William H Brown Harlow reviews

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

I am deeply disappointed with the…

I am deeply disappointed with the service provided by WHB, which has unfortunately fallen far from the reputable company it once was. Over the past two months, I have encountered a pattern of misinformation and delays regarding the return of deposits for students who are simply trying to secure housing and move forward with their lives. Despite repeated assurances that the deposit would be released soon, there has been no progress, leaving students and their families in a challenging position.Several parents, myself included, have escalated this matter to the Ombudsman due to the unfulfilled commitments and lack of transparency. I urge WHB to reflect on the impact of these actions on students and their families, who place their trust in the company.I sincerely hope that WHB takes this feedback seriously and works to regain the trust it once commanded in the industry.

A · 30 October 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

W H Brown St Albans

W H Brown St AlbansPlease what ever you do DO NOT go to this estate agents. They lack integrity and use bullying tactics to try and get you to sell your property with them. I decided to take my property off the market with them during my cooling off period and they did so. When I later decided to go with a different agency they contacted me to tell me that I was still in a contract with them. They twist what you have said to try and keep you locked in. It's appalling behaviour and I feel victimised and bullied by them. They push you to sign a contract from when they first value your home and they never told me that there was a 20 weeks selling period if you decide to market your home with them. Please avoid the stress and choose an agent that is upfront, trustworthy and with good customer service skills.

Homeowner · 28 October 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

We made a cheeky offer on s property…

We made a cheeky offer on s property marketed with WH Brown which was accepted. One day before we were to exchange they call to say they have had a significantly higher offer. We pulled out as were not going to be bullied into paying more. The next day they call and say the buyer has pulled out. Completely underhand and dishonest. Where has this mystery buyer come from? We were lucky enough to be moving into my parents in the short term, however i feel they were hoping we would panic on the basis we would have no where to live. We were effectively in a no chain situation. The house has only now completed 6 months after this all arose, for a £1000 more than our accepted offer. Worth waiting for. Why were they accepting apparent offers so late in the chain and showing people the property when it had a buyer. Do not use. They go against every code of conduct for estate agents. Corrupt as they come.

Belle · 1 April 2019

★★★★★ 2/5

Trustpilot

time wasting agents and sellers

Lesson number 1 : Do not view a house if the agent / seller is not giving basic details such as dimensions. Lack of photos is a no no. Yes we knew all of the above, but the property ticked a few boxesWe were alert to a pumping sound from the cellar, went down to investigate and found a cellar with ( presumably), a spring running underneath. House very delapidated. Was the condition in the price? Arguably not!!The house should have been advertized more honestly. Afterall, one can hardly get builders with full order books to quote for jobs, where one has no accessTotal waste of our time

Stephen · 22 October 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Yell

Avoid

Paid for their top let managing service, Only to not be told that tenants failed their references once they were already in my property and then continued to have two big dogs in my house which was advertised as no pets. They asked if they could and we said no again. The estate agents missed this on their checks of the property and now we need new carpets and astroturf. And now we’re fighting to retain the deposit after paying for this premium service. Very good staff to get you in the door and then no help after.

DarrenH-941 · 18 October 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Was pressurised into signing up to sell…

Was pressurised into signing up to sell my property after doing so I cancelled the agreement within 24 hours . I had paid a fee upfront which I was informed by the branch had been spent already on floor plans and photographer and EPC .The photographer rang me himself and apparently he wasn't aware he had been paid ! I wrote to head office and was informed that they had contacted the branch and instructed them to refund me in full .That was on 16th October now 26 November and no refund!! I would not recommend this company and avoid .

