5/5
GoogleReally helpful letting agency. Managed to give me 3 viewings at extremely short notice, and Archie was exceedingly helpful. Recommended!
Agent replied · 19 June 2024
Thank you Oscar and we are pleased we were able to help.
Trusted Agent profile
John Hilton and Co estate agents in Brighton and Rottingdean
★★★★★
392 reviews across 2 offices and 1 platform
John Hilton and Co has two offices, in Brighton and Rottingdean. Together they have 392 reviews on 1 platform, rated 4.4 out of 5 overall.
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Our offices
John Hilton and Co's two offices, most reviewed first. Each has its own page.
Latest reviews from every John Hilton and Co office
Newest first, from every platform, with the office each review is about. First names only.
Google1/5
GoogleAlmost a year and still waiting on deposit money to be returned after we contested being overcharged. If you're a student wouldn't bother unless literally no other choice.
Agent replied · 19 June 2024
Dear James, we have looked into your comments and your deposit was returned after your tenancy ended and we have forwarded this information onto you. If a dispute was raised, then this would be put to your landlord for discussion as John Hilton did not manage this property. In the event that you are unhappy with any proposed charges a dispute could have been raised with where your deposit was protected.
1/5
GoogleDidn't turn up to scheduled appointment due to the "rain". When I called up they didn't apologies or seem to care that I had taken a day off work for this appointment and that I had spend hours getting the property ready for them. Really unprofessional.NegativeProfessionalism
Agent replied · 19 June 2024
We are sorry that you feel your experience was not satisfactory. Unfortunately, the torrential rain prevented us from being able to take the photographs we were intending to take. When we contacted you to notify you of this we did apologise but were met by a torrent of abuse which is unreasonable and unacceptable.
1/5
Googlewouldn't recommend for students. when it came to getting our deposits back they brought up issues such as 'light dust on thermostat'??? with an image where you couldn't even see the dust!! and apparently this micro amount of dust needed a cleaning fee. ridiculous
Agent replied · 19 June 2024
Dear Ruby, Deposit returns can be a contentious issue, as tenants you were given a check out report which highlighted any issues in a comprehensive report and you noted that additional cleaning was highlighted; for additional cleaning there is a minimum call out charge for a cleaner to attend to bring the property back to the same clean condition it was given. Any queries you had have been addressed and if you felt that any deductions were unfair then tenants can use the deposit dispute resolution service.
2/5
GoogleCurrently living in a shared house with uni students and as much as we love this house there has been a recent occurrence which the agents have simply not taken seriously. Our hob is broken and we made a complaint 3 days ago. When we called the emergency out of hours the women urged us not to use it as it is a gas hob and continues to spark when nothing is lit. She said that the issue would be put through immediately and someone would be round in the morning to fix it. Following morning, nothing. I rang and someone told me they’d call me back in 10 minutes. Never called back. Following day called again, got told they have left a message for the repair man and are waiting for a response. Then got a call later saying someone might be round this afternoon or tomorrow morning. No specific time or anything. The house came with no appliances ie microwave, toaster, kettle, bin, or vacuum and mop. So we rely on the hob to cook if not using the oven. You would think they would act urgently seeing we use the hob 90% of the time to cook but no. They suggested “we get a takeaway” lol are you going to pay for it? Actually disgusting that weve now gone 3 days with no hob and no time or any sort of reassurance relating to our issue, not worth close to £700 pp a month. EDIT: the out of office company contacted me to apologize and gave me a gift voucher for deliveroo, the man on the phone I believe his name was Aaron was very apologetic. After contacting John Hilton a few times someone did end up coming and fixing the issue, it is to be noted that the company for out of office is not John Hilton themselves BUT this is the company that they have hired for their tenets to contact.
Agent replied · 19 June 2024
Dear tenants, We thought it would be best to address your issues directly as it seems there is some confusion with what happened. After receiving our plumber’s report, the gas hob stopped working due to a large amount of water being spilt on the ignitors. The call to our office was made out of hours, which goes through to a third-party independent company who look after any emergency calls when the office is closed. Unfortunately, the person who answered the phone regretfully suggested to get a takeaway, which was not a professional response. John Hilton immediately spoke to this company who profusely apologised and sent a Deliveroo voucher by way of making up for the error of their employee. We are sorry that they were less than professional and we have taken steps to make sure this does not happen again. As soon as John Hilton were alerted to the issue, we contacted our gas engineer but unfortunately, he was unable to get to you until the following day. In the meantime, he did suggest that you may try removing the rings from the hob and drying them out as they were waterlogged. When the engineer arrived the next day, he took the hob apart and dried out all the compartments and left the hob in good working order. As far as toasters, kettles, mops, bins, these items are rarely supplied by a landlord in our long experience of lettings; these items would usually only be supplied in an Airbnb or an apartment hotel. We do sincerely apologise that you feel the service was not up to standard, without the unfortunate episode with the out of hours contractor we hope you would agree that this issue was dealt with promptly.
