DJ Alexander Edinburgh reviews

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

DJ Alexander is supposed to be the biggest letting firm in Edinburgh. Dont be fooled by their size, as a land lord , I found out that their customer service is horrible. They will find you the most expensive vendor to fix whatever it is that you need to fix in your flat. Normally anything that breaks they prefer to completely change out. They will find anyway they can so that you dont make money from your property. Also during the exit isnpection, they make sure that they they take the easy way out so that they dont have to argue with the tenant so they will not bring the issues up. In short, try to stay clear of these guys and [ick smaller firm with a better service quality.

Farid · 12 June 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

If I could give zero stars I would. We rented for 4 years with DJ Alexander and we had lots of issues with the property (those in themselves I realise weren’t DJs fault). They were slow to resolve all of them, once requiring a formal complaint to get it resolved. We have since moved out and our now fighting to get the deposit back as they are trying to charge us for “cleaning” which we know wasn’t necessary as we scrubbed the flat to a higher standard than it was when we moved in before we left!! I suspect they are charging for repainting since they did none of this while we were tenants and the flat needed a good facelift. Somehow still managed to have it “ready to move in” the day after our tenancy finished though which makes me believe even more that they did nothing. My advice: look elsewhere. If you MUST use this company then take heed and good luck to you. Update 31/10/22 I have emailed the gentleman who replied to this and let’s see if we can resolve it. Update again 01/11/22: Had a reply from someone called a “customer service advisor” stating they agree with everything said. Beginning to regret even cleaning the property in the first place before we left it since we aren’t getting the full deposit back. This is the first property we haven’t had full deposit back on. The only saving grace is we never have to deal with this company again.

Abi · 12 June 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Easy to move into their property, however, after leaving last month, we were shocked by the cleaning charges. Me and my family spent 4 days cleaning our flat, as all my other flatmates had left. My mum and sister had to take time off work to help me clean and ensure the property was to their standards. Upon receiving the confirmation of property handover, we received an extortionate list of seemingly "unsatisfactory cleaned items", which include dust on a lamp and not hoovered hallways. We are appealing all these charges as they are ridiculous

Douglas · 12 June 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

If I could give 0 starts. I would rate it with 0 stars. The worst letting agency I have dealt. I would never rent again a flat by them. We rented from DJ Alexander a flat and we stayed around 2 years with them. During this time, we had multiple maintenance issues and some of them left unresolved ( such as insects and bed bugs in the flat) while other important urgent issues were not fixed timely, such as we left without hot water for a month and when we emailed them, we received very vague responses. Because we didn't have central heating, the contactor gave us two small electric heaters, which provided us with only minimum heating and cost us high electricity cost, however the agency when we asked for compensation, declined it. When we ended the tenancy, while we paid for professional cleaners and showed them the receipt , they accused us that we didn't clean the flat and they tried to keep our deposit for cleaning charges. They showed their true colors in the end. They are not professionals at all and there are not caring about their tenants.

Silia · 12 June 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Braemore Property bought Craigflower Lettings who managed my flats, when the tenants leave I move the management to a new company. DJ Alexander had a good reputation, well im sure it wont be long before its rubbish now that Braemore bought them. As a landlord I've had terrible experience with Braemore and now DJ Alexander....I could only image how tenants are treated. I've tried to contact Richard, however when I emailed he was on leave, since back im still waiting for a reply from him. In addition I've tried calling client accounts a number of times along with email, always get a answer machine....and no call back. I have one remaining flat with them....when the current tenant leaves i'll change property management companies. I had a look at the negative reviews and it appears majority of them appeared when Braemore bought DJ Alexander.

Scott · 12 June 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

We have had an abyssmal ongoing experience with DJ Alexander. They change their communication and reporting contacts and channels with no warning. We have had urgent repairs needed to our flat and we have been consistently had emails, phone calls and reports ignored. We you can't use our shower because of leaks and water is rotting the floor boards, walls and the downstairs neighbours ceiling. The poor neighbours are afraid eventually the ceiling will collapse in since nothing has been done for so long. Supposedly this is not serious enough to garner any urgent action or respectable communication. Not one phone call or visit in a year of this happening.

