Philip James Manchester Manchester reviews

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

By far, this is the worst experience I've had with an estate agent. I was a tenant for over a year, and the staff displayed rudeness and a complete lack of concern for renters. Their response times were extremely slow. After several negative encounters, I made the decision to terminate my tenancy and find another place to live. I strongly advise staying away from them, especially if you're considering renting. It took nearly three months to receive my deposit back, which was an awful experience.

Simone · 10 September 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Exceptional Service!

I had such a great experience with Philip James! The staff were so friendly and so helpful. I could not be happier. Thank you, team!

Chantelle · 2 December 2025

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

I've spent over 2 weeks desperately trying to get into contact to no avail, I've received barely 2 emails in response which don't actually respond to any of my questions or queries instead I'm met with unprofessionalism, I'm trying to move in to an apartment as soon as possible but I now doubt this company is worth even attempting to contact.

Kabeer · 25 September 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

A good experience being shown around a rental by Natalie.

Jacqueline · 7 April 2026

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Stay Away at All Costs!!!

I would advise anybody who is looking to rent in Manchester (especially students) to avoid this company. Firstly, trying to get in contact for viewings is impossible as the branch do not answer their phones you have to physically go into the Deansgate office to actually get any viewings. I had to go into the office on three separate occasions before I finally got the ball rolling. I can understand the stress of trying to move everybody in and get viewings but this should have been the first red flag. Over the span of the tenancy I had a serious mould and damp issue which considerably effected my health. I was told to ventilate the property at all times, which I did; within winter months I either had a cold or respiratory issues caused by the mould. I raised this issue in November 2022 and it was not sorted until around April 2023 which is a long time to be unwell for whilst also effecting your mental health. Additionally I had to throw away clothes and personal items due to them growing mould which was also discussed within emails to management and nothing was sorted. Upon move out there has been an unreasonable amount of deductions considering I cleaned everything for two days before I handed in the keys to ensure everything was up to standard. Furthermore I have disputed this 10 days ago and I haven’t heard anything back from management. They were on the ball with wanting out final bill receipts so they didn’t have to pay anything out of their pockets! It seems like a lot of people have also had very similar experiences with poor management with this company which shows a lot. I don’t usually write reviews but I do not want anybody to be in the situation with their rental where they become extremely unwell for months due to lack of affirmation from their housing suppliers.

Jacob · 24 August 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Spent six months looking for a flat in Manchester, so it’s fair to say I have some experience dealing with estate agents within the greater Manchester area. So when I say this is the worst estate I’ve ever had the misfortune of dealing with it, I’m not exaggerating. Do yourself a favour, use anyone else.

HugHes · 16 December 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

I feel like I am repeating what other people said in the comments but it's true how terrible this agency is! It's funny how they reply the same thing to every comment, please email us and we will investigate this matter, but no changes are being made, whatsoever! In March 2022, we got a notice through the post saying our tenancy is ending at the end of May and we need to move out by a certain date. We've lived there for 4 years and every year we got an email from agency asking if we would like to extend our tenancy but not this time, they just gave us the notice. We said we want to extend our tenancy but they asked us for a guarantor or 6 months rent upfront which I think it's ridiculous! Plus the landlord has put the rent up which was also too high. My dad sadly passed away months earlier so me and my mum couldn't afford the rent, and we decided to move out. Getting a deposit back was an absolute nightmare, they charged us for so many things that were ridiculous, things like a light bulb which is landlord's responsibility, for cleaning which was a lie as the landlord refurbished the whole house anyway, we've been charged for empty the bins which bin men come for that every Monday, and also for cutting the grass like it's our fault the grass grown after we moved out and we found out from the new tenants that the grass was never cut when they moved in so basically they have lied to us just to keep as much deposit as possible. We have made friends with other neighbours on the street and they know what's ben happening. When we moved in, the place was in a bad condition and the garden was a mess but landlord denied it of course when I spoke to him on the phone! These people who works there are so ignorant I've told them that my dad passed away but they were still asking my dad to sign the notice and send over the bank details for the remaining deposit that we should get back, I had to tell them so many times that my dad passed away which was very upsetting and frustrating! Finally someone decided to make it note of it on the system. They have split the remining deposit into 3 of us so we didn't get paid one of that as they needed a solicitor or someone legal who deals with my dad finances, we don't have anyone like that! All the money should go to the other tenants and not making things even harder for us! Months of stressing and telling them what they are doing wrong, terrible customer service, never answer the phone or reply to emails. Be aware and never rent any properties from this agency, I don't know what type of people work there who can't do their job, you are the worst agency I've ever had to deal with! Don't even bother replying and saying you will investigate this matter as there's nothing to investigate apart from people who work for this agency, they have no clue what they're doing!