5/5
GoogleHighly recommended! Our sale encountered a series of delays and complications which could have so easily led to the sale collapsing. That it didn't is largely down to the stirling work and commitment by Tracy! The support she gave was fantastic, calm and always professional. Thank you!
Agent replied · 19 June 2024
Thank you Linda for your kind words and glad we were able to get it over the line.
4/5
GoogleMegan O'hara has been our estate agent managing our tenancy in our rented flat. She has always been responsive and attentive. Easy to reach out. Communication with her have been clear, direct and prompt, and to this date she has always been on top of all our queries. Good professional and has a good vibe.
Agent replied · 19 June 2024
Thank you for taking time out to write this review. It is much appreciated.
5/5
GoogleTracy at John Hilton supported us with our recent home purchase and we could not have been happier, she was incredibly supportive and personable throughout, making a stressful situation much more pleasant. Thank you Tracy and the team at John Hilton!
Agent replied · 19 June 2024
Thank you Sanna and we hope you are happy in your new home
5/5
GoogleMegan O'Hara is hands down the best property manager we have had. She is both assertive and understanding, two qualities that I think are essential when dealing with someones home which happens to be another persons house! Megan's replacement (Kimberley Golds) also displays these same qualities in abundance and is a great addition to JH. Also, thank you very much to Catrina for initially showing us our new home!
Agent replied · 19 June 2024
Thank you for your kind words and we hope you will be very happy in your new home.
5/5
GoogleOur property manager Megan has been so attentive and understanding all throughout our tenancy especially towards the end! Also, Katrina who helped us in the beginning before we signed with JH and drove us for our viewings. We overall had a good experience with JH as our first estate agent in Brighton!PositiveResponsiveness, Quality, Professionalism, Value
Agent replied · 19 June 2024
Thank you for your very kind review it is much appreciated.
5/5
GoogleMe and my partner had a very good experience with John Hilton, Archie was extremely helpful and without him we wouldn’t of been able to secure the lovely property we are moving into. I would highly recommend John Hilton, Archie and the rest of the team.
Agent replied · 19 June 2024
Thank you for review and glad we were able to assist
1/5
GoogleI have to agree with other students on here in that John Hilton certainly favour the landlords over tenants. As a guarantor for a student I have always found them 'wanting' in attempting to sort issues out and they were certainly no help during the COVID lock-downs, when there were no students in residence for nearly six months. It was also the same story when it came to paying the deposit back at the end of a two year tenancy. We had to challenge every little aspect (not saying the house was perfect) but some of the items they kept money for were very petty. Overall, couldn't recommend.NegativeProfessionalism, Value
Agent replied · 19 June 2024
Dear Stephen, thank you for your comments. As an agency we are instructed to act on the landlord’s behalf, this is not favouring the landlord, but John Hilton is working as a third party. Covid was a difficult time for students, tenants, as well as landlords. Most landlord’s only own one property and we found that the vast majority were are not in a financial position to offer any rent reduction during the pandemic. Through Covid John Hilton were following the Government guidelines. Dealing with deposit returns can be a contentious end to the tenancy, John Hilton investigates any disputes and liaises with the landlord to try and reach an amicable agreement. There are many situations where John Hilton strongly advises the landlord against the allocation of certain charges, however our advice is not always followed. If an amicable resolution regarding the deposit return has not been agreed then the dispute service is in place to adjudicate fairly.
