Fox and Sons Hampshire reviews

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Unethical when tenants check out

Avoid like the plague if you want to be an ethical landlord, or a tenant who is treated ethically.I had heard the reputation of Fox & Sons Lettings long before renting with them, but decided to give them the benefit of the doubt as I worked in a decent & fair property agency for many years.- At move in I was warned by the previous tenant that she had been ripped off. So much so that she gave me a copy of her check out report, in the hopes I could use to prevent the same thing. An example of something she was charged for - the washing machine tray not closing properly.- I had a number of maintenance issues throughout the tenancy & these were always well managed, apart from those I said not to worry about - a cracked window and a dodgy light switch. I was very happy with the management until I was leaving.- The problem has come at move out - it's been over 40 days and still no deposit. Now I have heard they are disputing ridiculous amounts in a way I feel is unreasonable and unethical.- Thankfully I took high res photographs at check out because I had friends who said they they charge deposits unreasonably and end up in dispute frequently & because of the previous tenant's experiences/overall reputation. The flat was cleaned to a professional standard and very minimal wear & tear. Obviously as someone who worked in property I have a very good idea of landlord & tenancy law, and what is reasonable. I would warn all current tenants to get a copy of the previous tenant's report and take high res photos on check in & departure. (You can also check the EXIF data of the pics taken to check in, because the check out photos are to a different standard of the ones you will receive on check in. Something could look streakier or unclean simply because of the aperture & ISO. )- F&S use an insurance deposit scheme rather than custodial scheme for deposits - this is a yellow flag as they hold the deposit and it is v difficult to get the deposit if the agent doesn't initiate the return or doesn't inform the landlord timely. In my case it's been over 6 weeks and the dispute process has not yet fully kicked off. Thankfully I can afford to dispute if I need to, but many tenants may not be able to & would be forced to accept the amount without dispute - because they needed the money.- I left the flat in extremely good condition, professionally cleaned with no wear and tear. Because I know what unethical practices can be like sadly, I even use a hi-polymer eraser on any skirting boards or doors - that is how careful I would be and how you know this is not exaggeration.- The agent has informed me they don't look at the previous check out report or check in which is ridiculous. I have evidence of check in photos & check out photos I took myself, cleaning receipts, even photos of cleaning underway! I am grateful I listened to the advice of previous tenants & protected myself.Examples include- Claiming that a hob ignition switch is missing when it is missing in my check in photos and on the previous tenant's photos.- Claiming that damage or marks have occurred that are present on check in photos- Claiming there was a blind missing (they looked for 3 blinds in a room with 2 windows!)- A light switch that stopped working and was reported- Claiming that cleaning hasn't been done on the inside of the washing machine because stained rubber from wear & tear. (Thankfully for the warnings I literally took a video of the cleaning of it! But who would have that and be able to dispute it?!)If you're a landlord please work with a company that doesn't try to rip off people (willfully or through incompetence I'm not sure) & if you're a tenant save yourself the pain and go somewhere that's fair & ethical. I can't imagine what they'd do if you actually accidentally did some damage or didn't have a v high standard and how fair they would be about that.(Note to anyone else leaving 1 star reviews on Google too, check they are visible on friends phones and not just to you only. Google auto moderates 1 star reviews & can assume is spam)

Grace · 10 March 2023

★★★★★ 3/5

Trustpilot

I recently brought a house with fox and…

I recently brought a house with fox and sons, in the beginning I was really happy with the service but soon realised it was a lot of sales for themselves.

Sherry · 7 August 2025

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Fantastic Estate agents ! Sam and the team and Romsey’s Fox and Sons couldn’t have been more helpful and professional. We had a stress free move with loads of communication and honesty - thank you Sam, Pippa, Drew am the lovely weekend lady who showed people round our home. Cheers Anni

Anni · 15 June 2019

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Everyone was extremely friendly and…

Everyone was extremely friendly and helpful throughout the whole letting process. They kept us updated all of the time. Would recommend Thank you.

Olamar · 18 October 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Unprofessional

