Charlie Mather managed the sales progression for my flat purchase in Basingstoke. Charlie was helpful and professional throughout the process and called me weekly (without fail) with any updates he had. The purchase was complicated for many reasons and COVID-19 did not help matters but Charlie remained positive and worked hard to help the purchase go through. The rest of the team were also very helpful on the rare occasion I needed to speak to anyone else. Thank you Team!
Barons Estate Agents
2-4 Winton Square, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG21 8EN, South East, UK, RG21
Claimed branch
4.9
500 reviews
Recent reviews
A selection of reviews, highest rated first. Not every review may be shown.
The team at Barons are knowledgeable and friendly and kept us well informed throughout the process of buying our house.
Reply from Barons Estate Agents: Thank you for the review Rebecca, we hope you are enjoying your new property.
Very good, efficient service
The team were really helpful all the way through out the process of our house purchase and easy to deal with. Very helpful and keeping us in the loop.
FIrst time buyer purchase review
I was more than happy with the service Barons provided. As a first time buyer I was unsure of all the different steps that I needed to take throughout the process but each time I called with a question, any member of the team were happy to help and always put my mind at rest. Trevor, in particular was great. He was very understanding and always did what he said he was going to do. If I had known in the beginning stages that he would be so helpful, I would have contacted him for help and guidance sooner. I would definitely recommend Barons to friends or family.
Met John for an initial valuation. His style of soft selling was just not applicable to my requirements. Time was of the essence, so I need someone with high energy, who would exude some passion into the process. Had I have been granted more time, perhaps I would have at least allowed John to run with my case. However, my decision to choose another local agent was the best decision afterall. I was disappointed that the photos were taken by himself/agents - looking on Rightmove, the photos here compared to those that use a professional photographer are lightyears apart. I need my house (and all the hardwork that went into it!) to be represented in the best light possible
Reply from Barons Estate Agents: Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re sorry to hear that our approach did not meet your expectations on this occasion.
We appreciate that every seller has different requirements, particularly when time is of the essence, and we respect your decision to instruct another local agent.
In relation to the photography, we use professional-grade cameras for all of our property photography, rather than relying on mobile phones, to ensure we produce high-quality images that showcase each property to its best advantage. We understand how important it is for the presentation of a home to reflect the hard work and care that has gone into it, and we’re disappointed that you felt the photography did not achieve this.
We appreciate your honest feedback and wish you every success with the sale of your property.
Unfortunately some senior management staff in the asset management team and wider company conduct themselves extremely unprofessionally and disrespectfully. This includes ignoring lawful requests, refusing to engage with leaseholder communication, and also profoundly unpleasant bullying and childish behaviour including slander and gossip. I have been appalled at the toxicity and deeply unpleasant behaviour displayed by Breckon & Breckon staff. I am currently in the process of a significant Tribunal and Ombudsman complaint, but Breckon & Breckon really need to start treating people how they would like to be treated, and show respect for people and their homes, rather than creating a deeply unpleasant and highly distressing experience for them.
We were excellent tenants who paid rent on time every month and maintained the property to the best of our abilities, yet Breckon & Breckon attempted to withhold £517 from our £1,125 deposit - nearly half of what we paid. They charged us for window mechanism repairs that were carried out a month after we vacated and after the property had been re-let to new tenants, despite their own check-out report making no mention of any window damage. They also tried to charge us £300 for bathroom redecoration due to "mould damage" when their own inventory photographs clearly showed the bathroom ceiling was already chipping and black with mould when we moved in. We had no choice but to take the dispute to independent adjudication through mydeposits. The adjudicator reviewed all the evidence and awarded the landlord just £10 out of the £517 they claimed, effectively rejecting 98% of their deductions. This result speaks volumes about their approach to deposit deductions. Breckon & Breckon may be good for landlords who want an agent that will aggressively pursue deposit deductions, but tenants will only suffer from unfair charges and having to fight for what is rightfully theirs. If you do rent through them, take extensive photographs at check-in, document everything, and be prepared to challenge any unreasonable deductions. Good tenants deserve fair treatment, not to be used as a revenue source for routine property maintenance.
Reply from Barons Estate Agents: Hi Vaibhav,
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re sorry to hear you were unhappy with the deposit return process.
Any proposed deductions were made based on the information available at the time and in line with our responsibilities to the landlord. Where a dispute arises, we fully support independent adjudication through the deposit protection scheme and, as in this case, we complied fully with the adjudicator’s decision.
We take all feedback seriously and will continue to review our processes to ensure fairness and transparency for both tenants and landlords.
Thanks, Louis Passfield (Operations Manager)
Reply from Barons Estate Agents: Hi Marc-Andre. We are a little confused regarding your one star review, and would like to outline what occurred on Wednesday and a few of the facts. You were booked in to view a property in Limes Park, Basingstoke on Wednesday evening at 16.45 as part of a busy open day. Our open days work by viewers being allocated a 15 minute slot, to allow as many people to view as possible. This is not us trying to make it difficult, but what we need to do to keep as many customers as possible happy and to give people a fair chance to view, in what is an extremely busy housing market. On Wednesday, you emailed Barons at 16.31 saying that you would be a ‘few min late’. Our response at 16.34 was as follows - ‘That's not a problem at all, however the appointments are all 15 minutes. Another viewer will be attending at 5pm, so as long as they don't overlap!’. Now unfortunately, you arrived at the property at 17.05-17.10, and therefore the viewers who were booked in for 17.00 had shown up for their appointment. I understand that you proceeded to argue with my colleague on the doorstep, despite your late arrival clearly not being his mistake. My colleague offered you and your partner a time slot at 17.45 (which was after the open day was supposed to finish and beyond my colleagues usual working hours), which you declined. We also shortly followed up with an email, offering you this slot (which was only just over 30 minutes away at this point), and you did not wish to accept. As a company, we pride ourselves on a high level of service, which I hope you can see from our other reviews, but cannot always work around people being 20 minutes late. We did our best to rectify the situation on the day, however you rejected the new time slot and never came back to our email.
