0% lettings valuation accuracy
0% lettings fee satisfaction
Oct 01,2012
Oct 01,2012
24
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I had the misfortune of renting from Atlantis. I should have realised there would be strife when 1 week before I was due to move in I was told flatly that, despite putting down a deposit, I could not move in for another 2 weeks because the current tenants hadn't moved out yet. Naturally Atlantis' lengthy list of charges, which you have to agree to on putting down a deposit, are very financially punative if the tenant breaks their side of the arrangement.
I then moved into an allegedly furnished flat which was completely bare. After considerable arguing beds were delivered but luxuries such as a table and chairs to eat off were denied as apparently the term "furnished" is a very broad term. Our flat was also dirty and had no hot water to shower in for the first 2 weeks (during winter). We were sent an inventory which clearly hadn't been checked for many years and were naturally reminded if it wasn't returned within a week a fine would be imposed. We duly obliged but did not sign this and invited Atlantis to update/verify the changes, sadly this did not seem to be within their capabilities.
Our fortunes with Atlantis slightly changed however upon writing a review on the internet about the estate agents. We were contacted by the managing director (Andrew Strong) and some furniture was then provided. We were encouraged to modify our review online.
Property maintenance was also a difficult experience. The washing machine broke and after 4 weeks of emailing we finally received a replacement. Maintenance incompetance seemed to generally be blamed on the landlord who we were often informed had 50 properties with Atlantis and therefore it was implied this trumped any responsibility to honouring the tenancy agreement. Incidently dealings with the landlord's own tradesman painted a picture of Atlantis rarely commincating any of the problems to him and when we contacted him directly he was very obliging.
With these issues in mind we were prepared for moving out to be far from straight forward and Atlantis duly lived up to our lowest expectations. An attempt to vacate the property a whole 2 days early was met with the threat of a fine. Atlantis attempted to disregard the multiple errors on the inventory because we had not signed it. This was despite the fact that we had agreed to have them rectify the changes on the inventory first because it was so out of date and they had not managed to get round to it 9 months later. Finally Atlantis attempted numerous deductions on the inventory including a £20 fee for throwing away an ironing board they had given us and a bin. Their duplicity was further highlighted when we contacted the new tenants and they confirmed that these articles had never been removed. They tried to charge us for the cleaning even though we had written confirmation that they would pay for cleaning us the flat was dirty when we moved in. After considerable negotiations we had deductions reduced to £50 in addition of course to their £210 check out fee.
I have now moved into a house managed by another local Reading estate agents and their attitude is completely different. Charges are appropriate and not exploitive and staff can be contacted directly rather than a message left which is simply ignored. I have written this review because I want to warn other tenants against dealing with such an estate agent when there are many more professional companies with integrity in the Reading area.
I then moved into an allegedly furnished flat which was completely bare. After considerable arguing beds were delivered but luxuries such as a table and chairs to eat off were denied as apparently the term "furnished" is a very broad term. Our flat was also dirty and had no hot water to shower in for the first 2 weeks (during winter). We were sent an inventory which clearly hadn't been checked for many years and were naturally reminded if it wasn't returned within a week a fine would be imposed. We duly obliged but did not sign this and invited Atlantis to update/verify the changes, sadly this did not seem to be within their capabilities.
Our fortunes with Atlantis slightly changed however upon writing a review on the internet about the estate agents. We were contacted by the managing director (Andrew Strong) and some furniture was then provided. We were encouraged to modify our review online.
Property maintenance was also a difficult experience. The washing machine broke and after 4 weeks of emailing we finally received a replacement. Maintenance incompetance seemed to generally be blamed on the landlord who we were often informed had 50 properties with Atlantis and therefore it was implied this trumped any responsibility to honouring the tenancy agreement. Incidently dealings with the landlord's own tradesman painted a picture of Atlantis rarely commincating any of the problems to him and when we contacted him directly he was very obliging.
With these issues in mind we were prepared for moving out to be far from straight forward and Atlantis duly lived up to our lowest expectations. An attempt to vacate the property a whole 2 days early was met with the threat of a fine. Atlantis attempted to disregard the multiple errors on the inventory because we had not signed it. This was despite the fact that we had agreed to have them rectify the changes on the inventory first because it was so out of date and they had not managed to get round to it 9 months later. Finally Atlantis attempted numerous deductions on the inventory including a £20 fee for throwing away an ironing board they had given us and a bin. Their duplicity was further highlighted when we contacted the new tenants and they confirmed that these articles had never been removed. They tried to charge us for the cleaning even though we had written confirmation that they would pay for cleaning us the flat was dirty when we moved in. After considerable negotiations we had deductions reduced to £50 in addition of course to their £210 check out fee.
