William H Brown Unthank Road, Norwich reviews

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Many thanks to the team at William H Brown Unthank Road. Dominic was our main point of contact during our house sale - Dominic was efficient, reliable & professional through out & was always to hand when we had questions or needed advise. The team at William H Brown Unthank made our house sale very smooth & we felt confident using them thorough the process. For me personally - selling our property was a big life choice as this is the first time we have sold a property, but the team at William H Brown really did make our decision to sell a good one! Highly Recommend & thanks once again.PositiveResponsiveness, Quality, Professionalism, Value

Jonathan · 24 October 2021

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Feb up with this continuing disturbance

Can you get your data deleted by this firm. A blatant and continued misuse of my data and no request or threat under GDPR works. William h brown in Norwich did nothing for a month whilst I was away on holiday when they were supposedly valuing my property and preparing sale or auction details. Thank goodness Steve Pymm was more pro active and effected a very quick sale. Three years on and the dimbos at WHB still won't delete my data - useless!!!!!!

Jeremy · 14 October 2021

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Please take my advice and stay well…

Please take my advice and stay well away from these people. I have viewed a property through the Newark branch and made an offer to which I have waited over a week for a reply, only to call and be told it is sold with accompanying giggles.I arranged a viewing of another property and after a three-hour drive was told my fictious daughter had called and cancelled the viewing.There is something very wrong with these prople.

123 · 16 May 2022

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Please Please avoid the sudbury branch…

Please Please avoid the sudbury branch it seems that they put sold houses showing them as for sale and even keep up for the sale boards . I called about a property that has just been advertised on Rightmove only to be told it was sold two weeks ago and this is there internal process that they MUST advertise. This creates false advertising . Despite speaking to the Manager they feel what they are doing is correct , Rightmove is allowing this kind of behaviour.

Suzanne · 10 September 2021

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Extremely unprofessional and…

Extremely unprofessional and disorganized team. I contacted this agency regarding a property to let. Michelle initially promised to arrange a viewing but never followed up. After chasing them myself, I finally spoke with another team member who scheduled a viewing, only for it to be for a completely different property than the one advertised on their website.

Alon · 21 October 2025

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Avoid - not even worthy of a 1*

Estimated reading time: 5 minutesIf you are a student, or a parent of a student, save yourself the aggravation and avoid William H Brown in Bank Plain, Norwich when searching for or choosing a student let. My son and fellow students took up a tenancy on a property in Norwich in September 2020.The property had not been quarantined prior to collection of the keys, and my son and his fellow students found it in a disgusting state: mould, stale tobacco odours, drinks cans strewn across the floor, stains on mattresses, food residues and signs of illegal drug use, to name but a few examples. Worse still, the inventory, which documented an inspection pertaining to the end of the previous tenancy (comprised of an extensive list and photographs), highlighted these cleanliness issues, damage and poor presentation.Despite this, nothing was done and moving in had to be deferred, inconvenience and added expense for those travelling from different counties, considering the resulting use of fuel and loss of earnings. All had to return home and William H Brown did not appear to care in the slightest, when it would have been common courtesy to notify them. When my son and his fellow tenants contacted William H Brown, they found their telephone calls e-mails slow to receive a response. When we wrote to the landlords directly to seek recourse, unsurprisingly, our correspondence went unanswered.It was only through my involvement, assertiveness and persistence that a cleaning contractor was organised by William H Brown and the management company to deep clean the property and a plumber/handyman to carry out remedial tasks. These should all have been addressed by William H Brown and the management company prior to issuance of the keys. It was their contractual obligation, not least because of being in the middle of a pandemic.It is worth stating at this point that the plumber/handyman, who has direct contact with the landlords, retains a key to the property. When he visited (not always with notice), he used his key to let himself in, even when at least one tenant was present to answer the door. After observations noted between the tenants (of him lingering at the property following completion of tasks and conversing with the neighbours regularly), the conclusion was drawn that he was not merely a plumber/handyman.Between William H Brown and the management company, they have been inept, reasoning that they would only know that the property required a deep clean if brought to their attention, which was strange considering the glaringly obvious issues of the aforesaid inventory and the fact that it was their responsibility to prepare the property for the new tenancy. Instead, they placed the onus on my son and his fellow tenants, even claiming at one point that there was no mention of the property requiring a deep clean. There was little by way of after care follow-up.They also had the audacity to justify their position by advising that, with over 700 rental properties to manage, they could not possibly know who was moving out or moving in. Whose responsibility was this, then? The tenants? Or the landlords who contracted with them to provide this service? And how is it that other companies manage their customer databases competently, including alerts for due dates? If ever an admission that they cannot cope with their workload, it is this. Anyone about to sign a contract should very much regard this as a red flag.To add insult to injury, the property (which, incidentally, the landlords seemed to care so little about) had to be returned in a better condition than it was found in order for my son and the other tenants to have any hope of receiving their deposits back in full. Please be under no illusion, this property was absolutely dire; not to put too fine a point on it, desperately in need of refurbishment and redecoration, not just a deep clean.Yet, quite unbelievably, in the checkout report, pre-existing issues were highlighted: a strong indication of a possible intention to apportion blame to those not responsible and to seek a way out of returning deposits in full. Thankfully, my son and fellow tenants took photographs, both on arrival and departure to safeguard their own interests. The behaviour of those involved who knowingly allowed the property to be released in this state for a new tenancy is, quite frankly, nothing short of crookery.

