100% sales valuation accuracy
96% sales fee satisfaction
Oct 07,2012
Oct 07,2012
12
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this helpful
this helpful
I was a tenant in a rental property for over two years, and found Spencers to be completely inept as letting agents.
During the tenancy, the property management arm Glenmead were slow to respond to any repair requests. We were left without heating or hot water for three weeks during December. We also received three threats of eviction thanks to the landlord's mortgage arrears.
After my friend moved away, I spent months and months of emails and phone calls trying to organise a tenant swap. Having advised us that would be fine, and that rent would stay the same, they advised the new tenant to move in. Three weeks previously we filled in reference forms (I was expected to pay £165 for referencing, despite having lived in the property for 18 months), They were never returned, so Spencers advised the new tenant to move in and pay rent, without a contract.
So after a month or two of chasing, it transpires that the landlord wanted to increase the rent by 50%, despite the flat being in appalling condition. Given I'd had to buy my own bed, in addition to the holes in the carpets, mice and a leaking toilet, we wanted to negotiate. This dragged on for weeks and weeks, with no updates given as to the progress of reference forms or
After being messed around again and again, and more than three months with no new paperwork, we decided to move out - I had absolutely no trust in them making the repairs that went with a huge hike in rent. The new tenant withheld the last month's rent since she had not been provided with any details of where her deposit was held. And I was threatened with having to pay it. Despite neither of us having a contract for the property.
I'm afraid to say I found them to be incredibly dishonest, unprofessional, uncommunicative and much of their behaviour was in direct contravention of the codes of conduct they so proudly display on their website.
During the tenancy, the property management arm Glenmead were slow to respond to any repair requests. We were left without heating or hot water for three weeks during December. We also received three threats of eviction thanks to the landlord's mortgage arrears.
After my friend moved away, I spent months and months of emails and phone calls trying to organise a tenant swap. Having advised us that would be fine, and that rent would stay the same, they advised the new tenant to move in. Three weeks previously we filled in reference forms (I was expected to pay £165 for referencing, despite having lived in the property for 18 months), They were never returned, so Spencers advised the new tenant to move in and pay rent, without a contract.
So after a month or two of chasing, it transpires that the landlord wanted to increase the rent by 50%, despite the flat being in appalling condition. Given I'd had to buy my own bed, in addition to the holes in the carpets, mice and a leaking toilet, we wanted to negotiate. This dragged on for weeks and weeks, with no updates given as to the progress of reference forms or
After being messed around again and again, and more than three months with no new paperwork, we decided to move out - I had absolutely no trust in them making the repairs that went with a huge hike in rent. The new tenant withheld the last month's rent since she had not been provided with any details of where her deposit was held. And I was threatened with having to pay it. Despite neither of us having a contract for the property.
I'm afraid to say I found them to be incredibly dishonest, unprofessional, uncommunicative and much of their behaviour was in direct contravention of the codes of conduct they so proudly display on their website.
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Opening Hours
Address
Portico
471 Bethnal Green Road
Bethnal Green,London
Greater London
E2 9QH
020 7729 5222
Performance statistics
| Services | Valuation Accuracy | Fees Satisfaction | Min Price of property reviewed | Max Price of property reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales | 100% | 96% | £280,000 | £4,785,000 |
Review statistics
| From Landlords | From Tenants | From Vendors | From Buyers | Other | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 3 | 53 | 9 | 20 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
Areas covered
- E1
- E2
- E3
- E8
- E9
- N1
Services offered
- Sales
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- Block Management
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Latest Properties
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Nov 28,2023
Nov 28,2023
0
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I do not know the selling department but never get involved with the letting department.. in the name of managing they are pain in the neck ..
There is no coordinations between the departments. Without knowing what they are doing, They are all about paperwork and ...
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Feb 06,2019
Feb 06,2019
2
people found
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this helpful
Out of all the incompetent estate agents I've dealt with and, of course, there have been many, Portico have been the absolute worst. Their policy seems to be to ignore every phone call and email, making it impossible to get hold of them. Hence why ...
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Comment on agent fees
The equivalent of throwing money down a drain
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Jan 31,2019
Jan 31,2019
2
people found
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this helpful
Portico are outrageously incompetent. Extortionately high fee pays for: abhorrent lack of communication, unprofessional in every capacity met with habitual lies. In addition to this, they have outright refused to honour the agreed tenancy offer as they have made promises, on behalf of a landlord, ...