Carole · 26 November 2018

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Barking

Barking: A very impolite and unhelpful property specifically Daivad and Gary. Daivad was very very rude and so unprofessional. I paid for the refereeing and my referencing went through however as per their words the landlord decided to not rent the flat to me after the referencing. They didn't pay my money back although my documents were not on fault. I would never recommend this property to anyone, as you have seen other reviews as well make sure you keep your distance from this property

S · 15 November 2018

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Long and drawn out

I am in a chain and the sale is nearly completed, so the agents keep telling me. This has been going on for months! I keep getting fobbed off with excuses as to what the hold up is and am not sure I really trust these agents anymore.Already called over six times in a week asking to speak with someone who knows the chain but are unavailable. Each time I rang I was told that a message would be passed on and would get back to me. This didn't happen. They can't be bothered about you as the customer! Extremely unreliable. Will not recommend them to anyone.

Debra · 16 October 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Don’t even think about it...

I am a landord who made the mistake to take the full service with them. I thought they were good considering also how high their rates are but in reality they are the worst I have dealt with. Management is being done from a central office not in the same city and no one of course mentioned that when signing the contract. They have costed me more than 1k in repairs due to unacceptably late reactions after a water pipe leaked (they repaired it after a week and all the repairs walls, painting etc took them more than 3 months. Everything started moving after I gave notice to end the contract early (which is 2 months), when the manager took over. A real shame for such a big company. I made the mistake to ask them to do the check out as it was their job even after I ended early and they messed it so badly I regreted it. The only thing they are good at is finding you tenants but I am not sure I want to go back now after such a mess.

Andreas · 14 October 2018

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

One of the Best AGENCY in Uk

I saw online one rental property and I fallen in love that flat . I called straight away William h Brown to find out if it was still available. The agent Ruby H. Was very kind and helpful on the phone. My journey through to moving my new home was smooth and pleasant with William h Brown. It was one of my best day ever when Ruby called me on 27th and she said the landlord accepted my application to rent the flat . So I am living now my new home already a few days and I really Love it. Thank you very much all your help Ruby H. And also her Team Marianna P

Marianna · 11 October 2024

★★★★★ 3/5

Trustpilot

Williamhbrown

I have had a lovely experience with Williamhbrown; Gina Comerford has been very efficient and helpful. Overall there is a lack of communication throughout the office as I am due to move into a rental property next week. Yet someone from the company rang me today to ask if I was still looking for somewhere. This have been very stressful and frustrating as they should have known this information already.

Martina · 21 October 2021

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Unbelievably rubbish is all I can say!!

The Ware branch in Hertfordshire are completely rubbish!!Where do I start?? We were unforuntate to not research agencies before we started & seemed pushed into signing up with William H Brown in Ware, Herts branch. They seemed enthusiastic & keen at the beginning showing a willingness to help us. The truth is, it's only to get you on their books! Since then we have had such poor customer service from them, my poor husband has had to constantly chase them for updates, trying to confirm viewings with them was a chore, as negotiator was hard to get hold of. They don't give you feedback on viewings of our house or even feedback from potential offers!! Communication is s***, manager & senior negotiator never available & always out of office. The rest of the staff left in the branch are so lazy they couldn't even update us on the progress of our property!Even 1 of our viewings was cancelled & they didn't even ring us to let us know, so instead we rushed out the door 1 Saturday morning assuming it was going ahead, only to be told it was cancelled when my husband rang up the following Monday!! 😡 How is that on?! Staff obviously not fit for the job! Emailed the branch manager to complain about the unacceptable poor service & communication. She seemed unapologetic, defensive & very 1 sided saying they are so busy like it's all about them 🙄 We all have busy lives aswell you know! They are all talk & no action, they are good at selling themselves as a company, but when it comes down to selling the houses, they basically let the house sell itself & wait for vendors to pick up the phone & ring them! They obviously have not got the thorough sources & database they need to be pro actively finding potential vendors, because it's been 2 months & we have only had 4 viewings. So what has been going on? Photographs are also amateur & poor quality, they are obviously not doing anything to encourage interest in customers properties. They are unprofessional & uncommitted, all they care about is your signature on the contract, then you are stuck with them for 20 weeks, which is a very long time. Please research & read reviews before you sign up to an agency & do not use this branch because you will be stuck in a trap & will not get anywhere particularly if you are keen to get the ball rolling!!!

