Highly Disappointed by Ashton's
As a tenant who has lived in the property for the past 7 years, I was utterly disappointed with the way Ashton's handled the situation when we were served with a Section 21 notice to vacate the property.
Firstly, we were good tenants who had never missed a rent payment, once we were served the section 21, the communication from them was severely lacking. We received the notice out of the blue, got a knock on the door and some lady handed this huge paperwork without any prior warning or discussion about our tenancy status. We then called Ashton's to confirm what was going on, they could only "apologise" stating that we were supposed to get a phone call days prior, It left us feeling blindsided.
Secondly, they showed little empathy or understanding of our situation, they literally turned into "souless robots" regurgitating off a script, e.g copying and pasting patronising links and statements regarding securing accomodation from the council, that was clearly not our issue as they knew it, the issue was the really bad rental market with little to no properties to rent in the area, we had kids in nearby schools etc..
Despite being loyal tenants for so many years, we felt like mere numbers to them, easily disposable without any consideration for the disruption this would cause to our lives, we were no longer of use to them after all.
On two occasions we contacted them to fix an issue with the property, this was ignored.
We also contacted them regarding a property they advertised for rent, this was ignored, probably because the move in date for that property fell outside of the 2 months deadline.
Moreover, the process of finding alternative accommodation was incredibly stressful, exacerbated by the tight deadline imposed by the Section 21 notice. We felt pressured to hastily find a new place to live, with limited time to explore our options and secure a suitable home for our family, Ashton's were extremely useless in assisting us, instead they proceeded with eviction proceedings, even when we asked for a bit more time and still paid our rent on time.
Overall, our experience with them during this challenging time was deeply disappointing. Their lack of transparency, empathy, and support throughout the process left a lasting negative impression. As tenants, we expected better treatment and respect from a professional estate agency, but sadly, our expectations were not met.
Thankfully we dealt with Martins and Co, who were a breath of fresh air with their empathy and professionalism, they secured a much better property in the area for us.
I would caution anyone considering renting through Ashton's, be prepared for potential issues with communication and tenant relations.
We will never deal with them again.
