John Shepherd Estate Agents Reviews 1.098

AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!! horrific company

Viewed a rental and when viewing was told ‘current tenant only moved out today. All repairs will be done before you move in’.

Constantly emailed before moving in and was told repairs were being done. Nothing was done and the house we were supposed to move into was disgustingly filthy and totally trashed.

Kitchen sink totally cracked - couldn’t use it at all. Took 4 months to repair.

Kitchen cupboard hanging off the wall, was told ‘it’s livable so landlord won’t fix it!’. I’m not exaggerating when I say it was being help on by 1 screw!!!!!! Took it off myself and 6 months later still isn’t fixed.

Leak in bathroom with black mold growing under Lino, that got so bad it came through. 6 months later leak is still leaking and I have paid personally for new Lino twice to try and keep the space safe for my baby.

Was left with no hot water for 5 days in winter. I HAVE A BABY WHO WASNT EVEN 1 AT THE TIME.

Shower has been broken since move in day. In has now totally stopped working and landlord refuses to pay the expense of repair. I have now not had access to running water in a shower for 3 weeks. I was promised by John S that if repairs weren’t done by a certain timeframe they would fix it themselves. 2 weeks later, still no repairs.

Landlord is awful, but company policies are just as bad. Today I asked ‘if the landlord refuses to fix the shower, does that mean I just won’t ever have a working shower in the proper’. Their reply?! ‘Yes, as our hands are tied’ WHAT A JOKE.

Please don’t even consider renting from them!!!!! I am living in hell!!!

Made contact with Lara Soars who responded immediately with correspondence requests. She also helped to complete a check in for new tenants seamlessly which was great.

The block management company of my flat took six weeks to repair the damaged roof. This delay resulted in significant damage to my flat. Unfortunately block management was difficult to communicate with regarding remedial repairs, so John Shepherd assigned Christina Williams to assist.
She attended a meeting at the flat with the block management representative, put together a claim for their insurers and obtained two quotes for the works to be completed. Block Management’s insurers agreed to pay the claim in full and work begins this Wednesday.
Thank you Christina, you are a star!

Happy with the service provided.

I can’t never ask anyone to have anything to do with these guys. All they are interested in is to get the money out of you, customer service is shit.

Our experience at the end of our tenancy was extremely frustrating and disappointing. We were faced with significant proposed deductions from our deposit for cleaning and full redecoration, even though the original check-in report clearly documented existing marks, chips, and general wear and tear throughout the property. They charged 670£ from our Deposits saying for cleaning and redecorating. That's a huge amount.

What made the situation worse were clear inconsistencies in the evidence provided. We were given different versions of invoices showing conflicting amounts for the same work, with identical dates and descriptions. This raised serious concerns about the credibility and transparency of the claims being made.

The checkout report also relied heavily on close-up photographs that seemed to exaggerate minor and expected wear from normal living. Despite raising these points, we felt our concerns were not properly addressed, and we were forced to go through a formal dispute process to challenge the deductions.

Although some charges were eventually reduced, a substantial amount was still taken from our deposit. Overall, the process felt unfair, one-sided, and lacking in transparency.

We would strongly advise future tenants to carefully document everything at both check-in and check-out, including taking clear, dated photographs, and to be prepared for a potential dispute at the end of the tenancy.

Our experience at the end of our tenancy was extremely frustrating and disappointing. We were faced with significant proposed deductions from our deposit for cleaning and full redecoration, even though the original check-in report clearly documented existing marks, chips, and general wear and tear throughout the property.

What made the situation worse were clear inconsistencies in the evidence provided. We were given different versions of invoices showing conflicting amounts for the same work, with identical dates and descriptions. This raised serious concerns about the credibility and transparency of the claims being made.

The checkout report also relied heavily on close-up photographs that seemed to exaggerate minor and expected wear from normal living. Despite raising these points, we felt our concerns were not properly addressed, and we were forced to go through a formal dispute process to challenge the deductions.

Although some charges were eventually reduced, a substantial amount was still taken from our deposit. Overall, the process felt unfair, one-sided, and lacking in transparency.

