Darlows - Canton Estate Agents Reviews 4

Absolutely terrible service. A complete waste of time and money - AVOID!! I’m so much happier now I have switched to another agent

I am writing to express my profound dissatisfaction with Darlows Estate Agency, which I consider one of the most unprofessional agencies I have encountered. As an investor, I had an offer accepted in November 2024 for a property advertised as a studio in Ferry Court. What followed was an exceptionally frustrating conveyancing process, marked by significant delays and poor communication from the vendor, their solicitor, and Darlows.

The conveyancing process took nearly seven months to reach the point of exchange. During this period, the vendor, their solicitor, and Darlows were consistently slow to respond, requiring me to send over 100 emails to chase progress. At times, the vendor’s solicitor failed to reply for weeks or even months, causing unnecessary delays. Conveniently, by the time we approached exchange, the tenant’s fixed-term tenancy had expired. Under Welsh law, this allowed the tenant to remain on a rolling contract, which was contrary to my interest as an investor, as my offer was conditional on purchasing the property with a fixed-term tenancy in place.

I explicitly requested that Darlows liaise with the vendor to ensure the property was either transferred with a fixed-term tenancy (as agreed in November 2024) or delivered vacant. In an email sent via the Darlows agent on 4 June 2025, I was assured that a tenancy agreement would be reinstated on the day of completion. Based on this assurance, I transferred all necessary funds. However, when the time came, the vendor and their solicitor denied any such arrangement, leaving me with the unacceptable option of accepting the property with a tenant on a rolling contract. This would have exposed me to the risk of a six-month tenancy continuation and the potential need for legal action to evict the tenant.

The sudden responsiveness of the vendor’s solicitor, who began replying to queries within hours once the fixed-term tenancy neared its end, contrasted sharply with their earlier delays. This pattern of behaviour, combined with the failure to honour the agreed tenancy terms, represents a serious breach of trust and professionalism. I am deeply disappointed by Darlows’ handling of this matter and their failure to ensure clear and accurate communication throughout the process.
Very conveniently the same property has been advertised straight away on same day (today - 26/06/2025 after wasting my 7 months)

A decent bunch. They've clearly got an eye for quality when it comes to sales, and an eye for detail going through the fine print that I was very impressed by, and perhaps most importantly, they were extremely patient with us as first time buyers.

We could've perhaps done with a bit more guidance, and certainly there was a lot of flailing about when things weren't going through that we could have had more support with, but they came through in the end and I got the firm impression that when it seemed they weren't entirely focussed on us, it was because they were focussed on the other half of the sale, and I can respect that.

Sold a flat through Darlows Canton. Exceptionally unprofessional, poor advice, poor management, poor communication. Really wish I’d used anyone else.