Every review we hold for the West Midlands office, from every platform, shown as written. First names only.
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleJust finished our tenancy agreement after 2 years 3 months.
The whole Preferential team have been fantastic but specially Emma K since I dealt with her from day one till the end of the tenancy, she is brilliant.
to be fair they always fixed any fault in the property pretty quickly so thanks to Victoria for this.
I did not deal much with the director Simon but he did some adjustments to my contract to be able to give the month notice from the day I exchanged contracts of the property I purchased so thanks for this.
From our side we have kept the property always clean and taken care of it as if it was ours.
I recommend Preferential.
Anouar · 11 March 2024
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleA lot of these reviews are from disgruntled tenants. Often the issue is more to do with a poor property owner rather than the agent who manages it on their behalf. I own several properties in the area and use Preferential Properties to find me a suitable tenant. I have always found their service really quite exceptional (and i've dealt wth a few letting agents). They are proactive at finding me a suitable tenant and support me when the tenant wishes to leave. There is a robust process in place for deposit return so as long as you leave the property in the condition you found it (with the exception of wear & tear) you will get your deposit back! it is wrong and unfair to leave such negatives reviews when it is often down to a poor landlord NOT the agent. As a landlord myself I am more than happy working with Pref prop!
Eve · 10 February 2024
★★★★★ 1/5
GoogleDon't live at the flat they let out on Garrard Gardens - the condensation is completely unmanageable and your furniture and clothes will get covered in mould and eventually ruin some of your items. Not only that, the black mould on the walls and windows will make you unwell.
The reviews are right about what they say regarding the deposits. We have been deducted 1/3 of our deposit for things that were there before we arrived and extremely petty things.
Simon is rude and exploits people. He conducts dishonest business by taking just enough money that it is not questionable for things that were problems in the premises before and placing responsibility onto tenants. They will get you by saying you had the opportunity to take pictures and make comments. I naively thought I wouldn't have to take responsibility for problems with the premises before and if I had to provide evidence of every detail wrong this does raise suspicion of dishonest business.
It is their opinion what classes as 'fair wear and tear' and this will include a few scuffs on the walls. No matter how much you clean the property on departure they will still add a huge cleaning bill and make references to 'ceilings not being cleaned.'
Ruth · 14 August 2023
★★★★★ 2/5
GoogleWe rented a flat for a year and Emma was delightful throughout. She's great at her job. We raised issues and they took action during the tenancy, hence the two stars.
However, upon departure we realised that, under the direction of Simon Bacon, Preferential Properties exploit people that do not know the ins and outs of renting a property. They will take from your security deposit for the littlest thing and blame you for not documenting it when you first arrive in the property. An honest business wouldn’t do this. Document every inch of the property when you arrive. Take photos of everything, because they will blame you for every imperfection. They've suggested we caused damage which we know was present when we arrived, and penalised us for it. I wonder how many times they've pulled this trick on unsuspecting tenants.
Simon was incredibly rude to my partner over the phone when she raised objections to his assessment.
I'm sure they won’t use the money that they have taken to clean and repair the property as the flat needed a deep clean when we moved in and the same repairs needed to the property when we moved in appeared on our move out documents. The property really suffers from damp. We raised concerns and they took action to improve it, but nothing has worked and it affects every room.
We've had to throw furniture and clothing away because of the damp, and thoroughly cleaned the flat on a weekly basis to try and stay on top of it. To then be told that the flat required a deep clean upon our departure was quite insulting. The pictures they took that justified a cleaning bill of £135 are comical, including a dead bug on the kitchen counter.
Now we have to waste our time reporting this company in the hope of reaching a fair resolution, rather than Simon just doing honest business with people they described as good tenants.
James · 14 August 2023
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleProbably one of the best estate agents I've dealt with. The moving in process was smooth, any time I have needed to get into contact with them they have been available by phone and email and have responded so quickly. Emma is lovely and even the staff who conduct quarterly inspections were extremely polite and helpful. They have reached out to me well in advance of the tenancy contract end which is great because as you approach the end of your tenancy it can be quite stressful so the proactivity gives you peace of mind. I have had one repair request which was dealt with great and at this time I have had no issues. Would definitely recommend.
Quite a few negative comments about racism and I have not experienced anything of the sort - in fact, when it comes to things like renting, sometimes you feel like this could have an impact but Emma was really welcoming, polite and didn't deal with me any differently based on the colour of my skin so I don't understand the comments and can only attest to how I've been treated.
