Fox & Sons Polegate reviews

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Unethical when tenants check out

Avoid like the plague if you want to be an ethical landlord, or a tenant who is treated ethically.I had heard the reputation of Fox & Sons Lettings long before renting with them, but decided to give them the benefit of the doubt as I worked in a decent & fair property agency for many years.- At move in I was warned by the previous tenant that she had been ripped off. So much so that she gave me a copy of her check out report, in the hopes I could use to prevent the same thing. An example of something she was charged for - the washing machine tray not closing properly.- I had a number of maintenance issues throughout the tenancy & these were always well managed, apart from those I said not to worry about - a cracked window and a dodgy light switch. I was very happy with the management until I was leaving.- The problem has come at move out - it's been over 40 days and still no deposit. Now I have heard they are disputing ridiculous amounts in a way I feel is unreasonable and unethical.- Thankfully I took high res photographs at check out because I had friends who said they they charge deposits unreasonably and end up in dispute frequently & because of the previous tenant's experiences/overall reputation. The flat was cleaned to a professional standard and very minimal wear & tear. Obviously as someone who worked in property I have a very good idea of landlord & tenancy law, and what is reasonable. I would warn all current tenants to get a copy of the previous tenant's report and take high res photos on check in & departure. (You can also check the EXIF data of the pics taken to check in, because the check out photos are to a different standard of the ones you will receive on check in. Something could look streakier or unclean simply because of the aperture & ISO. )- F&S use an insurance deposit scheme rather than custodial scheme for deposits - this is a yellow flag as they hold the deposit and it is v difficult to get the deposit if the agent doesn't initiate the return or doesn't inform the landlord timely. In my case it's been over 6 weeks and the dispute process has not yet fully kicked off. Thankfully I can afford to dispute if I need to, but many tenants may not be able to & would be forced to accept the amount without dispute - because they needed the money.- I left the flat in extremely good condition, professionally cleaned with no wear and tear. Because I know what unethical practices can be like sadly, I even use a hi-polymer eraser on any skirting boards or doors - that is how careful I would be and how you know this is not exaggeration.- The agent has informed me they don't look at the previous check out report or check in which is ridiculous. I have evidence of check in photos & check out photos I took myself, cleaning receipts, even photos of cleaning underway! I am grateful I listened to the advice of previous tenants & protected myself.Examples include- Claiming that a hob ignition switch is missing when it is missing in my check in photos and on the previous tenant's photos.- Claiming that damage or marks have occurred that are present on check in photos- Claiming there was a blind missing (they looked for 3 blinds in a room with 2 windows!)- A light switch that stopped working and was reported- Claiming that cleaning hasn't been done on the inside of the washing machine because stained rubber from wear & tear. (Thankfully for the warnings I literally took a video of the cleaning of it! But who would have that and be able to dispute it?!)If you're a landlord please work with a company that doesn't try to rip off people (willfully or through incompetence I'm not sure) & if you're a tenant save yourself the pain and go somewhere that's fair & ethical. I can't imagine what they'd do if you actually accidentally did some damage or didn't have a v high standard and how fair they would be about that.(Note to anyone else leaving 1 star reviews on Google too, check they are visible on friends phones and not just to you only. Google auto moderates 1 star reviews & can assume is spam)

Grace · 10 March 2023

★★★★★ 3/5

Trustpilot

I recently brought a house with fox and…

I recently brought a house with fox and sons, in the beginning I was really happy with the service but soon realised it was a lot of sales for themselves.

Sherry · 7 August 2025

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Everyone was extremely friendly and…

Everyone was extremely friendly and helpful throughout the whole letting process. They kept us updated all of the time. Would recommend Thank you.

Olamar · 18 October 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

UNDERSTANDING DIFFICULT SITUATION …

I put my friend in touch who was keen for a rental property despite having some credit issues and a small pet in touch with Tom. Despite these challenges Tom was still able to search out some suitable available properties for him and his family.

Tony · 10 March 2021

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Total incompetence

Total incompetence. (Hastings lettings) No contract, in fact 16 working hours before tenants due to move in, we had no paperwork at all. Impossible to contact in any way and never return calls. We ended up having to demand the return of our keys and walk away which cost us £1,000 in lost rent but we couldn't risk taking on tenants without the legal paperwork. Do not use this company if you value your sanity and money.

Paul · 15 April 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Great experience buying through Fox and Sons, knowledgeable, attentive staff, nothing was too much trouble, we’ll done Polegate branch.

Leigh · 11 October 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Kemp Town branch were so helpful

Kemp Town branch were so helpful . Efficient friendly service . My move went so smoothly . Didn't have to worry about a thing . Would highly recommend Kemp Town Branch many thanks love my new home

Soul · 12 May 2022

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

AVOID!!!!!

AVOID!!!!!The mortgage broker asked us to pay a one-time fee of £599 for the lifetime membership fee to enjoy LIFE TIME mortgage advice service.The first offer failed, so we asked for mortgage advice for another house, and they asked us to pay £99 again for mortgage service. They have told us that £599 is a life-time service. It is cheating.

Carley · 5 May 2024

★★★★★ 4/5

Trustpilot

Professional friendly service

So far, I have only had a valuation of my property from Fox & Sons (needed by HMRC), so I can't review their full service, but I was impressed by Luke's personal interest in my situation, and his professional attitude. I shall certainly consider putting the house in the hands of Fox & Sons when (if) I come to sell.