All · 15 August 2021

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

I just completed the purchase of my flat through William H Brown Unthank Road. The process took many frustrating months, and I really appreciate the support provided by the agency in getting me across the finishing line. Oana, Stephen and JC always responded quickly to my calls and kept me updated on the progress of the sale on their end. I’ve been particularly impressed with Oana’s professionalism and initiative, from suggesting properties that suited my criteria to constantly chasing the vendor’s solicitors on outstanding queries so that I could also hold my solicitors to account and help speed things up.

Yin · 7 February 2025

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

I believe in giving praise where praise…

I believe in giving praise where praise is due and Liam you definitely deserve praise as you are doing a great job as how you represent W H Brown is exemplary. Thank you for the fantastic service you gave my husband and I when we recently purchased our new property.You went out of your way to keep us up to date with the progress of the sale. You supported us with an extra viewing, replied to emails and always promptly returned our calls. You were always jolly and very helpful.I believe you went above and beyond your job description to ensure we had a fantastic experience in purchasing our home. For this Chris and I are truly grateful. Nothing was too much trouble. With your help we managed to purchase a property in just over 5 weeks, at a crazy busy time, probably the busiest time in the last ten years, thank you.The whole William H Brown team were so professional and helpful throughout our purchase. Well done William H Brown.

Julia · 29 June 2021

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Smashed up my TV, denied it and laughed in my face

Below are a list of grievances and occasions when I believe you have deliberately mislead/not been honest with us as vendors, as well as the description of the criminal damage that has taken place at 41 Tonning Street.Upon our initial meeting Joe gave us a great deal of confidence in the sale of 41 Tonning Street. The phrases used included ‘We’ll put it at £150,000 to get people through the door’, ‘It will easily sell’, ‘we have people in bidding wars on properties’, ‘you should make sure the house is ready for viewings at a few hours notice’, ‘we understand that you are a teacher and we can contact you via email if it makes life easier for you’. Based on Joe’s confidence, we signed up with William H Brown, also trusting them as a high street name. However, it soon transpired that these were false promises. We have had three viewings on our property in three weeks, no offers and very little interest.Reflecting on the initial asking price, I believe that Joe pressured us into putting the house up for £150,000 in order to heighten the fixed sales fee at £1500 plus VAT. Instead of a realistic asking price that would’ve yielded a lower fixed fee.In addition to this, every time I call for an update, Jamie, Joe Lydia or whoever answers the phone assures me that they are talking to multiple investors and arranging viewings, however these viewings never appear. Having been arranging viewing for potential properties for myself to purchase, I know that when you call up you can generally arrange a viewing that phone call. It feels like you are fobbing us off and just telling us what we want to hear to get us off the phone.Furthermore, after a viewing on Saturday a few weeks ago, Jamie told us we would expect and offer by the end of the day. Jamie then never responded. I rang him on Monday and then Jamie changed his stance to ‘the investor was looking at one of three properties.’ The Jamie was going to ring him as soon as our call ended. However, I didn’t hear anything further.Following on from this, I was under the impression that Joe would be handling our sale but then it’s passed to Lydia, Jamie and god knows who else. I don’t know who I’m asking for when I call up, and I believe this this is done deliberately in order for William H Brown to pass clients around and deter communication.Another example of unprofessionalism is that when we had our first viewing (I think with Lydia but God knows who actually I was speaking to). We returned home to a house we had left immaculately, to find sugar all over the table as if someone had eaten their lunch or a pack of doughnuts at our dining room table and not bothered to clean up after themselves.It seams that Joe cannot commit to even the simplest promise, he took our house key to get it cut and copied with the promise that the original would be return on the first viewing. However, this was 4 weeks ago and we are still waiting for our original to be returned. We only live a 10 minute walk from William H Brown.Lastly, and most prominently, Lydia conducted a viewing on Friday, the 25th of June in which our 50 inch smart TV was smashed, by the looks of it in order to access the gas meter. This was outright denied by both Jamie and your area manager. However, my partner and I were both out of the house from 7 am until 6 pm on the days of the viewing and so Lydia and the viewing participants were the only people in the house. The comments of your area manager were, was laughing, phone the police then. I found the police who said it was a civil matter and that it wasn't a police matter. I think the way I've been treated is disgusting and the outright lies that I've been told are despicable. For future reference the correct way to deal with this is to find me a soon as it happens apologise and replace the item immediately. This would have resulted in me being very understanding as I'm aware that accidents happen. However the way that it has been dealt with is disgusting.I am utterly dissatisfied with the lack of service William H Brown have provided to use as vendors. You promise the earth and don’t even deliver a pebble. It’s disgusting and I feel taken advantage of as a first time seller.

