Every review we hold for the Thame office, from every platform, shown as written. First names only.
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleI would like to recommend Darren at College and County. He was outstanding throughout the whole process of selling my property. First rate and highly professional service from initial viewing to completion day.PositiveResponsiveness, Professionalism
Victoria · 28 August 2022
Agent replied · 6 July 2023
Thank you Victoria for commending us to other prospective customers…. I am delighted that Darren was able to deliver such “outstanding” service. In the end, when dealing with what is probably your most valuable asset, it is vital that you and all our customers, have complete confidence in the team and the brand. Mark Crampton Smith - Managing Director.
★★★★★ 4/5
TrustpilotA friendly agency that provided timely, efficient service at a busy time
My mother and I were desperately looking for a property at the height of student move-in season (October), and found that the Oxford market was very competitive. This meant that most agencies were terrible at returning calls, keeping up communication, and were generally quite rude at time. College & County helped us find a new home and kept us up-to-date of the process throughout. They were sensitive to our needs and were understanding when some paperwork took longer no our side. 4 and not 5 stars, as the maintenance team has at time been slow to respond.
MH · 28 October 2022
Agent replied · 26 December 2025
Thank you for your feedback, always good to hear how efficient and friendly our team is. I am sure the PM team will speed up with their responses, sometimes a delay may be as they are waiting for a landlord or contractor to get back to them.
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleHaving sold our house through Darren we then bought our current house through College and County a few months later.
Superb service and friendly advice through both transactions. Can't recommend Darren highly enough.
G · 6 July 2022
Agent replied · 6 July 2023
Delighted to hear that your experience was so positive....... It is always important to us to hear what our customers make of the service they receive. The fact that you have both sold and bought through us and feel moved to commend us to others bodes well for the future of our sales business. Mark Crampton Smith - Managing Director.
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleCollege and County provided an excellent service. Darren gave straightforward honest advice and always went the extra mile to help. We would thoroughly recommend Darren and College and County.PositiveResponsiveness, Quality, Professionalism
Felicity · 28 August 2022
Agent replied · 6 July 2023
Thank you Felicity for commending us on Google. There is no doubt that our digital reputation is increasingly critical to our long term sustainability as a business. Mark Crampton smith - Managing Director
★★★★★ 5/5
TrustpilotI'd recommend College and County
College and County have been the best estate agent I've rented a property through so far. We rented a new-build flat (only lived in by the owner prior to us), so there were minimal issues with the flat itself. For any queries or concerns, C&C were very professional and quick to respond. We had check ups to ensure the property was kept in a good condition by both C&C and us. They provided reports of these visits with any recommendations for maintaining the property and making check out easier. The rental process was easy, and they didn't consider 'rental offers' (i.e. rental gazumping) from other prospective tenants like a lot of other estate agents. They always providing 24 hours notice (often 48+ hours) for viewings and other visits. The checkout process was simple. No deductions on the deposit, with deposit being return within 10 days of leaving the property. All in all, a good experience.
Liam · 7 July 2022
Agent replied · 6 July 2023
Thank you Liam for posting a review. I am delighted that you feel able to commend us, and that you have found us to be the best agent you have used so far. Customer reviews are the primary driver for our continued growth as a business; it is important to our landlord clients that their property and tenants are being effectively looked after. Interestingly, now that we have been trading for over 20 years, we find that many of our new clients were once tenants in properties we were managing in the early days. High standards pay dividends! May I take this opportunity to wish you all the best in your new property. Mark Crampton Smith - Managing Director.
★★★★★ 5/5
TrustpilotI'd recommend College and County
College and County have been the best estate agent I've rented a property through so far. We rented a new-build flat (only lived in by the owner prior to us), so there were minimal issues with the flat itself. For any queries or concerns, C&C were very professional and quick to respond. We had check ups to ensure the property was kept in a good condition by both C&C and us. They provided reports of these visits with any recommendations for maintaining the property and making check out easier. The rental process was easy, and they didn't consider 'rental offers' (i.e. rental gazumping) from other prospective tenants like a lot of other estate agents. They always providing 24 hours notice (often 48+ hours) for viewings and other visits. The checkout process was simple. No deductions on the deposit, with deposit being return within 10 days of leaving the property. All in all, a good experience.
