but approachable manner. We ...
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Nov 01,2012
Nov 01,2012
0
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Leaders are one of the most professional agents i have dealt with. I use Leaders on a tenant find basis and found them to be polite and speedy. I have found that i am always able to speak to someone on the phone. They have ...
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Nov 21,2010
Nov 21,2010
9
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Never cared for us as customers. When we left the property they took 280 out of our deposit without considering our points of view. The inventory made in the beginning of the contract vs. the one made at the end was completely different. The last one ...
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Jul 09, 2013
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Dear Edward, Further to your feedback I would like to say we always take our customers comments on board and would like the opportunity of discussing the same should you wish to contact us. In regards to the deductions from your deposit, all monies are held by us as Stakeholder and protected as we are not only Safe Agents but members of the Tenants Despute Scheme. No monies can be debited without your consent. We have always strieved to offer all our clients the best service we can. So please do ...
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.
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