Cardens Residential Exeter reviews

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Very helpful and quick team response to the "end of Tenancy" process. Helped with all aspects of the process. Thanks to Beverley and Kyle.

Helen · 12 May 2025

★★★★★ 1/5

Facebook

Although the property was not managed by this agency, they still marketed it without properly checking its condition. When I moved in, none of the appliances were working, and there was visible mould on the freezer, including on the side of the door. When I contacted the agency to raise these concerns, I was met with a complete lack of compassion and support. Even if a property is not directly managed by them, I would expect a basic level of care when advertising it to tenants. Based on this experience, I would advise others to be cautious.

Ramy · 17 December 2025

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Cardens is a great agency, both Adam and James have always been extremely reactive as well as kind throughout my tenancy. Adam was particularly helpful and proactive in helping me get my tenancy taken over!

Olivia · 11 October 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Andy is without doubt the best estate agent I have worked with in 20 years of house buying, think of the top 5 things you would want an estate agent to be 1 - Expert 2- Punctual 3- contactable 4 - personable 5 - committed to your sale. You have just met Andy..

David · 11 October 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

I have just bought through Cardens Residential. I had found the property market very difficult as a first time buyer, but I had a really positive experience with Cardens. From the first viewing right through to completion, Andy was incredibly helpful and supportive, and any query was always dealt with quickly and efficiently. Thank you very much!

Katy · 22 June 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

New to Students at Cardens and had an excellent experience so far. Can’t fault the customer service I’ve had from Will and Adam. I’ve found them very informative, happy to deal with any queries effectively and promptly and I’ve been kept up to date at all times.

Helen · 16 November 2025

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Disgraceful estate agents. Rental property was let filthy dirty, in spite of the pandemic. Try to retain all the deposit. Just see students as an opportunity to rip them off. House was tatty and with cheap old furniture. Avoid them if you can. If you do rent from them, gather all evidence to protect your deposit or they will take you to the cleaners.NegativeQuality

Fiona · 25 August 2022

★★★★★ 2/5

Google

Was with Cardens for a few years, and they're certainly not the best. I was spoken to in a patronising way when I first moved in by the agents, then throughout the tenancy the communication from them was either flippant or lacked any sort of urgency, where I had to send chasers for emails I had sent them on multiple occasions. When one tenant moved out and another in, I was assured that that the contract wouldn't have to change with no further minimum 6 months tenancy period, for them to write up a new contract and change their mind the day before the new tenant was to move in with an admin fee that I was previously uninformed of. They also conducted a visit without informing either of the tenants and then claimed they had contacted us before their visit, which was untrue and couldn't provide any emails to back up their argument. On the positive side, the property manager at the end of my tenancy was polite and friendly, which was a change from what I had previously encountered.

Danny · 11 October 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Kyle Wynn is great. He is quick to respond to any issues. My radiators needed a special key to be bled and Kyle came over within the hour to bleed the radiators. Now my housemates and I can be warm again in our very cold house that has practically zero insulation. Thank you.

Michael · 22 June 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

The best agency. Very straightforward, prompt and professional letting agency.

Taj · 11 August 2026

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

I have been Tennant of Cardens for the last 8 years (originally with force and sons before they merged) in the 8 years we've never had an issue, the office team are always friendly and helpful, our main point of contact Mel has been an absolute diamond and always treated me and my wife with the utmost respect. When we had any maintenance issues they were delt with fast and efficient and we have always had plenty of notice for any visits. We would recommend Cardens and especially Mel. Thanks for a pleasant 8 years we will miss our little flat and the city of Exeter.

Jamie · 22 June 2023

★★★★★ 4/5

Google

They ignored a few of my emails regarding a broken microwave and fridge, but once we called them they installed/repaired the devices very quickly. Very patient on rent payments too. Ethan has been both informative and helpful throughout the whole process. Kudos.

James · 11 October 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Our property manager Ethan was very quick to respond to any issues we may have had and always made sure they were dealt with in the most effective way. Communication was very good and was overall a good experience with Cardens Students.

Charlotte · 11 October 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

We went with Students at Cardens and had a fantastic experience all year. The landlady left the house immaculately for us to move into. Ethan and the team were very helpful throughout the year and responded quickly to any issues that arose.

Ella · 11 October 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Definitely recommend Student Cardens for student houses in Exeter, we had a great year in our house with Ethan as property manager, who was great! He always gave quick responses to our emails and any maintenance issues were solved very quickly!

Hannah · 11 October 2023

★★★★★ 4/5

Google

They ignored a few of my emails regarding a broken microwave and fridge, but once we called them they installed/repaired the devices very quickly. Very patient on rent payments too. Ethan has been both informative and helpful throughout the whole process. Kudos.

J · 22 June 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Ethan was great. Very informative, friendly, and had loads of properties to show off. Would definitely recommend him.