Reviewer · 7 July 2022
Agent replied · 11 October 2026
Thank you Liam for posting a review. I am delighted that you feel able to commend us, and that you have found us to be the best agent you have used so far. Customer reviews are the primary driver for our continued growth as a business; it is important to our landlord clients that their property and tenants are being effectively looked after. Interestingly, now that we have been trading for over 20 years, we find that many of our new clients were once tenants in properties we were managing in the early days. High standards pay dividends!
May I take this opportunity to wish you all the best in your new property. Mark Crampton Smith - Managing Director.
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleWe recently purchased a house in Thame from Darren at College and County and received excellent service. From our first dealing with him on the phone and meeting him when viewing the house, we found Darren to be friendly and personable. He had an excellent knowledge of the house and local area and was able to answer our questions when showing us around. Once we put in our offer to Darren, he worked tirelessly to keep us informed of what was happening and was able to ensure a smooth purchase of our house. Thank you for the fantastic service Darren!
James and Caroline
James · 6 July 2022
Agent replied · 6 July 2023
I am delighted that you have found the service strong enough to feel moved to commend us. Moving home is one of the most stressful times we face, and in a market that is so volatile and fickle as it is at the moment (over 1/3rd of offers accepted do not exchange and complete) working with an agent as experienced and knowledgeable as Darren is a great comfort. Mark Crampton Smith - Managing Director.
★★★★★ 5/5
TrustpilotDefinitely the best lettings agency.
We have been letting a property managed by College and County for the last 2 years. The team is really good, everyone always super helpful and polite. We had a few smaller issues and maintenances requests to our property that were handled promptly, no questions asked. Problems solved in no time. I highly recommend them.
Adriano · 14 August 2025
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleCollege & County were exceptional in supporting our house sale and in-what turned into a hugely complex and time consuming sale. Darren was amazing, he went above and beyond to help support a hugely challenging sale posed by a very …
Kevin · 14 April 2024
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleWe were pleased that we sold our house through College and County, we couldn't have wanted anything more from an estate agent. Darren was pro-active throughout the whole process and kept us fully informed. Thank you.PositiveResponsiveness, Professionalism
The · 28 August 2021
Agent replied · 6 July 2023
Thank you for your review. I am of course delighted that Darren was so helpful. There is no doubt that at a time when the whole market is under such pressure a proactive approach is essential to ensure a transaction goes to term. Mark Crampton Smith - Managing Director
★★★★★ 1/5
TrustpilotAbsolute shower
I lived in a rental in Oxford which was run by C&C, and they were just a total shower.
We had a leaking tap at one point, dripping out litres and litres of water overnight and while we were away in work. We used it as best we could for kettles, coffee machines etc but it was just too much. Their ‘advice’ was to ‘water the plants’.
Another occasion, we had a faulty light fitting and asked if it could be repaired. On the light fitting there were three separate switches, operating three separate lights in the kitchen.
The ‘repair’ involved changing this to a two switch light fitting, meaning that one switch operated two lights. Then not only that but the workman left a mess behind where the dust had fallen from the wall. Just complete laziness and incompetence.
The worst by far was an email direct from a C&C employee telling us we had been paying low rent for a few months, and they had rallied up how much the three of us tenants owed due to low payments.
I knew I had never underpaid so I checked my bank statements, and I didn’t owe a single penny. My two housemates owed money but nowhere near the amount they claimed.
I asked for an explanation on how they came to those figures and got nothing. I’d like to think this was just total incompetence rather than outright lying.
I had a terrible experience with them. Incompetant, lazy, inaccurate. Just pathetic.
*The reply to this is the most condescending thing I think I've read in a long time.
I'm not 'moved' or 'concerned' thanks. I just saw this page and thought I'd share my experience. That's it.
If you genuinely wanted to talk to me further then don't be so condescending and patronising. Take your bad reviews on the chin and don't try and be the victim.
