As my property has a short lease, I decided to list it with Bettermove, as they supposedly “specialise” in selling properties with this issue. On their website, Bettermove makes spurious claims such as a “stress-free and simple experience”, and that they have an “extensive database of cash buyers, professional investors and pre-approved buyers to find a matching buyer within the quickest timescale”. We had a viewing at the end of March 2024, and within a few days, an offer was made and accepted on our behalf by Bettermove. The buyer was a relatively well-known “food author” and “anti-poverty activist”, although this was unknown to me, as I had no idea who they were at the time. The buyer paid a reserve fee, meaning that we were tied into this process until July. Solicitors were instructed, and the sale process began. However, it soon became apparent that all was not well. By the end of May, our solicitors had received no response to any contact made re the progression of the sale. Therefore, upon the advice of the solicitor, I decided to contact Bettermove to ask what was happening. I did this via telephone initially, and I was most disappointed because their “Sales Progression Executive” decided to respond to me in a very rude and abrupt tone, implying that I was some sort of irritation for asking a few perfectly reasonable questions. I therefore decided to contact their “Head of Sales Progression” to attempt to get some answers. Over the next month, having viewed a chain of emails between the buyer's solicitors and ours, it transpired that Bettermove had done ZERO sales progression during this time. The fundamental role of the estate agent is to drive the sale forward, and Bettermove effectively sat idle for the best part of two months. During this time, we had found our destination property, had a mortgage approved, and were on a timescale to get things completed. Once I started kicking up a fuss, Bettermove miraculously got in touch with the “buyer”, who told them they'd been busy and would get the process completed asap. Lo and behold, two weeks later, we were no further forward. The “buyer” was not responding to anyone, including their own solicitor. As I had my concerns, I decided to do some research on the buyer, given that they were supposedly relatively “well-known”. My research threw up some very concerning results, as the person in question is suspected of being a “con-artist” by multiple sources. I then decided to ramp things up and find out who actually owns Bettermove, and take things up with them. I asked the “Head of Sales Progression” who the owner was on at least four separate occasions, but they would not tell me. Therefore, I did my own research and discovered it was one Nicholas * . I contacted him with my concerns, expecting a personal response. I didn't get it, as he got another one of his underlings, the “Operations Director” to respond to me. I voiced my concerns about the legitimacy of the buyer, and the OD assured me that they had passed AML and FYC checks, although they wouldn't tell me who had carried out these checks and when. As the “buyer” was unresponsive, and the reserve period had come to an end, the decision was made mutually to relist the property. During the next few weeks, we received one viewing, and an offer hopelessly below the asking price. This hardly seems like an “extensive database of cash buyers, professional investors and pre-approved buyers to find a matching buyer within the quickest timescale”. In short, “Bettermove” are nothing of the sort. They boast that they can “sell your property quickly with absolutely no stress or hassle”, but in my experience, this couldn't be further from the truth. Avoid!