Connells Shaftesbury reviews

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

From my initial enquiry, to collecting the keys to enter my new rental property, working with Anna from Connell's of Shaftesbury has been an absolute delight! In just under a week, everything was ready for a move-in. Anna's communication was timely, responsive, and every step of the way was a display of pleasantness and professionalism. Never have I rented with such ease and peace of mind; it was a seamless, stress-free process. I would give the experience 100 stars, if I could. Absolutely perfect.

Josh · 22 March 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

I would give them -5 if the option is there

I am writing this review to warn other landlords about the severe negligence, hidden fees, and lack of professionalism I experienced with Connells' full management service. • Misleading Terms: Before signing, I explicitly asked the agent if there were any extra fees, as I was about to travel. I was assured in writing and verbally that there were none. This was false. Connells immediately began demanding unexpected fees. • Dishonest Communication: Staff regularly agree to terms over the phone and later deny the conversation. Furthermore, they deliberately ignored my written email stating I did not wish to renew the agreement. This delay forced me into the May 4-month Section 8 notice period, and Connells then demanded a fee just to issue the letter. • Total Lack of Property Care: Despite paying for full management, my property was returned in an absolute state of disaster. The brand-new oven was burnt, the microwave was broken, hair and dirt were left inside the fridge, and cigarette butts were scattered throughout. • Property Damage & Theft: The front and back gardens were left completely overgrown. The tenants gained access to my private shed (only agreed to store their bikes) but they used my personal belongings, and a cat ruined the brand-new carpets. • Zero Support: Connells have refused to compensate me for cleaning costs, instead demanding receipts from a year ago. They routinely ignore phone calls and take days to reply to emails. This agency does not value its customers, and their complete failure to manage my property caused me severe mental distress. I am escalating this to the National Trading Standards Estate and Letting Agency Team (NTSEAT) and senior management. Landlords, stay away.

Rajaa · 18 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. 4 weeks since we moved out and still have no received our deposit. (All accounts in order BTW) So be warned if you are a tenant, avoid!

Hamed · 11 August 2026

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Hannah was very helpful, informative and professional. I would highly recommend this office for property lettings in the local area.

Katy · 16 March 2026

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Another gazumping incident

Placed a purchase offer on of their properties listed in Cambourne, Cambridge as a first time buyer. * On offer date, they didn’t take the property off the market due to waiting for mortgage approval, and got fake assurances (from Robert - Cambourne office) of no other offers will be taken * I then presented bank statements to proof deposit readiness and agreement in principle from 2 banks. And yet not taken off the market * 2 weeks later presented underwriter’s approval and yet the property was mot marked as sold STC * Finally presented mortgage offer with an expiry date in 4 months time by the bank. And asked when would they take it off the market. A day later they called apologizing for accepting another offer due to the seller wanting to complete beyond that time During all this time, they were lying about not accepting offers. Plus they ignored my questions throughout the process about length of the chain and expected completion timeline. I highly advise to avoid their listings. They might charge less than a market average selling fee but this attracts many low quality listings, by unserious sellers, of high chances of failure. In this whole process, I’ve lost bank, solicitors, and surveyors fees. Advice to readers, only place offers with a condition to take it off the market, and agree on preliminary timelines beforehand. And for your peace of mind, avoid Connells.

Mohamed · 31 July 2026

★★★★★ 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

Trustpilot

Poor at communication

Poor at communication, you have to chase them for feedback on your viewing. When you do you are chasing for days for a call back. Called up to get feedback on our viewing as we waited for the agent to turn up so we could have a chat first... the agent never turned up. We left just in case and when we checked our CCTV, they never came to the house. When we called up to ask why, they gave us feedback and when we said we checked the CCTV and saw they never attended the viewing he was a little thrown and agreed they didn't attend the viewing. I would not trust this company to sell your home.

Nicol · 10 July 2026

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Staff

Total lack of professionalism and respect for the client's time I was scheduled to view a property on Saturday at 1:00 PM. The agent made me drive to the location, then postponed it for an hour. After waiting, I was called again for a second postponement, this time citing completely implausible reasons. It is unacceptable to waste people's time and money like this. I do not recommend this agency due to their lack of seriousness.

Monica · 8 August 2026

★★★★★ 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

Useless

Useless. Don’t want to help or speak to you unless it is regarding you paying rent. Property management do not follow anything up or rush to complete any jobs. The property I was renting had no hot water and no heating in the middle of winter and I had to chase property management for months to even get them to get someone out to look at the issues I was having. If my dream home came up and estate agent was Connells, I wouldn’t even consider renting / buying it.

Alice · 23 June 2026

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

The worst letting agent I dealt with.

The worst letting agent I dealt with. The same happened to a friend of mine ! The notified an energy supply provider without telling me _after I terminated my contract with them_ to supply an empty property. The tariff was very high, I was not given a chance to chose it or to know the supplier at the time. Their communications does not excist.

N · 3 October 2026

★★★★★ 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

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Landlords - look elsewhere

Landlords, look elsewhere! Rent collection works, but everything else with Connells Property Management has been a shambles. I experienced falsified inspection reports, requests to approve unlawful actions, ignored rent reviews for over a decade, questionable inventory and reference practices and unauthorised spending. Communication broke down to the point tenants dealt with me directly, making Connells fees a waste of money.