1/5
GoogleMyself and my housemate rented a flat through this agency from September 2020 through to September 2021. We encountered a number of problems during our tenancy as a result of the agency. To begin with, for the first month we were in the flat there was no sufficient hot water, meaning we could only take cold showers etc. We contacted the agency immediately after discovering the problem when we moved in and although they did send someone to try and fix it every so often, they obviously weren't prioritising it and it took far longer than is reasonable. One of the plumbers who came to look at the boiler also noticed that the bathroom floor was crumbling away so that whole floor also had to be replaced while we were living there. This had been an issue since we had moved in, which should have been dealt with before the start of our tenancy. The most outstanding issue we faced, however, was the fact that over a third of our deposits were kept by the agency for 'cleaning fees'. Prior to moving out, the flat had been cleaned to the standard it was when we moved in. The only photos we took of the flat when we moved in were things that seemed like they could prove to be an issue when moving out, like the holes and missing plaster in the wall of one of the bedrooms. (They were initially going to charge us for the holes in the bedroom wall until we reminded them that we emailed them about the holes with photographic evidence when we moved in and they had ignored the email.) The flat was not spotless, but also not unreasonably dirty when moving in so we thought extensive photos wouldn't be necessary. We were obviously wrong since we had no proof and therefore no way of making John Hilton drop the false claims that we had left the flat in an unreasonably dirty state. On top of this they claimed it cost £460 to clean a small 2 bed, 1 bath flat with only carpets in the bedrooms. Prior to moving out the whole flat had been hoovered, the fridge freezer had been cleaned fully and defrosted, the cooker, all surfaces, cupboards and bathroom had been cleaned. Quite what required £460 worth of cleaning is a mystery to us, although perhaps since we didn't damage anything during our tenancy they wanted to find some other way of keeping some of our deposits. Really liked the flat itself, but would highly recommend taking photos of literally everything so you don't end up suffering from the same problem with this agency as we did.
Agent replied · 19 June 2024
Hi Leah, thank you for your comments. In regard to this property John Hilton were instructed to manage the property for only a short period of time. Unfortunately, it did take some extensive investigation and time to get to the bottom of the issue with the hot water cylinder which can sometimes be the case and we appreciate that this was an inconvenience at the time and our goal is to rectify any issues as swiftly as possible. On inspection it was noticed that there was an issue with the bathroom floor and it was replaced, this was due to water historically going over the side of the bath causing damage to the floor. With regards to the deposit return, John Hilton did facilitate the return of the deposit under the landlord’s instruction. With all properties they do need to be returned to the same standard at the end of the tenancy, less fair wear and tear. Tenants are given the opportunity to disagree with any proposed deductions and if they feel these are unfair and cannot come to a mutual agreement with the landlord then a dispute can be raised with the scheme where the deposit is protected.
5/5
GoogleI have just sold my house and bought a new one through John Hilton. They have been amazing throughout. Supportive, helpful, proactive, kind - I heartily recommend them! Thank you to the whole team: Marius, Robert, Tom and Tracy, each one of you were so helpful and lovely to us through a very stressful time!PositiveResponsiveness
Agent replied · 19 June 2024
Thank you for your kind words it really is appreciated. Good luck with the renovations on the new home and would love to see it once it is done.
5/5
GoogleOur dealings with John Hilton from start to finish were professional and very helpful. They continued with their help after the completion of our sale. They kept us up to date at all times. We would like to mention Tom who went far and beyond thankyou to him and all the staff at John Hilton. who were friendly and patient !PositiveResponsiveness, Quality, Professionalism, Value
Agent replied · 19 June 2024
Thank you for your kind feedback it is very much appreciated.
1/5
GoogleEpitome of the estate agent stereotype - All smiles at the beginning followed by hollow promises and money grabbing. Do not expect due diligence. Expect to challenge your deposit return. 1) When organizing tenancy agreements they gave us the complete wrong date that was discussed and advertised. This was followed by patronizing conversations about how we must have been confused when in reality (and later by their own admission) it was their fault. We received no apology or compensation for the complications this caused. 2) We had issues that remained for our entire tenancy that were never properly addressed despite them promising to fix them before tenancy. 3) We left the property in immaculate condition yet we were charged for cleaning fees because of carpet stains that were there prior to us. When we provided time stamped evidence that the stains were there upon move-in and were missed on the inventory, we were accused of forging this evidence. It's frankly pathetic. Would not recommend.
Agent replied · 19 June 2024
Thank you for your comments and we are sorry to hear that you experienced some issues during your tenancy and we sincerely apologise for any mix up on our part with move in dates. We do our upmost to deal with property maintenance as quickly as possible however we are reliant on the instruction and permission of the landlord. With regards to the deposit return, this is always a contentious end to the tenancy. In this instance the property did require further cleaning and the carpets were not cleaned as per the terms of the tenancy agreement. As we could not come to an agreement on the proposed deductions, we suggested raising a dispute with the scheme where the deposit was protected. In this instance, mydeposits ruled that the proposed charges were fair as the checkout report proved further cleaning was required and the carpets were dirty. We do appreciate that no one likes to have deductions made to their deposit but contractually the tenant must return the property in the same condition less fair wear and tear. Whilst we appreciate your feedback, we feel that your comments are retaliatory due to the adjudication of the deposit return which was assessed by a third party to ensure that these charges were fair.
