Connells Avis 

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!

Had a survey conducted from James Edmundson. I mean, what can I say... he was quick, efficient and friendly. It was immaculately clear that he knows his trade and knows full well what hes doing. Knows the area impeccably and promised a quick turnaround on delivery. Connells... youve got a keeper.

Absolutely positive experience. Please don't listen if someone says different it is marketing. I've been almost 7 months with this agency and I have only super positive experience. Sam, Ateja and a gentleman i forgot his name( i hope he forgives me ) super helpful, went above and beyond even out of working hours, on short notices honestly just can't find anything i could of complain. Absolutely awesome experience and would definitely recommend 👌 👍
Thank you so much guys much appreciated

Very bad property management service . It has been six months and they are not fixing the house repair .

I am currently renting a property in Derby city centre managed by Connells/Burchell Edwards, and my experience has been extremely disappointing and, more recently, unacceptable.

At present, the property is uninhabitable. I have been dealing with a faulty toilet pump for over 12 weeks, despite reporting the issue promptly, which has now completely clogged and is unusable. I have also been unable to use the shower for the past 3 weeks due to a damaged bath. As a result, I have been forced to temporarily move out of the property, incurring significant disruption to my daily life, work, and wellbeing.

From the outset, the tenancy was problematic. Prior to moving in, I requested a second viewing to check appliances and general condition of the flat, which was refused. During my memorial viewing I stated that the place was dirty, but I was assured the property would be professionally cleaned; however, upon receiving the keys (after a two-hour delay caused by incorrect keys and no electronic fob to access the building) the flat was in a poor and unsanitary condition. Issues included visible mould around windows, dead insects throughout, mouldy food on the cooker and kitchen cabinets, unplumbed kitchen sink and broken sink pump, damaged and unsafe fittings including loose sockets and radiators, a covered smoke alarm, no locks on doors that were advertised as lockable, and general disrepair and waste left behind. They also advertised the building as having decent internet wired in, but this was not true as there is none available.

Although a maintenance contractor was eventually sent, it took weeks for the sink to be fixed, and in the end only some issues were addressed, leaving several unresolved which I had to sort myself. Some are still issues to this day despite repeated reports.

More recently, serious problems have been handled with a dreadful lack of urgency. A broken washing machine has taken 9 weeks to be arranged but has yet to be fitted. The ongoing toilet issue, caused by a faulty macerator pump that I reported on the first day of the fault, has still not been resolved after three months and has now completely failed, nearly flooding my bathroom. Furthermore, after reporting that the shower had broken when stepping in it, there was no response until I reported it again after 2 weeks, and I have since been informed that repairs are being postponed while the landlord seeks cheaper quotes. In the meantime, I remain without essential bathroom facilities in a property which I am paying full rent for.

Throughout this process, communication has been poor or nonexistent, and there has been little acknowledgment of the severity of these issues. I have not received a meaningful apology, and the lack of action has caused considerable stress and inconvenience to both my work and personal life.

Based on my experience, I would strongly advise you avoid this company at all costs.

At Connells in Worcester branch they have an amazing mortgage advisor with lots of experience and can help you to work out what you need to do with the basics of reading payslips, knowing what your deposit will get you, and help you go through the mortgage process.

Thomas Wallace has helped myself over the past 3 years helping me gain the knowledge in what I need to do and to the stage of purchasing the property as a first time buyer.

It has been a stressful time but Thomas does keep a check in to see how things are going.

I would recommend him to anyone no matter what stage you are at in your future of buying property.

To the readers: I hope this helps you find the property of your dreams or at least the start of getting you on the property ladder.

- Unreliable communication
- receiving the wrong insurance quote
- our documents sent to the wrong people

Good morning just a review on connells surveying team excellent internals team on appointment processing very easy to work with
On the external side of the company had a pleasant young man James visit my property yesterday smart ,knowledgable and punctual interacted with my builder brilliantly credit to the company well done connells

Connell’s Bushey have been amazing from start to finish! Especially Adam and Aimee, thank you so much. Aimee goes above and beyond! :)

All the staff were lovely and went above and beyond. So nice and so efficient and persistent. Big shout out to Lesley and Lauren. You ladies are the best and thank you so much.

Connells is a terrible agency that only cares about you until the contract is signed. After being exemplary tenants for over 2 years, we have received zero support or flexibility. Despite the standard practice in the UK, they refused any 'rolling contract' options, forcing us into rigid fixed terms.
Most importantly, the 'Break Clause' details provided by the agency were highly misleading. Even the Landlord, the Agency, and we (the Tenants) all had different understandings of the move-out dates due to their poor communication. While most professional agencies help find new tenants to allow flexibility, Connells only focuses on forcing you to stay until the last possible second, regardless of your perfect tenancy record. They do not care about the human element or the financial strain on tenants; they only protect their own interests. Save yourself the stress and avoid Connells at all costs.

We received excellent advice from Ellen Gynn at the Wellesbourne branch, she made the whole journey pleasant and extremely easy.
I would recommend any family or friends to use this branch.
If I ever move again they would be my first port of call.
Well done guys Great Work!!!

I recently had a valuation carried out by Steve Mather, from previous experience I wasent full of confidence with Connells however Steve did a superb job , he hit the nail on the head with the valuation and the rent figures and it was exactly what was put forward, I wish more surveyors where like Steve. I hope he gets this feedback and I hope I get him again on future projects. 10/10

Connells Stourbridge, West Midlands...amazing service. Very professional, helpful, thoughtful and very responsive. Bit shout out to John Davies and Sian. John was always so helpful, calm and supportive. A very busy person and yet always returns calls and queries speedily and with a solution for everything. Would 100% recommend. Very competitive on price as well.

