80% sales valuation accuracy
95% sales fee satisfaction
93% lettings valuation accuracy
84% lettings fee satisfaction
Feb 15,2013
Feb 15,2013
3
people found
this helpful
this helpful
I first let a property from Townends in 2006, and was very pleased with the service I received form them, so when I was looking to let again in Guildford in 2012 I had no hesitation in using them again. What a mistake that turned out to be.
Although they were extremely proactive in arranging viewings and suggesting properties, the moment I had settled on a property the trouble started. They failed to answer most of the emails I sent them, provided a catalogue of information that was wrong, and didn't return or follow up the cast majority of my calls. The entire process of arranging the tenancy was a catalogue of errors:
On a repeat viewing of the property to decide on furniture, the agent and myself were confronted with an extremely angry tenant who refused to let us in, stating that not only had he not been informed of the visit, but that Townends had not returned his keys to him when they had promised after a previous viewing.
Townends neglected to inform me of the extent of their fees until after I had already given them my holding deposit. A mistake on my part, but the previous time I had used them their fees had been reasonable. This time they demanded £600 (this for a single occupancy).
I asked at the time if there would be any fees for tenancy renewal and was assured that there wouldn't be. When it came to renewing the tenancy I was then asked for money to draft a new tenancy agreement, and was told the original answer was an error.
Townends had stated that they would be setting up council tax and bills on my behalf. I filled out a form for this with my details but heard nothing. Several ignored enquiries later I was fed up of chasing and just did it myself.
Townends stated that they would be doing an inventory, however this was also in error.
When arranging the initial tenancy agreement, Townends emailed me documents intended for the landlady in error, containing confidential financial information.
When I wrote to the branch manager detailing my experiences and grievances, I was completely ignored.
To summarise, I found Townends to be incompetant, rude, and downright dishonest, and would advise anybody renting or letting a flat to steer well clear of them.
Although they were extremely proactive in arranging viewings and suggesting properties, the moment I had settled on a property the trouble started. They failed to answer most of the emails I sent them, provided a catalogue of information that was wrong, and didn't return or follow up the cast majority of my calls. The entire process of arranging the tenancy was a catalogue of errors:
On a repeat viewing of the property to decide on furniture, the agent and myself were confronted with an extremely angry tenant who refused to let us in, stating that not only had he not been informed of the visit, but that Townends had not returned his keys to him when they had promised after a previous viewing.
Townends neglected to inform me of the extent of their fees until after I had already given them my holding deposit. A mistake on my part, but the previous time I had used them their fees had been reasonable. This time they demanded £600 (this for a single occupancy).
I asked at the time if there would be any fees for tenancy renewal and was assured that there wouldn't be. When it came to renewing the tenancy I was then asked for money to draft a new tenancy agreement, and was told the original answer was an error.
Townends had stated that they would be setting up council tax and bills on my behalf. I filled out a form for this with my details but heard nothing. Several ignored enquiries later I was fed up of chasing and just did it myself.
Townends stated that they would be doing an inventory, however this was also in error.
When arranging the initial tenancy agreement, Townends emailed me documents intended for the landlady in error, containing confidential financial information.
When I wrote to the branch manager detailing my experiences and grievances, I was completely ignored.
To summarise, I found Townends to be incompetant, rude, and downright dishonest, and would advise anybody renting or letting a flat to steer well clear of them.
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12th Aug 2020
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6th Mar 2020
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9th Dec 2017
reviewed by 'Szidonia'
15th Nov 2017
reviewed by 'Topgeear'
Opening Hours
Address
Stirling Ackroyd
3-5 Epsom Road
Guildford
Surrey
GU1 3JT
01483 300 700 / 01483 505 535
Performance statistics
| Services | Valuation Accuracy | Fees Satisfaction | Min Price of property reviewed | Max Price of property reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales | 80% | 95% | £34,500 | £718,000 |
| Lettings | 93% | 84% | £480 | £3,750 |
Review statistics
| From Landlords | From Tenants | From Vendors | From Buyers | Other | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 98 | 6 | 121 | 17 | 57 | 5 | 40 | 1 | 7 | 5 |
Areas covered
- GU1
- Central Guildford and the surrounding villages
- GU2
- GU3
- GU4
- GU5
- GU6
Services offered
- Sales
- Lettings
- Block Management
- Surveys
- Conveyancing
- Mortgage Advice
- Home Builder
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Latest Properties
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Aug 12,2020
Aug 12,2020
0
people found
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I would give them minus stars if I could. Awful, utterly mind baffled at how anyone would use them. They have given nothing but grief to me since I’ve been renting with them. They want to take 0 responsibilities for anything to do with the ...