I have now moved into a house managed by another local Reading estate agents and their attitude is completely different. Charges are appropriate and not exploitive and staff can be contacted directly rather than a message left which is simply ignored. I have written this review because I want to warn other tenants against dealing with such an estate agent when there are many more professional companies with integrity in the Reading area.
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Latest Reviews
16th Aug 2021
reviewed by 'Gail Brown'
8th Apr 2021
reviewed by 'Steven'
30th Dec 2019
reviewed by 'Antony'
Opening Hours
Address
Atlantis Estates Ltd.
23/24 Market Place
Reading
Berkshire
RG1 2DE
0118 956 8888
Performance statistics
| Services | Valuation Accuracy | Fees Satisfaction | Min Price of property reviewed | Max Price of property reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lettings | 0% | 0% | £0 | £0 |
Review statistics
| From Landlords | From Tenants | From Vendors | From Buyers | Other | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 4 |
Areas covered
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Aug 16,2021
Aug 16,2021
0
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this helpful
I have found Andrew Strong , CEO and Imran Alam , office Manager very responsive and helpful is sorting out any problems that have arisen....
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Apr 08,2021
Apr 08,2021
0
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Dreadful service. They take your money and do absolutely nothing in return. The directors don't even live in the UK! AVOID AT ALL COSTS....
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Nov 04,2020
Nov 04,2020
3
people found
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this helpful
Fraudsters. Extremely bad service.
The CEO* should be in jail for the dodgy things this company does. Please avoid at all costs...
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Oct 24,2020
Oct 24,2020
0
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Most professional and knowledgeable management company I've ever experienced (had experience with these types of companies for 10+ years). Very happy client and would definitely recommend!...
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Jan 14,2020
Jan 14,2020
0
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This company uses tactics to add additional arrear charges to customers accounts. I received a letter requesting a £50 arrears charge for a £117 maintenance invoice. They did not send the initial invoice and then refused to take of the arrears charge! The letter I received had ...
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Dec 30,2019
Dec 30,2019
1
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Parking Wardens - avoid at all cost
Atlantis Reading used to be an honest and well run company.
However recently they have gone downhill.
As owners we are supposed to get a management charge set by budget.
Any deficit / excess is paid back to owners.
...
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Oct 24,2019
Oct 24,2019
3
people found
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this helpful
Avoid this company if at all possible. Only exist to line Andrew Strong's pockets, with very high fees and charges. Charged £50 for being a day late with payment. Normal companies just send a reminder initially, but this mob charge £50 for every communication....
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Dec 30, 2019
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Absolutely agree - I was also charged £50 for 1 day late on a £23 charge over Christmas.
Their 30 day period does not include postal delivery so as far as I was concerned I was within the period.
Absolutely rediculous. Not only that they keep making demands for all these small amounts and then clobber the unsuspecting owners. ...
Jan 10,2014
Jan 10,2014
4
people found
this helpful
this helpful
As a tenant, AVOID !
As a landlord - GREAT - don't have to maintain your property at all, and can keep your entire deposit for your rotting property no matter how clean the house is!
Takes up to 3 months for maintenance to commence - will ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
Think about your tenant as a customer throughout their tenancy and not just at the beginning -Attached Filesnbsp;
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Mar 12, 2014
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This sounds suspiciously like the property we have moved into (in RG4)- we have been here 6 weeks and the non-usable bathroom is still in the same condition - many other issues have surfaced since we moved in(none of which were disclosed, either by the agent or the landlord).
The original complainant is being overly generous in awarding 1 star for service(or could that be that there is no option to give a zero star rating!) ...
Oct 07,2013
Oct 07,2013
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
In 2011 (apologies, I have only just discovered this website), my partner and I were looking to rent our first property together. We found a very nice flat situated centrally in Reading.
We booked in a viewing with an Atlantis agent (Matthew L'estrange) who was very ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
As you will be able to determine from the detail I have given about my experience with this agent, the improvements could be made by not lying to the customers and a clear and concise method of communication to both tennants and landlords. Pay more care and attention to the customer and apologise when things do go wrong.Attached Filesnbsp;
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Mar 26,2013
Mar 26,2013
1
people found
this helpful
this helpful
After having some truly terrible experiences with managing agents over the years I can honestly say that my experience with Atlantis has been wonderful. Professional, efficient, helpful and courteous amongst other qualities. I'm leaving for the Summer this week and I am completely confident in ...
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Mar 26,2013
Mar 26,2013
0
people found
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this helpful
I take great pleasure in writing this review on behalf of Graham Jones and Atlantis. I live far away and use Atlantis for the management of my property. When my tenant supplied his notice to leave, there was precisely a two day gap before I ...
