Franklyn James Estate Agents Avis 

My experience with Franklyn James was exhausting and stressful. After months of chasing them to renew my tenancy, the agency demanded unagreed, backdated charges. When I challenged these demands, I was served a Section 21 notice and forced to relocate between Christmas and year-end.

Due to their chaotic communication, the contract under which they demanded money turned out to be completely invalid, forcing them to refund me the difference. In an absurd twist, they simultaneously listed the property online for the exact same rent I had already agreed to pay. As a result of their incompetence, they both lost out on my rent increase for several months and failed to receive the illegitimate backdated sums they were claiming.

I escalated the case to The Property Ombudsman (TPO), and the TPO identified significant service shortcomings - including severe delays and poor handling of the renewal - concluding the agency fell below expected standards and awarding me financial compensation.

Upon moving out, the agency attempted to withhold a large portion of my deposit, but these unreasonable deductions were fully rejected by the Deposit Protection Scheme - highlighting their poor conduct right up to the very end.

Compensation doesn't undo the severe disruption and stress I went through; I am sharing this so others are aware: I strongly advise prospective tenants to avoid Franklyn James.

Having rented with Franklyn James for the past 3 years, it has been a great experience from start to finish. The property was in perfect order for when I moved in (even though I had a few special requests). Any problems during my tenancy were always dealt with promptly and the staff were professional and helpful at all times. Having moved to a new property I wish my new agent was as on top of things as Franklyn James. A big thank you to Daniel, Yawar and James

From the very beginning - wrong pictures and video on details, agent lying to viewers about why we were selling. That was only the beginning though. Total lack of communication despite really serious issues during conveyancing that ultimately led to the sale falling through. Emails and phone calls ignored, inadequate due diligence on prospective purchasers, lax attitude to concerns about property fraud. The ONLY upside of the sale falling through is we don’t have to pay these clowns. Honestly, I would avoid. Terrible “service”.

I moved into a property a few months ago with the Canary Wharf branch and everything has been difficult since the moment our offer was accepted.
Not only did they not even hand over the full set of property keys until two months in, but there isn’t even a set of table and chairs you can use in the property which is sold as fully furnished. They see no issue with having no where to sit.
I would strongly encourage people to look elsewhere when looking for an estate agents in London.

First time buyer. Horrific journey however Franklyn James agents were always helpful and attentive. Alesja was my rock and kept me sane. And if she was otherwise engaged Mark would step in. Highly recommend!

Unprofessional, agents don’t turn up to viewings, communication is awful, don’t issue contracts properly and break GDPR of previous tenants willingly

2nd time round Franklyn James does their magic. If you need a flat rented out they are so fast at marketing and endless viewings. Their Lettings team are without doubt always trying hard to find me a tenant against a very tough market. Mark Kimber found a lovely couple to rent my flat. Super happy. Will use again.

Awful experience working with this business. I found Sandy to be rude, misogynistic and a bully.

Sold a flat with FJ recently. It’s been a long drawn out process. They have been pretty much useless. Estate agent turns up for a viewing with clients and says to me “I don’t know anything about this property so you better show them yourself”. It’s one thing being incompetent, but being so open about it was jaw-dropping. Luckily, we were able to sell the flat without their help. The most they did was list the property on Rightmove and contacted our buyer to arrange a viewing. Communication poor, inexperienced agents and lack of motivation to sell the property. When it came to completion, didn’t respond to emails about completion process until I made some angry calls on the morning of. Mark was good to deal with, and a chap called Marlon who I think has left now. Avoid others. Hope they enjoy the money they made from our commission for not doing a lot!

My partner and I are extremely disappointed with Franklyn James. During the flat viewing process, they were proactive, but once we signed the contract, their service declined significantly. When we raised issues as part of the check-in process, resolutions were slow, and they seemed to prioritise the landlord’s position over ours, leaving many issues unresolved.

Over the course of two years, we had almost four different property managers including Tanzila, Lucy and Taylor and now someone else which was frustrating. Each new manager was unaware of previous concerns, and responses were consistently delayed. If they manage your property, I would not recommend renting through them.