Patricia · 21 August 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Worst Agency. If you guys dont want to receive calls of people the why do you provide numbers on your websites.. It is useless and it doesn't serve anyone's purpose. It would be better for your agency to become more customer friendly . If you dont improve your service then you will loose your loyal customers. Kindly improve telephone service or else people have other better options their wasting time on your website and trying to call your teams. I am talking about the Deansgate Branch particularly.

Ruchit · 21 August 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Max was outstanding, he was helpful and efficient when booking viewings and securing a rental.

Johnny · 12 August 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

I have called them many time but failed to reach them. Lastly I was able to reach them on Facebook to inquiry an property on Facebook. Leon was so helpful and replied to me quickly. Thank you for your help Leon!

Shan · 8 November 2022

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Very helpful and supportive

Very helpful and supportive when buying a property from PhilipJames. They were prompt with replies and answered all queries! Thanks to all the team, especially Lisa who really helped the final push for sale. Would definitely recommend!!

Minnie · 24 March 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Hi read below, Hi I am Mobina and I am a law student. I am aware of legal ramifications. I am talking in relation to the property 2 dean road Springfield court. Tenants: mehdad bakhshi and Mobina kohzadi atashi. I am willing to fill an N1 form and take this matter to court. Even your reviews support what I am saying. Your customer service is appalling. Your agency has put us through so much stress and has treated us poorly. We have tried so much to get this property and provided everything you asked us. We wasted almost a month doing everything and missed out on many properties because of you. After all the stress you put us through providing so much information and getting guarantors- you did not give us the property so we are entitled to a refund of the holding deposit £200. We didn’t refuse the property. We want it. From your side you aren’t accepting it and you wasted our time. It is my right to get the money back. It is the least you can do. I will also put a bad review on google. Unfortunately, if you do not give us the refund of £200 I will take the matter into my own hands. I will take it to court. You get £200 from each person and you don’t give them property. You are robbing people. It takes a lot of nerve to act like this after what you have put me and my husband through. Mobina

Mobina · 14 August 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Very impressed with ethan and his ability to showcase rental properties.

Jordan · 24 March 2026

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Leeches, stay away

Checked out a property they advertised on the rightmove app, me and my partner saw it was on a zero deposit scheme, even went for the viewing and asked the agent that was showing us the place that it was a zero deposit scheme. We sent a £180 holding deposit, then later find out that they want the full deposit for the site and it was never on a zero deposit scheme. I go back to look at the advert on rightmove and see that they've change the deposit to the 5 weeks amount and removed the "rent with no deposit tags on the pictures". Cannot even get a refund because its apparently nonrefundable. This all takes place within 2 weeks and barely any communication from them at all. Stay away from these leeches, better to live in a cardboard box than to give them any money.

Jj · 4 August 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

I had arranged two viewings in Salford Quays and on both occasions had the misfortune of dealing with Neil. Neil was rude from beginning to end. Neil acted dismissive, impatient and unprofessional. I had actually liked the second property, which had remained on the market for almost a week after viewing it. However, my experiences with Neil were quite frankly off-putting. The lady who had arranged the viewings over the phone was nice enough but Neil was not. Neil could perhaps benefit from customer service training.NegativeProfessionalism

Chris · 26 October 2021

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Lisa and Lewis have been incredible since the very first viewing of the house to handing us the keys to our new home. Incredibly helpful, responsive and always professional. We are 100% happy with how they’ve dealt with our house purchase and as first time buyers Lisa was extremely helpful to us, explained the process at every step and answered all of our questions. We would not hesitate to use Philip James again. Thank you for everything!PositiveResponsiveness, Quality, Professionalism, Value

Edyta · 26 October 2021

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Sharon is fantastic!

Sharon has been fantastic in both professionalism and communication regarding an issue we had one our rental property - a credit to the company.

Matt · 2 February 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

They don’t want to talk to you

Waited a week for someone to get back to me about a property then could not get a response via email or have anyone answer the phone.When I finally got through I was told I couldn’t make an offer on a property without viewing - I live in leeds so it is difficult for me to get to Manchester but I was not given any support with regards to video viewings/walkthroughs.3 weeks of cancelling and rescheduling Viewings later the landlord decided to sell and I was back to square one.Found another property, and again no answer to phones. Went in branch as I was visiting for the day - most phones disconnected to avoid them ringing. Agent didn’t even look at me or acknowledge my presence for 10 minutes before asking why I was there.Gave him property details and he told me it was already let to the landlords friend without even allowing anyone to view - this was the same day the property was added.Funny how they are so adamant you must view a property before making an offer but they’ll allow their landlords to bend the rules for whoever they want.

