John Shepherd Estate Agents - Derby Reviews 19

Moving house with John Shepherd was nice and seamless, they’re really good at what they do. I will recommend them anyday anytime.

Extremely disappointing experience with John Shepherd Derby and not an agency I would ever recommend.
My 19-year-old daughter rented through them for her first tenancy experience, and what should have been an exciting step turned into an unnecessarily stressful and frustrating process. We paid almost £5,000 upfront at the beginning of the tenancy, yet at the end they still chose to pursue a cleaning deduction despite us providing extensive dated photographic evidence showing the property was left clean.
We also had to challenge the original inventory at the start of the tenancy because it was inaccurate and incomplete, with amendments later accepted in writing by the agency. In addition, we had email confirmation stating that professional cleaning was not required. Despite all of this, we were still forced into a TDS dispute process over £120.
After adjudication, the majority of the money was returned to us, which speaks for itself.
As a landlord myself, I found the treatment we received particularly disappointing. I understand the importance of protecting properties and being fair to both sides, but this felt excessive and unreasonable from the outset. The process left the impression that tenants — particularly young or first-time renters — may feel pressured to accept deductions rather than go through the time, stress, and inconvenience of formally disputing them simply because most people need their deposit returned quickly.
I was determined to stand my ground and proceed through the dispute process on principle because I did not believe the claim was justified.
The entire process was exhausting, disproportionate, and completely unnecessary over such a small amount of money. I would strongly encourage future tenants to document absolutely everything and challenge inaccuracies immediately.
Based on our experience, I would never recommend John Shepherd Derby.
Please do not reply with the standard “we strive to be professional and communicative and regret we fell short this time” response — it means nothing when the experience itself says otherwise.

Catie was lovely with me and my partner with looking for a property, Excellent service, super friendly.

Very quick and smooth experience getting my tenancy through John Shepard. Replied very quickly in order to sort the application especially with a fairly tight move in date, we managed to get everything sorted without issue and comfortably for a quick move in. Catie in particular was very helpful throughout. Very happy new tenant.

Catie was very friendly and knowledgeable about the property I viewed.

I have know Suzanne for many years and she has never let me down even if it is late in the day.
I must say Suzanne is well experienced in her field
is fit to management at the top level.

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!!!

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.

Paula, Catie and Sam have been extremely polite, proactive and efficient at all times. Clear information and updates provided at every step of the way.

I’m very satisfied with the service I received. The team was professional, responsive, and helpful whenever I had questions. The whole process, from moving in to moving out, was handled efficiently and clearly.

Thank you for making the experience smooth and easy. I would happily recommend this agency.

Great team that has served us well over the past 8 years can’t fault them we was always managed by Suzanne who is a asset to the team and company she represents no faults no issues flawless service

Compared to other estate agents we tried to engage with in the Derby & Burton-on-Trent areas to arrange viewings with - Joe and Faith were both very straight forward, easy to deal with, both very professional.

Abode and Nicholas Humphreys by comparison, were so unprofessional, sloppy and plain rude!

Dealing with both Jordan and Faith was a pleasure. Both were punctual and knew their knowledge of the property. Couldn’t recommend enough.

They are a very helpful branch, in particular the staff member named Faith was very friendly and polite and made the whole letting process straightforward and stress free

My move into my new accommodation was very simple and hassle free. I got all the assistance I needed through Faith Hughes who made things run extremely smoothly. My experience from the start of the tenancy to now has been great.

We are very happy with our service, especially from the team at the Burton branch who are excellent at looking after our properties and tenants in the local area. I would highly recommend.