patrobson.com Reviews 

As a landlord, I have had consistently excellent service from Pat Robson, particularly in relation to the management of our properties. The Property Management team is efficient, quick to respond and resolves any issues with the best possible solution for all parties. Property Manager, Brian Cosgrove goes above and beyond with his thorough and affable approach and exceptional attention to detail.

Avoid unless you have absolutely no other option. We moved during the pandemic in 2020 and had very little choice but to take a flat from this company. We had to view the place via video, and the moment I walked in I regretted taking the place.

For starters, they gave me the wrong keys. I had to return to the office to get the correct ones. On entering the property, I was *immediately* struck by a strong, intense smell of damp. The heating was also left ON at volcano heat. On entering the main bedroom I was SHOCKED to see a whole wall full of black mould spores, and an intense damp problem. The place was also unclean, though it “had been cleaned professionally”. The bathroom was still full of unused tiles and a bag of grout was left in the middle of the floor. All of our misgivings were reported to the agency and they did nothing. They did not apologise. Most concerning or all, the windows were all painted shut in the main bedroom and the sitting room. Not only making ventilation of the space a problem, but a severe fire hazard.

When it came to viewings, when we informed them that we intended to leave, they turned up at least 6 times without prior notice. It got to the point where I had to actually just lock the door from the inside in order to not be disturbed. We were informed of some visits by email, but in no way was this procedure adhered to correctly or consistently by them.

Due to a family matter, we had no choice but to stay for another year - which I regret to this day. During what was a hard time for everyone, even to STAY IN THE SAME FLAT we were put through another reference check with an abysmal service called Lettingshub. I repeat, to stay in the same flat. Pat Robson could have waived this check, and on speaking to other estate agents, it has been suggested that they continued with this totally unnecessary procedure so they could charge the landlord for it. In any case, it made even staying in the place complex and drawn out due to the totally inept team at the referencing company. It was eventually sorted, but it made a very stressful time all the more stressful, with no real need at all - we had always paid out rent on time.

ANOTHER waste of time and money came with a minor repair to a leaking radiator. I requested this was looked into in December 2021. The BAXI boiler system we had was programmed to come on automatically if the temperature outside dipped below freezing. This system is designed to act in this manner to stop the pipes from freezing. Due to the leak, the pressure was dropping, so it was fixed. The repairman did however, choose to leave the heating ON full blast. This was while we were away over the Christmas period. I was concerned that this would happen, and I expressed my concerns to Pat Robson. They assured me that the heating would not be left on. I came back 10 days later to find the heating had been left on. It added £60 to our bill that month. In spite of my intuitive (correct) requests, they were wasted here, and Pat Robson cost us extra money which they refused to be accountable for. They simply chose to gaslight and ignore, rather than taking any blame for the matter. So, in trying to simply maintain the property, it cost us money.

On leaving the property it was extensively cleaned, and was left in a far better condition than it had been on our move in day in 2020. We sent a written request that was accepted to leave the keys in the flat by posting them through the letter box. We filmed this as a precaution - which in itself serves the kind of experience we had wit Pat Robson; you need to document anything and everything. On requesting our deposit return, Pat Robson claimed they could not find the house keys. This ran for a while and then we sent them the video of THE KEYS BEING POSTED through the letterbox. Suddenly they then found the keys. Conveniently. Had we not filmed this, they would have attempted to charge us for missing keys.

After the keys incident, we were then informed that the place needed to be cleaned. I at this point sent photographic evidence from 2020 showing how dirty the place was - including an entire wall that was full of BLACK MOULD. This was somehow missed by their team on an inspection prior to our move in, and I suspect that the place had not been cleaned prior to our move in. To date, the last cleaning invoice Pat Robson had was for April 2020 - we moved in in December 2020. No cleaning invoice has been brought to our attention to prove that the place was cleaned. Again, they just ignore and gaslight when it comes to any matter that presents them as accountable.

