Connells Rayleigh reviews

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

We were selling the property on behalf of our elderly parents. Notwithstanding people’s pessimism and cynicism about estate agents the company and the individuals concerned with the sale, simply could not have provided a more empathetic and supportive service. The service they provided bore little correlation to the sale fee as this was a complicated but not high value transaction. They simply could not have done anymore and both Oliver and Mariana were fantastic. We would have no hesitation in using this company again.

Heidi · 23 November 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Avoid at all cost

Avoid at all cost! Didn't put up a for sale sign, no proactive communication, try to get you to pay extra £500 commission as an 'incentive' for them to do their job of selling your house!!! Tried getting out of the contract early which was a continued "no", but funny that as soon as the Ombudsman was mentioned they dropped us like a stone. Once the property was off the market, after 12 weeks, I was then woken up very early one morning to find a man trying to put up a for sale sign...say no more!

Mrs · 27 October 2025

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

From when we put our mums bungalow on in September 2022 the staff at Connells they all worked hard to sell it for us especially Oliver Carter who worked tireselly himself trying to sell it. The Rayleigh branch members showed all the potential buyers round and gave myself and my sister prompt feedback. Oliver was also brilliant helping us out with our solicitors whenever there was an issue. We would definitely recommend Connells if anyone asks us.

David · 24 September 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Lazy and amateurish

Extremely poor, lazy and amateurish. It's hard to know where to start but I suppose we should have been wary when our initial documents arrived with my name spelt wrongly. When I queried this, I was told it didn't matter. Call me old fashioned but I like my name spelt correctly - especially on legal documents!? Emails were often full of mistakes and the branch manager even told me that the 'bass rate' had been cut, 3 hours before the announcement had been made - psychic apparently.

Alan · 26 August 2025

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

I have had the most terrible time with…

I have had the most terrible time with O’Connells. They forced me to use KeySafe, a company I found out later to be struck off by the FCA and not regulated. I am not internet savvy & found it stressful. Either that or I pay 12 months rent up front for my granddaughter. I capitulated & allowed a year’s scrutiny of my bank (twice for some reason). Six months bank statements, savings accounts, tax info, P60s, ISAs, passport, bills and more. I sent it all to them but they wanted specific documents, I did that too. They demanded it in Digital format & PDF files. I was exhausted, I told them I felt blackmailed & cohersed as I got regular Final Notice warnings that I wasn’t getting the info out quickly enough. They took umbrage & made me feel small, I apologised if I’d upset them and asked for help as my granddaughter was due to move in next week. Finally they accused me of lying that I didn’t know the internet & blocked me meaning my granddaughter will be homeless next week, I am devastated. I am only the guarantor and they treat me like this. They deny hearing any other complaint but mine, boasted O’Connels were best & biggest estate agent,

Diane · 23 August 2025

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

I recently had the pleasure of working with Andrew C from Connells to find a tenant for my property, and I couldn't be happier with the service provided. From the moment I contacted Andrew, he was incredibly responsive and proactive. One of the aspects that impressed me the most was his speed in advertising the property and scheduling viewings. Within hours of our initial conversation, the property was listed on multiple platforms, and viewings were swiftly arranged to accommodate both my current tenant and that of potential tenants. Andrew demonstrated a thorough understanding of the local market and was able to attract quality tenants efficiently. His professionalism and attention to detail during the viewing process ensured that all potential renters were given a comprehensive overview of the property. Moreover, Andrew went above and beyond to keep me informed at every stage of the process, providing regular updates and feedback from prospective tenants. Their clear communication and transparency gave me peace of mind throughout the process. Thanks to Andrew's expertise and dedication. I highly recommend Connells and Andrew to anyone in need of efficient and reliable estate agent services. They truly exceeded my expectations, and I will definitely be using their services again in the future.

Vinay · 27 April 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Alicia has been absolutely brilliant as…

Alicia has been absolutely brilliant as our mortgage advisor. From the very beginning, she kept us consistently informed and updated throughout the entire process, even though things are still ongoing, she has already gone above and beyond for us. Her communication has been incredibly smooth, clear, and easy, and she’s always been available to answer questions or offer reassurance when needed.

Samanta · 29 November 2025

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

An Estate agent that is not interested in selling houses!

I called them to arrange a viewing and was told they would ring me back when a salesman was back in the office so I waited in for the afternoon and they never rang back. I called the next day told them I had waited in and didnt get an apology and was just told everyone was in a meeting. The property is listed with another agent so I just called them and arranged a viewing with them instead. Now looking at reviews on here I feel I have dodged a bullet! I would be most unhappy as a seller if I thought my agent was letting potential buyers slip away like this, especailly on a property listed with multiple agents!