Max · 26 June 2021

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

4 to 5 Phone Calls A Week For 5 Months To Hussle An Instruction!

This company needs to be regulated, but the problem is there is no proper body that deals with Estate Agents behaviour prior to contract, and only then will the relevant Ombudsman step in, but without teeth, and only for the vendor! Before contract William H. Brown, once they get a sniff of a property, will begin to hassle, harass, hound, and hustle to get the instruction! This will usually begin with a phone number and address being on file, as was with my case, and someone, probably the manager, will tell one of the negotiators to call the number to see if the person is still looking or has anything to sell. This usually, if selling, corresponds with a look at Rightmove or Zoopla, where they see the property is on, has been on, and with another agent. Then the calls begin.... and continue! I stopped answering my land line, and blocked their number on my mobile, as one Thursday I received five calls on each devoice during the day, and three calls on both that evening, up until 7.00pm! That is pure harassment! The only reason they do this, is to GET the instruction, by whatever means! And why? Because for every instruction a standard negotiator gets, he or she receives a payment at the end of the month. The manager also receives a payment. The area manager also receives a payment! But beware: they also have a tie in contract of 30 weeks! They will try and charge 2%. And they are reluctant to agree to multi agency, and if they do will word a contract misleadingly, so the vendor could be liable for two sets of commission! Let's say you have been hooked, as you fell for the 100th phone call! The will then all make money on a mortgage appointment with their, so called, independent, in house mortgage broker. They will push their panel solicitors, and all make commission when one of them is used, too. Oh, and before any of this, they will charge a fee, which actually is illegal, masked as ''Professional photographer, video, and EPC''. This is around £135.00, maybe more. But, of course, you can claim that back.... IF you fall for their offer of one of their solicitors! But beware there, too: they are conveyancing companies, with a huge number of faceless individuals, who are not solicitors, but handlers. This means it is a factory, but a factory that goes slowly due to staff not being at all bothered!This estate agent is guilty of harassment, and hassle, and needs to be stopped from these constant phone calls, and we all should be aware it is all based on multi layered commission, and this all should be transparent!

BlueSky · 21 May 2021

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Stephen and all his team at Unthank Rd Norwich were efficient, pleasant and responsive with questions and problems that needed answers.when they helped us to sell our house and make our move.. They removed a lot of the stress!! Special thanks also to Jamie who did some amazing photography.. There is good team work at the branch and because of that we felt confidence in them all.PositiveResponsiveness, Quality, Professionalism, Value

Moira · 24 October 2022

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

The service I received was exceptional.Dominic was friendly ,polite and extremely experienced in his field.He guided me through the whole process, if he was unavailable Stephen,Lana and Dan were always on hand to help.They are a great team and a credit to their industry.THANK YOUPositiveResponsiveness

Valerie · 24 October 2021

★★★★★ 2/5

Trustpilot

I would not recommend William H Brown

I would not recommend William H Brown. There is a complete lack of organisation between contractors and William H Brown, meaning there are long delays everytime there is a problem with the house. If you don't continually call the office they seem to end up forgetting the problem.A few problems we have had:1. Promised a removal of a bunkbed before moving in- took 6 weeks once moving in to change to single. William H Brown never removed the old bunk bed- so now we have an old mattress and wooden remains in our house.2. We were left without heating when it was snowing for 5 days. Clearly no sense of urgency from William H Brown (even after many calls)3. Monthly emails detailing that we haven't paid the rent. Every month we call and there is an error. They promise to remove this error on a monthly basis. They have not removed this error after 6 months.

