Trusted Agent profile · Bradford · West Yorkshire
Verified
★★★★★
360 reviews across 4 platforms
65 Darley Street, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD1 3HN
Part of Whitegates, see every office.
Whitegates's office in Bradford, West Yorkshire, at 65 Darley Street, is rated 4.0 out of 5 across 360 reviews on four platforms, including 252 Google reviews rated 3.9.
252
Reviews on Google
This office
15
Reviews on Facebook
This office
43
Reviews on Trustpilot
This office
50
Reviews on allAgents
This office
Since opening in 1979 we've helped thousands of customers like you buy, sell, let and rent property in Bradford and the surrounding area. How did we get to where we are today? We describe Whitegates Bradford with three key words: Professional, Knowledgeable and Trustworthy. Our team of 12 incredible staff gets those traits across and we're proud to be serving the local property market. We deal primarily with BD1 all the way through to BD18 properties, so you can be sure to find something anywhere in the city. If you're on the lookout to move in the near future, why not visit the office, give us a call or drop us an email? We'll be delighted to help you find your next dream home.
Every review we hold for the Bradford office, from every platform, shown as written. First names only.
5/5
GoogleVisited Whitegates as I needed help with buying a property. I spoke to Max who was really helpful, as was everyone else in the branch. Highly recommend!
Hi Mina, I really do appreciate your review. Many thanks. Ian
1/5
TrustpilotFrom the outset the Whitegates Bradford…
From the outset the Whitegates Bradford branch have been incompetent. They advised our buyer and the buyer of their property to use the same solicitor. This incompetence caused an extra 4 week delay before the solicitor realised that they were handling for both the seller and the buyer. Incredible to believe that they didn’t know this could cause a conflict of interest for the solicitor. The communication from the staff and manager has been unacceptable and dishonest. After they had realised their mistake they then recommended a second solicitor for the buyer to use. This recommended solicitor would not reply for update requests to the other solicitor or even to Whitegates themselves who had recommended him in the first place. It took nearly 5 months for Whitegates recommended solicitor to finalise the searches. Due to the reluctance and slowness of this solicitor to respond to anyone with updates Whitegates manager informed us that their “Compliance team” at their head office was going investigate why their recommended solicitor was being useless and very slow. We phoned Whitegates on numerous occasions and left messages, hardly ever got back to us so we decided to phone the franchise head office to talk to the “Compliance team”. We were informed that we had been misled by the manager as they don’t have a “Compliance team” and it was down to the owner of the Whitegates franchise to vet and choose their own solicitors to recommend to clients. Basically we were lied to. From start to finish Whitegates Bradford have provided a very poor service, when we would phone for updates they very rarely would phone the appropriate solicitor but instead would phone our buyer for an update. In our case our buyers were pensioners; this is not a professional way to operate a business. In total to took 7 months to complete the sale of our property. Due to Whitegates incompetence and the appalling way they had treated us all and lied to us, we wrote an email to complain to the owner of the Whitegates franchise. The owner didn’t have the courtesy or decency to reply to our email, so we decided to give the owner a second opportunity to reply us. Yet again the owner didn’t have the courtesy or decency to reply, this just confirms our beliefs that the owner and business is poorly managed and that they don’t care about their customers. We have now filed a complaint with the “Property Ombudsman”.
5/5
GoogleThe team at Whitegates have been great especially Gail and Max. I've had good and responsive communication from both despite the sale taking longer than expected however communication via email was key.
Dear Usma, It is frustrating as transaction time have got longer, but I'm glad we got there in the end! Many thanks. Ian
5/5
Google12 Years plus of excellent service. We initially moved to Whitgates after a not so good experience with an alternative letting agent and the length of time we have been with them speaks for itself. What I like the most about the agency is their frankness and honesty. They don't go around in circles trying to get more from you but they listen to the customer and do whatever they can to help. Renting our property was not done as a business venture but as a requirement when the market was not as good as it is now and we could not sell. When the right time did come around and we decided to sell, Whitegates's staff where on hand with their valued advise on the best way to do that and their advise definitely paid off as we sold the house very quickly and without any concerns. I would have no hesitation in recommending Whitegates as a letting or selling agent as the staff are all professional and enthusiastic to do the best that they can for you as their customer
Hi Elizabeth, Im so grateful that you have taken the time to post a review. I can’t believe it’s been 12 years.! I really do appreciate your valued trust and business over that time. Many thanks and best wishes for the festive season, 2023 and beyond. Cheers. Ian
5/5
GoogleGreat thanks, easy to deal with
We are delighted to hear you found us easy to deal with. Thank you for choosing Whitegates Bradford Lettings & Estate Agents.