Tanya · 15 July 2023
★★★★★ 1/5
GoogleThis is the worst agency you can rent or have any business to do with. They are reap offs and thieves. They would not return your deposit no matter how much you clean your house. They have very bad service and they are just not an agency you want to have any dealings with. We regret having anything to do with them!! A word is enough for the wise. Beware!! Don’t be a victim.
Kenny · 10 June 2023
Agent replied · 11 June 2024
I’m disappointed to hear your comments Kenny Olags although I can’t identify which property it is that you rented and how much of your deposit was retained. Nor can I identify why your deposit or part of it was retained. If you would like to get in touch then I am happy to provide more details and explain the process around deposits and how to disagree with any dilapidations. All deposits are held within a government approved scheme and therefore there is a very simple dispute process that is available to all tenants if they feel that deductions are made unfairly. I’m surprised therefore that when we first notified you that we would be making deductions and provided documentary evidence and supporting photograph evidence that you didn’t raise your concerns with the staff responsible for carrying out your Move Out. If you had raised issues that couldn’t be resolved you could then have raised a dispute with the government registered dispute service who would then have provided independent arbitration and made a decision based on the evidence provided. No tenants are able to be ripped off by thieves or have money deducted from their deposits without a robust process based on good quality evidence. As always however I respect your right to offer your considered review of our company and I am sorry that on this occasion we have been unable to offer you with a better than 1 star service.
★★★★★ 1/5
FacebookGreedy, lazy, liars, would be the first words that come to mind as a tenant. Not sure if our landlord or agent was worse, but Preferential Properties did nothing to support the tenant and seemed to allow the landlord to get away with anything.
We rented a house where little to no maintenance would be carried out, the decor was 16 years old and there was no hope of refreshing. Mould everywhere, dirty carpets, and tenants were blamed. Little did they know we were aware of previous tenants at the property who also had the mould issues! Only when I mentioned involving environmental health was minimal action taken.
They dropped in unannounced at least twice for property inspections, once just days after I'd given birth.
Absolute icing on the cake is that landlord wanted to increase the rent by £100 per month (after ignoring all the issues we reported). We argued that this was above 10% increase so not very fair, and they agreed to only raise it by 10%. 3 months later, after we had continued to go back and forth about the mould issues, we were told that the landlord would be selling the property. We took our get out of jail free card and left as soon as possible... and to no surprise at all, the house is now back on the market for long term rental at a further £150 above our raised rate.
Money grabbing, deceptive behaviour. Do whatever you can to avoid this agency.
Melissa · 7 November 2024
★★★★★ 1/5
FacebookHonestly terrible service all around. Rare they picked up the phone when I was enquiring. First viewing I booked they initially went inside without myself and my partner. The agent came back out and said “oh well you’re not on my list”… I’d been sent a text message confirmation of the viewing. Saw the place, applied the second I left (through a third party application process no less). Got rejected the next day, with no explanation as to why our application wasn’t accepted.
My boyfriend and I are ideal tenants. £60,000+ combined salary. No children, pets or smokers. No adverse credit and substantial savings. Flexible with move in date. Young, independent and sensible. Yet it seems like all we’ve had from this agency is faff and no actual proceedings with finding somewhere to rent. We’ve made Preferential properties fully aware of our interest in moving out, yet there seems to be absolutely no communication from them unless they’re cancelling on you or asking you for money.
Second enquiry I booked for 19/09/24, a few days in advance. They have cancelled on me with less than 24 hours notice because they accepted another application. All good & well I suppose, but what if I was willing to put a higher offer on the letting after I had viewed it?
Sh*tty service, money-focused and poor client support & communication. Really frustrating overall.
Shoana · 19 September 2024
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleI had a real pleasure to rent from this agency. Though it was just a few months, the stay at one of the properties rented by Preferential Properties was really nice and free of any hassle. Communication was spot on and without any delay. I happened to have an issue with electric shower heater twice and it was resolved very promptly. Many thanks to Debbie, for patience, guidance and very professional approach. Highly recommended!
Chad · 11 June 2019
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleI do not understand the negative reviews for Prefproperties on here. I found all the staff to be extremely helpful, kind and very considerate. From personal experience Debbie and the rest of the staff made me feel like I was their only interest. I would not use any other letting agent. I would highly recommend Prefproperties. First class one to one service.