Jo · 27 January 2018

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

In my opinion,

In my opinion,Decided to use W H Brown based on there reputation of being the best in what they do. Got a place with a friend, was both our first time using w h brown and we viewed the place. We mentioned obvious repairs and cleaning that was meant to be done. When we got the keys and moved in we found the place hadn’t been cleaned and the repairs have not been done and they are expecting the tenants to deal with it. The property is not secure and the garden is a complete mess. Still nothing has been done about the repairs or the ongoing issues we are currently experiencing. Wouldn’t recommend them to anyone, avoid like the plague.

Peter · 28 September 2024

★★★★★ 2/5

Trustpilot

Prospective buyer doing all the work

I'm a buyer looking for my next home - I've viewed 9 properties so far - the 3 being sold via William H Brown (though 3 different offices) have all been a nightmare. It took 2 weeks and 5 phone calls to get a viewing on one property, and each time I called they insisted on trying to sell me other services first (conveyancers, mortgage advisors, renting options etc). After finally viewing the property 3 different people called me for feedback and again tried the hard sell. They're such a big company I can't avoid them but my experience with them is colouring my views of how appealing some properties are.

MH · 27 September 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Dishonest sales particulars - Failure to disclose material facts

After a 70+ mile drive to view what seemed to be the perfect house on paper - great house in need of some major updating, pictures made that clear - Great garden, very private with beautiful natural boundaries all around and not at all over looked by anyone.The house was empty and the agents had said we could look around the garden and have a look through the windows whilst we waited for the chap who was booked to show up around. We were wow'd by the back garden as it was a great size and so private. We were very excited and happy to have found a gem and were eager to get inside.Then the agent arrived and proceeded to tell us in a matter of fact way that a 1/3 of the garden was not included in the sale and would be sold off separately with outlined planning consent to build 4 new detached houses. That one sentence totally change the houses standing and took away all the privacy that is currently enjoyed by the property. We proceeded to view the house but made it very clear at that point that this information should have been in the sales particulars and in the online advertising details. We also said our offer would be drastically reduced if we were to make one.We decided that we liked the house and could accept the smaller garden but felt the price to high made a few offers that we were prepared to pay. Our offer was rejected so we walked away - A quick google search shows this house has been on the market on and off since 2013 with the same furniture inside, so we came to the conclusion the seller is unrealistic and decided to walk away.We wrote off a complaint to William H Brown asking why they hadn't given prospective buyers the information about the garden and they didn't feel it necessary as the agent was happy to inform people as they viewed. 4 detached houses being built in the garden and they don't feel buyers have the right or need to know prior top arriving at the house?An estate agent has a legal and moral duty to give any such information out that they have that can affect a buyers decision prior to them becoming financially involved. I might add, the ombudsman has stated that a buyer becomes finally involved when they turn the ignition key in their car and drives to view a property.Will Cross - Compliance Controller at William H Brown (Connells Group) decided against my complaint because he didn't feel the property was misrepresented and the fact that we made two offers backed that up.We did make an offer, our first offer was 60k below guide, and our second and final was 35k below guide.It transpired that Will Cross was looking at the photographs and his reasoning was only the areas of garden included in the sale were shown. Bagshaws Residential who are also part of the Connells Group tried to sell this house at auction and failed - Again, this is listed on Rightmove with all the garden pictured, even the areas that aren't included in the sale. This is the place we first found the house.. So they are reviewing.Both William H Brown and bagshaw residential are selling this house and they are also selling the land - They have a total of 4 adds between them on right and not one of these agents have mentioned 4 detached houses are to be built in the garden. William H Brown have since added an agents not to say the boundaries are being redefined - Yet they do not note planning has already been granted to build 4 detached houses in the garden.Yet Will Cross of the Connells Group does not believe this property is being misrepresented.It also needs to be said, they haven't sold this house and have failed the owner also by thinking it acceptable to let buyers know when the view and not allow them to decide before they arrange to view.

Philip · 26 June 2017

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Gidea Park Branch - Avoid!