I had my property on sale with Fox & Sons Hove branch for no less than 3 years.Admittedly it probably was a niche house to sell as it had seven bedrooms. However, there were a whole series of problems that didn't help the sale.Firstly, I think the initial valuation by them was probably too high, but they may have done this so that they secured the business.Secondly the marketing was very poor. I had to rewrite the initial introduction on the sales document as it was so poor. The photographs taken did not do the house justice as was remarked on by several viewers. Then the best of the photographs that were taken were excluded from the sales document and it took them a long time to retrieve these.Thirdly, I felt the manager tried to bully me into actions I didn't want to take, and I had at least two flaming rows with him.To be fair they did do some good things like help to get me a roofer quickly when a tree blew down in my garden and the manager did put more effort into selling it when he latterly came on board. If things had stayed there I may have been tempted to give two stars. However, the thing that I have really given the one star for is what happened when a buyer was finally found. I had really semi taken the property off the market after three years with no sale, but allowed someone to come and see it and they made an offer. However, in three years you can imagine the price of houses had gone up a lot and my asking price hadn't. I initially accepted the offer but on looking at other houses, my house seemed very under priced. The manager at Fox Sons told me that these were just asking prices and the price i got was good. However, I did not trust this answer and got three more agents to value the house. Two said I should get 200,000 more and the third much more. The manager of Fox & Sons had anticipated this would be the case, as I think he knew how under priced my house was and had already asked the buyers what they could go to.The buyers could go to another 100,000, which I accepted as I was sick of the whole business after three years. However, the overall impression I have was that Fox & Sons are not professional and that they really didn't care that the price of my house was way too low as long as they got a sale; i.e. I felt they were not acting in my best interest but theirs.I wil never use them again and suggest you don't.

MR · 21 January 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

UNDERSTANDING DIFFICULT SITUATION …

I put my friend in touch who was keen for a rental property despite having some credit issues and a small pet in touch with Tom. Despite these challenges Tom was still able to search out some suitable available properties for him and his family.

Tony · 10 March 2021

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Total incompetence

Total incompetence. (Hastings lettings) No contract, in fact 16 working hours before tenants due to move in, we had no paperwork at all. Impossible to contact in any way and never return calls. We ended up having to demand the return of our keys and walk away which cost us £1,000 in lost rent but we couldn't risk taking on tenants without the legal paperwork. Do not use this company if you value your sanity and money.

Paul · 15 April 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

I think Fox and Sons HAILSHAM are very…

I think Fox and Sons HAILSHAM are very poor at communication!!

Robert · 11 January 2026

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Kemp Town branch were so helpful

Kemp Town branch were so helpful . Efficient friendly service . My move went so smoothly . Didn't have to worry about a thing . Would highly recommend Kemp Town Branch many thanks love my new home

Soul · 12 May 2022

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

AVOID!!!!!

AVOID!!!!!The mortgage broker asked us to pay a one-time fee of £599 for the lifetime membership fee to enjoy LIFE TIME mortgage advice service.The first offer failed, so we asked for mortgage advice for another house, and they asked us to pay £99 again for mortgage service. They have told us that £599 is a life-time service. It is cheating.

Carley · 5 May 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

The whole team at Romsey were competent and efficient, very approachable and explained everything in a very helpful and friendly way. Sold our property within days.

Karen · 14 June 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Do not use these people!

Do not, under any circumstances, use the Worthing branch as they are, in my experience, unable to value a house correctly or offer competent advice.

Gregory · 27 August 2025

★★★★★ 4/5

Trustpilot

Professional friendly service

So far, I have only had a valuation of my property from Fox & Sons (needed by HMRC), so I can't review their full service, but I was impressed by Luke's personal interest in my situation, and his professional attitude. I shall certainly consider putting the house in the hands of Fox & Sons when (if) I come to sell.

Nigel · 18 April 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

THE WORST ESTATE AGENTS EVER

THE WORST ESTATE AGENTS EVER!

Chloe · 17 February 2026

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Being a small business owner myself in…

Being a small business owner myself in Eastbourne.I can really appreciate the efforts that Steve and Todd made to make sure I could communicate outside of business hours. Getting regular updates allThe time and helping me with seeing the sale through with solicitors.Thanks guys

Louisa · 19 October 2020

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Have just completed on our first home and used fox and sons Romsey, both Megan and Rhodri have been so helpful with everything! Would definitely recommend them!