Cornell · 12 June 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Waiting almost 2 months now for them to allow deposit to be released. They also plan on charging us for cleaning though the flat was spotless when we left, I plan to argue against this... if only they would hurry up. I phoned to escalate this issue though was told there is no way of reaching the team that handles leaving a property other than email. So cant phone and contact a manager to escalate my issue. Its been a terrible experience and would warn any tenants about DJ Alexander.

Braid101 · 12 June 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Terrible. I sighed when hearing they were buying braemore as most people in Edinburgh know to avoid DJA. Customer service notably declined too. Didn’t have one inspection in 12 months. Had a boiler issue which took 5 weeks to fix after first contractor arrived. Delay in parts and other excuses played primary role in this - no follow up from DJA who didn’t seek bothered we didn’t have hot water for this time. Issue with boiler also uncovered that it was not fitted correctly and was described as dangerous (immediately shut down) with the carbon monoxide reader also placed below it (not above as rules state), so was a recipe for horrible consequences. Ended up moving home for spells so I could shower as thankfully could work from home. I question how much they kept landlord in the loop about the issues, which didn’t help any prompt response. DJA didn’t seem to realise or care how problematic and an inconvenience it was. Didn’t help the landlord didn’t seem to think they had a duty or responsibility to spend money on the flat. Another time with tv aerials I had to put contractor and then get refunded later by landlord - something I’ve never experienced before. Re the boiler, I pushed heavy and was reluctantly offered 15% compensation for one month rent. I challenged that this was enough. After being notified they are selling and vacating property, I reluctantly agreed to this figure (after multiple emails I sent to various DJA contacts were ignored) but now, 8 months later, I’ve been notified that the landlord has advised they don’t want to pay the £150 because of the ‘outgoings associated with selling’. Unbelievable. Was an amazing flat with experience ruined by both DJA and landlord. No good customer service No response to emails Contradicting info given on phone Seemingly uncaring landlord

Craig · 12 June 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

I would avoid this company at all costs. I rented a property for about a year and at the end of my tenancy had a professional cleaning company come in to clean the property. The cleaning company left a few bags which had some possessions that they did not feel comfortable to bin. Everything else was clean to standard. When the company went into the flat they classed this as not up to their standards of cleansines so felt it was necessary to hire a cleaning company of their own for 3 HOURS to clean the property and take £70 from my deposit. It would have taken nothing for someone from the company to remove the bags or contact me to come and get them. The flat was perfectly clean and there was no need take my money. The rental market isn’t great but don’t go anywhere near this company as you will not be able to meet their standards when you leave resulting in not receiving your full deposit back.

Benn · 12 June 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Simply the worst letting agents I have ever come across. Like all letting agents, they're solely focused on maximising profit, but DJ Alexander don't even pretend to care. They were happy for mould to grow in my property until it constituted a health issue, at which point it was merely painted over. The property was full of broken furniture which they did not replace, even after a number of times asking. Inattentive customer service and a wholly greedy and inadequate company. I've subsequently started rented from another agency who have really hammered home how terrible DJ Alexander are. Such a shame that they own so many properties across Edinburgh and are growing. Avoid.

Douglas · 12 June 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

As a landlord, I've been extremely disappointed with the level of service delivered by DJ Alexander. Most recently they have been failing to carry out the regular property inspections which are supposed to be part of the "fully managed" service I've been paying for. Failing to carry out these inspections means maintenance, cleaning and tenant issues are not being discovered until after a tenant vacates the property. This results in cleaning and repair costs that can't be recovered from the tenants and long void periods, while the properties are put back into a habitable state. This is just one of the multitude of failings I've experienced while DJ Alexander have been managing my small portfolio, but by far the most serious and unprofessional was when they recently tried to wriggle out of honouring their "Rent Protection" scheme when one of my tenants fell into arrears. DJ Alexander were happy to take my monthly Rent Protection premiums, but when I needed to rely on the protection of the policy they sold me and the features laid out in the marketing material, they were less keen on paying my claim. I'll be moving my portfolio to a more professional and less expensive organisation. My advice to you, if you're a landlord, is too also find someone else to look after your property.