David · 16 May 2022
Agent replied · 6 July 2023
So sorry that you feel moved to post such a review........ As you have not been a tenant of ours for over two years it is a real concern to me that you have have been so troubled that you need to post such a review after so long? We have a very robust complaints policy (on our website and in all relevant communications), I would be delighted to explore your concerns personally to ensure you have comfort. Please contact me at your earliest opportunity. Mark Crampton Smith - Managing Director
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleSam and her team were extremely helpful with letting my house in time
Always professional cheerful and nothing too much trouble
I would recommend them to anybody looking to use them as a letting agency for a propertyPositiveResponsiveness, Quality, Professionalism, Value
Deborah · 28 August 2020
Agent replied · 6 July 2023
Thank you Deborah for taking the time to post. I am delighted that Sam and the rest of the team have been both professional and cheerful. They too will be pleased you feel able to commend them. Positive feedback from customers has significant impact on morale for the team..... in an industry where most of the contact comes from someone wanting a problem resolved. Should you ever spot any way in which our service could be further enhanced, please do not hesitate to contact me directly. Mark Crampton Smith - Managing Director
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleDarren helped us find an amazing new home after looking for 8 months. Darren was helpful & professional throughout with good communication & keeping us up-to-date, he had to work very hard to push our sale through and was always available when we needed help. I would highly recommend College & County and would definately use them again.😊
Miranda · 7 January 2023
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleDarren was fantastic from start to finish. He was very accommodating, made suggestions for improving the property, kept us informed and genuinely seemed to have our best interests at heart. Much better than another agent we dealt with in …
Liam · 14 April 2024
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleDealing with College and County was seamless and stress free. The process put in place make moving a much easier task. Samantha has been helpful throughout. I would not hesitate to use them again. Thanks!PositiveResponsiveness, Professionalism
Chris · 28 August 2021
Agent replied · 6 July 2023
Thank you Chris. I am delighted that you found moving so straightforward. Sam too will be pleased that her efforts to ensure the very highest levels of customer service have been acknowledged. Mark Crampton Smith - Managing Director
★★★★★ 5/5
TrustpilotTen out of ten for College and County…
I cannot recommend College and County more highly. From start to finish the main contact person with me in their Oxford office went above and beyond on every count. He found a great tenant for me very swiftly and let the house on first viewing. He walked me through every stage so I knew what to do and kept proactively in touch by phone and email to check if I or the prospective tenant needed anything or had any questions. He gave excellent advice and was friendly, personable, helpful, fair and transparent throughout. I'm very grateful indeed.
Sally · 11 April 2022
Agent replied · 6 July 2023
Wow!!! Thank you Sally for posting a review…I am delighted that the team were able to look after you so well. Mark Crampton Smith-Managing Director
★★★★★ 1/5
GoogleDespite being repeatedly being asked to stop, they persist in sending me junk email 'From the Desk of Darren Hunt'. If I wanted to read this crap, I would have asked for it. By doing this, they've ensured they will never get any business from me.
Goytar · 30 September 2024
Agent replied · 25 October 2024
Thanks for your message, although we would have welcomed a phone call or email rather than a one star review. I have checked with Darren and he has no record of such a request previously, apologies if this has somehow been missed. If you would be willing to email darren@collegeandcounty.co.uk it would be greatly appreciated as we need to confirm the address to be removed so we can ensure that no further communications are sent. I can assure you Darren doesn’t mean to cause any distress, the update letters are designed to give Thame and the surrounding area residents a short update on what’s going on in the market and seem to, in the most part, deliver on this. We know printed communications are a bit old school, but sometimes it really is the best way to get the information across and College and County have planted over 100 trees in the past 12 months to help mitigate the impact. Kind regards David (Director)
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleWe have used College & County in Thame for many years. We purchased a flat through them which they then rented for us through their lettings department with various tenancies over the 14 years we owned it. When it came time to sell the property it seemed only right to have them handle the sale and complete the journey for us. We had no regrets using them and would not hesitate to use them again in the future.
