Romans Reading reviews

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Currently renting a two bed house with my partner. Unlike the previous estate agents I have had to deal with, everyone in romans has been extremely friendly and helpful with queries and questions. Two in particular are Philip and Anita, who have both went out of their way to make sure our move was as smooth as possible and checking up in the first couple of weeks to make sure everything was up to standard. Extremely happy with their service so far!

Jessica · 2 October 2019

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Hi I can recommend Suresh from agency Romans, very helpfull and competitive person. All proces about rent house with him was definitly more easier and quicker. Again Thank you Suresh for your help!

Magdalena · 24 March 2019

★★★★★ 2/5

Google

Very disappointed with Romans, I was unable to reach Reading branch two times and each time my call was transferred to their central call center. I was assured that someone will get back to me but no one ever did. Was able to view only one property and the agent came unprepared, couldn't specify what comes with the flat since online pictures differed from what we saw. I expected a bit more other than just opening the door for us.

Stella · 2 September 2019

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Pooja and her team are extremely professional . They provide an excellent service and go above and beyond when required . A credit to the Romans group.

Dan · 17 March 2021

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

although the start wasnt that well i can confirm the entire process of purchase was dealt well by Bernadette and her team. Weekly updates and chases helped in smooth transaction and completion

Shiv · 29 July 2019

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

I had a great experience at Romans, dealing with Bernadette Martin, and George. The property was placed on the market in September and immediately I was having viewings that were genuine, not tyre kickers! This made a difference for sure. I accepted an offer from the second person who viewed, however that didn't progress and after two weeks Bernadette advised that we put it back on. Within hours 4 viewings were booked. I sold to the fourth person who viewed and from then onwards everything progressed nicely to completion in January. Bernadette and then Paula, inthe sales progression department were completely in control, together with the solicitors that I also used through Romans. Yes, it cost more than the internet sites, however this was a stress free experience, and you cannot put a value on that. Thank you for a wonderful, professional experience!!!!

Lisa · 29 July 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Hi, The worst property agent I have come across in UK. I was dealing with the branch next to Reading Station. Firstly they never answer calls. The calls mainly goes to their main office where one of the staff takes the message saying the relevant person will contact you which never happens. Secondly, when you get through them by visiting the branch in a person and you somehow mange to get the viewing booked for 3-4 houses they call up one day before and end up saying that the viewings of the property got cancelled due to unavailability of the keys for all the properties. So much of being a professional organisation. They agency fees are over-priced. It will be a waste of time and money to deal with this organisation or Agency as there are far better ones out there. Well wisher. Thanks

Zk · 29 July 2019

★★★★★ 4/5

Google

We recently sold our property through Romans, and in general are very happy with the service. We had a slightly rocky start with a pair of novice agents sent to organise our open house, which had a rather amateur and underprepared feeling about it. After querying this with the branch manager we have had fantastic service. Our sale fell through mid-way (no fault of Romans), but they kept pushing for information, and got our property sold not long after it went back no the market. Our dedicated sales manager was pivotal to the whole sale, and was fantastic. She liaised with every party involved (some of whom spoke very poor English), and made things run as smoothly as possible.

Jonathon · 29 July 2019

★★★★★ 3/5

Google

EDIT (06/10/2016) Following a very productive call with Jon I have decided to change my initial rating of 1 to 3/5. I wish I knew of his role within Romans when my dealings with the estate agent went south. After a conversation with him we settled a few of the outstanding issues and while i cant recover the time i lost i can accept when someone is going out of their way for customer satisfaction. In short, my dealing with Jon have gone a way in restoring my faith in Romans reputation... As i said earlier, i only wish i got in touch with him sooner - i might have settled issues with the agent sooner! OP - After finding a property i liked i was relieved to see Romans as the estate agent. Colleagues in the past had high praise for them and they appeared to have a good reputation. Unfortunately i would not come to the same conclusion or praise. Aside from the mortgage advisory team, who did a brilliant job, I am still shocked at my experience with the sales team in the Reading branch. During the process i had two estate agents handle my case BOTH did not instil me with any confidence. Never had i received a call from either updating me on proceeding where I was required to chase things, where i would be greeted with phases like "i left a message" or "i was just about to email you" all too much. I often got the feeling they also would not convey questions I had for the vendor and would provide answers they thought were correct. Eg I requested information regarding work that was to be carried out on the property they assured me that all work had been done... Queue a few days later where i was informed no work had actually taken place. I lost a number of weeks trying to get to the bottom of that one! I am truly shocked at my experience with Romans in Reading and would NOT recommend them. Unless you enjoy being talked down to and treated with no respect. I only added a star for the Mortgage team who handled my mortgage and queries with the utmost respect and professionalism. Something i cannot say for the agents.

Abhay · 29 July 2019

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Was buying a two bedroom flat in Reading, it was bit stressful as property got into chain without much of advance notice. One Person really helped me out of this situation. PAULA THOMSON Cant say enough about her, such a calm and kind person. Really made me feel comfortable even in difficult situations. Way to go Paula, I think people like Paula really make Romans one of the top estate agents in the country. Wish to learn lot from Paula, maintaining cool in pressure situations is one among them. Cant express words to praise her more.

