Connells Reviews 

Very disappointing experience with Connells. The staff were unprofessional and completely unhelpful whenever problems came up. Instead of trying to resolve issues, they avoided contact and ignored messages for weeks. I had to fight for over 10 weeks just to get my deposit back, which caused unnecessary stress and frustration. Communication was terrible throughout the whole process. I would not recommend this agency to anyone.

James was a great guy 100

I have bought or sold 85 properties in my lifetime, and must confess that Stratton Creber (Liskeard), on of Connels subsidaries through Countrywide, have been the worst I have dealt with. In fairness, they did find a buyer but as far as they were concerened that was it, they wanted nothing to do with the progression of the sale. Never had any feedback from them, it was always us chasing them. I did complain, but was told that sales progression is not part of their service, even though that was differnt to what I was told when placing the property for sale and differnet to the property ombudsman guidelines which they profess to adhere to. There are may much better agents out there and I would asvise using one of them. I did complain but teh feedback we received was full of errors and in many cases factually incorrect, so the case is now going to the property ombudsman and possibly the small claims court.

Connells Letting Agents (Hitchin)
Extremely disappointed with the service from Connells Letting Agents in Hitchin. Once you have rented a property and they have your money they are painfully slow to respond to even the most basic enquiries, and when you do eventually get a reply, nothing actually gets progressed. There is little to no follow up, and you’re left constantly chasing for updates that should be proactively provided.
To make matters worse, the lettings “manager” is unable to answer basic questions such as “how do I get my deposit back” and repeatedly gave inconsistent or unhelpful information. From my experience, she appears to have little understanding of the legal obligations and standards expected of a UK letting agent, which left me with no confidence that issues were being handled correctly or responsibly.
The worst example of their negligence was allowing a tenant to go without heating and hot water for nearly a month. This is not a minor inconvenience—it’s a basic necessity, and the lack of urgency or ownership was shocking. Calls and messages went unanswered for days at a time, promised actions didn’t happen, and there was no meaningful communication about what was being done or when it would be fixed. We had to contact our local council, the environment department and our local MP before anything was done.
Overall, this office appears disorganised, unresponsive, and indifferent to tenants’ welfare. I would not recommend Connells Hitchin to anyone who expects timely communication, basic follow through, or a responsible approach to urgent repairs.

Avoid if you can.

AN UPDATE - New tenant left the property because on moving in had no running water except in the kitchen and only cold water. Hitchins blamed "the previous tenants for leaving the place in a state". Disgusting and defamation of character. They are liars!

I rented a flat throughConnells 2 years ago.. After 2 years and 3 months I moved out.. I painted the whole flat, cleaned all the carpets with carpet cleaner, changed all the curtains and returned it.. I didn't do any damage.. I didn't even use a nail. But they didn't give me back even 1 penny of my deposit amount. I don't know what to do. It's been 3 years since I came to the UK. They are taking advantage of me.

Rented a property from Connells, at the end of term landlord tried to exploit and grab the deposit and Connells acted like they can’t take any responsibility. Connells were the ones rented the property and should’ve taken some responsibility.

Not bad.Poor communication via email and phone.Would not recommend.

Stevenage Connell! If you’re looking for broker that knows their job, this is your place to hit up!

After many failed attempts with other brokers, we’ve been recommended Connell. From the moment we’ve entered this office we’ve had an absolute pleasure to work with Julie Twinnings. What an expert she is! Her knowledge reaches far out across and her transparency with professionalism led with quality mindset has given us certainty and a good night sleep through the whole process.

Julie, we are ever so grateful for your exceptional service, your availability, flexibility, knowledge, friendly and professional approach, going above and beyond! You’ve made our dream possible!

Thank you ever so much again! Wishing you all the best.

Unfortunately I had a terrible experience with Connels. I was first advised to auction my house for a speedy sale. Although I did want a quick sale, they did not explain the implications in terms of fees and selling price. When I called, no one one would answer or return the call. The onus was always on me to get feedback from viewings. I changed estate agent as Connels lost a sale - they told me they gave up trying to contact the potential buyer as they didn't get through to him after a couple of attempts and they just assumed if he was still interested he would be in touch. When I changes, someone who viewed the house called the new estate agent to enquire. Obviously, they were not able to have a second viewing but explained to the new estate agent that Connels did not answer any of their questions and did not show the house properly.