Stephanie · 6 July 2022
Agent replied · 6 July 2023
Thank you Stephanie. i am delighter that you have been able to commend us; as a loyal customer (using all aspects of our service) you are surely best placed to judge how good we are! Mark Crampton Smith - Managing Director.
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleVery pleased to have sold our home within a couple of weeks at over the asking price. Great service and updates during the process via WhatsApp. Many thanks for your assistance in making the sale process run very smoothly.
TOM · 29 December 2024
Agent replied · 29 March 2025
Thanks Tom it was great to get you moved
★★★★★ 5/5
TrustpilotCharmian in particular is fab!
Charmian in particular is fab! She's been really patient, helpful and friendly throughout the process. College and County have generally been great so far. Thanks Charmian!
Ed · 27 October 2022
Agent replied · 11 October 2026
Lovely feedback, thank you for taking the time to review us Ed. Penny - Office Manager
★★★★★ 5/5
TrustpilotGreat people
Great people, nothing too much trouble, always able to help, and always very polite.If I had to do it again, they would be my 1st choice
Colin · 31 March 2026
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleThank you Darren for your great help to us throughout the stressful process of buying and moving into our new home in Oxfordshire. Alice and Michael
Alice · 6 July 2022
Agent replied · 6 July 2023
So pleased that Darren was able to assist you in the process. Mark Crampton Smith - Managing Director
★★★★★ 1/5
TrustpilotSTAY AWAY
I can only corroborate the comment made earlier by Vittoria, and I'm only giving one star because I can't give zero star. At the end of my tenancy, they also gave my deposit back to my flatmate despite me asking them not to. In spite of Vittoria's example where she lost a lot of money, the agency maintain a head tenant policy that is not mandatory. TDS can pay the deposit back to each tenant separately so there is no reason why this letting agency can't. What is more is that at the signing, the agency did not specifically/properly explain me what the head tenant role entailed. Vittoria's feedback confirms that the agency do know people may loose money because of the 'head tenant' clause but do nothing to prevent this from happening or protect all tenants. In my case they did not even update the TDS deposit information to add my name on it and did not serve me the prescribed information either. Yet when I asked about it they claimed to have done everything in line with the law until I brought in a lawyer. As Vittoria said, STAY AWAY, especially if you are a tenant looking to enter a joint tenancy.Response to the MD's feedback: I really had no outstanding utility bills/dispute that I knew of, and I am not sure what this has to do with you giving the deposit back to tenants separately. I did have a co-tenant similar to that of VITTORIA and that was not new to you / your team. But you decided not to care about it and gave that person my money against my will - the problem is as simple as that. Would love to hear your feedback about why your team urged me not to bring in a lawyer, claiming they did everything right until I actually brought in a lawyer. Interesting to see you mentioning 'genuine' problems, as if mine and that of the previous tenant (VITTORIA) were not genuine problems. You may manage over 1000 tenancies across the group, but the data shows that I am not the only one having that issue and you ignore it. I had to bring in a lawyer to be able to recoup my money. Please note that I am not finally writing this for me personally as I got my money back (Thanks to the lawyer), just want to share my experience for future tenants especially those looking to enter a joint tenancy. To Vittoria you said it was because she did not flag any issue early in the process, I did flag the issue early enough but you still did nothing!! Hope you take this more seriously for future joint tenancies
Francis · 13 August 2021
Agent replied · 6 July 2023
So sorry you have found deposit returns to head tenant a problem Francis. With over 1000 tenancies a year across the group, it is not an issue for our tenants; perhaps it was because you had a dispute with your co-tenant over outstanding utilities bills that the problem arose? Also worth noting that we have a formal complains procedure (see our website) I am always happy to find resolution with those who approach us with a genuine problem. Mark Crampton Smith - Managing Director
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleWe would like to thank Darren for the very professional service we received on the sale of our property. He was always at the end of the phone and kept us updated on its progress right the way to exchange , which was today! Would highly recommend College & County after selling our house and my husbands parents last year.PositiveResponsiveness, Quality, Professionalism, Value
Catherine · 28 August 2021
Where the same review appears twice we show it once. We leave out reviews that name another agent or another of the brand's offices.
