Foxtons

I was this close to sign a 12 months contract. They were so friendly but at some point they turned very aggressive, like pitching on cold calls.
Thank God it came in my mind to ask for a chair and a basic table. I’ve asked, they responded negative, I’ve persuaded and they turned a bit aggressive pushing me to sign ASAP.
Felt pushed from behind, refused officially, then they’ve asked the reasons and then they’ve literally turned against me with arguments — felt a bit uncomfortable but the outcome is the expected one: Foxtons is not good for business.
Lots of negative reviews out there!

Worst agency to use. Watch out, they will keep your deposit, let people into your place without your consent and not return your phone calls.
Using them was the worst experience I had living in London.

I’ve attempted to rent through Foxtons several times over the years.
They use the strategy of first lowering your expectations and then hopefully make you sign up for something overpriced and inappropriate. Behavioral economists call this «framing».
They generally followed this pattern:
1) You specify the sort of property you’re interested in.
2) This information is ignored.
3) An agent takes you to a property that is usually below ground with little or no natural light. On one occasion I got there through a network of tunnels, ducking under pipes.
4) You are shocked when you hear the price this property is on the market for, for instance GBP400 per week for a studio.
5) You are then shown another property, which is habitable, albeit barely, and this is offered at a lower price, say GBP380 per week for a studio. You feel that that’s a relatively good deal, compared to the first place, and if you’re demoralized enough, you sign up for it.
I recommend just insisting on not being shown another property if the first one you see is bad. This makes their ridiculous strategy backfire, because instead of just them wasting your time by showing you things you would never rent, you’ve now wasted their time by not looking at anything else.

Best rental estate agency we used in London, bar none. Unfortunately we found a flat through a different agency. Despite the fact that we love our new flat, we were disappointed to not get the chance to work with Foxtons because they were so professional and cooperative.
First of all, they’re open until 8 pm on weekdays, and even from 9 – 5 pm on both Saturdays AND Sundays. The extended hours alone make it dramatically easier for working people, especially being open on Sundays.
Our agent Wes was professional, prompt, cooperative, knowledgeable and helpful, without ever being too sales-​y. All of these qualities were in sharp contrast to other agencies with whom we worked.
Finally, they simply have the most and best listings. Plus, not only does the website actually work, but it’s technically advanced and actually functions at a 2011 level as opposed to a circa 1999 level like those of other agencies. The filters and mapping functions are light years ahead of the competition.
Bonus: Free soft drinks in the office.
We will unquestionably be using Foxtons for our next London property search.