2/5
GoogleHaving rented a house through John Hilton for 3 years, I would like to warn other students wanting to rent through them. With every house inspection, the agents always commented on how clean the house was and how well it was maintained. However, when it came to giving back deposits, they tried to initially retain over half of our deposit. I had to request the check out report twice before it was provided a week after the tenancy ended, extra photos taken by the agency were not provided until 2 weeks after the tenancy had ended. Whilst initially, the communication was okay (a few days between responses), they stopped replying at all ~2 weeks after the tenancy ended and I had to go through mydeposits to dispute the remainder of the deposit. Although John Hilton were not terrible compared to how other agencies treat their student tenants and most things were fixed during the tenancy (although with delays), the deposit ordeal has left us all with a very sour taste. We had also paid their chosen cleaner when moving out to ensure the cleaning would be up to their standard to avoid any issues. It has taken nearly 3 months in total to get to a final decision. If you still choose to go with them, at least bear this in mind.
5/5
GoogleI recently sold a bungalow in Brighton through John Hilton. Marcus who came to value the property was very informative and had a really nice manner. The whole process they were very responsive to any queries I raised and we gained a more than sale price for the property on the first day of viewing. My only criticism would be they didn't inform me a survey had been done ( I would expect them to notify me if anyone was due to attend the property) nor did they inform me we had exchanged contracts. Only minor things but something that they could improve on. I would highly recommend using their services,PositiveQuality
Agent replied · 19 June 2024
Hi Patty, thank you for your review it is very much appreciated. Your comments are noted and we are always looking to improve on the service we offer.
5/5
GoogleJohn Hilton recently sold my studio flat. They were supportive and helpful from start to finish. Always available to speak to when needed. Many thanks to all the staff and especially Tracy who is a credit to this firm. And a good sense of humour - which is often needed when things are stressful for client. Thanks and would highly recommend.PositiveResponsiveness, Professionalism
Agent replied · 19 June 2024
Thank you Pauline it was good to get it over the line as the buyers solicitor was very tricky to deal with. We're pleased for you that you can now move on with your life.
5/5
GoogleI was very impressed with the service I received from John Hiltons. Everyone I dealt with proved helpful all the way through but I must specially point out how Tracy would always be willing to chat things through and worked tirelessly over what proved to be pretty challenging circumstances. I'd really recommend John Hilton as an Estate Agent par excellence.
Agent replied · 19 June 2024
Thank you Angela for your kind words and hope you will be happy in your new home.
5/5
GoogleThe team at John Hilton are the most amazing house letting agents I’ve met. I had a great experience from the beginning starting with the lady that showed me the house to the point I moved in with other house mates. They made every step easy, showed understanding to our needs, very professional, swift with all queries + addressing complaints. Especially Catrina and Jo-Ann. Will recommend.
Agent replied · 19 June 2024
Thank you for kind words it’s much appreciated
5/5
GoogleThe whole team at John Hilton are kind, efficient and passionate about what they do. I have rented properties out as well as recently selling through them recently. They are warm and friendly, easy to talk to and really care about a quick, smooth and thorough process. Marius has always been more than helpful, with all my many queries over the years. He has been a great support when I have had to make difficult decisions. Tracy is so efficient, she is fully trustworthy and gets things done! The whole team is down to earth and knowledgeable and I feel so grateful for all their hard work, especially in these two difficult years. Thankyou!
Agent replied · 19 June 2024
Many thanks for your kind words.
5/5
GoogleOur point of contact Megan was quick to respond to problems with the property and dealt with them great. Was an easy year in terms of communicating with letting agents which is usually not the case.PositiveQuality
Agent replied · 19 June 2024
Thank you Faaris for your review and we wish you all the best for the future
5/5
GoogleRobert noted what I wanted and on the same day such a property came on the market, he got in touch and got the ball rolling. Without his responsive and thoughtful action I might have missed out. This is the second time I'm leaving a review for Hiltons, the first was when I sold and this time is I'm buying. Both times its 5 stars and that goes throughout the team.PositiveResponsiveness
Agent replied · 24 August 2024
Thanks Teji and glad you beat the Stamp Duty Holiday deadline
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Questions about John Hilton and Co
Which John Hilton and Co office has the most reviews?
Brighton has the most, with 345 reviews rated 4.4 out of 5, followed by Rottingdean with 47.
Where are the John Hilton and Co offices?
The two John Hilton and Co offices, by town:
- Brighton: 132-135 Lewes Road, Brighton, BN2 3LG
- Rottingdean: 52 High Street, Rottingdean, BN2 7HF
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