John Shepherd Estate & Letting Agents - Birmingham

Almost 2 years with this letting agency- my property manager is not very attentive. Their maintenance team can be unprofessional. (Once attended, and left lights on the property all day) Would not recommend to anyone - there are far better letting agents in Birmingham (my experience in the past). My intercom has never worked, fridge issues/delivery is now taking more than 2 weeks to be replaced, lift in my bldg always breaks down. I’m now liaising directly with the Landlord, doing things that should’ve been their job to liaise. Considering how much I’m paying for the property, it’s badly managed. I’ve changed property manager now - which she’s more prompt in response. Wish I never entered a contract with them. Planning to relocate in the next few months out of UK, otherwise I would’ve moved out long time ago.

Worst estate agent we have ever dealt with. Extremely unprofessional and lacking any duty of care towards tenants. Communication has been consistently poor, with delays in responding to emails and requests. Due to these issues, we decided to move out. However, the agency has since provided what we believe to be inaccurate and misleading information to the referencing company. Our bedroom has suffered from mould since the day we moved in over 18 months ago. Despite reporting the issue on numerous occasions, it was never resolved. Instead, we were repeatedly told that the matter was being chased with the property manager, but no effective action was ever taken. During the bank holiday, we were locked out of our bedroom and made every reasonable effort to contact the agency before instructing an independent contractor to assist. Despite our tenancy agreement stating that such costs would be reimbursed in these circumstances, the agency is now refusing to refund us. We have requested copies of correspondence sent to the landlord regarding these issues, but these have not been provided. Based on our experience, we would not recommend this agency to anyone.

!!!NEGLIGENCE REDEFINED: TENANT SAFETY IGNORED!!! I am currently on Day 50 of living in a property managed by John Shepherd (Birmingham) that is unfit for human habitation. Since 9th February, I have been dealing with a severe structural leak that remains active and unresolved today. The agency’s handling of this emergency is a disgrace. I am currently forced to live with: Active Electrical Hazards: Water is leaking through internal light sockets. I have witnessed sparks on the electrical board twice, yet the source of the water has not been stopped. Visibility Issues & Safety: The contractor’s only action was to remove the light bulbs. This has left one side of my living area without light, making it difficult to see the constant flooding on the floor. Physical Injury: Because of the poor visibility and the wet floor, I have already suffered a physical slip injury, a direct result of the agency's failure to provide a safe environment. Outrageous Management Demands: Property Manager Melissa Cannon has told me it is my 'contractual duty' to keep cleaning up this structural floodwater. I am being treated as an unpaid maintenance worker for a building defect I did not cause. For over two weeks, Melissa Cannon has hidden behind a scripted 'business formal' response, stating she is 'in talks' with the landlord regarding a rent rebate. It takes five minutes to call a landlord, but this agency has stalled for 14 days while I continue to pay full rent for a hazardous, partially uninhabitable home. They are clearly prioritizing the landlord's future interests over my current physical safety. If you value your safety and expect an agent who actually picks up the phone, avoid John Shepherd at all costs.

My experience with John Shepherd Lettings has been appalling. They completely oversold their ability to manage the property and dramatically overestimated the achievable rent. In reality the property ended up letting for around 50% less than what they originally quoted, after I was pressurised into accepting a last-minute tenancy at a grossly deflated rate. Their management has been extremely poor. They do not reply to emails or complaints, and communication is essentially non-existent. Since deciding to remove them, the tenants informed me they had made multiple repair requests during the tenancy which were simply ignored, and eventually stopped contacting the agency because they knew they would not receive a response. The property was left filthy and badly damaged at checkout, showing a clear lack of oversight. They have also added charges without my consent, including rental protection insurance which was added without approval and they have refused to refund, despite me emailing multiple members of staff. Before appointing them I was managing the property myself while working full-time, and it was far less stressful than having John Shepherd involved. The whole experience has been financially damaging and incredibly frustrating. If even one person reads this review and decides not to use them, I’ll feel like I’ve saved someone from the same experience.

I’ve had a very positive experience with John Shepherd Lettings – Birmingham City Centre office. After not moving for several years, I was quite nervous about starting a tenancy again, especially as I haven’t had good experiences with other estate agents in the past. However, from the very beginning, their coordination and communication made the move-in process smooth and stress-free. What really stands out is their maintenance team. They respond quickly to any issues and keep tenants regularly updated until the matter is resolved. Even after moving in, they don’t leave tenants on their own – the support continues. I can also clearly see that they manage properties professionally for landlords as well. The way they handle maintenance and communication shows they care about protecting the landlord’s property while also supporting tenants fairly. That balance is not easy to find. The entire team in the Birmingham City Centre office has been professional, supportive, and proactive. Highly recommended.