3rd Jul 2026 (9 days ago)
I recently dealt with Upper Class Estates regarding a tenancy application for a property in London.<br><br>Overall, my experience involved a number of communication and process issues which made it difficult to proceed with confidence.<br><br>Initially, I arranged to view a top floor flat that had been advertised as available. Prior to travelling, I contacted the company to confirm availability after noticing the listing appeared as unavailable on other platforms. I was advised that the property was still available.<br><br>However, upon attending the viewing after travelling from the North, I was shown a different flat rather than the one I had originally arranged to view. When I asked about the original property, I was informed that it was no longer available. This was confusing given the prior confirmation and affected my trust in the process.<br><br>Following this, I proceeded with a second property viewing and later entered the application process.<br><br>During the application stage, I experienced inconsistent communication, including delays and missed responses to emails and phone calls, and difficulty obtaining clear information at key points.<br><br>At one stage, I was encouraged to continue with the application and proceed with signing the tenancy agreement, with reference made to the fact that I had said I “really liked” the property during the viewing. I found this approach unprofessional, as I felt it did not appropriately address outstanding concerns regarding documentation and process clarity.<br><br>I was also given a 24 hour time window to sign the tenancy agreement and transfer the full funds for the deposit and first month’s rent. This was requested at a stage where I had not yet been provided with all required supporting documentation, including Gas Safety and Electrical Safety certificates. The tenancy agreement itself required confirmation that these documents had been received.<br><br>During this period, I was informed that these documents were held by the landlord but were temporarily unavailable due to the landlord being away holiday. However, I had already been sent a tenancy agreement to sign, despite the landlord also being described as unavailable to complete the process. This created further uncertainty around the process.<br><br>Over the course of the week while I requested a refund of my holding deposit, I was told that attempts were being made to contact the landlord, and that the landlord was trying to retrieve documents from a contractor or arrange replacements. I was later informed that new inspections may need to be carried out after the intended tenancy start date in order to recreate the required certificates, which further added to a lack of clarity.<br><br>There were also inconsistencies in communication regarding the landlord’s identity, as they were referred to using both male and female pronouns at different times.<br><br>I also noticed that the Property Redress Scheme certificate displayed on their website appeared to be significantly out of date at the time, which added to my concerns regarding compliance and transparency. In addition, I was unable to clearly locate a formal complaints procedure on their website, which contributed further to my concerns about the clarity of their processes.<br><br>Overall, I found it concerning that a property was being marketed for tenancy without clear access to the required compliance documents, and that I was being asked to proceed with signing an agreement which referenced documents I had not yet been provided with.<br><br>Throughout this process, I felt that clear structural and procedural issues were not addressed directly, and instead I was encouraged to proceed despite these concerns. I requested the return of my holding deposit on several occasions before it was eventually refunded.<br>As a result of these issues, I chose to withdraw my application.<br><br>Based on my experience, I would not feel confident recommending this company to friends or family. In the limited time I dealt with them, I found the overall process to be the most unprofessional experience I have personally had with an estate agency.... Read more