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Aug 13, 2020
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(1)
Thank you for taking the time to post a review. I regret to hear you were disappointed with the service you received. I would like to assure you that your feedback is important to us and in consideration of this I hope you contact me using [email protected] so we can understand better what may have gone wrong. I look forward to hearing from you, regards - Amber ...
Mar 06,2020
Mar 06,2020
0
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Has been renting through Townsend for couple of years to start with they were good.. However now coming to move out we have seen a very different side to them..... They are rude, inconsiderate, making moving which is already stressful even more stressful by demanding ...
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Jan 17,2018
Jan 17,2018
0
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I recently sold my property through Townends, Guildford.
I've not had the best of experiences with estate agents, but felt compelled to write a review and thank you, for the service i received from them, especially from Lee Glome, who is an asset to them.
...
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Dec 18,2017
Dec 18,2017
0
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Brilliant information and understanding towards what I need to rent. She had a great knowledge of the surrounding area which really helped towards matching my needs as a working professional. thanks for the help!...
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Comment on agent fees
Reasonable.
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Dec 09,2017
Dec 09,2017
0
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Although we had very little chance to get the house as sharers (we already have been rejected by the landlord as he wanted the property to be let to a family),Rafael has gone the extra mile and managed to nagotiate an offer that none ...
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Comment on agent fees
Higher than the average but probably worth it.
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Nov 15,2017
Nov 15,2017
0
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We bought and sold through Townends
When we bought Arthur was very accommodating regarding viewings and kept us updated all the way though the process, it was a pleasure dealing with him.
When we sold Gina was extremely professional and proposed an excellent marketing plan, ...
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Comment on agent fees
We felt that the fees were very reasonable.
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Oct 18,2017
Oct 18,2017
3
people found
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this helpful
Firstly, they put a terrible tenant in our property. A fixed two year tenancy with no break clause (my fault for not picking that up but I have never had a tenancy with no 6 month break clause). We end up having to hire a solicitor ...
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Aug 06,2017
Aug 06,2017
0
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Arthur kept me well informed of all the stages of the sale of my property. He was charming and polite and very understanding. In short he made the deal happen. Thank you Arthur. Five stars for you....
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Comment on agent fees
fair
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Aug 03,2017
Aug 03,2017
0
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Arthur is a true professional who kept in constant phone/email contact with us when he sold our property recently. He is professional, polite, helpful and always responded to our questions in a timely manner and in our opinion went way and above the expectations ...
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Comment on agent fees
Good
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Aug 03,2017
Aug 03,2017
0
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Arthur is a very professional and pleasant consultant, he always took time to explain all our questions and ensured we were never worried....
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Comment on agent fees
Good
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Jul 25,2017
Jul 25,2017
0
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She is the best...stretched long hours to show us good properties. Full of energy, very polite and friendly. Amazing person !...
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Jul 11,2017
Jul 11,2017
0
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The perfect balance of professionalism and honesty, after 7 months of disappointment, this was the first time I felt confident with the competency of the agents, from start to finish....
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Comment on agent fees
Reasonable
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Jun 08,2017
Jun 08,2017
1
people found
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this helpful
I have just moved out of my parents house into the big wide world for the first time and Ellie made the whole process a walk in the park. So so helpful, really quick coming back to me at all times and happy to answer ...
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Jun 01,2017
Jun 01,2017
0
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Both agents were really friendly and informative about all the properties we viewed making finding our perfeft home a quick, easy, relaxing and enjoyable experience....
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Comment on agent fees
Good
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May 30,2017
May 30,2017
0
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Anisa was a great help, she was friendly and the customer service was great! I called numerous times after for various enquiries and she was always very helpful....
