CKB Estate Agents Reviews

At the start of the tenancy, dealing with ckb was a pleasure. Fatlum was very good with us indeed. As we approached tenancy renewal, we started getting into issues. They came up with a rent increase when all the rental housing market was going down. We refused to pay extra rent.They charged us admin fee for renewing the tenancy contract when it was just a date change. Then we realised communication was not really good between them and the landlord. For instance the landlord told us the agent said we did not allow visitors at the end of our tenancy when we did give them specific hours. The communication was also not good with us. It would have been a good thing to get back to us and say those hours do not work for us and here is why. We thought they were managing the property when in fact they were not. As a result information that should have reached the landlord did not and we did not get an email back to say they were not dealing with it. They can certainly improve their communication and customer service. It may be a good idea for the next tenants to clearly set expectations about who (landlord/agent) to contact for what and who is responsible for what since this was quite confusing for us. We are disappointed and we do not recommend.

The agent that we worked with up front was great and helpful and for him and those we dealt with up front we would have given 5! Thereafter we encounter a number of challenges. Agent / Landlord arrangements were not detailed Multiple times we were left in a bad place due to this and had almost forgotten until we were reminded in terrible fashion after leaving a rental property. After subsequent emails, it is now clear the Agent was only handling finding tenant/contract, in/out inventory nothing else! - When in the flow of dealing with things with them, when things fell ‘outside’ their scope they never flagged it or corrected. Between not owning issues and not putting customer 1st in this when things were going to the wrong place they should have told us, corrected and CC the correct path! - Own the issue! This does not mean you have done more than contractually obligated to do but and example of what it does mean in if it does not belong in your reply back and say so! Leaving it as is will result in it happening again and again!!! We are now left with both agent and landlord pointing fingers at each other! When trying to relay agent interaction with the Landlord “If you have an issue with them then you should not have used them and take it up with them!” - Requested viewings and with that we were extremely busy and office bound and out 8-7, we gave what evenings and weekend time we could be available to let them in and never heard back. Normally agents that have people that are wanting to view are on your back! Also if times and availability don’t work then tell us! Hell even remind us of relevant contractual terms if needed but do not just leave us waiting!! We ended up keeping our-self free for those time for them and nothing happened! Now after the fact and in discussing our reviews, the agent has clarified they only operate 9/5 weekdays. This reminded us of challenged we had in searching were if you work 9/5 weekdays it makes it that much harder to get to see places and this was an issue we had when searching! We made a couple of pointers to them! -With that grey who owns what and around checking/out times put the tenant on copy or the landlord! It is no good to be left in the dark or after the fact be left in the lurch! -Correct any incorrect communicate topic/channel! -Identify were you can improve and apologize were needed! Do not apologize for the landlord! -Other items need to be made clear upfront: The Admin fee for renewal (all well a year later saying they are on your web site and in our offices (never set foot in the office!), in past rentals with other companies extensions and admin fees were discussed upfront and there were no surprises! Welcome £120 charge, One of the highlights “This is a time-consuming process and therefore a lot of admin work is involved, hence the charges applicable for all renewals.” We did a fine check over the old/new contracts: only dates had been changed. Went looking for them now and looks like web version is still broken or not easy to find. Searched their web and what I found: Fees By law, letting agents now need to display their fees prominently in each office, on their website, in marketing materials and on their property adverts on portals. Fees should be clearly expressed and agents are not allowed to use unspecified generic terms such as “Agreement Fee” without specifying what is included. Always ask your chosen agent for their fee structure so you don’t get any nasty surprises. FEES Letting Fee Information The asking rent does not include letting fees and Tenants are not required to pay lettings fees as of 1st June 2019. Interesting date.. and is the could this be the reason was not found due to no longer allowed? Searched the web about found mention: “• Agents and landlords will not be able to charge for the renewal of a new tenancy. If the tenancy was entered into before 1 June 2019, renewal fees agreed at the time will be payable – but only until 31 May 2020.” Looks like web site needs some updating..

I was always very grateful to go through these agents especially Kelly Gimour, who always provided a prompt and helpful response and gave me quick references hereafter upon moving. 5 star service.

I've been a tenant now for 5 years through CKB and they have been very professional in dealing with matters relating to the property. They are always available via phone and emails to deal with my concerns and they are addressed swiftly as well. Should you find yourself renting through them, you would be in good hands.

Kelly recently helped us out with a heating issue- she responded almost instantly and helped us sort it out with in a couple of days, which was fantastic. She also helped us with some other issues fairly fast too. Thank you for your help!