We would strongly advise future tenants to carefully document everything at both check-in and check-out, including taking clear, dated photographs, and to be prepared for a potential dispute at the end of the tenancy.

We had a very disappointing experience with John Shepherd Lettings at the end of our tenancy. Significant deductions were proposed from our deposit for cleaning and full redecoration, despite the check-in report already recording marks, chips, and general wear in multiple areas.

During the process, we noticed inconsistencies in the evidence provided. For example, different versions of invoices were shared with varying amounts (£675 vs £795 for decoration, and £250 vs £270 for cleaning) with the same dates and descriptions. This raised serious concerns about the transparency and reliability of the claims being made.

The checkout report also relied heavily on close-up images, which exaggerated minor marks that are expected from normal use over a tenancy. Despite raising these concerns, we had to proceed through the Tenancy Deposit Scheme dispute process to resolve the matter.

While the adjudicator did reduce some of the charges, a substantial amount was still deducted. The overall experience felt heavily weighted against tenants and lacked fairness and transparency.

Would strongly advise future tenants to document everything in detail (especially with dated photos) and be prepared for disputes at the end of tenancy.

We had a very disappointing experience with John Shepherd Lettings at the end of our tenancy. Significant deductions were proposed from our deposit for cleaning and full redecoration, despite the check-in report already recording marks, chips, and general wear in multiple areas.

During the process, we noticed inconsistencies in the evidence provided. For example, different versions of invoices were shared with varying amounts (£675 vs £795 for decoration, and £250 vs £270 for cleaning) with the same dates and descriptions. This raised serious concerns about the transparency and reliability of the claims being made.

The checkout report also relied heavily on close-up images, which exaggerated minor marks that are expected from normal use over a tenancy. Despite raising these concerns, we had to proceed through the Tenancy Deposit Scheme dispute process to resolve the matter.

While the adjudicator did reduce some of the charges, a substantial amount was still deducted. The overall experience felt heavily weighted against tenants and lacked fairness and transparency.

Would strongly advise future tenants to document everything in detail (especially with dated photos) and be prepared for disputes at the end of tenancy.

My partner and I viewed a property with Ellie on short notice, as we needed a quick turnaround after prior arrangements fell through.
Ellie was absolutely brilliant during the viewing and afterwards. She explained everything in detail and gave us all the information we needed about both the property and the process. She also went out of her way to ensure our referencing was completed as quickly as possible, as we were working within a tight timeframe.
We really appreciated her help and professionalism throughout — we couldn’t recommend her more!

Debbie Jackson has been my property inspector for a little while now and has gone above and beyond to ensure that any issues or concerns regarding my property are being addressed.
Within less than 24 hours Debbie has put plans into to place to ensure everything is up to the standards required.
After many months of back and forth with my property manager and nothing coming from it I started to loose faith. Debbi has restored my confidence with John Shepherd and I am extremely greatful for this lovely lady’s help.

Joe Farrar has been amazing throughout the whole process of finding a place for my friend and I for our next academic year. As an international student renting an apartment for the first time, he explained everything thoroughly and responded to each query swiftly.

We had a great experience with John Shepherd Estate Agents when securing our home. The whole process was smooth and well managed.

A special mention to Alex, who was incredibly helpful throughout our application. He was polite, honest, and very friendly, always taking the time to answer our questions clearly. His responses were always prompt, and he made the whole process much less stressful.

We really appreciate his support and hope he gets the recognition he deserves. Highly recommended!

Lara was very efficient and very helpful.

Caitlin is very responsive and tried to make sure we have a smooth move-in. Much appreciated.

We rented a property in Solihull for 3 years with John Shepherd managing the property. All of our queries were dealt with quickly, staff doing inspections were always very friendly and polite, and we feel we have been well looked after as tenants! Big shoutout to Lauren Foster who helped us throughout our tenancy, especially during our move out process ensuring that it was done in a smooth and timely way— she is a great asset to the team ⭐️

Thanks kelvin, for helping me out. The process was smooth and easy😊👍🏻

Efficient staff who are friendly and helpful

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.

Thank you Natasha for helping
Me to get my property sold promptly. Very much appreciated!