The property that you were booked in to view has now sold, so I cannot book in another appointment I’m afraid. However, I would like to take this opportunity to inform you that Barons still have the best intentions of helping you find a property and would like to be involved in this exciting process. Please feel free to call, email or pop into our office at any time (during our working hours) so that we can sit down and talk about your requirements/viewing needs in more detail.
Customer service is dead We had viewing booked with this estate agent on the 01/03 and due to unforeseen circumstances we were unable to attend, fair enough we were not able to advice the Estate agent in advance due to the issues that arise, that culminated with us not attending the appointment. As a result of not attending yesterday viewing the Estate agent as cancelled all the viewings we had with them including two during the weekend. The customer service and responses from this estate agent were appalling either on the phone when we called in to say we would not be able to attend the viewing. The rating is 1 star because 0 is not a rating as this would be the score this estate agent would receive and all this "excellent customer Service" was done by one of the company's Directors.
Reply from Barons Estate Agents: Dear Mr Duarte,
Further to your recent review on google. I can assure that we take our customer service very seriously, as this is what separates us from our competitor's and has done for 28 years, and the reason for us cancelling your forthcoming appointments. Your appointment in question was confirmed by phone and email, my colleague who was on time, waited outside the property for 15 minutes before calling the office to find out your whereabouts. We then called yourself to be told you weren't attending, but your wife was coming and you would check where she was. On ringing back you then informed us she was also not attending. Therefore I would suggest our customer service is not in question, but common courtesy from yourselves by way of a phone call, text or an email prior to the viewing to say you would not be attending would have avoided this situation. Our vendors make every effort to ensure their homes are presentable and ready for viewing, so not only does it put us out but more importantly other people. As far as the 2 houses you wished to view this weekend we currently have 29 people viewing these, so in today's busy marketplace I would suggest you fix appointments when you are both not working and in position to view, as I'm sure you would both need to see the property you wish to buy before making such a big decision. Regards Kevin Penfold, Barons Estate Agents.
Customer service is dead
Customer service is dead We had viewing booked with this estate agent on the 01/03 and due to unforeseen circumstances we were unable to attend, fair enough we were not able to advice the Estate agent in advance due to the issues that arise, that culminated with us not attending the appointment. As a result of not attending yesterday's viewing, the Estate agent as cancelled all the viewings we had with them including two during the weekend. The customer service and responses from this estate agent were appalling either on the phone when we called in to say we would not be able to attend the viewing. The rating is 1 star because 0 is not a rating as this would be the score this estate agent would receive and all this "excellent customer Service" was done by one of the company's Directors.
About Barons Estate Agents
Barons Estate Agents was formed in 1988 by Kevin Penfold & Trevor Lee, with the office being opened in February of that year. That same office is still open and thriving at Winton Square in Basingstoke. Both directors started their career at large independent estate agencies in the early 1980’s, working their way up the career ladder from trainees, to office managers, and finally regional managers. Along the way gaining extensive knowledge of how to deal with a range of properties, people and the ever-changing legal system. Kevin & Trevor met whilst working at Parkers Independent Estate Agency and developed a great working relationship. Parkers was eventually taken over by Legal & General; keen not to enter the corporate environment and all that goes with it, Kevin & Trevor hatched plans to establish a local independent estate agent that would go the extra mile for their clients. Having undertaken extensive market research, they decided that Basingstoke was the place to be. Starting the agency with themselves and two other employees they hit the ground running by selling their first property in Brighton Hill and haven’t looked back since. Throughout the years they have witnessed ever changing market places, large property developments being built and ever-changing regulations and laws. At Barons Independent Estate Agents, we are passionate about property and pride ourselves on decades of successful selling in Basingstoke and the surrounding villages. Our team of negotiators are approachable, skilful and extremely knowledgeable, boasting over 75 years experience of estate agency in the Basingstoke and surrounding markets. Our unrivalled understanding of the area allows us to find the perfect property for customers, whether they are looking for an elegant Victorian town house or apartment in the town centre, or even a cottage in the Old Basing. We also advise on buy-to-let, investment properties or the purchase of a second home. Our experienced staff, all formally trained by Kevin & Trevor mean those selling through Barons Estate Agents can expect an excellent level of service. As leading residential independent estate agents in the surrounding area, we have a large property portfolio and being registered with us ensures that you will be contacted by telephone, email or text on all new properties that are coming to the market. With a vast depth of local knowledge we are able to guide you to the right areas, good schools, amenities and bus/train services, to name a few. We firmly focus on maximising the exposure of our properties with quality photography, floorplans and high quality brochures in conjunction with prominent advertising on the internet and in local press when necessary. We give regular progress updates, essential proactive sales advice and informative feedback. Our office is highly visible in a prime Basingstoke town centre location – the first port of call for those looking to relocate. We are fully committed to delivering an excellent service to vendors, delicately balanced by our desire to help our purchasers find their ideal property. This continues throughout the conveyancing process, and often beyond! www.baronsestateagents.co.uk
Website: http://www.baronsestateagents.co.uk
Our team
Matt Rawlings M.N.A.E.A
Kevin Penfold
Trevor Lee F N A E A
Charlie Mather
Patrick Henry
Brad Kudirka
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