Philip James Manchester Manchester reviews

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Excellent company for Lettings and management

Philip · 14 March 2026

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

We had a terrible experience with PJ in 2019 and have decided to write this review after recently walking past their premises. PJ tried to sell us a property that had serious cladding issues but assured us we could get a mortgage with HSBC. We proceeded to pay £300 in solicitors fees only to have our mortgage application rejected due to the cladding. Conversations with other estate agents and Barclays made it clear that we couldn’t get a mortgage and some estate agents went as far as to say the wouldn’t even show buyers the property. PJ still tried to encourage us to use their Mortgage broker to find a mortgage which could have led to more wasted money on solicitors fees. PJ tried to blame the banks for not doing their research but it looked like the agents were so desperate to make a sale that they were prepared to pursue unethical practices. In addition to this, the cladding work that was supposed to have finished in August 2019 is no where near complete.

Andreas · 6 July 2020

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

If I could, it would have been less than 1 star. 2 year rental at Spectrum - first year with Dandara was great however it was then sold and moved to PJ who were the reason we ended up leaving the property. After dampness issues which I first reported in Nov, I had to chase in Dec, Jan, Feb, and again in March for it to be responded too - which they just painted over without fixing the problem. Throughout this, PJ admitted that they had delayed the issues, but then blamed on the landlord for unable to get in touch with them. Lois who was dealing with the issue lacked professionalism by not keeping us in touch, resulting in us constantly chasing. At the end of tenancy, we requested compensation due to the extreme delays. Again, Lois did not email unless we cc'd management in - and then all of a sudden reply instantly! Even though PJ admitted they have partly been responsible they refused to take any responsibility, saying that only the landlord can give the compensation - which ultimately did not happen. WOULD NOT RECOMMEND AT ALL

Chris · 6 July 2020

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

The service provided by Philip James Manchester in selling my property was excellent - professional, efficient and friendly. They valued my flat fairly, sold it quickly, handled some complexities in an informative and helpful way, and kept me up to date with everything that was happening. They were even really helpful post-sale after they had already been paid. The fixed fee was clear and worked out cheaper than quotations I received from other local agents. Thanks to Lewis, Lisa and all the team - highly recommended.

Katherine · 6 July 2020

★★★★★ 4/5

Trustpilot

Move in Maintenance

Hayley was super helpful in getting our maintenance issues chased up. Really fast responses and good communication.

Millie · 28 February 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Very friendly and professional

2015 · 24 March 2026

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Very helpful and polite luscious

Amir · 14 March 2026

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

A positive experience of selling a house.

We had our house on the market with a different estate agent for seven months and only had five viewers. We changed over to Philip James and after only two weeks we had five viewers, one of which bought our house. They were so helpful and kept us informed throughout the whole process. I would definitely recommend them.

Janine · 24 June 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Tenants Malina and Valentin have, in my opinion, been treated terribly by Philip James. The agency did not properly deal with problems including severe mould and leaks, leading to mushrooms sprouting inside the home, and this was ignored for 15 whole months. The fact that crucial repairs were not dealt with immediately, instead taking months, is not acceptable and shows a complete lack of care. Philip James must pay them the agreed compensation. Overall, I think that Philip James have been ridiculously unprofessional with their tenants - AVOID AT ALL COSTS!NegativeProfessionalism

Chloe · 24 November 2022

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Flat Inspection

Louis was very helpful and efficient, whilst being conscious of our working time.

James · 12 April 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Not sure how you manage to let any properties. I have enquired by email on Right Move multiple times within the last few months as well ringing the office. However, I am yet to receive a response or reach a person to talk to. I have seen many properties that I would love to rent but this does not seem possible with this company. Please tell me the best way to proceed with enquiries?

Hannah · 6 June 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Expensive and Don't Repair despite serious issues

I have rented with Philip James for 6 months on a student property. Very high prices for rent, and still poor renting conditions. There are several issues with the properties, that despite multiple requests to not get repairs.Eg. Bathroom upstairs just burst and leaked sewage everywhere. This could have been prevented by fixing the drainage in the bathroom, which we mentioned around 5 times beforehand.

AnalyticalFireball · 18 January 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Louis came round today to inspect the…

Louis came round today to inspect the flat, he was very respectful and put me at ease instantly having a stranger in my home. I asked if he could come by at a certain time and he did. He took note of everything necessary. He’s welcome again!

LAURIE · 28 November 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Terrible. Honestly never experienced such bad customer service. Not only do they not answer calls or emails, but I was left waiting outside a viewing with nobody from Philip James arriving. Their communication with customers is truly awful and their inbox always seems full so leaving a message isn’t possible. Even their own property management team couldn’t get through to the Lettings department. It’s a shame because they seems to have nice properties.

Adriana · 22 June 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Agents in office try their best to not bother with you, never answer the phone, require you to send a message first so they decided wether you are worthy of a call from them or not despite being a paying consumer. Tell you the minimum information so if you are inexperienced then you would literally know nothing. Slightly rude, very passive aggressive tho. Attitude is far from alright, treat you as if you are begging from them not actually paying money. Contracts are very complicated and they leave you as uninformed as possible. If you are not a lawyer and know literally how to read in between the lines then try cooperating with another more costumer friendly firm.