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Mar 25,2013
Mar 25,2013
0
people found
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this helpful
I visited the Atlantis agency after letting with another estate agent for the past two years who I had nothing but trouble with, so I was very scepitical about what sort of service they could offer. I really was at my wits end with bloody ...
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Mar 25,2013
Mar 25,2013
1
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Good, competent management. Quick replies to any concerns and appropriate escalation when requested. A breath of fresh air after the utter shower that was our last managing agent who shall remain nameless on this page, but not on theirs. Keep it up....
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Mar 19,2013
Mar 19,2013
1
people found
this helpful
this helpful
We have used Atlantis to initially rent my property and then subsequently manage the property as well as the building. On both counts I found them to be highly professional, courteous and quick to respond. I would have no hesitation in recommending them to either ...
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Mar 19,2013
Mar 19,2013
1
people found
this helpful
this helpful
In my experience I've found that dealing with managing agents can be a needlessly stressful experience. However I'm happy to say that my experiences with Atlantis Estates and particularly Graham Jones has been a pleasure, having been kept completely up to date with the considerable ...
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Mar 19,2013
Mar 19,2013
1
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Very helpful agent. Numerous problems with my property when I moved in and all were resolved in a timely manner. I hope this service continues....
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Mar 19,2013
Mar 19,2013
1
people found
this helpful
this helpful
All e-mails and correspondance were replied to promptly, obtaining RTM was achieved efficiently and promptly (to our surprise). I would recommend Atlantis Estates to anybody wanting to look into taking over the management of their block....
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Mar 18,2013
Mar 18,2013
1
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Myself and the other leaseholders successfully took over the RTM of our apartment block after a bad experience with our previous agent. We eventually signed Atlantis as our managing agents and they have been nothing short of excellent.Nothing is too much trouble for them ...
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Oct 10,2012
Oct 10,2012
3
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Three years ago our RTM Company took over control from a highly resistant, litigious and obstructive freeholder. The best decision we made was to appoint Atlantis as our managing agents.
They drew up a a six year plan with annual budgets and enabled us to ...
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Nov 22, 2018
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Thank you for this. ...
Oct 01,2012
Oct 01,2012
24
people found
this helpful
this helpful
I had the misfortune of renting from Atlantis. I should have realised there would be strife when 1 week before I was due to move in I was told flatly that, despite putting down a deposit, I could not move in for another 2 weeks because the ...
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Aug 28,2012
Aug 28,2012
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Wendy has gone above and beyond her call of duty and she always has a pleasant manner, thanks for getting our block back into a reasonable condition and keep up the great work....
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Jun 20,2012
Jun 20,2012
3
people found
this helpful
this helpful
We took over the RTM of our small block of flats as our previous managing agent Mainstay were awful. They didn't know what they were managing and our services charges were in the region of 1500 pounds sterling per annum. We successfully took over the RTM ...
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Jun 18,2012
Jun 18,2012
3
people found
this helpful
this helpful
All queries dealt with promply, in detail and without fuss - excactly what is asked for and nothing less.
Contract issue, renewals, liaising with tenants, repair orders....
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Jun 14,2012
Jun 14,2012
4
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Atlantis Estates has been managing our block of flats for about two years.
The previous management company proved to be useless, so it was nice to come across a company that cares and finds the time to see things through.
Tina has proven to be ...
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Jun 13,2012
Jun 13,2012
4
people found
this helpful
this helpful
I have found Atlantis Estates to be a proactive and effective management company that can be relied upon to provide an excellent service. In particular, Tina Watkin has dealt with my many queries and requests in a highly professional, business-like but personal manner and is ...
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Apr 08,2012
Apr 08,2012
12
people found
this helpful
this helpful
The service is mediocre at best and the charges exorbitant. They send out the invoices for service charges at variable times between Jan-Mar so you are never sure when to pay.
In spite of having my e-mail and telephone number, they found it best to ...
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Apr 10, 2012
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Dear FM,
Thank you for your message. I am very sorry to hear that you are unhappy with our service.
I am not sure if we have ever spoken directly, however, please do contact me directly so that we can resolve this matter. Alternatively, if you would prefer not to I would confirm that the majority of our instructions are from resident management companies (i.e. the leaseholders themselves) and as such this is likely to be the case in your instance. You may wish to contact the Directors of ...
Feb 21,2012
Feb 21,2012
5
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Andrew Strong dealt with obtaining the Right To Manage of our properties very efficiently and at a very reasonable cost. He certainly knows the RTM process very thoroughly. All e-mails were replied to promptly. I would recommend Atlantis Estates to anybody wanting to take over ...
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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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Last updated at 9:24 AM 10/10/2019 by heather heather
