Countrywide Avis 

We paid £250 deposit to secure a mortgage. They never got back to us after trying to call them several times.
NEVER USE THIS COMPANY!

I contacted Countrywide Home insurance today and spoke to both Debbie and Chris. They were so rude.

I called to cancel my existing policy from auto renewing in April. Unfortunately, I apparently did not get my address right to pass CVP and therefore they could not proceed with giving out any further information. This is absolutely understandable however, when I then asked “ as I have failed security what can I do next as I know what address I am living at so how can I move forward” neither of them wanted to even explain to me how I could get around this and kept trying to end the call. When a customer fails data protection no personal information is allowed to be shared after that point however I was not asking for any personal information at this point as I understand how CVP works being a mortgage and protection adviser myself however you can still provide information on what the customer can do to resolve this and also provide a decent level of customer service rather then being EXTREMELY rude. I am currently 8 months pregnant and the way they have spoken to me and the stress they have caused is appalling and as someone in this sector I am appalled people will speak to customers in this way.

We sold our house through the local branch and Isabel was a pleasure to deal with. She kept us up to date all along the process and made the process seamless.

There is so many high street estate agencies but I would recommend.

Avoid this company at all costs. I am a landlord used them for full management ended up doing the job myself and paying them the earth for the prevlidge. Found the staff rude and unhelpful that's if you can get hold of anyone. There has been many issues last one we got charged 300.00 for a spray of wd40 as tenant couldn't unlock door total rip off.

They were my agent for a property that I rented out. Despite significant damage to the property I had to wait five months to get a fraction of the cost of the damage back. Zero deposit where the tenant pays insurance is a con and doensn't encorage good care of a property.

I used them for 19 years but they got worse and worse and even the area manager for Sussex ghosted me when I complained.

Do not use them!!

The Newport Branch on the Isle of Wight look after a rental property for me..their team is exceptionally helpful ..Amy Dunstall is really on top of everything and very quick to solve issues and keeps me in touch with any problems

Time and time again, we are let down by countrywide and our landlord. I am beyond tired of having to deal with this company, trying to get anything fixed in our property is an absolute joke. They have been reported. Please avoid this company at all cost if you can!!

I engaged Taylor (under countrywide) for letting and full property management, let alone the poor performance throughout the year which is definitely not value for money. They charged a reserve fund £240 in the first instance, after the contract period in May 2024, the fund has not been returned to us till almost half a year with our reminder in Jan 2025, funny is that they only returned £210 to us by charging us the services after May 2024 till Jan 2025.

I had the misfortune of dealing with Countrywide as they were holding one of my deposits. I'm a landlord of ten properties. Even after the tenants emailed and agreed to pay the deposit back it took four weeks for me to finally get the deposit back. They had terrible communication and I don't believe they had any intention to paying me back my deposit. I literally had to hold them over a barrel with another letting to claw it back.

It's a shame as it has consequently damaged a previous ongoing relationship I'v had with a company called Freeman and Forman who have actually been very good to me over the years. I would personally avoid using them at all costs.

AVOID!! Bridgfords - Countrywide are an absolute nightmare to work with. As a landlord you now have to deal with at least 7 different Countrywide divisions and companies who do not communicate with each other or the landlord - deposits, maintenance, contracts, check out, arrears, lettings etc. Staff don’t know anything and don’t follow through, ignoring calls and emails, leaving you stuck in an endless loop trying to get answers. No one is in charge or takes responsibility. Despite paying for a full management service they have managed nothing. I have spent weeks on the phone and sent countless emails trying to sort out Countrywide’s mistakes around end of tenancy, check out and arrears. 3 months on the issues are still not resolved. Official complaint submitted.

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kelvin anthony
5 reviews
My experience with Countrywide and Bairstow Eve Stratford has been nothing short of a nightmare. After renting a shared accommodation at 19 Dacre Road, I was misled by a video viewing that conveniently concealed the property's numerous …More

Adam Orfila
Local Guide·7 reviews·18 photos
a week ago
New
Really happy with the care and professionalism my wife and I received during the purchase of our flat. It took a long time to complete and it was getting very frustrating, however Ellie was our shining light by keeping us well informed with …More

Bairstow Eves Sales and Letting Agents Stratford (owner)
a week ago
Thank you for leaving us your superb 5* review Adam. Thank you for your delightful comments. Best wishes, Lucy, Customer Relations.

Samuel Glascock
Local Guide·26 reviews
a month ago
Hi,

Had an overall good experience with Bairstow Eves. We had Ian come round to …More

Bairstow Eves Sales and Letting Agents Stratford (owner)
a month ago
Thank you for your lovely review and recommendation Samuel. Best wishes, Lucy, Customer Relations.