1/5
GoogleHad a home valued by this branch been waiting 2 weeks for the valuation and keep being told someone will call me 100% but yet again no phone call i am from the estate agency field myself and no this is no way to run a estate agents nowadays estate agents are not doing thier jobs !
Apologies Boss H. I can't find your details to check. It's very odd if we had not been in touch or give you our thoughts at the Valuation appointment which is the norm. It's what we do!
1/5
FacebookDO NOT USE THIS ESTATE AGENTS. We paid them to manage a rental property for over 10 years and then instructed them to sell it for us. When we accepted an offer they FORGOT to give the tenant notice (even though my husband reminded them). By the time the tenant got out, the mortgage offer for the buyer had expired. We then had the property sat empty for 4 Months whilst the buyer secured another mortgage offer. If that wasn’t bad enough, Whitegates charged us £1800 for the sell (which took a year and we were still paying management fees) and deducted it from our proceeds without even asking. I have repeatedly complained about the service and fees and they ignore us. Karen Bibi, Ian Hinds and Arma Kang are the worst people I have ever done business with.
5/5
allAgentsWhitegates are managing 8
Whitegates are managing 8 properties for us for many years now and we have always found them excellent to deal with. The staff are so friendly, professional and efficient, from Charlotte in accounts to Karen, Jade and Sam. Nothing is ever an issue to them. Rent is paid on time each month and when tenants leave the void period is only a few days as they run an excellent lettings dept keeping voids to a minimum. I would highly recommend Whitegates to any potential landlords. We tried other agents in the area only to be let down, we never looked back after joining Whitegates.
1/5
GoogleTerrible attitude permeating from the top down. If you want professionalism and understanding, avoid like the plague. Firstly, some staff are rude and have a habit of interrupting and, when you finally convey your message, it is ignored or misconstrued. This appears to be done to avoid you actually conveying your request across correctly and in a manner that would result in the satisfaction of all parties (see below). Secondly, any enquiry that is not a repair request (see later) is often ignored, with no reply or contact in relation to the matter. When challenged on this absolutely no acknowledgement of failure or acceptance of responsibility is taken. Be prepared to have to explain yourself at least three times. Thirdly, when there is a fault in the property, blame is entirely put on yourself (even when common sense and logic would dictate that the opposite were true), causing difficulties in home life and routine. Lastly, not a single person seems to be capable of comprehending the facts you lay out before them - you may have to repeat yourself several times. While I would like to say this is intentional to avoid taking any responsibility whatsoever I cannot say this is the case for certain. If you want a professional, helpful attitude, look elsewhere. If you're into masochism and you don't mind being treated like a doormat, go with these guys.
Dear Andrew I’m sorry you feel the need to give us a 1 Star Review. I have spoken in person to you calmly and reasonably after you had spoken to several staff members within my team. I did then, and do now again, apologise for what appeared to be an initial breakdown in communication. That said you have been given a consistent response despite it not being what you wanted. As we discussed, contractual obligations are set out in your Tenancy Agreement, which you are obliged to adhere too. I’m disappointed that those obligations are not been fulfilled and that you indeed chose to hang up the phone during our conversation. Regards Ian
1/5
GoogleTerrible attitude permeating from the top down. If you want professionalism and understanding, avoid like the plague. Firstly, some staff are rude and have a habit of interrupting and, when you finally convey your message, it is ignored or misconstrued. This appears to be done to avoid you actually conveying your request across correctly and in a manner that would result in the satisfaction of all parties (see below). Secondly, any enquiry that is not a repair request (see later) is often ignored, with no reply or contact in relation to the matter. When challenged on this absolutely no acknowledgement of failure or acceptance of responsibility is taken. Be prepared to have to explain yourself at least three times. Thirdly, when there is a fault in the property, blame is entirely put on yourself (even when common sense and logic would dictate that the opposite were true), causing difficulties in home life and routine. Lastly, not a single person seems to be capable of comprehending the facts you lay out before them - you may have to repeat yourself several times. While I would like to say this is intentional to avoid taking any responsibility whatsoever I cannot say this is the case for certain. If you want a professional, helpful attitude, look elsewhere. If you're into masochism and you don't mind being treated like a doormat, go with these guys.