Bethany · 30 March 2021

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Shocking service full of lies and incompetence

William H Brown, MildenhallBuying this house should had been straight forward, especially as the seller was purchasing an empty house themselves. However this being in September 2020 we all thought this would be complete by December 2020, how wrong were we!Recently I finally pulled out of my purchase after 6 months of constant lies, no call backs, no updates, various stories from the agent.In their own words (and this is word for word from Becky that works there) "we only advertise and hold the keys, we just leave the solicitors to it"Wow, for an industry that involves commission you would think it would be the estate agents best interest to make sure the property they are selling all goes through?!?!?!Many occasions I was told I would receive an update, however several times over a week went by before I would have to chase myself.Daryl asked for my solicitors details after 5 months into the purchase, even though he had an email trail with my solicitor....Recently I asked the question if the resident would move into a family members house or rented while the sale progressed, I was told by Daryl that he had no family nearby and renting was out the question as the owner had a child. However, a week later I instructed my solicitor to pull out and in less than 24 hours Ben (the manager) called and advised the owner would move into a family members house or would I let him rent the property from me. Somehow suddenly the owner had family locally, a lie has been told somewhere there.Ben then also made me aware that there were works taking place at the buyers house they were purchasing, this was news to me and I questioned why has this only been brought up etc, I received the reply "it doesn't matter". Absolutely shocking answer to receive!Other examples of incompetence, passing my details to the wrong solicitor twice! I had already gave my details and the purchase was underway, however 3 months later the same incorrect solicitor got in touch with me, my details had been passed over twice by William H Brown.Daryl informed me that some document had been sent twice in December to my solicitor, this was 100% untrue as the documents eventually come mid January and were in fact signed and dated January.I would never recommend this estate agent to purchase through, I wouldn't dare sell through them as it would mean paying for their 'service'.Furthermore I was purchasing this property to let out, surely the estate agent would want to give a good impression so that I would consider (not that I would) using them as a management company. On another recent occasion I asked to view an additional property for myself and my fiance. I called Daryl on the Friday who said viewings were taking place on the Saturday, however he would arrange something for me.On the Saturday my fiance called and spoke to Tom, he was only capable of taking details and message as Daryl was currently at the viewings.Wednesday came and neither of us had received a call to which my fiance called and spoke to Daryl. Apparently Daryl had no details given and no apology was given as to why she wasn't called. On the same call she was then told an offer had been accepted!As for myself, I called on the Thurs/Fri and asked Daryl when my viewing would be. Daryl seemed to had forgotten I wanted a viewing and informed me an offer had been accepted.Right there you see 2 people called for a viewing and neither were called back, 1 was told an offer had been accepted while the other had to find out 2 days later even though they had called first.Again this is clearly an example of "we just advertise and hold the keys"

Daniel · 26 March 2021

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Mildenhall office

Wanted to view a property as first time buyers, had the money to spend.. even would of gone over the asking price but the so called agent ( Daryl ) did everything possible to not let us view the property until we had spoken to “Their” broker. When we said no as already have it sorted then we was told we have to show an AIP just to VIEW the property! Which is completely false information !! I honestly thought this kind of pressure selling tactics and anything to up their commission died in the 80s along with there cut throat slimy image. Complaint has been made with head office but I don’t hold any hope of them changing ! No wonder the properties they represent in mildenhall have been up for sale for an extremely long time causing the vendors they so call look after to reduce asking prices. But this won’t make any difference if agents are blocking genuine buyers from just viewings !! Agents need to be re educated and dragged into 2021 !!

Mr · 24 March 2021

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Swaffham Branch

Cannot fault the team who handled our sale.Special shout out to Bradly and Tony.Very pleasant and professional service from start to finish.From Natasha who valued the property who convinced me our house was worth more than I thought.They sold our house to the first buyer in the door within 2 hrs of it going on the market :-)They also acted as a buying agent for us for our ongoing purchase (without charging more) negotiating on our behalf and achieving a discount and taking away a lot of the stress.Through to the property progression team who always kept us informed along the way.We were in a pretty stressful chain that unfortunately collapsed at one point due to someone in the chain pulling out at the last hour before completion, but Bradly was fantastic, speaking to the people in chain and getting everyone to take some breathing space whilst the chain was linked up again, which fortunately happened a week later.I really cannot fault the level of service that we received and would not hesitate to use them.Thank You William H Brown Swaffham

Matt · 10 March 2021

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Not the best communication, failed to refund money, treated like a second class citizen.