Mark · 23 July 2026

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Fairly disgusted with our treatment by Rayleigh Connells. We mainly had Oliver dealing with our sale and lost two buyers due to lies he told our buyers. One being we may complete prior to the stamp duty changed in April, despite knowing we were buying a new build due to complete on 29th August. I only discovered the lies when I reached out and found my prospective buyers on a social media platform and engaged with them myself. The company has concluded their own complaints procedure and apparently it’s all above board. I wasn’t at all surprised when I saw this firm on Panorama unfortunately. Disgraceful.

Jamie · 21 October 2025

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Terrible experience

Terrible experience. Lovely staff though. NO actual advice given. Didn't sell it but equally gave no advice about the little changes we could have made which would have helped us. The tenant left it in bad condition and we never visited the property. We relied on them to give us advice, they marketed it, conducted viewings but not once did they say - you should do x & y and this will help the sale. Persuaded us to use their auction option as 'in all the years of me working here, we've never not sold one at auction' - ours didn't sell and we had to pay £6k. We removed it, went on with another agent having done some work and then it sold straight away.

Sarah · 28 June 2026

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

I Am not happy with the service i…

I Am not happy with the service i received in connells kingsthorpe. The team were hard to communicate with and not pro active very arrogant and also at time very rude at times particularly the branch manager,My sale was delayed and eventually leading me to pull out because after 9 weeks after accepting an offer the buyer hadn’t even been ID verified.If you want to sell your house please avoid at all cost.

Christopher · 12 August 2026

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

The worst estate agent I have ever…

The worst estate agent I have ever used. If your looking to rent avoid them, once your in the property expect no help from them. If you have issues that require resolution with the property, they will not give you any assistance. We had several issues and everytime we wanted assistance nothing, they are always not reachable on phone or they never call back when they say they would.

Hamed · 11 August 2026

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Am over the moon with the experience I’ve had with connells especially Andrew who has dealt with everything for me and got the ball rolling so quickly. Has to be one of the most efficient estate agents and employee I’ve dealt with. Am looking forward to moving into my new flat in the next couple of weeks!

Taylor · 24 September 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

They are not honest they always team…

They are not honest they always team with landlord to claim money from tenants unlawfully they need to be diligent in dealing with customer , and the staff are very horrible and disrespectful if you claim money from customer unlawfully you might be happy but ut a life stigma and scam i will never recommende any one to d business with Cornell on any account.

Ese · 25 August 2026

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

I rented a flat in front of Connells 2…

I rented a flat throughConnells 2 years ago.. After 2 years and 3 months I moved out.. I painted the whole flat, cleaned all the carpets with carpet cleaner, changed all the curtains and returned it.. I didn't do any damage.. I didn't even use a nail. But they didn't give me back even 1 penny of my deposit amount. I don't know what to do. It's been 3 years since I came to the UK. They are taking advantage of me.

Binson · 2 May 2026

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

I had great experience working with NEELAM SHARMA

I had such a great experience working with Neelam Sharma at Connells! From start to finish, she was friendly, professional, and always happy to help. Neelam made the whole mortgage process feel so much less stressful, she explained everything clearly, answered all my questions, and kept me updated every step of the way.

Mr · 27 October 2025

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Unfortunately I had a terrible…

Unfortunately I had a terrible experience with Connels. I was first advised to auction my house for a speedy sale. Although I did want a quick sale, they did not explain the implications in terms of fees and selling price. When I called, no one one would answer or return the call. The onus was always on me to get feedback from viewings. I changed estate agent as Connels lost a sale - they told me they gave up trying to contact the potential buyer as they didn't get through to him after a couple of attempts and they just assumed if he was still interested he would be in touch. When I changes, someone who viewed the house called the new estate agent to enquire. Obviously, they were not able to have a second viewing but explained to the new estate agent that Connels did not answer any of their questions and did not show the house properly.

Sam · 24 April 2026

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Parkway

Aidan and the team at Horley branch was fantastic throughout my house purchase. They were always very responsive and handled my endless queries with patience and professionalism. Their support made the whole process much smoother, and I really appreciated how approachable and helpful they were at every stage. I’d highly recommend them to anyone buying a new home.

Customer · 1 September 2025

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

All the staff were lovely and went…

All the staff were lovely and went above and beyond. So nice and so efficient and persistent. Big shout out to Lesley and Lauren. You ladies are the best and thank you so much.