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Comment on agent fees
Extortionately high fees should be met with a premium service. This could not be further from the truth.
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Oct 24,2018
Oct 24,2018
3
people found
this helpful
this helpful
We seem to have had nothing but problems and stress since agreeing to rent a flat with Portico Bethnal Green agents Chris Price and Will Purkiss. Service with regards to processing of lettings documents, moving in and resolution of on-going problems has been extremely inefficient, ...
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Comment on agent fees
for the type of service you get the fees are too high
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Jun 12,2018
Jun 12,2018
4
people found
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this helpful
Echoing the other negative reviews here, I have had a nightmare experience with Portico.
As others have said, they ignore emails, phone calls and voicemails. I had to *tweet* them before I could get a response, after months of attempts.
They ignored me for so ...
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Comment on agent fees
Bad
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Apr 16,2018
Apr 16,2018
4
people found
this helpful
this helpful
We've been dealing with them as tenants for a few years now, and and I've never come across such an incompetent, unreasonable and frankly useless agency. Repairs take ages to complete, or are not done at all (it's been a year now since we've been ...
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Bad
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Jan 24,2018
Jan 24,2018
0
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Christopher is very friendly and professional always there to answer any questions,will definitely recommend using these guys to everyone...
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Comment on agent fees
Good
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Jan 23,2018
Jan 23,2018
4
people found
this helpful
this helpful
AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!!!!!!
We all expect stupidly high fees from state agencies nowadays, so not surprise there. We played by the rules, paid £150 for a cleaning service who left the property spotless. It has been 7 weeks since we moved out and we haven't received ...
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Jan 22,2018
Jan 22,2018
0
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I was extremely happy with the service that this agency provided.
The manager Chris Price was very helpful, he gave me complete confidence that they really knew their market, and that they would do everything in their power to sell our property as quickly as ...
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Comment on agent fees
As expected.
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Jan 19,2018
Jan 19,2018
0
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Definitely recommend Portico! They have been amazing letting out my property and always very responsive and professional. Team in East office were extremely helpful too.
Great agents!...
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Sep 20,2017
Sep 20,2017
6
people found
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this helpful
I would give them less than 1 start if I could. Horrific service from the start of when Portico took over spencers this year. Horrendous communication for one, with no prior communications for viewings, no decency to call before hand of the inventory check out. 5 weeks ...
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Aug 31,2016
Aug 31,2016
0
people found
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George was very helpful with all the renting process. He was very responsive, available to show us the property multiple times and going through it with us in detail. After we decided we wanted to make an offer on it, George explained every bit of ...
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Apr 15,2016
Apr 15,2016
2
people found
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this helpful
The agency is extremely unorganised and it is impossible to get correct information in time. As a tenant I've had to deal with them multiple times in the past and my experience has been bad throughout. From 3 monthly check-ups without prior notice to being told ...
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What agent could do to change your mind?
They are not exactly cheap. Although there are probably more expensive agents out there, with this one you can ask how much you want, you'll only know how much you actually have to pay when it's already too late to change your mind.Attached Filesnbsp;
Comment on agent fees
They are not exactly cheap. Although there are probably more expensive agents out there, with this one you can ask how much you want, you'll only know how much you actually have to pay when it's already too late to change your mind.
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Apr 15, 2016
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Dear 'MLT'
I am extremely disappointed to read of your dissatisfaction. I would be most grateful if you would email me directly your property address and contact details so that I may investigate this in more detail. Your comments are exceptionally rare thankfully, but we take any form of criticism seriously.
Regards
Keith Cross
Operations Director
Spencers Property Services
[email protected] ...
Mar 10,2016
Mar 10,2016
0
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Paul quick and reliable. There was some discrepancy when liaising with the landlord, but it was done by another person....
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Comment on agent fees
I dont know his fees
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Jan 15,2016
Jan 15,2016
3
people found
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this helpful
Georgie has been efficient, informative and amazingly personable. From the start she was incredibly helpful at providing the necessary info we needed. In addition, she listened to our criteria and hit the nail on the head with the first flat we visited. A combination of ...
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Comment on agent fees
Good
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Nov 17,2015
Nov 17,2015
0
people found
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Georgie is very friendly and efficient. She has been very helpful with answering all my queries and assisting us in the process of renting this property....