Mero · 7 July 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

I am writing this as a former tenant. I am not sure if this company's professionalism would be better if you are trying to sell your home rather than renting. 1) Move-in day: We travelled down from Scotland by train, our furniture packed away in a van and being driven down by movers; this was on a Saturday when England was playing a match in the football, I think the World cup. We were previously told their office close at about 16:00 on a Saturday. Our train was due to arrive at about 13:00. I called the office to ensure we were being expected, and the lady said "we are closing at 14:00 today" (due to the football!)- this made me panic as I was worried if the train got delayed we wouldn't make it in time. I asked what would happen if we don't make it in time, could I be given an emergency number to call otherwise we would literally have nowhere to stay overnight! The lady refused to give any emergency numbers and refused to allow me to speak to a senior/manager. Thankfully we made it in time. 2) We were forced to sign an inventory on collecting keys for the first time (we had not inspected the flat yet). We were told we can then send a second inventory in, with our amendments, and they would then get rid of the 1st one- we did that, and posted it to them. We then repeatedly contacted them to ensure they received it, and were never given a straight answer. As a result we were constantly paranoid that our deposit would not be returned to us at the end of tenancy (one good thing: they did return it, in full, with no issues, for which I am grateful!) 3) They follow a pattern of asking for money for everything: if you fail to cancel your standing order on vacating the flat, they charge £25 + VAT for "admin fees". If you return the keys to the wrong office branch, again £25 for the inconvenience (!). Of course if you want to renew the tenancy they jump in and charge for that as well with zero hesitation (they will call it "admin fees" again). 4) They expect the keys to be returned "promptly", "before 12" but then when it comes to the inspection they don't tell you the time until the very last minute. I'm sure if you return the keys after 12 you will be charged "admin fees" again, though I did not personally test that. Positives: they did manage to get things some things repaired/replaced for us when we moved in.

Oktavia · 7 July 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Not a lack of communication, ZERO communication

It's hard to put into words our frustration of dealing with Philip James in the last few months of our tenancy. We were renting with Philip James for two years and the majority of our tenancy with them was fine. Sadly, this has been completely changed by our experience during the final few months of our tenancy.We were contacted by property management 3 months prior to our assured shorthold tenancy was due to end. Due to personal circumstances, we asked if we could seek a short extension to our tenancy (1-2) months. We received an automated response, and then nothing further.After one month, I called property management to be sure that our email had been received. I was told that our case was being looked into, but there were tenancies with end dates sooner than ours, which have a higher priority - fair enough. I sent a follow up email from this telephone call, just to put the conversation into writing.Another month of no response passed, and we had heard nothing back. At this point, we were 20 days away from the end date of our contract. We finally had a response, which stated that our landlord "has advised he is happy you would like to extend your tenancy for a further 12 months". We had asked for a short extension of 1-2 months, not 12 months. If it will take nearly 3 months to respond to our initial enquiry, then a response indicating that our message had actually been read would be appreciated.We responded to this email immediately, and followed up with several telephone calls, to understand our situation. Unsurprisingly, we were met with no response to email, and the person we needed to speak to conveniently "just gone out for lunch, but I can take a message". Of course, our messages were never followed up. Because our contract was due to expire in a matter of weeks at this point, it was only down to pure luck that we were able to stay in our flat for an extra month - because Philip James had not served us a section 21 eviction notice for the end of our tenancy.Luckily, we were able to source alternative accommodation during this extra one month, and immediately served Philip James with our intention to leave our flat after this month. Of course - the email of our notice was never responded to. There are multiple reviews of prospective tenants with concerns about Philip James's lack of communication. I want to leave this review to highlight that, as actual tenants, our experience was no different.

Sam · 23 October 2022

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

They don’t answer any calls or emails. I’ve walked past their offices and have been inside a few times and you just see the phone ringing and the staff acting like the phone doesn’t exist. Every time my partner and I see property that we’re interested in then find out it’s managed by Philip James, we just sigh and say forget it. I’ve sat at my table and called over and over none stop, and they just eventually turned their phone off so it wouldn’t even ring. Disgraceful.

Olly · 9 October 2022

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Fast acting and professionalism

Sharon, from maintenance has been amazing!! She is fast to respond and quick to chase up contractors when work needs to be done or even improved on.I know if there are any issues, she won't hesitate to tackle them straight away with real professionalism.Thank you :-)

Rachel · 3 December 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Lisa was fantastic kept us upto date…

Lisa was fantastic kept us upto date with everything what was happening always friendly

Annette · 28 February 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Unprofessional

Arranged to view a property with Philip James. They gave me a difficult time on a weekday. I managed to make time in between work. Got to the property on time and no one from Philip James showed up. No emails, no phone calls to let me know. Very unprofessional.-5 star

Tom · 13 September 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Really straightforward, I’m new to this and Maria was really helpful with the viewing process and explained everything to me so I understood. She made a daunting experience really enjoyable!

Livspower · 8 December 2022

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

I dealt with Lorraine, she is very nice and welcoming person with friendly personality and I really liked her professional work and her quick response. Many thanks with best regards.

Mohammed · 8 December 2022

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Mark & Maisie were very helpful…

Mark & Maisie were very helpful throughout the process of purchasing a property in Didsbury, going above and beyond to ensure the sale went ahead. Thank you both!

Michael · 6 February 2023