John Shepherd Estate & Letting Agents - Birmingham

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.

The first thing I would like to thank Alex who had shown me around one of the properties and he was smooth with everything. The way information was relayed and was able to answer every question without the need to feel irritated since it’s my first time renting. He explained the process from start to end and was able to support me throughout the whole thing. The process in general was alright to be honest. Did need to contact the company that does the referencing couple times which made it irritating due to incorrectly doing their checks on me Other than that I’m happy with the service

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.

AVOID AVOID AVOID!!! This is the worst property management company ever, lying to their customers especially Claire!! I have been trying to book a viewing and from the minute she booked it, she tried everything to avoid it and finally when we showed up for the viewing nobody shows up and then she starts lying about the fact that I called her and then when asked for the call records, she needed IT assistance. This management company provides wrong information about contracts and mislead their tenants , trying to trap them. Avoid at all costs.

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.