Rohith · 29 July 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

PROS: - a big agency, - a lot of properties on offer, - some agents are very friendly and try to be helpful and honest with you. CONS: - exorbitant fees (no idea where did they get those numbers and why even - and no, there is no need for them to be this high), - no call backs on your offers (usually you have to call them, like you are the one trying to do business and not them), - a lot of times photos of properties show a completely different story than reality does (photoshop at its best), - obviously no communication between agents (you need to explain yourself over and over again, also get different feedbacks), - most agents are just plain rude, because they can afford to be, working for such a huge agency and think everything is excusable, - I would not recommend them or rent/buy/sell anything from/to them in the future (there are far better and cheaper agencies out there).

Lea · 29 July 2019

★★★★★ 4/5

Google

I have had two different, and rather contrasting, experiences with Romans. Firstly with their team that deal with the lettings of property. It took far too long and many attempts to get references through and to prove our guarantors earned over the threshold even when all the correct information was supplied early on. Even though it eventually all went through I was left with a sense of dread that I would be handled by them throughout the rest of my tenancy. However nearly 4 months in I have been very pleasantly surprised by the Property Management side of things. Most of my communication to this side of Romans has been through Charlotte, who has been excellent. She has answered every query and issue within the same day usually within a couple of hours and swiftly dealt with any problems I have had in the flat. It's thanks to her that my experience with Romans has become so positive. So overall I would say that if you can get through the first hurdle with Romans their Property Management team are incredibly friendly and helpful, better than any of my other experiences with Property Management elsewhere.

Callum · 29 July 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Awful service and very disorganized. We had several troubles to move in and we are still facing several problems with the property management. Our property manager never replies to our emails or call. We are constantly ignored and avoided by her or anyone in the agency. Our boiler didn't pass the safety check and nobody is caring of us! We have been calling continuously for over a week because we cannot use the boiler (ie hot water) and they are keep ignoring the problem. It's absolutely embarrassing the bad service they give and the poor consideration and low rights that they give to the tenants.

Noemi · 29 July 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Extremely over charging letting company in Reading. Please do shop around. Recently I was looking for a place in Reading due relocating for a new job offer with a well stablished IT company. While total and final cost (Including referencing, credit check, admin fee,..) by other letting agency comes to 360£ for two people(me and my partner), they were asking for 700£ instead and that was not end of it! (It appeared to me the lady on the phone is only interested to get extra agent fees one way or another) to my surprise after almost 10 years renting across UK without missing a single payment, I was asked to pay another 199£ for Guarantor fee because I am staring a new job! at the time I thought maybe this is a new thing with letting agencies In Reading, but when I asked other agents, you guessed it! no it was not needed at all. Long story short I got my new place for only total of 360£ agency fee with no nonsense, I hope government do something about this random agent fees but for time being I recommend to avoid Romans altogether so maybe they come to some sort of sense that charges need to be reasonable.

Mr · 29 July 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Very bad and disappointing service.The worse agency i ever face in UK.When i took the property form Romans in reading, they have been charging extra money for many things more than other agency.But still i took this property as it is closer to my work. My one year contract finish for that property last month , so i moved out of the property. I haven't got my deposit back yet although i have left the property 2 weeks ago. They have sent me a huge cleaning invoice but they denied to provide the original invoice given by the cleaner. ROMANS do not respond responsibly to any form of contact. when ever i contact the agency , they will say the person deals with these issues are busy and he/she will give a call back to me with in 24 hours.(The last contact person is Laura and its been three days no one contact me back) I WILL DEFINITELY NOT RECOMMEND ROMANS TO ANY ONE.

Manju · 29 July 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Unorganised and care very little for the welfare of their tenants. Trying to rent a flat from them has been the worst experience in the UK by far. We've chased them for information every step of the way, in addition to confirming that all the agreements have been signed off without issues. Despite our constant persistence, a day before our move in they notified us of issues within the home leaving us stranded with all of our stuff packed. If you want customer service and an easy letting process, this is not the place to go.

Ana · 29 July 2019

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

We have sold through Romans in Reading, at the stage now of exchanged contracts with a move in date all sealed, I can only congratulate George & Bernadette in the Branch who were very very helpful from the start , George Very professional in his approach & valuation. I must also compliment Paula who was in contact throughout the whole sale with regular updates & always had an answer to anything we asked. I can only find 100% satisfaction received from George and his Team at Romans Reading

Chris · 29 July 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Romans is the absolute worst letting agent I ever had the misfortune in renting from. Not only are they hideously expensive with extortionate fees for every little thing, they are incredibly unprofessional and do not care for neither tenants nor landlords as long as there is money to be made. We had to wait months for crucial repairs to be done to the electrics in the house, access was granted to 3rd parties to our house without our consent or knowledge, a live exposed wire was left in the boiler cupboard (and missed in their so-called safety inspections) which could have killed us, during viewings the agents just let themselves in without even knocking and the list goes on. Throughout this whole ordeal the romans staff was ignorant at best to our complaints. I'd strongly recommend staying away from them.

