William H Brown Colchester reviews

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Very happy with the service I received whilst buying my first property, Lisa kept me up to date throughout the process and helped me understand anything I wasn't sure of.

James · 25 February 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Worst estate agents I’ve ever dealt with, very rude and incompetent staff throughout the organisation. If you’re looking for a quality experience of finding a home AVOID. Was told by a letting agent during a viewing that I would be priority over another potential tenant as they were Asian and the landlord didn’t want them to leave a ‘smell’ you couldn’t make it up.

Mary · 26 October 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

I am a student with my dependant. I consulted many letting agency some defrauded me and other could not give me an apartment. Al thanks to Emma Marfleet of Williams H Brown for her persistence and sacrifices. She kept calling and continue in picking my calls even after close of work. Am now settled and very excited. Thanks once again. To Emma , Hannah and William Brown.

Amarachi · 23 October 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Thanks to Jack for making my move easy and stress free. These guys are by far the best real estate I have dealt with. Communication was great and I very thing was easy. Thanks, again

Kylie · 23 October 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

would far rather sell you a mortgage…

would far rather sell you a mortgage than let you book a viewing of a property. no means no

Alastair · 20 October 2026

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

I do not have words for this level of unprofessionalism and incomptence

Just poor on every level. Communciation has been abysmal from the start. I feel I have been lied to on several occasions and it is clear most members of staff don't give a damn. Avoid I have the great displeasure having to deal with these people over the last fortnight regarding a property I want to rent. There have been issues right off the bat, including an agent called George not turning up to a viewing because he forgot and it taking four days and six phonecalls for me to be told that no-one in the office I was calling was going to call me back and I needed to call elsewhere. No apologies offered at all. It got worse when I put in an offer on a property though. When I put in my offer I was asked some questions and these identified I would need someone to guarantee my lease. That's fine, I'd anticipated that and my parents were willing to do this for me. I dealt with an agent called Sam who called them before putting in my offer to ensure they would meet the criteria for a guarantor. At this point, or at any point during the process, Sam never gave any indication that they did not. This only came to light approximately a week before I was due to move in (my parents are semi retired and generate a portion of their income through investment property and the stock market. This was apparently unacceptable for a guarantor. Which would have been fine, if Sam had told them that from the start). We found a solution, where my parents would pay my first six months rent and I'd then rent from the landlord. I had to chase (approximately four phone calls) to get this answer from him and even then, I had send him back to renegotiate as he had not done this properly (he attempted to agree a six month lease when both me and the landlady wanted something longer). When putting in my offer, I had agreed to go into a zero deposit scheme and paid £250 in order to do this. The issue with the gaurantee also took my out of this scheme, although this was never communicated to me at all. If I had known, then I would have reconsidered my position. Because Sam did not mention the problem when it arose, I was not afforded this opportunity. The only warning I had that extra money was needed, came to light when the invoice arrived and they had stuck an additional £1200 onto the fees. The only possible inkling we had about this was a phone call from Sam about 20 minutes before the invoice was sent, which lasted for all of 30 seconds and briefly mentioned a deposit. Something that I thought had already been paid and had no reason to suspect otherwise. I want to be clear here, the fact I failed the checks is not the problem (I'm a recent university graduate moving from part time to full time work and separating from my partner. I'm not naive to the fact I do not look good on paper). The lack of communication and the lack of care from Sam and his director, Rachel is. They prevented me from making a decision with the full facts. I have been left feeling utterly lied to and like I have no choice but to find an additional insane amount of money or leave me and my children homeless. Salt was further rubbed into the wound as when I called Rachel to discuss this, she sadly decided to double down on the lie that Sam had discussed this deposit with me and implied I was making it up. I have emails to confirm this deposit was never mentioned. No apologies were forthcoming, just a shoulder shrug and an offer to refund my holding deposit as well as a sly comment that it's a landlord's market right now, which is just further confirmation of how little they value potential tenants. No property is worth having to deal with these people.

Penny · 22 August 2022

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Highly recommended Jack and the lettings team at W H Brown, very knowledgeable, polite, friendly they deliver a fantastic service!

Esmae · 11 August 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Went above and beyond very helpful Fast paced to get me moved in with in 4 days

Aaron · 17 March 2026

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

We have recently used William H Brown lettings team in Colchester. Emma, Hannah and Jack were all fantastic from start to finish. Would highly recommend them 👍 …

Harrison · 25 February 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Do not use William H Brown they are the…

Do not use William H Brown they are the worst agent any one could get they never return your calls no good advice at all you do not hear from them at all and if you do there advice is totally wrong there staff are badly trained and give the wrong advice. I nearly lost my removal company on there advice which was totally wrong,but the removal company which is Relocate were brilliant and brought in an extra van on the day.the only good advice and updates were from the agent I was buying from Chris Deller they were excellent I could go on for hours but will not SO PLEASE DO NOT USE WILLIAM H BROWN if you do God help you

Pauline · 1 July 2022

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Fabio and Andria made the whole process…

Fabio and Andria made the whole process easy and smooth for us to get a new house to rent and move in. They were informative and updated us on each and every development. They were so helpful. We are so grateful of their professionalism and world class customer service. Many thanks to Fabio and Andria. Not forgetting Ethan who warmthly welcomed us and assisted us when we first visited William H Brown.

Njabulo · 20 March 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

William H Brown or Sequence, both the same... crap!

