Extremely disappointing experience with John Shepherd Derby and not an agency I would ever recommend.
My 19-year-old daughter rented through them for her first tenancy experience, and what should have been an exciting step turned into an unnecessarily stressful and frustrating process. We paid almost £5,000 upfront at the beginning of the tenancy, yet at the end they still chose to pursue a cleaning deduction despite us providing extensive dated photographic evidence showing the property was left clean.
We also had to challenge the original inventory at the start of the tenancy because it was inaccurate and incomplete, with amendments later accepted in writing by the agency. In addition, we had email confirmation stating that professional cleaning was not required. Despite all of this, we were still forced into a TDS dispute process over £120.
After adjudication, the majority of the money was returned to us, which speaks for itself.
As a landlord myself, I found the treatment we received particularly disappointing. I understand the importance of protecting properties and being fair to both sides, but this felt excessive and unreasonable from the outset. The process left the impression that tenants — particularly young or first-time renters — may feel pressured to accept deductions rather than go through the time, stress, and inconvenience of formally disputing them simply because most people need their deposit returned quickly.
I was determined to stand my ground and proceed through the dispute process on principle because I did not believe the claim was justified.
The entire process was exhausting, disproportionate, and completely unnecessary over such a small amount of money. I would strongly encourage future tenants to document absolutely everything and challenge inaccuracies immediately.
Based on our experience, I would never recommend John Shepherd Derby.

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