For what amounted to some dust in a drawer, fair wear and tear, a replacement lightbulb and an extractor fan filer, Pat Robson proposed to take £192 from our deposit. This I begrudgingly "accepted" as I simply want to move on with my life, and not go through a drawn out complaints procedure.

If you are selling a property with these clowns then please list it with another agency. Been trying to get in touch to actually put an offer on a property for over a week now and they don't answer the phone, sale lost!!

You might not be able to avoid these cowboys due to property shortages but if you do end up using them then detail everything. I've been charged over the odds for "deep cleaning" and maintenance that is little more than light bulbs.

Besides the absurd charges the actual service is incredibly poor leaving essential repairs and maintenance undone for months.

AVOID THIS COMPANY - They will make totally unreasonable cleaning and damage charges against students when vacating at end of tenancy. They pressure Trustpilot to remove negative reviews in an attempt to show themselves in a more positive light. Read all reviews carefully. If property shortages dictate that you have to use this company you need to be rigid in your completion of the entry inventory report, detailing even the tiniest defect or marks. Take extensive photos and videos, they will charge you for the smallest existing defect if you don't record it. According to their own staff, you are wasting your time in excessive cleaning in an attempt to avoid a cleaning charge. We are currently going through the DPS process and have submitted evidence to highlight the scam practices of this company. It's a real pain but secure evidence, challenge unjust charges, and leave appropriate feedback to assist and protect others. Property owners don't want to let their properties through a company with an appalling reputation. They will only change these practices when it impacts on profits. Message to Trustpilot, I am happy to provide you extensive evidence to support this negative review.
** Update we used DPS and they found the charges imposed by Pat Robson to be unjustified and the Majority of the retention was returned to the tenants. A load of aggravation to contest the dishonest practices of this disgraceful company. Recommendation is to avoid using them, but if this is unavoidable owing to lack of properties you must contest everything that is inaccurate on the inventory and photograph everything on entry and exit. What a poor, dishonest company Pat Robson turned out to be. ** If you have been subject to the Pat Robson scam, ensure you leave feedback and send a message to landlords, they will eventually find an alternative lettings agency.

Disgusting attemped deduction from deposit, my daughter moved into a professionally cleaned flat (🤣🤣🤣🤣) jeeesssuss what a dirty and discusting dump of a place, no way had it seen a clean in years, all the carpets were sticky and stinking, there was food in the gas fire ??? Muck and dirt all over the kitchen and bathrooms and a fly infestation, even the sofas had a lot of food and hair down the sides 🤮🤮 , many complaints were made (all proof kept) and nothing was done, then at the end they had the cheek to charge £420 for cleaning and damage to a bin that they didn't even supply. These scammers should be taken to court and closed down, when they were threatened with court action they returned all the deposit, its their company that needs a good clean of the scum that works there.

Do not use this letting agency. They are scam artists. My daughter hired a professional cleaner for 10 hours to clean the flat at the end of her tenancy. It was cleaner than when she went into it. They had the audacity to say that their professional cleaner took 12 hours to clean the flat (every room). On asking for photos to substantiate this claim, they provided photos but not showing any cleaning requirements! I presume this is a nice little monetary agreement between property management and the cleaning company. If you agree and have a story to tell like this, please contact The Chronicle. This type of scam needs highlighting and needs to be stopped. And following on from Pat Robsons reply to this scathing review. My response is, there should be no need for me to waste my time, money and effort going to the DPS arbitration (and the money the DPS waste in arbitrating unnecessary claims), when there is no case to answer. Pat Robsons hopes that young people will not go to arbitration and will pay the cleaning charges that they charge as young tenants need to access their deposits to then be able to pay the deposit on the next flat they want to rent. This scam and bullying tactic needs highlighting and stopping!