This is basically the same review as my Sequence Review, but since they're essentially the same company, why re-invent the wheel?I honestly like to see the best in people or companies, but William H Brown is one of the worst.As a tenant, dealing with them is a nightmare. Everything from arranging repairs, to dealing with contracts.Everything is outsourced; they're nothing but secretaries throughout their entire company.Living in Yorkshire, why do I need to ring someone in Liverpool to tell them a tap is loose, and then wait weeks for a response?And if that 1 person is off work, no one else can pick up that task?Why do I have to send multiple emails and make several telephone calls to get answers, and then be badgered by them for "not doing something", or anyone external to their system?Or the fact that they don't know, nor have access to, their own systems in order to answer any of my questions.Literal blame shifting to anyone but them.And I've only dealt with them for 6 months.

Niall · 9 May 2022

★★★★★ 2/5

Trustpilot

Its Rental Payments

I found my letting agent to be brilliant Mr N Bourne and I prefer to only deal with him as I found him to be quiet honest and extremely fair, I don’t like dealing with other people in the office as they don’t seem to be able to keep to their word.

Julie · 4 February 2026

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

A thank you to Hannah McCreath, for your professionalism during the whole process, your commitment and communication was excellent. Kind regards. Matt.

Matt · 25 May 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

UPDATED REVIEW: Originally, I had a great outlook on William H. Brown. However, I can’t help but believe this was a facade that has not lasted. The organisation has become unprofessional and, later, began treating me with negligence towards my requests. My original review: I’m a student who wanted to move into his flat instead of continuing to live in on-campus accommodation. I found a great property with William H. Brown, and to say the service was outstanding is the least. Emma, Katie and Hannah are three phenomenal ladies who made my first official move a pleasant experience. Responsive, caring and genuine - are three words to summarise the experience.

Antonio · 23 October 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Both Hannah and Emma have made renting a property from William h brown so easy for us . Had a few problems on my side but they were able to help solve them. Can’t thank them enough for all that they have done over the past few weeks . They have been in constant contact with me about emails that need to be looked at and things that needed to be electronically signed ( I’m no good at this email thing lol ) . They are both a credit to William h brown . And extremely good at what they do . So had to be a 5 star rating.

Derrick · 23 October 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

An incredibly poor service

Quite possibly one of the worst estate agents we have dealt with.We were contacted by one of the agents from the Welwyn Branch, who repeatedly told us that unless we had our house valued, we would not be taken seriously by Vendors. After being called on the third occasion by the agent, we decided to get a valuation and I contacted him by return, to let him know that we had. Even though the valuation had been the day before, the agent told me that it would be useful if he also valued my house. This would have been the fourth valuation in the space of 6 months.We were then called by someone from their call-centre and although, seemingly impossible, the service was even worse.All that the lady we spoke to wanted to do, was sell us a product. No real interest in us, or what we were looking for in the housing market. I finally gave in and asked how much the service would cost - she had no idea. When I questioned how she could try to sell me a product, where she did not know the cost, she became flustered and told me that her she would liaise with her "boss". The first time, he apparently told her that he would provide me with info, as he was in my area. When I asked when, she told me he was not, but he could be. When questioned further, he was not going to be in our area. So, I asked her to get him to email me - he was not able to. I then asked her to get him to call me and I was told he would. One week later, she called me back, not remembering me at all. I then got the whole sales pitch again. Enough was enough. I asked to make a formal complaint and was told her "boss" would call me, as he took these things seriously. Still waiting.You are treated as a number and not a person. I am not really sure how they can still be in business.

John · 20 April 2022

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

I would just like to say thank you so much to Hannah McCreath for helping me find my new apartment, and quickly moving me in! Extremely helpful and very kind and caring. Beyond words how I can explain how you have helped me with my current situation, and also giving me a moving in box as well 🙂 Thanks again! Beyond happy 🙏🏼😊

Michael · 23 October 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Fantastic turnaround in Lettings

I have had a very difficult relationship with WH Brown over my years as a professional landlord and considered them to be among the worst agents in my area .However they really have got their act together, in recent times, due to a change in Management in Lettings starting with Izabela and latterly with Olivia .Olivia has been fantastic not only has she done what she said, she has achieved more than 30% more rent than I was getting and a new tenant was found interviewed and signed up within a week with no hassle or inconvenience to me .Thanks for making my work life easier Olivia I cant recommend you enough and won't hesitate in using WH Browns in future .

David · 4 March 2022

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Great service, very helpful and professional team. Smooth and easy process. Highly recommend.

Giwa · 20 March 2026

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Purchasing a property

Tried purchasing a property and had the offer accepted on agreement it was removed from the market with no further viewings. Solicitors were involved and all checks completed. They continued viewings, without our knowledge, and we were gazumped. DO NOT use this estate agents!!!

Clara · 15 October 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Great team of staff providing an easy and efficient service. Brilliant. Thank you

Leisl · 17 March 2026

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Thanks, William H Brown. A thoroughly professional letting agency! Special thanks to Hannah McCreath! Supportive, communicaive, and candid throughout. I'd recommend people to go to her for their housing needs:)!

Syed · 23 October 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Unprofressional and tell lies to get…

Unprofressional and tell lies to get you to sign. We rented a house that was with them but also with another estate agent (weird) they advertised it as one price on right move with no deposits and they tried to change the prices after we signed. Promised us the house was going to be painted and plastered before we moved in and when we moved in it was a horror show, including mouldy food still in the fridge! Baring in mind this was the middle of a pandemic. When we called to complain we were told they no longer worked with the other company and did not deal with this property at all anymore. Keys were lost in their offices when we went to move in, and just a total lack of organisation or care for their tenants. A year later when we move out surprise surprise it is them that want the keys back to rent the house out again.Unless you are desperate for a house I would avoid!

Gertrude · 7 January 2022