Most recently, we checked out of the property, and everything seemed fine—Franklyn James confirmed that all was in order, and they liaised with the landlord which they still need to hear from and they kept saying they will come back tomorrow. However, a month has passed, and there has been no progress on the deposit return. The property manager does not respond, leaving us no choice but to escalate the matter to the deposit protection scheme as I mentioned as no concerns were raised on the check out report.
I know they have many positive reviews, but I wanted to share our experience, which has been frustrating and exhausting. I also agree with others who have said they tend to favour the landlord, making it difficult for tenants to have a fair experience

We wish to thank and congratulate Adil and all his team on a simple, smooth and stress free sale of our Limehouse flat and also his service team, especially Tyler, for dealing with the maintenance issues that cropped up on the way; and last but not least his recommendation for a solicitor which turned out perfectly. We conducted a “beauty parade” of the local estate agents at the start and Adil’s clear, concise description and management of the process turned out to be spot on. We’ve now moved away from the area and are happy to recommend Franklyn James unreservedly. David and Gill.

I have dealt with Mark Kimber at Franklyn James for a number of years on several transactions and have always found him to be full of integrity and very professional.

We had a bad experience with an agent called Mark Kimber in terms of communication.

After viewing a house in E14, we submitted an offer and didn't receive any communication back from him until I called to check. The offer got rejected which is fine.

But I messaged Mark again afterwards with a new offer and the same thing happened. He didn't respond to the offer or even answered my call.

It's ok to reject an offer, but what is not ok is to ignore customer multiple times and not respond to their communication.

Updated to 2 stars after receiving a call from Hannah too appreciate her attempt to improve the company image.

Handy just boost my trust and confidence as first time buyer...exactly what i was looking for.

I had a viewing with Harry in London E14 which went very well! He was cordial and friendly and was very helpful throughout the viewing. Though the deal didn't take place, he was quick in suggesting me more properties based on my constraints, and regularly followed-up with me to get updates. Overall, it was a pleasure dealing with him.

Handy from Frankly James is an exceptional estate agent who knows the market inside out. He recently showed me a house, and I was thoroughly impressed with his professionalism and knowledge. From the moment we met, Handy was attentive, understanding, and courteous. He took the time to understand my needs and preferences and then provided invaluable insights into the property and the local market.

Throughout the viewing, Handy answered all my questions with confidence and clarity, demonstrating a deep understanding of the property and its features. His knowledge of the market was evident as he expertly highlighted the unique selling points of the house and provided me with valuable information about the neighbourhood.

Handy's professional demeanour and genuine passion for real estate made the entire experience enjoyable and stress-free. My wife and I felt well taken care of, and his attention to detail was commendable. It's clear that Handy takes great pride in his work and genuinely cares about his clients' needs.

I highly recommend Handy to anyone in search of a knowledgeable and reliable estate agent. His expertise and dedication make him a standout professional in the industry. Thank you, Handy, for your exceptional service and for making my house-hunting experience a positive one.

Adil at Franklyn James really went out of his way to help the process, very grateful to him. Thanks

My impression is that they will work against tenants as much as they possibly can. Examples:
They asked me for full unredacted bank transaction copies for the purpose of "Anti-Money-Laundering". I refused and they got pushy, but never in writing. Obviously, was a concealed credit check.
They also hid a malfunctioning bathroom venting system of the flat during the viewing.
After moving out, they gave me a bad reference stating I owe them money even though the tenancy deposit scheme report ended with 0 owed money.

Mark was fantastic with sorting out our property for us - really lovely and efficient throughout the process.

I have just begun to market a flat in E14 through Franklyn James and have dealt with Vanessa (who has now left the organisation), Adil, Georgia and Umar. My experience with these 4 individuals has, so far, been very positive. Each one has their own attributes and give a sense of positivity to me (the seller). We will see how the sale proceeds, but i have every confidence that Adil, Georgia and Umar will do their utmost best to secure a sale for me. Thank you for the experience so far and i look forward to a positive outcome in the not too distant future. Thank you