Extremely poor service from Stourbridge branch. Can we give
0 stars? Where to start?…. Poor communication, promises not kept, no pro activity, lacking staff with expertise, complacency, seemed to have no interest once you’re signed up. There are plenty of other agents in Stourbridge….give one of them your business and commission instead.

We used the Connells Newport Pagnell branch to sell our home, and it was a terrible experience. Before you sign the contract, they will promise you the world, claiming they have a huge list of eager buyers lined up. The moment you sign, it is complete radio silence. They didn’t even bother to visit the property to create the listing properly. You quickly realise that the onus is entirely on you to sell the property, not them.

Whenever we had to chase them for an update, their default excuse for the lack of progress was claiming the "house is not clean"—without ever specifying what actually needed cleaning. This was an insulting and completely bogus excuse, considering the house was completely vacant and we were regularly commuting from Aylesbury, balancing full-time jobs and a young family, to keep it in pristine condition.

However, the most severe issue was their blatant breach of security and legal protocols. Prior to the legal completion of the sale, Connells handed over our keys to the buyer and their contractors, allowing them unaccompanied and unauthorized access to our property on multiple occasions. We were never notified or asked for consent; we only found out because our vigilant neighbors told us. To arrive and find new stains in the house because the agent illegally allowed people in was devastating. Their negligence not only breached the TPO Code of Practice but put us at immense risk of invalidating our insurance.

When we raised this severe security breach, the branch was entirely dismissive. They operate with a shocking air of entitlement, constantly reminding us they are the "biggest estate agent," as if basic legal safeguards don't apply to them. They brushed off this massive failure as a "minor service issue" and offered an insulting £100 "goodwill gesture," which we firmly rejected.

They expect sellers to pay their hefty fees and follow every rule to the letter, but casually waive the law when it suits them or their buyers. This branch cannot be trusted with your keys, your listing, or your legal rights. We have formally escalated this matter to The Property Ombudsman (TPO). Avoid at all costs.

​I am writing this to warn other tenants and landlords about the lack of professional standards at the Bairstow Eves Mansfield branch, specifically regarding a tenancy at 65 Nottingham Road.
​Following the end of our tenancy, the agency facilitated a deposit deduction of £830 based on claims that are demonstrably false. Most notably, we were charged for a 'missing' back door key, despite the signed move-in inventory explicitly stating that no back door key was ever provided to us.
​Furthermore, the agency failed to maintain a professional environment, allowing the landlord to use insulting and derogatory language ('dork') in written correspondence during the dispute.
​Despite having clear evidence in the form of the property's own paperwork, the agency has not rectified this 'mistake.' I have been directed to contact the Connells Group review team, and I am currently preparing my evidence for a formal submission to The Property Ombudsman.
​If you value transparency and professional integrity, I would suggest looking elsewhere. I will update this review if and when the agency takes accountability for this service failure.oʻ

I am a domestic abuse survivor.

My ex partner is only interested in control or a quick sale no matter the finical loss and my detriment.

Connells gave an in factual initial sales value. Tried to use buyer feedback to sell at a lower price. Connells has used pressure tactics to get me to accept a sale, at a price I could not afford a deposit on a new property. Eventhough I had previous stated my reasons for not being able to drop my house price any further. The property was offered the full asking price twice but feel through due to finical agreement between myself and my ex-spouse. This was the played down by the Connells agents.

At one point my ex-partner tried to drop the house price with Connell by £50,000 without discussion!!!

After 6 months Connells withdrew marketing (which I didn’t disagree about) however listed me as the reason to why the sale process had not been successful.

I advised the agents about what had happened and requested NOT to send out letters or email apportioning blame to any party.. this was ignored. They wrote their letter “framing me as the issue” “not at this moment in time a buyer being able to me the market value for the price that had already been proven”

I asked the agent to retract the letter immediately and clarify/ rewrite. This was refused.

What was handed over was a poorly worded letter.

Not only have I gone through physical assault, manipulation, DARVO (deny attach reverse victim and offender), projection, triangulation. Connells has handed my ex-partner something else to make things even more difficult, all because I haven’t accepted a house at the price it is not listed for.