Emma · 16 April 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

FOX & SONS LEWES - APPALLING

I have never dealt with such an unprofessional estate agents and I would warn anyone NOT to have any dealings with Fox&Son, Lewes. Every interaction with them has been farcical from beginning to end, resulting in me having an offer on a house in Laughton from May until Sept and only to be told today, that it was actually taken off the market a month ago. The only reason that this came to light is because one of the staff called me on Friday to see if I wanted to view a house and I said 'I've already got an offer on a house with you.' When I initially viewed the house, I fell in love with it instantly and was going to offer the full asking price. However the agent said it needed some cosmetic updating and if I changed this and that, it would make it much better. He said that an offer had already fallen through so I could go below the asking price and told me what they would accept. On his advice I put the offer in on the Monday, only to be told that it had to be higher by someone else. So the miscommunication began immediately but the buyer could have got the full asking price and ended up with an offer £20k below which was good for me, but as the estate agent acting on behalf of the vendor was not in their best interest. We had lots of questions that were never answered. One agent said the property was quite new, another said it was quite old. I asked numerous times for them to take down the For Sale sign and replace it with Sold, that never happened. I also asked numerous times for them to mark it as SOLD STC on Rightmove, but they only put SSTC in the text below not how ALL other estate agents do it on Rightmove so it always still came up as For Sale in the search rather than under offer filter. They didn't answer emails and calls, so in the end I had to ask my estate agent to communicate with them. I had one update from them in 4mths to say the vendor put an offer in but it was declined. They said it was quite usual to be waiting this long for vendor's to find something but regular updates and some reassurance would have been the professional thing to do. Throughout the process they kept sending me new properties, which I think is highly unprofessional and they should have taken me off that database as I had an offer with them. They seem to have no clue what is going on about anything, communication is non existent, and service has been appalling from start to finish. To be called today to be told the property came off the market on 9 Aug (today 5 Sept) has left me speechless. Why did no one bother to tell me? I loved this property and thought I'd found my dream home and have lost 4mths. If I had been informed on 9 Aug, this would at least have given me another month to find something else. This has inconvenienced everyone in the chain waiting. For the vendor, they have acted most unprofessionally and for the client, equally so. They should not be working in an estate agents and are giving Fox & Son's Lewes an extremely bad name in my opinion

Michelle · 5 September 2022

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Thank you Fox and Sons

Our main contact was Shannon, but all the team have been excellent and they went way beyond our expectations with not only selling our place but following the sale through and keeping us informed. Most importantly they carried out what they said they were going to do and explained every step of the way, with the good news and the bad. During the sale we came up against an online solicitor further into the chain which gave the people buying our place huge problems. Lesson to be learnt here check the chain out before agreeing to a sale. Our friends are looking to put their place on the market and we have passed Fox and Sons on to them, thats how impressed we were.

W · 20 August 2022

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

View property was very quick to ask for…

View property was very quick to ask for deposit was meant to move in Friday nothing no communication then meant to move it Monday still nothing said references not come back they ask for paperwork several times still not had nothing back I will be homeless in the morning with a special needs child it’s disgusting no communication at all

Jon · 11 March 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

I am giving their Bitterne Branch 1*…

I am giving their Bitterne Branch 1* because the system will not allow me to give any less.My sister and I engaged the Bitterne Branch to sell our late mothers, warden assisted, flat.They said all of the right things initially and recommended that we use their suggested conveyancers so that they would be able to chase things up and get things done.If only, the conveyancers admitted that our sale was a learning exercise for them and a lot of mistakes were made so it dragged on and on. In fairness, they reflected their performance in their eventual fee.However Fox & Sons never initiated a single phone call. Any contact from them was only ever in response to us chasing them over the 8 months it took the sale to complete. Indeed, the sale completed on Friday and 3 calls were made to them asking them to contact us and they still havent responded . They still have a key !!Of course they have taken their 2% cut of the sale but we actually found the buyer, who is a family friend ourselves, so we were able to sort out the key handover without any support from Fox & Sons.Quite simply, Bitterne Branch of Fox & Sons are, from our perspective, professionally incompetent with absolutely appalling customer service.Simply shocking and we have still had no contact despite the sale being completed and them holding a key.

Tony · 15 August 2022

★★★★★ 4/5

Trustpilot

Saltash Branch - Fox and Sons

Saltash Branch Cornwall - just rented through Fox and Sons and would like to thank Thomas and Kate for their help in us securing the property. Such a friendly team and always helpful

Amanda · 28 May 2022

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Even One Star Is Too Many

Even One Star Is Too ManyAvoid the branch from Bognor Regis.They've been selling my house. They've been pushing me to reduce the house price because they wanted to sell the property to the landlord that they already knew. Next time they've been pushing me to reduce the house price because they wanted to sell the property to a man who had money but he rather wanted to spend money to rebuild the loft. I was a customer of this branch and I paid fees of £4200.00 for selling my property but they've been not helping me. They've been helping the buyers and keep asking me to reduce the price.

Anna · 24 June 2022

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

They're falsely advertising the…

They're falsely advertising the property on the RightMove website.

Arabeska · 22 December 2025

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

I would highly recommend Fox&Sons for selling or renting a property. I found the staff to be professional and knowledgeable and were there to help at every step of the way. I recently sold my property and Tom (Romsey branch) was a big help in the process throughout offering guidance and support in a timely manner. I have also rented out my property with Fox&Sons, Catherine (Winchester branch) was particularly helpful in managing that side of things in an efficient and effective manner.PositiveProfessionalism

Bill · 14 June 2022