I attended a viewing with John Shepherds Letting and initially everything seemed fine. After I expressed interest in renting the flat, I received a link to complete an application on Goodlord — but the process was a complete mess. My partner and I each paid a holding deposit of about £120, and only after that were we given access to the tenancy paperwork. For some reason we were required to fill in separate forms; we spent three days completing them only to be told a week later (with help from a staff member) to “just fill them in somehow, we’ll sort it out”. My partner’s income is well above the stated threshold (roughly six times higher), and we even offered to pay a year’s rent in advance — yet we were still refused. The reasons given were inconsistent: we were told the landlord “didn’t want” us, that our documents “didn’t pass,” and that because we still rent elsewhere it was a problem. Throughout the whole week their communication was frankly awful. Our holding deposit was not returned. One month later the same flat is still advertised on multiple sites and the price has been reduced, which makes the whole situation look very suspicious. From my point of view this process felt extremely unprofessional and raises questions about how holding deposits are being handled. I would advise anyone considering John Shepherds Letting to be cautious: get clear confirmation in writing, keep copies of everything, and be aware that you may have difficulty getting a refund if the landlord/agent decides not to proceed.