I highly recommend the Agency. Kemal and Kelly are very nice people. I was renting a flat from them over 10 years. I was not happy when I had to change the Agency as I moved to a different area. The communication was very good and they were trying to help us when we needed support from them. Very quick with replying emails and with the reaction on problems at home. Very friendly people. Thank you for everything Kemal, Kelly and the whole team. Special thank you for Mustafa and the amazing family. Much appreciated. Aneta

I have just gone through my first experience of renting a property and I am so glad that I went with CKB. From start to finish everything has happened smoothly without delay. Josh Harvey who was dealing with me directly was brilliant. Always on hand if I had any questions and worked extremely hard to make sure that I had a great experience. Josh was very professional and friendly 10/10, would recommend to everyone.

Kelly and Kemal have been dealing with the management of my property for almost 2 years now and I couldn’t fault the way in which they work. Highly recommend to any landlord looking for an agent who provides a hands on approach.

I’ve been looking for a new flat, as my current tenancy is due to end soon. I saw a few properties I was interested in, called up & spoke to a lovely lady called Laura. Laura was very attentive and offered a great customer service. I’ve worked in customer service since leaving school, and I really appreciate when someone goes the extra mile - so I’d like to thank Laura for her time. Unfortunately the properties had already been let out, but I’ll be keeping in touch in case anything suitable comes up soon. Thanks Laura, great service!

I'm a new young buyer, looking for a new house to buy or rent. So I called ckb estate agents, I spoke to a lady called Laura from the eltham branch. She was very helpful and informational. She showed me the houses that was perfect for what I was asking for. I will be looking to view very soon. I would recommend talking to Laura if you are a first time buyer

Great and friendly staff and very helpful with the moving and settling process

Laura is reliable, efficient and very polite. She is easy to talk to and lays out a simple, clear explanation with each step of renting a property.

My experience with CKB has been very good, Kelly, Cengiz and Jack made me feel very comfortable, a good team without a doubt.

My experience with CKB has been absolutely amazing. Cengiz & Kelly are very professional and knowledgeable. They stay on top of things and keep you updated regularly. They have a real friendly and genuine approach to their customers that is lacking from the larger estate agents. I strongly recommend CKB to anyone looking to buy or rent.

I called up enquiring about a property in the local area. I spoke to a lady by the name of Laura, unfortunately there was nothing available that suited my search at this time. But I just want to say I'm impressed with her professional telephone manor and friendly approach.

We used CKB estate agents initially to sell our parents’ house last year and are now in the process of selling our own property in New Eltham through them. Throughout both sales CKB have been absolutely outstanding, so professional, personable and caring, holding our hand each step of the way. They have made what can be a very stressful time, a very easy and happy experience for us both. For anyone looking to sell, buy or rent, we honestly can’t recommend them enough and we can 100% guarantee you will receive the same outstanding service as we have. Special thank you to Cengiz Kemal and his team for everything you have done for us, we cannot thank you enough. Terri & Allan.

Great agency that helped us find our first rental home. They found us a great new build for a reasonable price. Would recommend.

CKB Estate Agents have been exemplary and professional in everyone in renting my flat. As a landlord I've been renting my property for many years with the usual big estate agent chains. My experience has not been great and seems to be a one size fits all service. For example, tenants are not properly checked and interviewed, the rental pricing is negotiated at a low price with false claims that this is the highest that can be achieve in market (in order to get the property off their books and meet their monthly targets), inexperienced agents lack sufficient knowledge and at worse provide inaccurate information and communications are poor whereby I’m often chasing for an update. This was not my experience with Kemal at CKB Estate Agents. Kemal offers a refreshingly new and tailored service against the norm of what is expected. For instance, before taking on my property Kemal provided invaluable advice on how could improve my property to yield the best rental income which I took on board. This achieved excellent results with the number of high viewings and rental value of the property which was marketed professionally with sufficient research on the area and even local events. His office was always on hand to provide feedback, and walk me through the somewhat complex process of renting – offering clear and honest advice. Incidentally Kemal holistic service also extended to provide advice on insurance and tax implications. Kemal was extremely polite and nothing was ever too much. One may be attracted by the brands, advertising and false economy of the large estate agents but if you want an honest tailored service supported by sound professional advice than I would suggest you try the family business of CKB Estate Agents.

Service at another level by an independent agent We had never heard of CKB Estate Agents until we saw their brand new office in Eltham. After speaking to one of their managers we decided to rent out our property with them. It has turned out to be a really good decision as tenants were found and background checked in a matter of weeks. Since then we have had excellent service from CKB as our managing agents. We had a very urgent service request due to a high fire risk and Kelly Gilmour, our property manager, was able to make arrangements faster than tenants could confirm they would be at home to let technicians in. In less than 24 hours of the issue being reported we had a technician from the boiler company in to ensure the boiler is safe and then the following day the required electrical work was carried by a separate technician. We were very impressed by the speed and accuracy of the work. We hope to receive such good service from CKB for years to come.

The service and professionalism Cengiz at CKB has provided to us has been impeccable. He is very approachable and knowledgeable. He has kept us informed and updated throughout the buying process, answering our questions promptly, not to mention getting our offer accepted quickly with the vendor. I would have no hesitation in recommending their services.