Juliet · 25 March 2026

★★★★★ 3/5

Trustpilot

Bad landord

My daughter was in one of the poorer maintained properties for a year whilst finishing a degree.. on leaving the property without any damage etc and cleaned the landlord started to use silly excuses to withhold the deposit.I must point out conells were not responsible for the maintenance and care of the property.Connell management stepped in and resolved the matter and the deposit was released .So a bit thank you to Connell for doing this.I would’ve given five stars, but it took a couple of months and a lot of frustration which is mainly down to the landlord. Would I recommend Connells In the future? Yes I would.

MR · 3 September 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Great experience using Connells, Rayleigh. My mum bought a park home and it was all new to us. From first viewing to completion nothing was too much trouble. The whole team were friendly and approachable. We couldn't of done it without Sue in particular as her knowledge of park homes was amazing and so helpful. Thanks Sue!!

Jo · 23 March 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Worse experience our lives

Sold our property though them and it was one of the worse experiences of our lives. Verbal agreements and prior discussions to signing with them were not honoured in the contract. After going through their compliance team and met with no resolution, our complaint is currently being reviewed by the property ombudsman. There is zero customer service or apologies for things that go wrong and if there are any delays or issues you will be met with the fact that when you sign a contact with them you are agreeing to pay their fee for completion of a sale only as it's not an SLA. Therefore you are not signing for an agreed level of service which basically means they can do whatever they want. Even management and Area Director's don't give a toss and was even told by one that we were making a mockery of their contracts. Connells are hard nosed and don't look at vendors as humans, but simply as a financial transaction, despite house moves being one of the most stressful experiences in peoples lives. We had to chase for feedback of which was always pretty vague, their vendor app never worked depsite asking numerous times for it to be resolved, we had to rewrite the description of our property, changed the photos on the advert and took better ones with a Samsung phone. Oh and be aware of their photographers who when you suggest photos for your property, you will likely be met with 'no that won't work' or when you make suggestions on a USP for your property for it to be ignored as what do you know? (You have only lived in the property for X number of years) As it turned out s requesting for a change in photos and layout ended up with the sale we needed. After being stuck in this contract with them and no way out to sell our property quickly (we had bought a I am Sold Auction property) we took matters in to our own hands and did the viewings ourselves. After Connells marketing the property for 6 weeks with 10 viewings and no offers, the 4 viewings we did ourselves resulted in 2 offers of which one we accepted. After questioning all of this with Connells their response is sorry you are unhappy but we did get you to completion....well after paying £2.5k they didn't really get to us completion on their own. They registered an applicant and we basically secured the buyer ourselves.Please be warned about their tactics and their lack of transparency. The one saving grace was Adam who once we had an agreed sale was always amiable and friendly chasing up legal aspects. He is completely wasted in this toxic environment when it seems that the negotiators 'own' applicants, so don't be surprised when you call and want feedback, if you aren't talking to the negotiator who signed up the applicant you are unlikely to get any useful feedback.We now have another property for sale and wouldn't touch a traditional agent with a bargepole and have signed up with purple bricks for £399. After learning that anyone can take photos, and do a floorplan plus your own viewings this is a considerable saving. We have been really impressed with the ease, speed and follow ups we have already recieved with an online agent compared to a traditional one. At he end of the day remember with Connells you are not signing a SLA, you are only signing to commit to paying their fees when you complete - regardless of how they perform until you get to that point. When you run into issues with them don't expect any apologies, or compensation with them, expect to be gas lit and blamed for not reading a contract properly.

Emma · 18 August 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Terrible exerience with Connels

I am not sure if all estate agents are money grabbing, corner cutting vultures but my experience with Connels Worcester has been horrible. They ofcourse charged me with a £600 tenant finder fee, and have convinced me that the zero deposit scheme will ensure if there are any damages to the property they will be paid by the tenant(s). Ofcourse the apartment was left in shambles despite having regular inspection visits at my request and the repairs done to the flat were horrible. I would recommend finding a different management company to manage your property if you cant do it yourself. Absolute livid by their horrible service

Ahmed · 16 August 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Absolutely positive experience

Absolutely positive experience. Please don't listen if someone says different it is marketing. I've been almost 7 months with this agency and I have only super positive experience. Sam, Ateja and a gentleman i forgot his name( i hope he forgives me ) super helpful, went above and beyond even out of working hours, on short notices honestly just can't find anything i could of complain. Absolutely awesome experience and would definitely recommend 👌 👍

Antra · 31 March 2026