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May 23,2017
May 23,2017
0
people found
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Generally a great service recd as buyers of a property sold through townsend. The only down we had was that we had to wait to get a response and chase a fair bit at the beginning when we had offered. Appreciate this may have been ...
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Comment on agent fees
NA
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May 04,2017
May 04,2017
0
people found
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Arthur was very helpful throughout the whole selling process. Even when we should have been consulting with other professionals like our solicitor Arthur would always help with any questions I had. I would recommend Arthur and townends to anyone else that I know that is ...
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Comment on agent fees
Agent fees were really good and the offer of ‚£1000 off made it even better.
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Apr 22,2017
Apr 22,2017
0
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Very helpful, swift feedback after viewings. Arthur and Richard always responded to my calls - excellent service, polite, friendly and hardworking....
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Comment on agent fees
Fairly good
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Mar 24,2017
Mar 24,2017
0
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Arthur was great throughout the process of my purchase! Always had the answers to my questions and happy to help. Would certainly recommend Townends to anyone looking to use an agent in Aldershot....
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Comment on agent fees
Good
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Mar 24,2017
Mar 24,2017
0
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I bought my house through Townends last year and the whole experience was brilliant. Really helpful team who were always willing to help me with any questions I had....
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Mar 22,2017
Mar 22,2017
0
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We have engaged Townends Letting service in Guildford for the last 3 years and have the opportunity to liaise closely with Kathleen on our most recent new tenancy search. She has been very pro-active and helpful. We are very pleased with the service she has provided....
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Mar 17,2017
Mar 17,2017
3
people found
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Townends have managed my property for the last 3 and a half years and I couldn't be happier to finally be getting rid of them.
Firstly the few positives:
- Their Guildford office staff were always polite, helpful and usually got back to me fairly promptly (...
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Comment on agent fees
The actual fees from Townends seemed fairly standard, but the quotes their maintenance company provided were expensive.
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Mar 06,2017
Mar 06,2017
0
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On my first visit to Townends I met with Joanna who immediately understood my requirements for a white space to show my art collections and classic furniture.
Joanna suggested a suitable property and we visited it the next day - it was perfect.
I agreed ...
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Comment on agent fees
good
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Feb 28,2017
Feb 28,2017
0
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From the moment we met Jo she came across as friendly but professional. Her knowledge of the letting market was excellent. She let our flat within days. Returned any of our calls promptly and dealt with the whole letting terribly efficiently.
We would definitely recommend ...
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Comment on agent fees
Seemed fair but an awful lot of add ons !
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Feb 28,2017
Feb 28,2017
0
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Kathleen has been extremely helpful & has always gone out of her way to help me with search. Polite, friendly & professional...
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Comment on agent fees
Competitive
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Feb 20,2017
Feb 20,2017
0
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Staff member No 1 has good customer relations and communication skills. Good follow up and takes time to learn customer likes and dislikes....
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Comment on agent fees
Good
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Feb 18,2017
Feb 18,2017
0
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Townends were fantastic in moving my purchase forward quickly and were always there to answer my queries quickly and professionally. We were able to complete within 6 weeks of making an offer. I would definitely recommend the Guildford office....
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Comment on agent fees
I was the purchaser
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Feb 14,2017
Feb 14,2017
0
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Kathleen has been a massive help. My partner and I made an offer on a plave that fell throught. However she managed to get the fees down in order for us to afford it.
Despite this, Kathleen did everything she could and has always been ...
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Comment on agent fees
High but negotiable
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Feb 03,2017
Feb 03,2017
0
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Kathleen was very helpful and pushed to get our flat in such a short time frame which was really helpful....
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Comment on agent fees
very good, she reduced them for us.
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Jan 26,2017
Jan 26,2017
0
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During my time letting with Townends, Kathleen has given me the upmost best customer service i have ever recieved. Aware of the high letting fees, she did everything she could to lower these and tailor the property to our best affordable move in date. In ...
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Comment on agent fees
High but negotiable
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Vendor Fees
No fees set.Landlord Fees
No fees set.Tenant Fees
No fees set. Last updated at 17/03/2023, 6:04 PM by Ellie WyattComplaints Procedure
No procedure set.
Last updated at 5:04 PM 17/03/2023 by Ellie Wyatt
Best Letting Agent in GU1 
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