My Key Requirement Was Never Met
I instructed Geering & Colyer Sales and Letting Agents Dover, on a tenant-find-only basis for a fee of £1,038 after meeting with several local letting agencies. Before proceeding, I made it absolutely clear to Chance and Jade that my highest priority was finding tenants with a proven history of maintaining rented properties to a high standard of cleanliness and care. I was assured they had suitable applicants and that this requirement would be met.
Jade conducted the viewings. After the first applicants failed referencing, another couple was recommended. I raised concerns about their previous tenancy and specifically requested confirmation from their former landlord about the condition in which the property had been returned. Jade reassured me that the former landlady was a client of Geering & Colyer, that possession had been required for a full refurbishment, and that the property had been returned in good condition with a satisfactory rental history.
Having previously dealt with Susan Moody, whose professionalism I had always found exemplary, I trusted the information I was given. However, I later discovered that the tenants previous tenancy had actually been managed by Cherry Tree Letting Agency. This raised the obvious question of why a written landlord reference confirming the condition in which the property had been maintained and returned had not been obtained before the tenancy commenced, particularly as this had been my principal concern from the outset.
More recently, Jade agreed to provide me with a copy of the landlord reference. Despite repeated WhatsApp messages, emails, telephone calls, and even a visit to the office, I have never received it. Instead, I was repeatedly sent copies of the tenant referencing report, which was not the document I had requested. During my office visit, I was also informed that our previous WhatsApp conversation had been deleted despite it being our agreed method of communication.
I was also disappointed when Jade agreed to assist with registering T.D.S. while I was refurbishing the property. After reminding her the day before I left for holiday, I was informed that she could not help because she had no experience with the registration process. As this was only disclosed at the last minute, I had no practical alternative but to complete the registration myself while on holiday.
For a tenant-find service costing £1,038, I expected careful attention to my clearly stated requirements, proactive communication, and professional follow-through. My principal instruction, to verify through the previous landlord that the tenants had consistently maintained rented properties to a high standard, was never fulfilled, despite being raised repeatedly throughout the process. Unfortunately, my experience fell well below the standard I expected and does not reflect the positive reviews I had read before instructing the agency.