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Comment on agent fees
I think the agent's fees, though not unusual for London, are ridiculously high. I resent having to pay ‚£300 for someone to draft up a tenancy agreement. *
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Nov 11,2015
Nov 11,2015
0
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I am really impressed with this agency's professionalism. Both Georgina and Paul have been very timely, courteous, prompt in their responses, clear in their instructions, available for any questions and additional viewings. They have been great in working with us to secure the let and ...
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Nov 10,2015
Nov 10,2015
0
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The Agent showed me the property. She was very kind and helpfull expalining everything in detail.
best regar d s...
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Oct 29,2015
Oct 29,2015
1
people found
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Georgie was an absolute pleasure to deal with. I called early on a Saturday morning for a viewing and she organised this within a few hours so we could be the first to see it and we signed on for the lease there and then. ...
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Oct 09,2015
Oct 09,2015
3
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Paul has been a very courteous person to deal with.
I had my eye on this particular flat and given the pictures and location had gotten a sense for it in advance and fully felt this was a good fit. Paul was arranging viewings 3 month ...
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Comment on agent fees
I feel the referencing fee per person if very high, this is no reflection on the agent. Just a comparison to other Agencies I have used previously.
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Oct 07,2015
Oct 07,2015
2
people found
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this helpful
The service provided by both Paul and Adam was excellent. They were extremely helpful and ensured that despite our difficult circumstances we were able to complete all the required referencing, forms and move in to our new home as soon as possible. They were always ...
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Oct 06,2015
Oct 06,2015
0
people found
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Paul is keen and tries to help whenever he could, but there are times when I felt he was uncertain of the letting procedure/policy, and there is surely a lack of communications between the office staffs.
For instance, on the week before I move ...
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Oct 04,2015
Oct 04,2015
2
people found
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this helpful
I had a very positive experience with Spencer's. When I first asked spencers to come round I was very worried about renting my flat as I had a strict deadline in which to let it as I was leaving the country. When Adam first came ...
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Sep 29,2015
Sep 29,2015
3
people found
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this helpful
I used Spencers on Bethnal Green Road for the first time after a recommendation from a friend. I found Adam and Paul to be most helpful and knowledgeable when looking for the right property. Once they had shown me several properties, I made my decision ...
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Sep 28,2015
Sep 28,2015
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Paul was representing the seller of a property i have just purchased in bethnal green. He was very communicative and responsive at all times. Very friendly when viewing as well, genuine and professional. thanks very much!...
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Sep 27,2015
Sep 27,2015
3
people found
this helpful
this helpful
I was pleased that Paul and Adam did their best to make my move as soft as possible even though we had some challenges.
they answer all calls and emails quickly....
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Sep 23,2015
Sep 23,2015
0
people found
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Adam was very helpful during what turned out to be a protracted purchase. He stayed calm at all times. He was always very punctual at viewings, returned phone calls when he said he would and kept in touch via regular email contact. After the purchase ...
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Comment on agent fees
The vendor paid the fees. We were the purchasers.
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Sep 22,2015
Sep 22,2015
0
people found
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Adam has been helpful and provided assistance throughout the process. Although the deal took a while to complete due to reasons out of the Estate Agents hands due to the approach Adam took I always felt that the process was in hand and I was ...
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Sep 18,2015
Sep 18,2015
2
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Excellent at what they do on top of everything very pleased with their professionalism and would recommend these guy to everyone thanks lads again...
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Comment on agent fees
Well worth it
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Sep 10,2015
Sep 10,2015
1
people found
this helpful
this helpful
Georgie was very helpful and friendly to speak to. I called enquiring about a property to see if it was available and she advised me about others. I look forward to find a property with her....
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William
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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.
Complaints Procedure
No procedure set.
Last updated at 2:39 PM 01/11/2017 by allAgents
I am very sorry to see your comments.
The logistics of Tenant swaps have often been difficult to coordinate. In this instance, the problem appeared to have beeen compounded as the Landlord lived abroad.
We eventually received the Landlords instructions to increase the rent and organise remedial works, despite the difficulty in communication and response times.
I understand we did our best to keep you advised of our progress but I can also see this took far longer for us to sort out than normal.
I understand you eventually gave notice and vacated the premises and therefore the paperwork, allowing for a replacement tenant, needed further alteration and verification.
Please feel free to contact me directly and I will endeavor to assist you further if you so wish.
Kind Regards
Keith Q Cross
Operations Director
Spencers Property Services