I worked with Neil Facer in the Harpenden office to sell a 2-bed apartment during 2006-2007. It took about a year from start to finish - not because of Neil but the post-Brexit lull and the glut of apartments on the market. We had several viewings but didn't always get feedback on each one, which would have been helpful. Neil did have a couple of tough and candid conversations with me concerning the real property picture and realistic property valuations. Tough to hear, but acting on the advice and reducing the price did lead to a sale. If you want an estate agent to show you the facts and tell you the truth, then Neil is your man. He didn't give up.

Customer service of some staff was very good however the focus is so much on landlord not the tenant

Put up a 'For Sale' board in my garden instead of my neighbours!!!🙃 …

They felt different to start, but by the end I felt they were taking us over the coals for more money without any evidence of changes to the other offers. Have since heard some very rough reviews about them from other buyers.

We recently made the difficult decision to withdraw from the purchase of a property marketed through Ashtons. This decision came after we commissioned a full building survey and an in-depth report into local planning, environmental, and development factors. The findings raised significant concerns, including a high risk of subsidence and flooding, as well as proximity to several large-scale developments. Shortly after I emailed to confirm our withdrawal, I received a call from a lady named Hannah. She was very understanding, professional, and empathetic - exactly what you would hope for in such a conversation. I appreciated her approach greatly. However, just a few minutes later, I received a call from James Hall - the agent who had initially dealt with us. I was surprised to be contacted again, having already explained the situation. Unfortunately, this call was markedly different. Rather than seeking to understand or even acknowledge our reasoning, James interrupted me abruptly and questioned the validity of the information we had obtained. He made dismissive remarks such as, “Well, that’s not been approved yet, has it?” and “I don’t see how that would affect you - it’s 10 minutes down the road,” when in fact the site in question is just a 2-minute drive or 8-minute walk away. More concerning still, James went on to suggest that if this kind of development concerned us, we should “take Harpenden off the table” altogether and look elsewhere - even suggesting we would struggle to buy anywhere because “they’re developing everywhere,” and that we would be better off living in the middle of a city where development wouldn’t be a concern. His tone was noticeably disbelieving, and he asked where I had obtained the information. Due to the level of doubt he expressed, I offered to send him the documentation we had received from the solicitor as evidence. He responded that he would “absolutely” like me to send it that evening. However, later in the conversation, I noticed a note on the documents stating that they were not to be shared with third parties, so I was unable to do so. I felt that the way in which he questioned me and our decision was inappropriate and unprofessional. His tone was antagonistic and confrontational, and the conversation felt more like an interrogation than a professional discussion. He appeared unwilling to listen, and instead focused on challenging my decision. As a first-time buyer trying to make an informed and responsible choice, I found this not only inappropriate but also extremely disheartening - particularly as we already felt bad about disappointing the sellers. This experience has left me with serious reservations about engaging with Ashtons in the future. I fully appreciate that the withdrawal from a purchase can be frustrating, but buyers deserve to be treated with respect, especially when they have conducted thorough due diligence and reached their decision in good faith. Further to our disappointment, we were concerned to find that our detailed email, sent over a week ago outlining the situation and our concerns has not received any acknowledgement from the Managing Director. We had expected at least a professional response, and the lack of courtesy in this instance has only reinforced our view of the standards we have experienced with Ashtons.

So, I am a Tennent at a property Ashtons are selling. I overheard the Viewing guide tell the buyer in not so many words that the neighbour will be happy when I move out. His reply was that it was the buyer who said this, even though you can hear the viewing guide saying it. I complained to the Branch Manager Joe Wilkes, this is the reply I received. " I am sorry for any distress caused but as my mother used to say, ‘sticks and stones may break our bones but words can never hurt me.’ I hope that you are able to get over this quickly." If Mr. Wilkes watched or even listened to the news, he should realise that name calling does more than break bones.

My experience with Ashtons was far from positive, and unless significant changes are made, I won't be using their services again. The agents I dealt with were unprofessional and disinterested during both the move-in and move-out processes. Even simple tasks, like getting my name correct in emails, proved to be a challenge. The move-in process was needlessly stressful. Communication during the application process was consistently poor, with long delays before receiving updates or actions from Ashtons. I often had to follow up via email. Documents were frequently not sent or sent to the wrong email, causing confusion and further delays. On move-in day, things didn't improve. Ashtons failed to provide the keypad combination for the front door when handing over the keys. The apartment was still being cleaned during the move-in, forcing the removals team to work around it. The check-in inventory was taken at the same time, rendering many photos useless as surfaces were covered in cleaning products. I never received a copy of this inventory. Communication issues extended to interactions between Ashtons and the landlord, leading to conflicting information on initial payments. This created a rocky start between myself and the landlord over 'missing' payments. The lack of communication persisted, resulting in my deposit not being properly protected during my tenancy. Ashtons showed a shocking level of disregard for this issue, placing full responsibility on the landlord and refusing to address it. I was stunned that a professional lettings company had no checks in place for the legal requirements of their landlords. As a tenant of Ashtons, it's unsettling to know that you're not guaranteed protection by them. When I raised the deposit issue with Ashtons, their stance was clear – they prioritize landlords over tenants. They downplayed the significance of the unprotected deposit and the landlord's threats of unlawful deductions. They continued working with the landlord despite this. Seeking advice from Ashtons proved futile; they discouraged pursuing legal action for compensation, falsely claiming tenants don't win against landlords. Their attempts to manipulate me into feeling wrong for challenging the landlord were particularly disheartening. The move-out process lacked proper communication from the team. However, I appreciated Ashtons' effort to minimize disruption during viewings for the next tenant by organizing them all on one day. Ashtons must reevaluate their approach to tenants and acknowledge the serious matters they need to take responsibility for. At the very least, improved communication is essential. Tenants should be kept informed about Ashtons' role in the tenancy, rather than having their name in all communications and contracts, only to disappear when issues arise.

We were shown around a rental property and put an offer in the next day. Then was told that we probably wouldn’t be suitable for the landlord due to length of time before we can move in and because we have a cat although they had our details. The most disappointing thing is that we were told we would get a call back in 5 minutes after putting our offer to the landlord but never had a call back and now the property has the let agreed. Good customer service should be to all who deal with the estate agents not just successful applicants. I’m response to your comments below. You did not inform us of preferences before hand and calling back Monday was not good enough as you said you would call back in 5 minutes on the Thursday. It would be more respected if just acknowledge when you have made a mistake rather than wording a reply to make it look good on this review page. Please don’t call us.