Worst estate agent we have ever dealt with. Extremely unprofessional and lacking any duty of care towards tenants. Communication has been consistently poor, with delays in responding to emails and requests. Due to these issues, we decided to move out. However, the agency has since provided what we believe to be inaccurate and misleading information to the referencing company. Our bedroom has suffered from mould since the day we moved in over 18 months ago. Despite reporting the issue on numerous occasions, it was never resolved. Instead, we were repeatedly told that the matter was being chased with the property manager, but no effective action was ever taken. During the bank holiday, we were locked out of our bedroom and made every reasonable effort to contact the agency before instructing an independent contractor to assist. Despite our tenancy agreement stating that such costs would be reimbursed in these circumstances, the agency is now refusing to refund us. We have requested copies of correspondence sent to the landlord regarding these issues, but these have not been provided. Based on our experience, we would not recommend this agency to anyone.

!!!NEGLIGENCE REDEFINED: TENANT SAFETY IGNORED!!! I am currently on Day 50 of living in a property managed by John Shepherd (Birmingham) that is unfit for human habitation. Since 9th February, I have been dealing with a severe structural leak that remains active and unresolved today. The agency’s handling of this emergency is a disgrace. I am currently forced to live with: Active Electrical Hazards: Water is leaking through internal light sockets. I have witnessed sparks on the electrical board twice, yet the source of the water has not been stopped. Visibility Issues & Safety: The contractor’s only action was to remove the light bulbs. This has left one side of my living area without light, making it difficult to see the constant flooding on the floor. Physical Injury: Because of the poor visibility and the wet floor, I have already suffered a physical slip injury, a direct result of the agency's failure to provide a safe environment. Outrageous Management Demands: Property Manager Melissa Cannon has told me it is my 'contractual duty' to keep cleaning up this structural floodwater. I am being treated as an unpaid maintenance worker for a building defect I did not cause. For over two weeks, Melissa Cannon has hidden behind a scripted 'business formal' response, stating she is 'in talks' with the landlord regarding a rent rebate. It takes five minutes to call a landlord, but this agency has stalled for 14 days while I continue to pay full rent for a hazardous, partially uninhabitable home. They are clearly prioritizing the landlord's future interests over my current physical safety. If you value your safety and expect an agent who actually picks up the phone, avoid John Shepherd at all costs.

Avoiding this agency as I value my safety. I’ve been living with an unresolved structural leak for almost 2 months days water leaks coming through light fittings, electrical hazards, and no proper fix. Their only action was removing bulbs, leaving areas dark and unsafe, which led to me slipping and getting injured. Instead of resolving the issue, I was told it’s my responsibility to clean up the flooding. Poor communication, no urgency, and zero regard for tenant safety.

My experience with John Shepherd Lettings has been appalling. They completely oversold their ability to manage the property and dramatically overestimated the achievable rent. In reality the property ended up letting for around 50% less than what they originally quoted, after I was pressurised into accepting a last-minute tenancy at a grossly deflated rate. Their management has been extremely poor. They do not reply to emails or complaints, and communication is essentially non-existent. Since deciding to remove them, the tenants informed me they had made multiple repair requests during the tenancy which were simply ignored, and eventually stopped contacting the agency because they knew they would not receive a response. The property was left filthy and badly damaged at checkout, showing a clear lack of oversight. They have also added charges without my consent, including rental protection insurance which was added without approval and they have refused to refund, despite me emailing multiple members of staff. Before appointing them I was managing the property myself while working full-time, and it was far less stressful than having John Shepherd involved. The whole experience has been financially damaging and incredibly frustrating. If even one person reads this review and decides not to use them, I’ll feel like I’ve saved someone from the same experience.

Appalling experience with John Shepherd. After 6 years of loyalty, they have committed gross professional negligence by authorized an early tenant move-out without my consent, breaking a fixed-term contract. Most alarmingly, they have taken unauthorized deductions from my rent account (increasing fees by 2% without a signed agreement). They are also currently ignoring a formal complaint. Absolute lack of integrity and professional standards. Avoid at all costs. UPDATE (March 4th): In response to the agency's comment below: I have already escalated this directly to your CEO and Property Management Director. As your agency has admitted professional negligence and performed unauthorized deductions from my client account, I have set a final deadline of 12:00 PM tomorrow for a written settlement. If this is not met, I will be proceeding with formal filings to The Property Ombudsman and Propertymark. I am awaiting a professional resolution, not a generic redirect.

AVOID AVOID AVOID!!! This is the worst property management company ever, lying to their customers especially Claire!! I have been trying to book a viewing and from the minute she booked it, she tried everything to avoid it and finally when we showed up for the viewing nobody shows up and then she starts lying about the fact that I called her and then when asked for the call records, she needed IT assistance. This management company provides wrong information about contracts and mislead their tenants , trying to trap them. Avoid at all costs.

I was disappointed with the moving-in experience, as the checks and preparations prior to the start of the tenancy were not comprehensive. On 31 January, the apartment fob provided did not work, and no parking remote was given to me. I therefore had to travel to the office to collect a replacement fob, which cost me a lot in bus fares. I was advised to wait until Monday, 1 February, to receive the parking remote. On that day, I travelled to and from the office twice to test the remotes, and I needed to pay for bus fare as well. Despite changing two remotes, neither functioned correctly, and I was still unable to access the parking space and had to park outside. Someone opened the parking gate for me but the remote issue has not been resolved after three weeks - I cannot use my car if I parked in the parking area, but if I parked outside the parking fee is increasing as going forward, and no guarantee I get from agent the parking money can be claimed… I sent email and call them many times but the feedback is not prompt and not helpful. All these not well organized things and slow reply to my emails make the experience really struggling.

Avoid them at any cost. Worst estate agent in the UK

Awful agency would not recommend. Rented a flat for a year, was dirty when moving in and the block had a cockroach infestation which I wasn’t made aware of prior. Had numerous issues throughout tenancy received no compensation and they also had the audacity to keep some deposit. Would give 0 stars if I could