Dear Andrew I’m sorry you feel the need to give us a 1 Star Review. I have spoken in person to you calmly and reasonably after you had spoken to several staff members within my team. I did then, and do now again, apologise for what appeared to be an initial breakdown in communication. That said you have been given a consistent response despite it not being what you wanted. As we discussed, contractual obligations are set out in your Tenancy Agreement, which you are obliged to adhere too. I’m disappointed that those obligations are not been fulfilled and that you indeed chose to hang up the phone during our conversation. Regards Ian
1/5
GoogleTerrible attitude permeating from the top down. If you want professionalism and understanding, avoid like the plague. Firstly, some staff are rude and have a habit of interrupting and, when you finally convey your message, it is ignored or misconstrued. This appears to be done to avoid you actually conveying your request across correctly and in a manner that would result in the satisfaction of all parties (see below). Secondly, any enquiry that is not a repair request (see later) is often ignored, with no reply or contact in relation to the matter. When challenged on this absolutely no acknowledgement of failure or acceptance of responsibility is taken. Be prepared to have to explain yourself at least three times. Thirdly, when there is a fault in the property, blame is entirely put on yourself (even when common sense and logic would dictate that the opposite were true), causing difficulties in home life and routine. Lastly, not a single person seems to be capable of comprehending the facts you lay out before them - you may have to repeat yourself several times. While I would like to say this is intentional to avoid taking any responsibility whatsoever I cannot say this is the case for certain. If you want a professional, helpful attitude, look elsewhere. If you're into masochism and you don't mind being treated like a doormat, go with these guys.
Dear Andrew I’m sorry you feel the need to give us a 1 Star Review. I have spoken in person to you calmly and reasonably after you had spoken to several staff members within my team. I did then, and do now again, apologise for what appeared to be an initial breakdown in communication. That said you have been given a consistent response despite it not being what you wanted. As we discussed, contractual obligations are set out in your Tenancy Agreement, which you are obliged to adhere too. I’m disappointed that those obligations are not been fulfilled and that you indeed chose to hang up the phone during our conversation. Regards Ian
1/5
TrustpilotWorst Estate agent to do business with
Giving 1 star rating because 0 isn't an option.. 1 is being too generous... I will never recommend this company to sell a property with. As a first time seller, we would have expected the right advice to be provided when selling a property. We had only hired whitegates, as we purchased the same property with them so they already had the previous history. We had Whitegates come to our property for a valuation. It felt as if we were in control as it seemed like, the price we wanted, would be in our hands. Nothing was realistic. We did state that we wanted a faster sale (Like anyone would) and was offered to put our beautifully presented property on auction. This option should never had been presented to us in the first instance. We had contacted 5+ local estate agents while the property was on market, and they all stated that our property was not an auction property. After this huge mistake of signing the contract, I am now stuck for weeks ahead before I can do anything. Whitegates had 'booked' many viewings in for our property, 6 of what we know, but we were told there were a total of 9.. where only 1 customer had physically attended the property, 1 attended viewing in a total amount of 16 calender days.. to note, there was another property on the same street as ours, which was marketed 1 day prior to ours and had 10+ offers within 2-3 days and was SSTC within 5 business days (different estate agents). That property went over asking price, and since then I was told that for ours 'It wasn't too bad'. What a shambles. Now I understand that when a company like whitegates tries to offer you an auction route of selling a property, they let their partner agent do all the hard work, while Whitegates sit back and relax and take 50% of the profits IF the property sells, doesnt matter to them how long it takes.. To also add, try ringing their Bradford branch and ask for an update.. nobody will ever get back to you unless you constantly keep bashing their phone. Get yourself listed with a local estate agent not a city centre one!! Would not recommend... Trust me - AVOID!!!!