We have been extremely dissatisfied with the service we received from this branch throughout the sale of our property. After we accepted an offer, the team essentially disappeared, leaving us to handle both transactions ourselves. We were forced to coordinate between all parties, chase solicitors, follow up with the lender, and manage the entire process over the course of four extremely stressful months. WHB provided no meaningful support or assistance during this time.Even the estate agent representing the property we were purchasing expressed their shock at the appalling service we experienced. They had to step in and fill the gap left by WHB to ensure our sale was progressing.The only time we witnessed any enthusiasm from WHB was when they signed us up. After that, their level of professionalism, engagement, and service declined dramatically. Their sole tangible contribution was organising the viewings, and beyond that, they offered little to no value.

Amin · 21 September 2024

★★★★★ 2/5

Trustpilot

Don't Even Bother

Current tenant in a property managed by William H Brown. Landlord is what you would call rogue and flat out refuses to carry out basic maintenance tasks as well as essential electrical safety items. This agency are not interested in helping in the matter. Rather they are happy to collect your money via the rent paid and allow bad practices to carry on. If you're a rental prospect or even a potential buyer, steer well clear as they are only interested in your wallet rather than your standard of living.

M · 6 April 2016

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Totally disgusted with William h brown…

Totally disgusted with William h brown currently renting through the mildenhall branch and I need to move out by oct as my landlady is moving out, they have been no help phone or email about properties no help at all say they’ll phone me back never do I feel it’s because I’m a single parent and they think I can’t afford anything so wake up browns us single parents are doing ok. Never did I think I’d be descriminated against being a single parent !!!!

Shelli · 1 September 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Promise the skies, deliver what exactly?

When I heard the sales pitch about how they can afford to offer no sale no fee because they're a huge agent and can afford to take the losses, I should have considered whether this also meant they were lazy and lacked any hunger for sales. Seems they're main selling strategy is to argue for the lowest selling price, only to come back in 2 weeks and try to push an even lower sales price, so ultimately it is the vendor who 'takes the losses'. 26 August 2024 - the lacklustre service rolls on. Complete failure to vet viewers leading to time wasting and sheer frustration. Avoid!

Heff · 26 August 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

I would leave no stars if I could

I would leave no stars if I could. No communication. Was recommended modern auction method, hopeless, price plummeted and eventually we found out from the buyers a member of staff recommended a low bid. Very poor or no service at all.

Debbie · 5 December 2025

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Bunch of illiterate clowns - don't waste your time!

Staff apparently not able to read or write or dislexic! I asked for a an email to confirm the date of my valuation - didn't receive one because the illiterate on the other end of the phone seemed incapable of writing the address down, despite me repeating it several times! He then proceeded to talk over me to blank my response, causing me to raise my voice in order to be heard - still haven't had a response from them!

David · 26 July 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Brown by name, brown by nature

I was interested in viewing a house marketed by William H Brown, but because the listing contained no information at all about services or council tax, I emailed the branch a list of questions. This was ignored.Several days later, to follow up, I 'phoned to ask the same questions. I was told that someone would call me back within the hour. No one did.I 'phoned again after three hours, was given the same story, and the same result. No one at WHB could be bothered in the slightest. Business must be good.I gave up and went somewhere else.

Owl · 20 July 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

This is an appalling estate agents…

This is an appalling estate agents company who do nothing but constantly harass you everyday to get you set up in absolute dubbed properties to rent from my experience, plus their attitude is very pushy and rude too as they fail to always reply to your messages or needs so stear clear of this organisation - DON'T CHOOSE THEM!!! May I also add that cause of their blackmailing to get me into a property that had a history of mould on one side of the back to back property, it has increased my asthma condition which they were asked about before but no honest answer was given so thank you tripe heads for your lack of care towards health

Quentin · 16 July 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

If I could give minus stars I would. They are criminals.

Our experience with William H Brown has been absolutely horrific from start to finish. This is genuinely the worst letting experience we have ever had, and the level of negligence, dishonesty, and disregard for tenants’ wellbeing has been unbelievable.

Rebekah · 3 December 2025