Sabrina
2 reviews
2 weeks ago
New
Had a good experience renting a property working with Nzingha and the team. They had good communication, keeping me updated all the way through.
I had a number of questions about prospective tenants which they checked over …More

Bairstow Eves Sales and Letting Agents Stratford (owner)
2 weeks ago
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience and for your wonderful 5* review Sabrina! Kind regards, Lucy, Customer Relations.
kelvin anthony
5 reviews
4 hours ago
New
My experience with Countrywide and Bairstow Eve Stratford has been nothing short of a nightmare. After renting a shared accommodation at 19 Dacre Road, I was misled by a video viewing that conveniently concealed the property's numerous flaws. Upon moving in, I was met with a broken bed and various hazards that made living there uncomfortable and unsafe. Despite my repeated complaints, the management ignored my concerns, leaving me feeling helpless. To make matters worse, I later discovered that the house was being marketed for sale, which explained their lack of attention to tenant issues.
In November 2024, I, along with other tenants, received a termination of contract notice, which was both shocking and disheartening. The situation escalated when they attempted to dispute my deposit, completely disregarding the documentation I had collected regarding the property's condition at the time of my move-in. This blatant attempt to withhold my funds only added insult to injury, as it became clear that they were trying to evade responsibility for their negligence.
Faced with these injustices, I decided to take legal action against them. I have now filed a lawsuit, and the court has issued a letter requiring them to respond to my claim. This step has been necessary to hold them accountable for their actions and to seek justice for the distress they have caused. I hope that my experience serves as a warning to others considering renting from Countrywide and Bairstow Eve Stratford.

By far the worst real estate I’ve dealt with in my 15+ years of renting in the UK. Our dealings with their subsidiary Bairstow Eves were always reasonable, quick to respond and find solutions - unfortunately the moment anything came up that was managed by Countrywide, the experience immediately got worse. They seem completely unable to retain staff, dealing with a new staff member for every incident, and even when finally getting hold of somebody it takes weeks to get any kind of response or solution. If you can avoid dealing with a Countrywide company, I would recommend it.

RETREIVING DEPOSIT FROM BAIRSTOW EVES/COUNTRYWIDE
DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY OR BAIRSTOW EVES. NEVER AGAIN. As a Landlord my tenant had to give a deposit of £801 via the estate agent Bairstow Eves who found a tenant for the sum of around £500. I now know that Bairstow Eves is OWNED BY COUNTRYWIDE, which is part of the Connells group. The tenants ran away after trashing the house and owing 3 months rent. So I required the deposit. First I had to track down that it was held by Countrywide which was not what was on the tenancy agreement. I spoke to head office and they wouldn't take responsibility and passed me back to the local Bairstow Eves office that had organised the letting of my property. They wanted me to get a CCJ against the tenant. It took 3 months and cost £125 but I did it. Then they said they needed proof that the tenant hadn't paid. Then they wanted proof that I had contacted the tenant 4 times. Then they wanted receipts for remedial and cleaning work which I had done. They kept finding hurdles and made it as difficult as possible. I started to get more threatening with the company and was close to going to the OMBUDSMAN. They then agreed to pay the deposit to me but then wanted me to sigh an INDEMNITY organised by them for the cost of £60. I did this. so after several months they finally paid to my bank account £801 which cost me £185 in legal costs and a great deal of hassle to retrieve. The fact that the tenants had breached the agreement by running away owing 3 months rent should have been enough. But BAIRSTOW EVES/ COUNTRYWIDE wanted much more. They did their utmost to hang on to the deposit and to keep it in their account. THIS COMPANY NEEDS TO BE SORTED OUT BY THE OMBUDSMAN FOR UNFAIR PRACTICES. DO NOT USE.

Date of experience: 10 September 2024

Sometimes you have no choice to use a certain agent if you want the house etc. So if you have to use them, my advice is to document every single interaction you have. Keep as much in writing as possible and always follow up a phone call with an email confirming what was said.
It's a full on cowboy outfit so you need to ensure you are protected as much as possible.
Dealing with them has felt like a full time job so you have really got to like that house!

They are managing agents for a property I own and rent out in Bolton. My tenant is in default of rent for three months and has moved somebody else in and changed the locks. In order to commence S21legal proceedings I need copies of correspondence between them and the tenant (assuming it exists). They have been obfuscating with excuses now for 3 weeks. Still no paperwork. Would never recommend them.

Countrywide Tax and Trust group have been assisting us for many years and we would thoroughly recommend them to any similar business

Hi I’m a landlord who is renting out my flat for the first time and was dealing with a young lady named Olivia Mooney. There was a lot of paperwork which was a bit daunting at first until I spoke to Olivia and she talked me through it and couldn’t have been more helpful. Thanks Olivia

Terrible place to work… I earned way over half a million for the company, because I left after 13 months of working there they are trying to claw back my wages, if the management wasn’t slack and negotiators then I would have stayed,

7 members of staff left within a few months… 7 it tells a huge story doesn’t it!

So 15 month after I left I get an email telling me to pay £2300 in a lump sum or over a 6 month period which is just shy of £400 per month… not forgetting a month before Christmas

"I do want to confirm that the commission fee, by definition, is charged solely for the direct or in-direct introduction of an eventual buyer. This charge is therefore unrelated the level of customer service perceived or received and is why an Estate Agent does not charge per contact and can offer a ‘no sale, no fee’ approach."
The above words are in response to my complaint following the poor service that I was offered by one of their estate agents branches in West Sussex.
Avoid if customer service is important to you!!

Awful company.

We are being left for at least a week without hot water and heating or any laterntive provisions no heaters NOTHING. The temperature outside is -2 tonight. I have 2 young children. This is completely UNACCEPTABLE.

No one cares and no one has any power or advice how to get the landlord to respond to our requests promptly or with any effective solution.

We've had no dishwasher or fridge either since we moved in 8 months ago - again no one really cares.

I really don't see the point in using these guys to manage your property unless you are a completely unethical landlord and need a protective barrier to muffle complaints.