5/5
allAgentsI have been working with
I have been working with Whitegates Bradford since 2005. The agent was managing this apartment for me and although well referenced and with a guarantor, the tenant refused to top up the housing benefit. Long story short; we ended up in court and Ian volunteered to attend with me. Whitegates' paperwork was watertight which is a testament to him and his team. There was no wiggle room from the defendant or his representative and the Judge awarded full possession and a money order (pending final moving date). I would happily recommend Ian and his team at Whitegates Bradford office.
5/5
Googlefiona showed me the house around she is lovely lady
Hi Zille, thanks for your review. Hopefully we can help you find your next home. Happy house hunting! Kind regards. Ian
5/5
GoogleI'm absolutely distraught at some the reviews and the overall rating as it stands. However I don't know if some are from actual clients which is worrying. I set up the business Google account years ago and I did not know how to respond to reviews as my 'social media skills' have been somewhat lacking. I will be asking genuine clients to add reviews to give a true reflection of Me, Whitegates and my Team. Regards Ian
1/5
GoogleI have had to leave a one star review as there is no zero! I applied for a property through Whitegates, was sent an application to fill in, and returned it the some day. I then made a follow up cal to make sure they had received it, which I was told they had and they would be in touch to arrange a viewing, which never happened. Due to a disability, which was stated on my application, the property I was after was a three bedroom bungalow, ideal for me. I called again today to be told I would not be getting a viewing as these had taken place and a holding cost was already paid. Can you imagine my disgust to be told “we have made an error” this does not help my situation at all. Please be aware you will need to constantly check up if you have applied for a property, so you don’t get forgotten about and not even contacted. Not happy is an understatement!!!
I would like to whole heartedly and unreservedly apologise to you. I have to say that response times and service levels have not been at the level that we at Whitegates pride ourselves in providing. I have worked within the industry all my working life for over 35 years and I have never seen such levels of unprecedented demand simultaneously for both Sales and Lettings property. We simply have been overwhelmed with the sheer volume of enquiries. We have reviewed our working practices and are recruiting to ensure we provide the highest levels of customer service that is synonymous with the Whitegates name. Regards Ian
4/5
allAgentsI put my fathers bungalow up
I put my fathers bungalow up for sale June 2017 with Whitegates and by January 2018 it was sold and all completed. Through out this time Karen Bibi & James Broadbend were very helpful and friendly and returned any queries I had very Professionally. I would recommend Whitegates and having the full package was so much easier than having separate Solicitors as it was easy for them to work together. Many Thanks to all at Whitegates.
5/5
TrustpilotMax Oakland
Spoken with a gentleman in the office called Max was very helpful and understanding how to invest into properties was very useful with the information he provided me couldn't recommend him/Whitegates more
5/5
GoogleWhitegates Bradford helped sell my property, Gail Wood was amazing and kept us up to date with everything. Thank you! :)
Hi Sophia, I very much apreciate your review. All the best. Ian
5/5
GoogleThese guys are great! In particular I would like to comment on how professional, friendly and knowledgeable Hannaa Bibi is. A young lady who is wise beyond her years I'm sure she will get very far in life.
Hi Edward, Thank you so much for your kind review, I am thrilled that you are happy with the service from us at Ainsworth Lord Estates. You are a valued client of ours. Kind Regards, Verity
5/5
GoogleThese guys are great! In particular I would like to comment on how professional, friendly and knowledgeable Hannaa Bibi is. A young lady who is wise beyond her years I'm sure she will get very far in life.
👍 …
5/5
Facebookfantastic service from Mrs Taisha Carson and her company. Taisha Carson is extremely helpful and after a bad experience with a previous trading, I'm so happy to have found Mrs Taisha Carson and i'm bold to recommend her trading skill.You can contact Taisha Carson the best broker in crypto trading.Email: taishacarson025@gmail.comWhatsApp :+1(910)502-3651
5/5
allAgentsJust want to say a big thank
Just want to say a big thank you to Ella for supporting us throughout our purchase with whitegates. Ella has been fantastic throughout making the process easy and pleasant!
5/5
allAgents"Just want to say a big thank..."
Just want to say a big thank you to Ella for supporting us throughout our purchase with whitegates. Ella has been fantastic throughout making the process easy and pleasant!
Where the same review appears twice we show it once. We leave out reviews that name another agent or another of the brand's offices.