Sandra · 11 June 2018
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleThe best letting agents I have dealt with. I could write an essay on how they have helped me get my lovely home. I am forever grateful, especially for Emma - she is extremely professional, friendly and evidently cares for the tenants she supports. I am very lucky to also have a good landlord too. I would definitely recommend. Thank you ☺️
Olivia · 11 March 2024
★★★★★ 1/5
GoogleThis is the worst company to deal with in terms of letting! You wanted someone out of your house, yet you went ahead and gave a negative referencing to another company to prevent them from letting. Evicting a mum and her 3 and 1 year old kids who never owed rent for a single day is the worst form of racism ever experienced.
And then refusing to return the deposit!!
Duru · 10 June 2023
★★★★★ 1/5
GoogleI WOULDN'T RECOMMEND THIS COMPANY
We were in a property whom worked with the preferential properties group,
They were hard to get hold of they either didn't awnser calls nor mails.
We had to send out application in 25 times for the place and to top it off the paperwork is so damn much . (Ended up telling us we are declined then accepted due to the paperwork)
Snaglist needs apps which is I think unnecessary after all the paperwork to download apps.NegativeResponsiveness, Quality
Linda · 10 June 2021
★★★★★ 1/5
GoogleWe live above one of there properties, agents ignore any complaints you have about tennents they rent to, and when they disturb other residents in areas who are ill/disabled and you ask them to keep noise down whilst they are slamming doors you are greated with 'oh shut up' lovely customer service will be also complaining to landlord who os there customer and the agents manager when there open, also had bad reviews off the company from previous tennent where theu charged her rent for not even being in property whe it was agreed she wouldnt need to pay
Clare · 11 June 2018
★★★★★ 1/5
GoogleThey are terrible people. Simone, Charlotte and. Emma. They are not just racist but will also reap you off, they are not helpful and will keep your deposit. These bunch lack human empathy. It’s a shame really. Pls don’t go here!
Ugonna · 10 June 2023
★★★★★ 1/5
GoogleAwful company that discriminate against people! Avoid
Stephanie · 10 June 2023
Agent replied · 11 June 2024
Hi Stephanie - thank you for your review although I feel that your review is rather inappropriate. Your reason for not being able to proceed with an application for the property has nothing to do with discrimination but due to specific personal circumstances that mean you would not have been successful with your application. You were offered an application for the property but with special terms that would be imposed by our referencing company. I wish you well in your search for suitable accommodation
★★★★★ 1/5
GoogleExtremely disappointed that we are getting back less than half of our £1k deposit. We were told we would be inspected 2 weeks prior to leaving the property to allow any defects to be corrected. This did not happen but the house was in good condition. I regret ignoring the bad reviews for this company. I do NOT recommend.
N · 11 June 2019
★★★★★ 4/5
GoogleWe rented a house through Preferential and were delighted with their service and quarterly inspections. When we gave notice they were very flexible which was a help.
Paul · 10 June 2023
★★★★★ 1/5
GoogleFixed a viewing and the lady called Emma didn't turn up,not even a phone call,this is absolutely unprofessional.
Chuks · 11 January 2024
★★★★★ 1/5
GoogleRef 42 Norfolk rd viewing last night House had 2 filthy mares in it stunk of body odour from very large girl stunk so bad I coughed my god house was gothic in dirt foot stuck to floor awful agency had 3 applications said pay sign you'll get your money back
Fayruz · 11 June 2018
★★★★★ 5/5
GoogleExcellent property agents I highly recommend their services, they are easy to deal with highly efficient, very conscientious and good value for money.
Jo · 10 June 2023
★★★★★ 1/5
GoogleTHIS COMPANY NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED IM LOOKING AT AS MANY people who could come forward for a Television company who is interested in there. Business practice
John · 10 June 2022
★★★★★ 1/5
GoogleThey tell lies but we caught them out saying there was other viewers and that the landlord had other properties that hey dealt with . So glad we had contact with the landlord.
Julie · 10 June 2021
★★★★★ 1/5
GoogleWould not recommend to rent property through this agency as they will not return your deposit in full they expect you to return as a brand new worst agency everNegativeResponsiveness, Professionalism
Rasa · 10 June 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.