Louise · 18 August 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

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Initial sales pitch was promising

Initial sales pitch was promising, which lead us to believe that Connells would be competent and trustworthy. What lay ahead was Rude arrogant staff who lied too us , no apologies or recognition of responsibility and sarcasm on phone calls. According to sources Connells are reviewing their finances. If our experience is anything to go on it won't belong before the administrator is in.

Robert · 15 August 2026

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Very poor experience with Connells

Very poor experience with Connells. I was quoted a clear fee to find new tenants which was supposed to include references, Right to Rent checks and the tenancy agreement. Instead, I received a statement with lots of extra and duplicated charges. I also had major problems getting my deposit refund, with poor communication and conflicting information from staff. The whole process has been stressful and frustrating. I will not be using Connells again.

Sanjay · 4 June 2026

★★★★★ 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

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Connells Falsified my Valuation Report!

Connells did valuation report on my house recently. It is a comedy of errors by this company. Firstly, they tried to falsify my report by adding that my property was in a flood area and had previously been flooded. All of which was proven to be incorrect and instead of altering the valuation report to suit this they refuse. They significantly undervalued it even after comparable evidence was supplied to them. The house in question is on the same street as my own and I have been informed by various other companies that this should have been used. Stay clear of this company, ideally check that this company will not be providing any valuation reports on your properties..

Anon · 9 April 2026

★★★★★ 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 👌 👍 Thank you so much guys much appreciated

Antra · 31 March 2026

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

AVOID AT ALL COSTS

I am currently renting a property in Derby city centre managed by Connells/Burchell Edwards, and my experience has been extremely disappointing and, more recently, unacceptable. At present, the property is uninhabitable. I have been dealing with a faulty toilet pump for over 12 weeks, despite reporting the issue promptly, which has now completely clogged and is unusable. I have also been unable to use the shower for the past 3 weeks due to a damaged bath. As a result, I have been forced to temporarily move out of the property, incurring significant disruption to my daily life, work, and wellbeing. From the outset, the tenancy was problematic. Prior to moving in, I requested a second viewing to check appliances and general condition of the flat, which was refused. During my memorial viewing I stated that the place was dirty, but I was assured the property would be professionally cleaned; however, upon receiving the keys (after a two-hour delay caused by incorrect keys and no electronic fob to access the building) the flat was in a poor and unsanitary condition. Issues included visible mould around windows, dead insects throughout, mouldy food on the cooker and kitchen cabinets, unplumbed kitchen sink and broken sink pump, damaged and unsafe fittings including loose sockets and radiators, a covered smoke alarm, no locks on doors that were advertised as lockable, and general disrepair and waste left behind. They also advertised the building as having decent internet wired in, but this was not true as there is none available. Although a maintenance contractor was eventually sent, it took weeks for the sink to be fixed, and in the end only some issues were addressed, leaving several unresolved which I had to sort myself. Some are still issues to this day despite repeated reports. More recently, serious problems have been handled with a dreadful lack of urgency. A broken washing machine has taken 9 weeks to be arranged but has yet to be fitted. The ongoing toilet issue, caused by a faulty macerator pump that I reported on the first day of the fault, has still not been resolved after three months and has now completely failed, nearly flooding my bathroom. Furthermore, after reporting that the shower had broken when stepping in it, there was no response until I reported it again after 2 weeks, and I have since been informed that repairs are being postponed while the landlord seeks cheaper quotes. In the meantime, I remain without essential bathroom facilities in a property which I am paying full rent for. Throughout this process, communication has been poor or nonexistent, and there has been little acknowledgment of the severity of these issues. I have not received a meaningful apology, and the lack of action has caused considerable stress and inconvenience to both my work and personal life. Based on my experience, I would strongly advise you avoid this company at all costs.

Benji · 28 March 2026

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

As a cash buyer, interested in purchasing a property listed by Connells, my experience was dreadful. First viewing was cancelled because of lack of staff and changed to a Friday lunchtime. When I explained I really wanted to make a decision on Friday, so would prefer an earlier slot, they were totally disinterested and unhelpful. I had a number of questions regarding the condition of the property but I never got a straight answer to any of them. In fact I got different answers depending on who I spoke to. The young man who showed me round on Friday, was as helpful as he could be, given it was his first trip to the property and he knew nothing about it. (It was his third week as an estate agent and I would have expected another more experienced negotiator to have accompanied him.) I asked him to find out a number of things which were important to investigate prior to any offer being made. Not even a curtesy call at the end of the day from them, to let me know if they had managed to discuss with the vendor. Frankly, I decided to offer on another property. Not because the Connells property was a major issue, but because I couldn't face dealing with such an unprofessional estate agents. The icing on the cake was receiving a voice mail from the office manager on Saturday asking for my feedback on the property. Clearly no communication between staff either.

Ali · 23 May 2025

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Connells is a terrible agency that you should not work with

Connells is a terrible agency that only cares about you until the contract is signed. After being exemplary tenants for over 2 years, we have received zero support or flexibility. Despite the standard practice in the UK, they refused any 'rolling contract' options, forcing us into rigid fixed terms. Most importantly, the 'Break Clause' details provided by the agency were highly misleading. Even the Landlord, the Agency, and we (the Tenants) all had different understandings of the move-out dates due to their poor communication. While most professional agencies help find new tenants to allow flexibility, Connells only focuses on forcing you to stay until the last possible second, regardless of your perfect tenancy record. They do not care about the human element or the financial strain on tenants; they only protect their own interests. Save yourself the stress and avoid Connells at all costs.

GK · 25 March 2026