You are meant to have staff trained or at least aware of this!!!. Connells, shame on you, shame on your staff….. 💷💷💷💷💷💷💷 that’s all that matters 💷💷💷💷💷💷💷

Connells Bletchley the worst estate agent I have dealt with over 20yrs
Tried to scam out of our deposit with claims so wild they were outright lies.
I have dealt with many estate agents over the years but his has to be the most unpleasant by far as many exaggerate but this one had no qualms with actual lying under the Connells banner
Luckily we went via TDS which we recommend all tenants do l.

Connells did valuation report on my house recently. It is a comedy of errors by this company. Firstly, they tried to falsify my report by adding that my property was in a flood area and had previously been flooded. All of which was proven to be incorrect and instead of altering the valuation report to suit this they refuse.

They significantly undervalued it even after comparable evidence was supplied to them. The house in question is on the same street as my own and I have been informed by various other companies that this should have been used.

Stay clear of this company, ideally check that this company will not be providing any valuation reports on your properties..

I went to get a mortgage in principle. After discussing and giving all my intimation, I didn’t hear anything from the company. I kept sending emails, and phone calls to the office multiple times. Every time I was told that someone would get back to me but nobody never got back. Incredible how such a company can even exist with such employees.

I dealt with Michael Swords who listed my property in Digbeth area of Birmingham. He was utterly useless, I’ve been emailing asking him to take the property off the market for more than 3 months without reply, it’s still listed. Zero professionalism. Do not use.

From the start my experience has been terrible with 32 weeks contract High Fee's do not enter or commit yourself into any long contract.you then have to lower the price they don't lower the fee.you are still left after this period with no sale.

I am a landlord with properties managed under Connells' Tenant Introduction service across the Wolverhampton and West Bromwich branches. What should have been routine deposit transfers after taking over self-management of my properties became a months-long ordeal that exposed serious failings in how Connells operates internally.

When I requested the return of deposits held by Connells, the process was anything but straightforward. At one property, I made the initial request in late February 2026. The branch manager took four days to contact the tenants for authorisation, then did not follow up for nearly two weeks. When the lead tenant confirmed release in writing, no one told me whether the second tenant had also responded, and no one appeared to be chasing it. Over five weeks later, the deposit still had not been transferred.

The internal disconnect between Connells' branches and their accounts team at Sequence is remarkable. I provided the TDS Deposit Protection Certificate directly to the branch, attached to a clear email. Days later, Sequence's accounts team emailed me asking for the very same certificate as though it had never been received. They simply do not communicate with each other. As a landlord, you end up doing the administrative work that the agent should be handling, re-sending documents you have already provided and chasing responses to your own chasing emails.

The fee handling has been equally poor. When the accounts team finally acknowledged they could proceed, they quoted an administration fee that did not match my signed agreement. I was quoted £60 including VAT for a deposit transfer. When I challenged this and asked for the contractual basis, the accounts team initially referenced a fee schedule from a different version of the Terms of Business. I had to dig out my own signed contract and point out the discrepancy myself. For a separate property handled by the Wolverhampton branch under the same type of agreement, the identical deposit transfer was completed with no fee charged at all. When I raised this inconsistency, it was simply ignored.

Beyond deposits, I discovered that tenants had been placed on a Zero Deposit guarantee product at one of my properties without my knowledge or consent. This happened despite my having explicitly informed the provider in writing that I would not accept zero deposit tenants going forward, following a previous claim that left me significantly out of pocket. Three months after that written refusal, Connells arranged another zero deposit tenancy without reference to my documented position. To compound matters, one department then sent me TDS prescribed information implying a traditional deposit had been protected, while another department confirmed in writing days later that the tenancy was on Zero Deposit. The left hand does not know what the right hand is doing.

The formal complaints process offered no resolution. The Stage 1 response on one property concluded that Connells had followed internal procedures and was not at fault for the delays, effectively blaming the tenants for not responding quickly enough, while glossing over the fact that the branch had been slow to chase them in the first place.

If you are a landlord considering Connells, particularly the Wolverhampton or West Bromwich branches, be aware that once you need something actioned, whether a deposit return, a fee query, or a complaint, you will be passed between branch staff and a centralised accounts team at Sequence who do not share information, quote inconsistent fees, and show no urgency. Keep copies of everything you sign and everything you send them, because they will not.

Had my survey today and honestly couldn’t have felt more at ease. Super kind and polite throughout, even complimented my home. Came prepared with ladders for the loft, wore shoe protectors, and even helped put the hatch back that I couldn’t.

💯 would recommend — thanks so much, James!