Thornley Groves Manchester City Centre Accounts reviews

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

**AVOID AT ALL COSTS** - Wholly incompetent team - none of which who can carry out their jobs properly. They can't even calculate extra rent correctly and will charge you for their mistakes. - Don't even bother having hopes that anything will get fixed. They employ unreliable cowboys who don't turn up to do the job, and when they finally do turn up (after extensive chasing!) they don't carry out work properly. - LANDLORDS - avoid - they will charge you for work that is never carried out. They lose keys on check in and don't even check if fobs/keys are in order before handing out to new tenants. They will unnecessarily charge you for repairs which aren't necessary and employ people who are unreliable, and quite clearly, do not know how to do the jobs they are instructed to do. Wasted overpriced labour that they will charge YOU for. Note that other letting agents have much cheaper call out charges and will be a lot more reasonable and reliable in the work carried out. - TENANTS- don't even bother cleaning the flat on check out. No matter how immaculately you leave the flat, they will always carry out a clean regardless. They charge you for damage that present on move in and they deliberately omit this on the check in inventory. Naturally, you will oversee these things as they do not seem obvious and don't pose any significant problems at the time. You will be astonished by the difference between the low resolution of move in photos vs the high resolution of check out photos. This is where they get you - SO BEWARE. They will charge you for removal of items which were present on check in but their staff failed to notice! They also don't know the difference between wear and tear and cleanliness - a bit worrying no?! - Viewings I'll describe as disorganised to say the least. Agents turn up late and with the wrong keys. There's no logical way to the way in which viewings are conducting. 20 different agents with 20 diffent clients carrying out viewings for the same property at different times - all in competition with each other to get the commission. Furthermore, you won't even get 24 hours notice for viewings, they will essentially turn up unannounced without an agreement from yourself. In fact, some will actually damage your property in your absence. We returned home to find our windows hadn't been shut and blinds hadn't been operated properly and so were left with a wet floor and bent blinds. Something which we will probably be charged for! - Staff (and managers!) are cluless, unhelpful and some are even rude (Marit Schep). They are clearly lack insight, are defensive about the poor quality team they employ and are only interested in grabbing every single last penny from you. I think there's a reason why they have a less than 2 star rating on google!? And also, good luck with even trying to get through to anyone on the phone once you're renting and have problems! You have no chance. Don't even bother leaving voicemails because no one will ever call you back. SUMMARY: THERE ARE MUCH BETTER LETTING AGENTS OUT THERE. Having dealt with them from both sides, I can honestly say this is the WORST COMPANY to use and I would AVOID at all costs. Problems aren't even a one off - exactly same experience every time they are contacted. I'm sure many others would agree judging by the comments on this thread. Definitely not worth the time or stress. You're better off using other letting agents with experienced staff who can actually do their job properly. There's lots of these in Manchester so look around.

Raja · 9 February 2018

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Run as fast as you can away from these horrendous estate agents. They are by far the worst estate agents I have ever dealt with - 1 star is too generous! Read the other 1 star reviews from this year as our experience was very similar. IF YOU ARE ALREADY RENTING WITH THEM I would advise to keep records of absolutely everything then be prepared to fight and appeal any claims you do not agree with at the end. If you have enough evidence (emails, photos, etc.) you will win your money back as we did recently. Make sure you take photos after you have cleaned the property when moving out. From signing the contracts right until finally winning our money back, a simple 12 month lease turned into an 18 month nightmare. We experienced the following on a regular basis: - Poor communication - Incompetent staff - No accountability - Scam artist behaviour - No organisation - No willingness to fix problems - No rush to supply things promised in the contract - No procedures in place to handle difficult/unresponsive landlords Be warned: - Our check in report was rushed and contained photos of the property from different periods of time, featuring items which were not present in the flat. - Upon moving in we were left with broken wood and glass panels out on the balcony which we had to dispose of ourselves along with unfinished work and broken appliances. - Several problems reported and requests made throughout the tenancy were not resolved, such as a broken radiator and unfinished work. - They did not keep records of anything discussed or agreed during the tenancy. - They issued an incoherent and unfair check out report which in no way matched the check in report. They tried to charge us for a multitude of things including disposing of furniture, damage to the property, not replacing lightbulbs and it being in poor condition. We fought all points and immediately won on 4 of their 5 claims but they were insistent the property needed to be professionally cleaned and charged us for this along with an obscene administration fee. We appealed against this with the tenancy deposit scheme dispute service and won all of our money back leaving the estate agent and landlord with nothing. Save yourself the angst and rent/buy with someone else.