My partner and I recently purchased our first home through Connells Horsham. Unfortunately after our offer was accepted, the service we received from the branch was extremely disappointing.

During our initial viewing we were informed that the sellers had already found their onward property. As we had just secured a buyer for my partner’s property, we were optimistic about a short chain and quick process. Our offer was accepted promptly, which was the only point at which communication with the branch was efficient. Shortly afterwards we discovered that our sellers had not actually secured another property, something that had not been made clear earlier.

From that point onwards communication was extremely poor. We received no proactive updates and only obtained information by repeatedly contacting the branch ourselves. We discovered that our sellers had eventually found a vacant onward property by myself calling the branch for an update.

Nearly two months into the process our solicitor informed us that they had still not received draft contract papers despite repeated attempts to contact the sellers’ solicitor. After raising this with Connells we were eventually told our sellers had changed solicitors and that the branch apparently had not been informed of the new details, despite our solicitor having copied Connells into multiple communications chasing this information.

At another stage our buyer faced a tenancy deadline and mortgage expiry, which we communicated clearly to the branch. When raising this concern with the branch manager, I was told—without any apparent review of our case—that we still had “weeks” to complete. This reassurance proved to be inaccurate and no further updates were provided.

Arranging a second viewing to take measurements was also unnecessarily difficult. After four phone calls over a week and being repeatedly told they could not reach our seller, this caused us yet more stress receiving no communication considering our journey so far. My partner called to complain and the appointment was arranged within 20 minutes; clearly no earlier attempts were made.

Due to the lack of progress and communication, we were forced to move into rented accommodation before Christmas in order not to lose our buyer. In early 2026 we then learned via our solicitor that a divorce at the top of the chain could cause significant delays—information that had never been communicated to us by Connells despite earlier assurances that the onward purchase was vacant.

On completion day we were informed by our solicitor at 12:30pm that completion had taken place and the keys could be released. However, when I arrived at the branch at 2pm I was told they had not received confirmation and could not release the keys. Our solicitor confirmed Connells had been notified completion had taken place and to release the keys twice. After returning to the branch at 3pm I finally collected the keys, only to discover the sellers were still moving out. We couldn't access the property until 5pm.

We submitted a formal complaint detailing these issues and provided supporting evidence including call logs and emails. While the response was apologetic in tone, Connells stated there was insufficient evidence of failures and offered £150 as a gesture of goodwill, which didn't come close to covering the additional costs incurred due to delays and having to move twice. Escalating the complaint resulted in the same outcome and no further engagement.

As first-time buyers we expected the estate agent to play a supportive and communicative role in the process. Unfortunately, throughout the purchase Connells Horsham provided little assistance, poor communication, and no accountability for the issues we experienced.

CONNELLS LETCHWORTH CON MERCHANTS NOT ESTATE AGENTS
CONNELLS LETCHWORTH, CON MERCHANTS AND LIARS

Absolutely disgusting company, their staff are allergic to the truth. We were duped last December into signing with their agency. We have had 4 viewing in 3 months and I’m fairly sure they were unemployed actors, not potential buyers . None of the potential buyers had the budget to afford our property. All were complete times wasters. We have been fobbed off over and over again.

Here is the latest BS received from Connells in Letchworth:-Thank you for the below, I do understand where you are coming from regarding the concerns around lack of interest.
I am having the same conversation with a lot of our vendors now, because as good as he is at his job, Craig was notorious at pricing houses too high, leaving us with these difficult conversations. As I mentioned he has now left the company, and we are picking up what we can only call, his errors.
Part of an email from

Elizabeth Vandoorn | Residential Sales Negotiator

Look on Rightmove, the properties for CONNELLS DO NOT SELL, they have the longest listings … WHY ??? Because they have all been over valued by their repulsive staff. Heed my warning they don’t care they only want their commission and to trap you for 6 months under contract,

VALUE HIGH AND SELL LOW DOESN’T MATTER TO THEIR COMMISSION

Connells Harrow. I can only say how fantastic this estate agent is. My property had been on the market for over 6 months and I felt I needed another agent to improve the selling potential.
I requested a valuation via Rightmove and Connells were one of the first to respond-always a good sign. They were amazing, the housing market is difficult in London at the moment and the leasehold remaining on my property made finding a buyer on the open market very hard.
Connells were able to find what seemed like the needle in the haystack. A cash buyer prepared to make a realistic offer.
Throughout the process, all of the Connells team were supportive. I only met one member of the team but everyone I dealt with, I felt I knew and they had my best interests at heart.
Thank you Kas for waiting for me on valuation day whilst transport made me late, Satyen for your hard work and support and to Scott, a massive thank you for the sound advice, effort and attention throughout the process.

I am receiving passive aggressive emails from Connells 5 years after they made my house purchase 10x harder than it needed to be despite being told my information had been removed from their databases in line with GDPR regulations- clearly they cannot even manage that. As a first time buyer I was given a terrible deal as I unfortunately did not know any better- if you are a first time buyer, or really any buyer, AVOID CONNELLS.

I had a very positive experience with Connells in Harborne Area (Birmingham)The team was professional, helpful, and very supportive throughout the whole process , Nathan friendly and always ready to answer my questions . They explained everything clearly and made the experience much less stressful. Communication was excellent. I truly appreciate their dedication and would definitely recommend Connells to anyone looking for a reliable and professional estate agency.