Maria · 29 July 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Frustrating & stressful experience. Lack of basic communication and coordination. I expressed my interest in a property and was told that the viewing will be aligned and I will be receiving e-mail with details. Even 2 days after the call, no e-mail received for viewing confirmation I contacted the number I got the call from, but no response I contacted the central number and got to know that I was lined up for viewing - they triggered a text confirmation I viewed the property and was interested to make an offer - to which i tried my best but no one to attend my call and no response to multiple voicemails left for Chloe. Finally, when I got through to someone at agency, I was told that property has gone off as someone else made an offer and all I was left with was apology and nothing else Not at all acceptable by a known agency operating at such large scale

Ashish · 29 July 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Totally letdown Let me start by saying I have used 4-5 estate agents in Reading and Romans charges the most among them. When I pay that kind of money, I also expect the level of service to be a bit better than the other agents. But nothing is different here, indeed it is much worse than the other agents who take less money from you. We were trying to rent an apartment which was "fully" managed by Romans. After the first viewing we tried to sort out many things talking to them from day one we saw the apartment. But for many things which we requested, nothing happened even after we moved in after 3 weeks. There seems to be absolutely no co ordination between the various teams in Romans. Or they seem to do not care. Or they seem to be extremely busy or overloaded with work. And some of their agents say things one way and then the next day another person in charge says things differently. Also if you take an appointment, make sure they send a text/email to confirm or you will be waiting at the property for no good reason. I can understand it was a long easter weekend in which we tried to move in but we had asked for fixing stuff etc for long 3 weeks before and they had done nothing. I still have a list of things to sort out... Totally let down by Romans...

Jithesh · 29 July 2019

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

My wife and I had the opportunity to deal with Michael Curtis when I first stepped into Romans agency and his service is nothing short of excellence. Easy going, friendly and helpful all the time, he gave us many practical advise on house buying. Didn't come across as pushy sales person but genuinely thinking of our needs as a buyer. Unfortunately didn't get to buy a house from Romans this time but I'd definitely work with him again in the future.

Joseph · 29 July 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Update (Mar-2018): I can confirm that Romans remain the same. Poor in communication and they do not deliver to commitments. Holding on to rent-deposits, finding reasons to delay its release, is a Romans' specialty. Rating them 1 star because a lower star rating is not possible. Also, annoying that the recorded message on their call-waiting boasts of "4.6 average rating in Gooogle Reviews", because, well... it's not true! ********** I have had to move a lot owing to work and have had to work with different letting agents. I can confidently say that Romans are THE worst of all letting agents I have interfaced with. Moving in: They have made false promises and with-held information from me during the time of my check-in to properties (I have rented 2 with them. What can I say - dire straits!). They do not respond to phone calls or emails, especially after they have taken full payment from your move. Property Management: Their property managers are probably the rudest people in the country. I have struggled to stay polite and calm in email and phone conversations with them, where they have been downright insulting! Checking out of a property: Checking out from their property is a nightmare because of their shabby inventory processes, unwillingness to respond to queries and offensive responses to questions about money charged. I have tried to log a complaint citing some of these issues and (surprise! surprise!) they have taken no action on it and haven't even provided a timely response to the complaint. Please try not to rent via Romans if you have a choice: that is the best recommendation I have!

Aswathi · 29 July 2019

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Very pleased with the service provided by Romans in Reading (particularly Dan Baillache), who achieved a fair sale price for my town centre investment property within an in a short time-frame. Recommended.

Darren · 29 July 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

A poor experience with Romans in almost every single aspect of being a tenant and, one would imagine, also less than convenient as a landlord (at least in my case). In economic times that permit high fees for tenants in addition to high rent rates, Romans ensure their profits are maximised through charging of high annual renewal fees, poor handling of phone enquiries ("someone will call you back"), employing unqualified contractors (six separate visits to replace two broken heating valves), complete disregard for preferred communication methods and on giving reasonable notice when arranging viewings and inviting huge groups of up to 8 people around a small two bedroom flat without prior warning. Further to the above, I was thoroughly disappointed that despite a full weekend of cleaning efforts, the check-out report was disregarded where it mentioned some minor missed cleaning spots. I obtained a quote of £95 which to clean far in excess of what was missed (e.g. a complete oven and hob clean, when only one interior oven wall was left less than 'professionally clean'). Romans instead commissioned a £200 comprehensive clean of the whole flat, thus negating all the work that had been put in by ourselves. Romans lettings team refused to enter into negotiations despite having released 100% of the deposit from the protection scheme and ignored my reasonable offer of £100 to cover the cleaning items that were not to a professional standard. 30 days after the end of my tenancy I am still waiting for the return of the undisputed portion of my deposit (in excess of £1000) which required repeated requests to have returned to me. I was left with no choice but to open a dispute with the Deposit Protection service in order to try and redeem the £100 unfairly retained for unnecessary cleaning. Will never use this company again.

Alex · 29 July 2019