Melissa · 9 February 2018

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

I wish I could give 0 stars but unfortunately that isn't possible. Thornley Groves are the single worst company I have ever dealt with - particularly those that work in the Chapel Street branch. If, as a tenant, you want to choose a letting agent that sides completely with the landlord, disgregards any issues you have and then charges you through the nose for EVERYTHING then they are right choice. I was renting in Leftbank, so not a cheap apartment by any stretch of the imagination, we had lights blowing out of the ceiling smashing all over the floor on numerous occasions, sparks coming out of plug sockets and countless other issues. Now, this isn't Thornley Groves fault but the fact that they did nothing to fix any of these issues other than eventually call me back (after about 6 emails and phone calls to the conveniently 'unavailable' maintenance team) and then not turn up when they said they would on numerous occasions is disgusting. We had issues that we reported at the start of the tenancy (18 months prior) that still weren't fixed when we moved out. The worst bit though was when I wanted to extend the tenancy after I had been there 18 months and I was told I had to be re-referenced i.e. another £120 I needed to pay for no reason. I was then turned down, when I was earning far more than when I first moved in, I was told even with £20,000 worth of savings that wouldn't be good enough, I was told if I got my parents to be a guarantor I still wouldn't be able to get it i.e. they weren't going to let me extend. Obviously at this point they had already taken my £120 and I wasn't going to get it back. What was blatantly the case was that either the landlord or Thornley Groves had decided they could get more money for the apartment by re-listing. My rent was going to be £1,250 per month (after a £50 rise at the end of the tenancy) and it was then re-listed for £1,350 so instead of just saying to me, we want to relist for more money they made me pay the £120 for referencing with no intention of letting me get it. Then when moving out, I got the most ridiculous list of issues with the apartment, blinds had magically fall down off the walls (in the 3 hours since I moved out and they checked the apartment), there was a black mark where the blinds had been attached to the ceiling (who'd have thought), they complained about the fact the wall next to the boiler had water stains on it because the boiler had broken about 20 times and flooded and was never fixed properly. They charged me £15 to remove a handwash that was left in one of the bathrooms and tried to charge £45 to replace a light bulb. All in all, shocking company, shocking people, complete con artists trying to get as much money out of you as possible whilst giving you no service whatsoever. Avoid like the plague! I have spoken to about 4 other people about this since who have all had similar experiences so it isn't even like I am a one off.

Stephen · 9 February 2018

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Really disappointed with the property management team in lettings. The apartment was dirty (among many other things) and they just ignored us when we asked them to fix it. They did not stick to the contract and have let us down badly.

Candice · 10 November 2020

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Jane Sheils goes out of her way to help. Her attitude is always professional, patient and understanding. Every request is met in an unfailingly, courteous manner. It is a pleasure to deal with her.

Diane · 17 April 2022

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Have worked with the Compliance Team (Debbie, Cath and Sarah) for some time now and have always found them to be professional and helpful. They are always willing to assist with any issues and do so actively.PositiveResponsiveness, Quality, Professionalism

Kate · 22 June 2021

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

I was pleasantly surprised by the excellent service that I received from Catherine Townley. Upon approval of the maintenance, I did not have to follow up and the job was done . Thank you very much Catherine ,PositiveQuality

Faiz · 25 August 2021

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

We have been renting with Thornley Groves for more than a year. Katie Garner has followed us since the beginning and she is always available and open to listen to all our concerns. She has been great throughout the renting.

Gilda · 20 March 2021

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

In the age of crisis in this part of the property industry, finding an agent who can actually sort things out for landlords and do it well is a rare thing.PositiveResponsiveness, Professionalism

Marek · 22 June 2022

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

I wouldn't even give Thornley Groves one star if I didn't have to select a star! Having lived in London for number of years where estate agents get a bad name, Thornley Groves definitely topped this. They are categorically the WORST estate agents I ever had to deal with. Staff members are extremely rude, incompetent and don't value any sort of customer service at all. It seems all they care about is extracting as much money as possible from tenants. Numerous time our calls and emails have gone unanswered, our toilet blocked on many occasions and they didn't send out a plumber for three days - a service they thought was satisfactory. Our deposit took over three months to get back after they tried to claim the majority of our deposit despite us leaving the flat in an extremely clean state. I'd recommend taking photos when you in move in to one of their properties, plus when you leave, as they try to claim for items that aren't even damaged. I definitely would not recommend using Thornley Groves though if possible, as they really bad at communication and extremely unprofessional. Good Luck to anyone that is unfortunate to deal with this company and the staff that work there!

