Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward (KFH) Estate Agents and Property Services Claim this business

Naomi Vanon Google

3 months ago

*** Update as of 22/07/26: I escalated my complaint through formal channels, reviewed by both the Senior Regional Team Manager and Head of Property Management, South. Unsurprisingly, neither agreed to refund the 2 months' of management fees totalling just £125. Most tellingly, they admit fault and acknowledge the loss of my time and money, yet hide behind the argument that the property was still being "managed" bearing in mind, management was appalling and subpar from the onset. The logical next step would be the Property Ombudsman, but frankly KFH have drained enough of my time and energy. I can only hope that this review and the photos speak for themselves and save anyone else from making the mistake of using their management services. *** 3 years of frustration I won't get back. KFH were keen and efficient when pitching for my business, once they had it, the service fell off a cliff. After 3 years "managing" my rental property, I wouldn't recommend them to anyone. My property manager changed around five times, communication was painfully slow, even scheduling a contractor took days of back-and-forth through KFH's "property management" when a direct call to the tenant would have taken minutes. At times I often wondered what the point of the management service was! I was constantly dragged into issues myself, making the management fee feel completely unjustified. When I sought advice on increasing rent after years of a fixed rate, they were slow to respond and the guidance they gave was poor and unhelpful, ultimately bringing an end to the tenancy. The final straw was when KFH advised my tenants to change the locks after they locked themselves out, without my knowledge or permission, essentially assisting the tenants in breaching the tenancy agreement. I only discovered this when my keys didn't work at the end of the tenancy. I raised a formal complaint requesting a refund of management fees for the period they withheld this information, a mere £130 to compensate for the stress I endured. Refused. Particularly upsetting was the state the garden was left in. We had lovingly poured money and effort into it and it had become our little oasis. Following property inspections, I explicitly asked my property managers to pay close attention to its deteriorating state and instruct the tenants to cut the grass and remove objects they had left, which were destroying our freshly laid turf that had cost us hundreds. Nothing was done. The lawn was completely ruined, the paving left tarnished, the hose broken. Through my own time and effort I pursued the matter through the TDS, though KFH who held the login details, made the dispute process unnecessarily difficult with poor communication and slow responses. What I managed to claim back barely covers the cost to re-turf. So much of the deposit dispute, and the headache and effort I had to put in to recover so little, could have been avoided if KFH had simply managed the property properly. They are keen to win your business but not interested in keeping it. Avoid at all costs!

Victoria Lamberton Google

2 months ago

Terrible property management group. So unresponsive and incompetent. They take weeks to respond to maintenance issues and don’t take the problems seriously. We’ve gone 2 months without hot water this month and it took 12 days before the property manager got someone out to check out the broken water pipe. Now we don’t have a working toilet and despite it being recorded as an urgent issue no one will pick up our calls. We have to contact our landlord to reach out to KFH to ever get them to respond to our emails or calls. I’m really at my wits ends here and am baffled how this company still exists when they treat tenants like this. It’s a full time job trying to get them to do their job

Hannah Sophieon Google

5 months ago

TERRIBLE experience! What should have been a routine change of sharer turned into a three‑month process characterised by delays, poor communication, and inaccurate, and at times clearly misleading information. I requested a specific date for the tenancy change three months in advance, which was initially agreed. I was later told the landlord had declined this and that the change could only take place on the monthly contract date. This was not true. KFH later admitted they had not been able to contact the landlord for over a month, which strongly suggests my request was never properly raised in the first place. I was therefore given incorrect information to justify delays; essentially lied to straight to my face. Communication throughout was consistently unacceptable. Emails routinely went unanswered, I considered myself lucky whenever I managed to get a response after a week, and I had to chase repeatedly just to get basic updates. There was no sense of ownership or urgency at any stage, despite the very real financial and stress-inducing impact this situation was having. I remained tied to the tenancy far longer than I should have been, not just until the revised contract date, but well beyond it, due to further delays. Remember: this process was kicked off three (3) months before the due date and I was left paying for two properties at once as my new lease elsewhere had already started. The ongoing uncertainty, not knowing when something would be resolved, or whether anything was actually being progressed behind the scenes drove me insane. When the change of sharer was eventually processed, weeks after the originally agreed date, there was again no proactive communication. I was not informed that the new contract had been finalised and only found out after chasing and chasing and chasing yet again. The contract itself had to be reissued three times due to apparent confusion around the requirements of the new Renters’ Rights Act. For a lettings agency, I would expect a firm grasp of current regulation, especially one that has been so widely discussed within and outside of the industry. Finally, the overall approach from the team made an already stressful situation worse. Communication was consistently dismissive and unhelpful, with certain individuals displaying a notably uncooperative and, at times, unnecessarily confrontational and arrogant attitude. At no point did I feel like my situation was being handled with any degree of care or accountability. This process was not only extremely inefficient, it was a genuinely stressful and financially damaging experience characterised by a lack of basic competence, professionality, and communication. 10/10 would NOT recommend. If you are planning on maintaining your mental health and managing your anxiety levels (and finances), I would strongly advise you to approach with caution.

zac doddson Google

2 months ago

Been letting through KFH for years now. Always had an amazing experience (Shikha was fantastic) until recently when Olga took over managing our property. Our oven has been broken for 8 weeks now and emails are being ignored and calls aren't being answered. Renters beware.

Adam Thillon Google

7 months ago

KFH have been managing my property for 3 years and the service has been both professional and stress free. Mishaal Mehmood has been a great focal point. Assisting to troubleshoot issues and communicate with the tenants.