Anon · 22 July 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

I wasn’t going to write a review because of the long winded process my partner and I have been through with this company trying to get our money back from the deposit. I was done, I was exhausted and sick of being SCAMMED. But I think it’s important to write this review because they will keep doing it to so many people and they will get away with it. I would highly suggest that you avoid this company like the plague! Firstly, customers service skills and morals are at an all time 0. They will ignore emails about maintenance issues even when health and safety is threatened that includes black mould, shape broken tiles, sparking electrics etc. Not only will they ignore you but if they eventually reply to you, they will go out of their way to be rude, condescending and patronising about any matter. I highly recommend that their team go for a customer service training course because the way we were spoken to throughout our time with them was disgraceful and unethical. Secondly, good luck trying to get your deposit back! In our experience they tried lying about charges that were untrue, charging us for furniture that they said were missing but they were in the apartment the whole time and photographed by them, showing how dangerously inept they are. Over charging for “professional cleaning” hoping we were not aware of the law that estate agents are not allowed to charge for this. We left the apartment cleaner than when we found it showing that no “professional cleaning” was done at the beginning of our tenancy. They will cut corners wherever they can, reducing the standards of living and they will keep increasing rent and charges. Lastly, all estate agents have a terrible reputation for problems that I have stated here but throughout all my 7 years of renting I have never felt so wronged. Like I said, avoid Philip James like the plague or be prepared to have a fit on your hands.

Alexandra · 20 July 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Traumatic Experience

I wasn’t going to write a review because of the long winded process my partner and I have been through with this company trying to get our money back from the deposit. I was done, I was exhausted and sick of being SCAMMED. But I think it’s important to write this review because they will keep doing it to so many people and they will get away with it.I would highly suggest that you avoid this company like the plague! Firstly, customers service skills and morals are at an all time 0. They will ignore emails about maintenance issues even when health and safety is threatened that includes black mould, shape broken tiles, sparking electrics etc. Not only will they ignore you but if they eventually reply to you, they will go out of their way to be rude, condescending and patronising about any matter. I highly recommend that their team go for a customer service training course because the way we were spoken to throughout our time with them was disgraceful and unethical.Secondly, good luck trying to get your deposit back! In our experience they tried lying about charges that were untrue, charging us for furniture that they said were missing but they were in the apartment the whole time and photographed by them, showing how dangerously inept they are.Over charging for “professional cleaning” hoping we were not aware of the law that estate agents are not allowed to charge for this. We left the apartment cleaner than when we found it showing that no “professional cleaning” was done at the beginning of our tenancy. They will cut corners wherever they can, reducing the standards of living and they will keep increasing rent and charges. Lastly, all estate agents have a terrible reputation for problems that I have stated here but throughout all my 7 years of renting I have never felt so wronged. Like I said, avoid Philip James like the plague or be prepared to have a fit on your hands.

Alexandra · 19 July 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Lyn was friendly, helpful and answered all questions

Cameron · 9 November 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Great viewing with Titu

Great viewing with Titu, he was professional and we felt that we could take our time to look around. He explained how to apply for the property and gave us a swift response. Thanks again!

Lisa · 30 July 2025

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Excellent experience

Excellent experience. Franca is super professional and helps the transaction from start to finish. She’s experienced which really helps. Neil is also great efficient on the Managment side of the business. Hope to work with them again! Graeme

Graeme · 24 December 2022

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Unhelpful and unprofessional.

Unhelpful and unprofessional.Haven’t responded to any of my queries on Rightmove for the past 2 months. Pick up the phone less than 5% of the time if you call directly and never respond to voicemails. The only way to get a response is by contacting them through their website. Even then, I was offered a viewing on a flat by an agent called Maxwell, I responded to his email within an hour and applied for leave from work (as I have to give a few days of notice) to attend the viewing, then heard nothing back despite emailing and calling daily. I assume the flat has gone and they haven’t bothered to let me know.I understand that this is a busy time for rentals, but every other estate agent in Manchester seems to be coping other than Philip James. I suggest if they can’t cope with the number of clients they should take fewer rentals on, as I wouldn’t want to pursue a rental contract (and certainly wouldn’t want to buy a property) with such an unreliable company.As a working professional who has rented for many years with multiple agencies in various parts of the country, I can tell you that there is no excuse for such poor customer service. I will not be contacting them again.

Lorna · 1 July 2023