I’m disappointed with my experience with William H Brown during my recent property purchase.

ANDREI · 12 September 2026

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

William H Brown Dinnington

From start to finish they provided a fast efficient professional service. We dealt with Jane and Elle and both were excellent. Our buyer was constantly contacting them with questions (daily at some points) and they handled this excellently, kept us informed and our buyer happy making the process as smooth as possible. If the other estate agents in the chain had been as good we would have had a stress free sale and purchase. Cannot recommend them highly enough. Would happily use again

Richard · 22 February 2021

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

The VERY BEST customer service and experience available from Unthank Rd, with special mention to Michael Siviter who was nothing short of perfect throughout the whole purchasing process. Nothing was ever too much trouble, and his can do attitude and willingness to go the extra mile - whether it was staying til after closing time to cater for myself and my partner's working hours or his ability to put us at ease even at the most stressful of times, was truly superb. I cannot recommend him enough to anyone in need of mortgage advice, financial advice or anything to do with the house buying process. I look forward to seeing him again and wouldn't hesitate in going back to him or recommending him. Many thanks to Michael and the team for their constant help - the experience wouldn't have been as enjoyable without them!

Thomas · 24 October 2020

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

My wife and I used William H Brown as we bought our house through them a few years ago. The team hadn't changed and it was great to have some familiar faces to help us with our sale. Steven was amazing from valuation to listing, Dominic did a great job in the negotiating process and Ellie and Lana always kept us up to speed with the status of our sale. We were really happy with the price we got and the service throughout. Thanks William H Brown Unthank Road branch!

Sam · 24 October 2020

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Would Never Reccomend

Agency was very difficult to communicate with. The person handling our case was never available and messages to them were never passed on. Our landlord told them to release our deposit in full straight away and it took them 5 weeks to get it to us. This was with many phone calls and emails inbetween which received little response. Our landlord actually moved to a different agent part way through the year because of how difficult they were to deal with. Many friends have had negtive experiences with W H Brown too so I am aware that this is not a one off. Would never reccomend.

Abi · 17 October 2020

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

The marketing of our flat went ahead in a friendly and professional manner, a sale was quickly agreed to, and good attention was paid to after-sales matters. We are very satisfied. Thanks to Stephen and all members of his team.PositiveResponsiveness, Quality, Professionalism, Value

BRIAN · 24 October 2021

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

William H Brown - Norwich are a Joke...

From day one I've had a problem with them.To be honest I would rate them: ***NO STARS***1- Stereo profiling me because I'm not white.2- Lying about shredding documents.3- Calling me a lier.4- Signing up to bills that no-one wanted.5- 0/10 on customer service to be honest RUDE!.6- Can't be bothered to answer questions straight go around and around.The only nice point I can say is the Landlord was lovely.I would stay away at all costs!There are better places to go, I would rather rent from Kent not going to lie!William H Brown get your act together!

C · 24 September 2020

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Appalling, unprofessional and uncaring - shocking service!

My 21-year old daughter and her partner wanted to rent a flat in Norwich. From the outset, William H Brown were less then helpful, only offering them a viewing when I phoned for one and explained I would be guaranteeing their contract. They were then told they were "lucky" to be given it as "doctors and lawyers" had been interested - as if that should make any difference! From then on, William H Brown could not have cared less. Paperwork was not sent to us, queries fobbed off or ignored, and when it came to the day for them to move on, we spent the morning rushing to a local office because the Norwich branch we were dealing with had mishandled ID-ing my daughter. Whilst sitting outside the flat waiting for the keys, we were told that we needed to pay money into a different account to the one we had been given, as they hadn't told us the correct information and it had been sent to the wrong account, so had to find an additional £800 on the spot, and send proof that we had done it before they would let us in. We were promised that money would be refunded within 7 working days. 5 weeks on we are still fighting to get it back, as they keep denying we have sent proof - we have sent if 3 times! Brian in the Norwich office could not give a fig about our money, and to say he has been unhelpful is a massive understatement. Had my daughter and her partner not had worldy-wise parents to guide them through what should have been a simple process, I dread to think how they would have got on. Awful - unprofessional and uncaring - a disgrace to the profession. If there were a no-star option, they would have got it.

Louise · 11 September 2020