Disrespectful and disgraceful company. Me and my flatmates complained huge amounts about the absolute disgrace of the house yet no action was taken. We had to clean it from head to toe to make it liveable. It's laughable that they put the house had been 'professionally cleaned' upon us moving in.
When moving out, the house was spotless yet they had the audacity to charge us with a £420 cleaning bill which equates to 17 hours of cleaning. It's pathetic the house looked like it hadn't been cleaned for 20 years when we moved in. On the deposit letter they state 'the house should be returned in the same condition as given' and the house was 100% better when we moved out.
We've been trying to get our deposit back for over a month and we've received two emails from them despite sending vast amounts to them.

Rip off Robber Robson Students be warned rip off robbo will steal your deposit no matter if you clean to the nth degree rip off robbo will find fault and deduct some cash, there are many honest letting agents in Newcastle and Rat Robson is not one of them keep away and avoid being the next victim

Thank you to the multiple members of staff that I dealt with during the process of selling my home. I found Pat Robson to be honest, efficient, pro-active and thoroughly engaging throughout what was a very stressful period. The two ladies in particular who dealt with me, Katherine and Charlotte were professional, reliable, and explained things to me in a very simple and understanding way for someone not close to this industry. The service was fantastic in the build up, the quality of their work and photography of our home was like no other I’ve come across and due to their upmost commitment & experience they supported the sale of my home after just 2 days on the market. Also, at the most testing of times when the sale of my home wasn’t as straight forward as I would like due to external factors, they handled my concerns, challenging and erratic moods fantastically, that in itself deserves credit. I would highly recommend anyone looking for a seamless transition, no pressure, professional and quality service to look no further then Pat Robson. Thank you.

No empathy or flexible for students in difficult circumstances during the pandemic. I had never stepped foot in the property and when I asked for a small reduction in rent due to the circumstances I was met with a cold and patronising response. And to add insult to injury we were met with a deposit deduction of over £600 which seemed unjustified and unfair. It seems that they use this as a way of making extra money and taking advantage of vulnerable students.

I couldn’t thank Pat Robson enough for their help! Not only was the team very friendly and accommodating, they helped me along every step during my tenancy, would recommend using them! The property management team were extremely helpful and quick to deal with any issues I had.

Worst letting agency get property with. Please use some other property agency. They will robbery you blind on deposit.

I have rented in Newcastle for over 12 years and Pat Robson are by far the worst experience I’ve had, and that is tough competition!

I’m usually resigned to the fact I will have around £50 of my deposit taken for cleaning no matter how clean the property is left. However, Pat Robson are taking over £200 and counting for ridiculous costs. Including:

1. A £90 bill for cleaning a 2 bed house, which was cleaned before I left including the fridge, oven and garden waste removed.
2. A £65 bill for carpet cleaning of the most thread bare, dated carpet, the only carpet in the house is a small area of the landing.
3. The most shocking however is a £50 bill for a contractor to empty the wheelie bin. I was informed I’d be charged this the day before bin collection day, where I had pulled the bin out to be collected the next morning.

There are more petty costs including a speculative replacement of a lamp shade and a door mat which I purchased myself!

I should have learned from my last experience of Pat Robson in 2016 where they charged me for cleaning of some dust in a draw.

Bearing in mind my rent was payed in full and on time I calculate I’ve payed over £23000 in rent in 2.5 years. During my time, PR attempted to increase my rent by a total of 7-8% over 2.5 years and argued it was in line with national and regional house prices which is simply a lie, even trying a large increase in the middle of the first lockdown.

The last few months I had broken blinds waiting to be replaced, the boiler leaked consistently over nearly three years, totally destroying the kitchen bench, cracked tiles due to poor fitting, loose skirting boards and fire blankets / extinguisher out of date.

Like most renters, I expected most of this service as renting in Newcastle has a systemic Wild West culture however PR are particularly bad. After spending a year in clinical & research work into COVID and finding a new place to live I was reliant on getting a sensible amount of my deposit back after I left.

My next email will be a strongly worded letter to my colleagues at Newcastle University staff and student wellbeing office and Newcastle Upon Tyne NHS trusts staff wellbeing offices, as they are both very interested in which estate agents to warn prospective staff and students to avoid.