Nigel · 18 April 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

THE WORST ESTATE AGENTS EVER

THE WORST ESTATE AGENTS EVER!

Chloe · 17 February 2026

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Simon, Annabel and Emma are very friendly. They are always help you to find your dream house. They are very knowledgeable and useful. I am highly recommended.

Esmail · 10 April 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Thank you Fox and Sons

Our main contact was Shannon, but all the team have been excellent and they went way beyond our expectations with not only selling our place but following the sale through and keeping us informed. Most importantly they carried out what they said they were going to do and explained every step of the way, with the good news and the bad. During the sale we came up against an online solicitor further into the chain which gave the people buying our place huge problems. Lesson to be learnt here check the chain out before agreeing to a sale. Our friends are looking to put their place on the market and we have passed Fox and Sons on to them, thats how impressed we were.

W · 20 August 2022

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

View property was very quick to ask for…

View property was very quick to ask for deposit was meant to move in Friday nothing no communication then meant to move it Monday still nothing said references not come back they ask for paperwork several times still not had nothing back I will be homeless in the morning with a special needs child it’s disgusting no communication at all

Jon · 11 March 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

very good service -- thank you

Christopher · 21 February 2025

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Fox & Sons Polgate have made my experience of buying a first property simple and understandable. Mortgage broker Toby Quanstrom has been excellent throughout the whole process and I would highly recommend him and the rest of the team to anyone, whether buying, selling or renting.

Anthony · 10 November 2018

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

They're falsely advertising the…

They're falsely advertising the property on the RightMove website.

Arabeska · 22 December 2025

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Five star service

Great experience with the team at fox and sons ( plympton branch) Lucas has been especially helpful, friendly and efficient. Would highly recommend

Lisa · 7 April 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Selling my property

I Dealt with Gemma Atkin, she was great, friendly polite on the ball and responded promptly to queries, i would definitely recommend Fox and Sons in Northend and Gemma

Dinoowen · 28 June 2022

★★★★★ 2/5

Trustpilot

Terminated Fox and Sons as my agents

I used Fox & Sons (Sequence) to manage my property and I’ve now terminated them after a string of unacceptable failures.

Christopher · 29 July 2025

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

One star is one too many

One star is one too many; what can I say...Avoid at all costs! They valued the property at 400k in line with Zoopla and several other valuations including a RICS valuation. They convinced us to go on at 375k to start a bidding war which they insisted they could do. Typical sales crap. Anyway, they planned to do an open day, listed the property then unlisted it to allow Rightmove to update normally a 48-hour process. It didn't go live on to Rightmove for almost 14 days despite numerous calls to the office and getting fobbed off and told this was normal, It is NOT! This led to only 2 viewings on the open day. We had spoken to their mortgage team and almost 20 weeks into the contract they have still not contacted us back to provide the updated mortgage information meaning even if an offer was received it could not be accepted and despite formal complaints this was still not resolved. At almost every stage they have tried to get us to drop the price to 350k even though we did receive an offer of 370k and they said that was the best we could expect. They have tried to get us to do a boxing day relaunch with only 10 days left on the contract and when we did try to get a relaunch by dropping by 2% they did not return our calls. The viewings were shocking, and they didn’t know which garage was which. Failed to point out key aspects of the kitchen and planning permissions in place for expansion and on two occasions failed to show up leaving me to do the viewings not to mention inaccuracies when updating Rightmove. In my opinion they are more focused on their Rightmove statistics than customer service in 20 weeks our property was emailed out twice to perspective buyers! AVOID and use an small or independent.

AC · 2 January 2022

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

I made a telephone enquiry. .to be advised that the property was stc..although disappointed with the news after my conversation with Ellie I came off the phone more than positive. This lady was able to answer my many questions in a confident and professional manner. Having trained staff in sales management for a high street bank and mystery shopped. ..I can say well done to this member of staff. .although only in the estate agent for a short while she ticked all the boxes

Susan · 11 October 2021

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Selling made easy.....

It was some decades since we had been in the housing market, and selling the house that grandad built was never going to be easy.

Gail · 22 May 2025

★★★★★ 4/5

Trustpilot

Good service from Fox and Sons lettings…

Good service from Fox and Sons lettings Bournemouth branch. Karen and team helped let my property quickly and to decent tenants. All very professional throughout

Neil · 1 September 2022

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

A great service at Bognor

A great service at Bognor, with great leadership. In particular, we are extremely impressed with Sam, a relatively new member of their superb team. He is a great asset to their personalised service. New as he may be to the role, he is the most proactive and communicative estate agent we have ever had the pleasure of working with on our case. We have moved 8 times in 50 years, and he is the best there is. He remains aware of customers plight, and engages every skill in selling our property.Despite having our first offer withdrawn on health grounds, Sam continued his efforts to find another buyer aware of our needs in moving out of area. He remained focussed, maintaining a balance between encouraging and supporting us the vendor, whilst not exerting too much pressure on prospective buyers, till reaching success in getting a second offer on our property. He has an amazing customer focus with a calm, efficient and professional approach, in both his personal presentation and his work. He works long and hard hours in pursuit of a successful outcome for vendor and buyer alike, and his timely communication during contract process is much appreciated. He is so interested in what he does and his positivity is refreshing and encouraging all the way.

Brian · 20 July 2021