Bourne Estate Agents
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Avoid this company.
Attention Foreign Nationals: Avoid This Company A year ago, when I was searching for a house to rent and was new to the UK, I didn’t have the required references. I told the agents I would pay an entire year of rent upfront to bypass the reference check and I was on a very tight moving schedule with only slightly more than two weeks to move. Despite my offer to pay upfront and my lack of references, it took them more than a week to process the reference check, which ultimately achieved nothing. I was forced to pay an additional £2,000 to the removal company due to the last-minute arrangements. Now, a year later, this company is demanding that I return the property in pristine condition, free from any wear and tear. They are treating a minor stain on the basin as damage and have even called an electrician for a lamp cover that only needed a simple adjustment to the lamp cover. This company's behavior reflects sheer greed and unprofessionalism. To anyone from abroad, particularly those from Hong Kong with substantial cash resources, do not grant them any leniency. There is no reason to be accommodating with them; they are profiting from you whether you are a tenant or a buyer. Best is avoid this company at all costs. Feb.2025 UPDATE I wasn’t going to name names, but since they’re pushing out the usual “due procedure” excuses, let’s be clear. Their sales/property manager, Ross, told me, "If you don’t want to rent the house, that can be arranged." This was less than a week before my tenancy was set to start. Completely unprofessional and dismissive. Now, a year and a half later, over six months after moving out, I still haven’t received my full deposit back due to a dispute. As expected, this company sided with the landlord who pays them, rather than being fair. Even after TDS stepped in, they did nothing to release the undisputed portion of my deposit—until I explicitly warned them I would file a complaint. Suddenly, they started "processing it." Avoid this company at all costs. They do not act in the tenant’s best interest and will drag out deposit returns for as long as possible.