Emma · 9 February 2017

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Incompetent and dishonest. I know to many a good letting agent is an oxymoron but I would strongly warn against letting through Thornley Groves in particular as they are the worst I've ever dealt with. They failed to record any of the conversations or works orders for our flat and so denied knowledge of their contractor taking any broken items from the apartment. They therefore dishonestly took money from our deposit for these items - after significant hard work and many lost hours our appeal to the TDS found in our favour so we were eventually reunited with our £65 withheld deposit. If you are unlucky enough to already be a customer of theirs, record everything in emails and writing as they will not. I would go as far as suggesting recording phone conversations (with their blessing). We would suggest not cleaning your property before moving out as no matter how deep the clean, Thornley Groves will find some reason to charge you for another. In our case this included leaving unopened hand soap next to the sink for the next tenant and failing to clean the inside of the washing machine drawer. Speaking of the washing machine, this was advertised to us as a washer-dryer when we were guided around the property by one of Thornley Groves' agents - this was a barefaced lie. They are not at all interested in acting on the tenant's behalf and are solely interested in the landlord's business. They are incredibly slow to act to resolve issues with properties (including no running hot water in bathroom) and have a high level of staff turnover meaning any relationships you strike up with their staff end very quickly. Very poor service - AVOID!!!!!

Simon · 9 February 2017

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Got back to me quickly when I needed a reference.

Daisy · 20 March 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Left it until after the contract had been signed on our property to let us know that there was no car parking space included. The car parking (in our post code which costs us £200+ per month) was outlined in the property info and confirmed by Rhea, and Blair, both via email. Very poor conduct, accepts no responsibility for their issue, left us out of pocket. Currently seeking reimbursement for their error. Agents in the Salford branch were rude, and smoking e-cigarettes at their desks. Very unprofessional.

Sean · 10 February 2016

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

So bad... Doesnt answer call and email for viewing Finally viewings cancelled/postponed little before or at the time of the viewing. Now they don't honour the request to be taken of the mailing list, like Im ever going to deal with them again

Quentin · 9 February 2020

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

The worst service I have ever encountered from start to finish. It took 2 months to do the paper work to get in, arrived at the property to a dirty flat with broken lights, shower, door handles and mold. Most of these never got fixed or treated. I left the property in a better condition than I walked into it and after a month of chasing I have only received one email regarding getting the deposit back.

Eloise · 9 February 2019

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

I would recommend Thornley Groves as a management service.

Sau · 20 March 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

I have always found all my dealings with Jennifer Fergusin at WhatsApp to be excellent. Jennifer always responds quickly and constructively and is always willing to help. Highly recommended! Communication on issues is excellent.PositiveResponsiveness, Quality, Professionalism

Andrew · 25 August 2021

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

I asked for a reference for my new rent application. Adeeb Ahmed handled my case timely and professionally, speeding up my application and my chances to rent.PositiveResponsiveness, Quality, Professionalism, Value

Ioanna · 22 June 2022

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Tried calling and emailing and never got through once, responded to or called back. No point in looking at any properties listed with these anymore, life’s too short!

Jon · 14 September 2022

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Customer service doesn't exist. A totally commission fueled business. Checkout reports sit in inboxes for three weeks and aren't sent until chased. If it doesn't earn them money, they don't care. Avoid.

Daryl · 13 March 2022

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Excellent customer service from Ainsley at Vimto Gardens, went the extra mile to help sort out with my questions hence the 5 * review. Thanks again Ainsley very much appreciated.

Graham · 16 June 2022

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

hannah + her team are very pleasant to work with. I've had no issues. Their communication + responsiveness has being amazing, far better than any previous agent

Stewart · 14 October 2022

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Its always a great pleasure to work with Sarah, Debbie and Cath on the compliance team. Nothing is ever too much trouble, always happy to help with any queries/problems we encounter!! Highly recommended! Thank you. Howarth EPCs

ARTHUR · 20 April 2021

★★★★★ 4/5

Google

Friendly staff and some great properties on offer.

Ferdinand · 20 March 2024