DAVID · 12 June 2023

★★★★★ 2/5

Google

Not a great experience from a tenant's point of view. Their communication was slow & unreliable and they were only trying when they were the ones who needed something. They also kept a portion of our deposit for "cleaning", even though we left the flat in a better condition than we found it. I think they just assume people won't bother to fight for a few tens of pounds and they take a full advantage... I would highly recommend people take veeerrrrry detailed photos of the whole flat when they move in to have the best chance of getting the full deposit back at the end.

Martin · 12 June 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

I received excellent support from DJ Alexander during a recent incident where the washing machine in my property broke down. My contact Norman MacLean was very thorough, communicated often, and helped with everything I needed in terms of getting information from the tenant and ensuring the tenant was available to accept the new washing machine. The online support system is excellent, you can see the status of the issue and comment back and forth as needed. I am very happy with the service I have received and a big thank-you to Norman for his support!

Morven · 12 June 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Experienced excellent service from all involved at DJ Alexander. Very professional and attentive at all times, especially in a time when the property market in Edinburgh is extremely saturated. A big thank you to Neill Bukes and David Brash for the assistance!

Louis · 12 June 2022

★★★★★ 4/5

Trustpilot

Highly recommended

Highly recommended. Very trustworthy and the agents are available over call for any enquiries or maintenance.Thanks to Imran Iqbal for always responding to my queries patiently and being quick with providing resolutions.

Shreyosee · 9 June 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Chloe Mitchell was very helpful in…

Chloe Mitchell was very helpful in securing our flat and getting things ready

Ben · 31 July 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Very professional and very helpful

Very professional and very helpful made the process easy, Chloe was invaluable throughout!

Dave · 31 July 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Shout out to Alison who made my move…

Shout out to Alison who made my move seamless. Prompt communication and kept me up to date with everything.

A · 12 April 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

DJ Alexander Staff Please do not contact me, I cannot bother...

Because they push you to do something that you don't want to, you don't need to, you don't have to. Signing up to Goodlord is one example. And they are not listening....

C · 7 June 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Some reflections

Tenants are treated badly, landlords are pandered to. DJA pressures landlords into raising rent, and plays innocent in the process. 'Customers' is strong word - tenants are not customers, unless you operating under a 'customer is always wrong' premise. I consider myself a zen, calm person yet somehow, dealing with real estate agents as a tenant elicits some kind of deep rage that I am yet to experience with any other sector. Perhaps non-coincidently, many people I know feel the same way. Hope you can find a way to remedy this one day.

AH · 7 June 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Can't imagine renting with anyone else

Somehow, it took me until my 30s to rent directly via an agency. After all the horror stories, I'd been nervous, especially at a time when there's a rental shortage, but DJ put my mind totally at ease. Throughout my tenancy (a PRT two years and counting), they've been professional, easy to contact and very responsive. In addition, they've offered help with small issues in the flat and been very on top of liaising with the landlord for bigger ones. When my former flatmate and I were at loggerheads, they were incredibly objective, fair and professional, going above and beyond to help us resolve the matter without favouring one or the other. It doesn't hurt that they're friendly and easy to talk to, either. They don't make you feel like a number. If ever I leave this flat, I will absolutely look for a new place via DJ. I can't imagine going anywhere else when their people are consistently brilliant. A big thank you to all those who have been involved in my tenancy so far, with a special shout-out to Taylor, Giulia, Maisie, Dan, Martyna (no longer there but an absolute gem) and Mark in maintenance.

MJ · 6 June 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

George - Edinburgh branch

Really great experience with DJ Alexander. George was very punctual and a speedy communicator, would definitely recommend to any first-time tenants in Edinburgh!

Eve · 18 January 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Smooth Tenancy Execution

Ellie McVitie (property manager) & Abigail thornburn (tenancy progressor) were super helpful & easy to reach out & I always received prompt response from them. Renting process is much smoother with DJ Alexander once you get shortlisted by the landlords its the main reason why it stands out from other agencies in the mkt.

Shubhendra · 19 November 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Their online systems are super scammy

They have a tremendously flawed IT system in place. Since they manage everything via online platforms and not through direct communication, EVERY time (no joke) I have to interact with them I get so many spam emails. That only tells me that they're leaking info and not following through on GDPR safeguards. I would never ever ever sign up with DJA again.

Friday · 12 July 2024