Harry · 11 October 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

I bought and sold through and used Cardens to manage my property for 14 years and everyone I have dealt with has been consistently efficient, professional and friendly. They are very good at finding reliable tenants. Particular thanks to Beverley who managed an unusually difficult situation with my property so supportively.

Lucy · 22 June 2022

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

In agreement with the other reviews, if I could give 0 stars, I would. Frankly appalling service, they will do anything to try and get money out of you, especially the deposit of £500. An absolute rip off. I moved into the flat during the pandemic at the end of August. No leniency during coronavirus. I received the flat in a filthy state, the state of the bin (grey plastic pedal bin) literally would make you throw up (I’ve only attached the photos from the top as the bottom state is not pleasant to show in the photos but you get the picture) and full of mould. The mop and the state of the fridge (I had to scrub the inside to get chocolate markings off). There were numerous markings on the wall, and I had to wipe every surface as the apartment hasn’t been hoovered. Had issues with the window fitters, unable to properly open the windows. The Wi-Fi was very poor and failed to connect, leaving me numerous times without internet and had to rely on my own 4g network to manage online Zoom meetings, very frustrating during a pandemic. They have no respect for tenants and arrange random testing at the very last minute, including fire alarm system, electrician tests etc. They email you stating someone will come in tomorrow for a property inspection but then come in the day before (in the evening after hours) knocking to inspect. If anything, make sure you are willing to pay out of your pocket for any maintenance charges. For example, any lights stop working, you have to pay for a replacement. At the end of the tenancy, they insist we pay for a professional cleaning service when the state we received the property in was appalling costing up to £1000. They charged me £25 for the shower doors claiming the glass is frosted due to soap residue, which is completely ridiculous. I have emailed with photos of how I left the apartment when I moved out and asking for evidence of what they were referring to in relation "shower screen doors were left very grubby with soap residue". However, I received no response from them. Strongly recommend avoiding renting with them, it will save you time and money!NegativeResponsiveness, Quality, Professionalism, Value

Laïla · 22 June 2022

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Cardens have always dealt brilliantly with me and are incredibly prompt and efficient in dealing with any property issues. I feel extremely grateful for their help, Kyle has been particularly helpful with myself.

Tanisha · 16 April 2025

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

We recently moved out of our Cardens flat which was managed by Mark West-Price, he was always polite, kind and dealt with any issues quickly. The Exeter office are always easy to get hold of and understanding of any issues. I would definitely recommend using Cardens

Freya · 17 May 2025

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

We had a great experience renting with Students at Cardens over the past academic year, from beginning to end. Securing the property was an easy process and mainly involved filling out a simple online form. We were unable to view the house due to Covid restrictions at the time, but the Cardens website had good pictures and a full 360 degree tour of the house, so we knew we'd be happy with what we were getting. Moving in was equally easy - we found the house to be well-kept, clean and really homely for a student property! Throughout our tenancy we had good communication from our main contact at Cardens, Mark, who built a great rapport with us and was always on hand to answer any questions we had. Mark and the rest of the team at Cardens were also quick to sort out any minor maintenance issues for us, sometimes the very same day we reported them, so we couldn't have asked for better. Moving out last week went really smoothly too. Again, communication from Cardens was great and they provided us with a full check-list to help us ensure the property was cleaned to their standards before moving out. We followed it to a tee and got our full deposit back from them, returned to us within just 3 working days of moving out :-) After renting with a number of estate agents in and outside of Exeter over the past few years, renting with Cardens has been stress-free and an absolute breeze in comparison. Thanks for a great final year in Exeter!

Lydia · 22 June 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

I have lived in one of Cardens student houses for the past year and have had a great experience. Our main contact, Ivor, was always super helpful and sympathetic if we had problems. Ivor would always visit the house the same day as us calling and would have the issue sorted as soon as he could. After hearing landlord stories from fellow students it was very refreshing to receive a great experience and get our full deposits back, despite a few minor issues that our landlord was happy to absorb.

Lewis · 22 June 2023

★★★★★ 2/5

Google

I would definitely NOT recommend Cardens to students. The property was nice and seemed reasonably well-kept and clean, but the agents were very difficult to deal with. They tried to charge me an unreasonable amount to repaint 2 walls due to a mark that was already there when I moved in, even after I pointed out that this was recorded in the inventory. Thankfully Cardens waived the fee once I had submitted a photo I took of the mark when I moved in. There were several admin errors that led to privacy concerns. Our tenancy contract, including the address of the property we were renting and all our home addresses, may have been sent to a random person, after the staff mis-copied my email address. We were also sent emails about other properties, such as information about work or inspections. Most of the staff seemed friendly and helpful but reports about things that needed to be fixed etc were mostly ignored. If you reminded them about issues you had previously reported it was as if they were hearing about it for the first time.

Jo · 22 June 2021