Braemore - Lettings And Estate Agency

I am an overseas landlord and have been letting my own home through Braemore Lettings and Estate agency for the past 12 years. The marvel is that through their excellent mediation between tenant and landlord - that is minimal - and due to their professionalism, careful vetting of both landlord and tenant, including the rented property, I have become almost detached from any emotional involvement in my own home. That is a supreme achievement and all credit is due to Braemore, my individual property manager and support staff throughout the organization - it's a collective effort. For this "peace of mind," Braemore's management fee is incredible value, considering the array of services they provide to me. 100% satisfaction! N.M. California

I have dealt with Gillian Brian on a number of occasions mainly in connection with legislative issues that arise with regard to the two properties Braemore look after on my behalf.
I have always found Gillian to be extremely helpful and above all very knowledgeable of the matters that arise within her remit. Recently she went out of her way to obtain an alternative estimate for some remedial work required in a Legionella assessment. I gain the impression she wants to give her clients the very best service and I am grateful for her input and guidance.

First of all - please do notice that most of 5^ reviewers have only 1 or 2 reviews which is quite suspicions.

The review itself:
On the bright side I'd like to give complements to Lynne Moore - new tenancy advisor. She'd always reply quite promptly and did her best to help resolve issues although the other company members were not responsive at all.

Everything was fine before the deposit was placed. The agency does not show any flexibility in setting up renting date or paying rent.

When I had to move out - I got all the information just a week before vacating although I have asked for it a few times with no response.

Additionally, property managed added 2 days on my rent although he received and confirmed the receipt of the end of tenancy notice the same day it was sent and when I asked for final date he never gave the precise one saying "28 days from notice"(complaint is getting filled and will be taken to ombudsman if necessary just out of principle).

Addition: they charged me late rental fees while my final payment was in dispute. That's pretty much tells everything about this agency. I really regret I did not read reviews before renting from the. Please avoid at all costs.

Really nice experience. The agent (Paul Davis) really helped us to get the flat we selected, and made tremendous efforts for us to get a good deal. It was in minted conditions and looked as good as in the pictures! No time wasting with this agency.
I had a previous viewing with Braemore before (2 years ago) and the flat they were offering was wonderful. So I can really say they have a very high standard.

This is my first time using Braemore to rent a property in Edinburgh. They promptly email and respond to any questions. Paul Davis was our letting agent and he was very friendly and considerate. Answered all our questions and made the viewing process very easy. He was very prompt and punctual with the appointment. Very nice staff and they always answer promptly. Thank you very much Paul!

All the staff have been very helpful, answered any queries quickly and kept me updated throughout the whole process. The property manager, Pauline Davies, was pro-active and professional throughout our let. Thank you should also go to Susan Ryles who is also very efficient in her role. I would recommend Braemore to anyone looking to let a property in Edinburgh.

Had an excellent tenant experience with Braemore. From the beginning till the end, my property manager (Katie McCarthy) was absolutely professional. Got lots of help from her arranging inspections at a convenient time, quick replies to my queries, or information I needed. I couldn’t be present at my final inspection, but I was at ease as I was sure Her high standards would make things not complicated at all.

We were spoiled with our previous Property Manager however Katie McCartney who replaced her has proved to be of the same excellent standard. Katie is professional, efficient and uses common sense to deals with matters arising. She is so pleasant to deal with and we are quite to leave her and Braemore to look after our property.

I have had quite a few Property Managers with Braemore but I must commend my present one Emma Haddow. She is excellent. She is professional, efficient and she makes sensible suggestions without pushing the needs. Emma makes decisions easier because of her natural insight into the tenants comforts and requirements and the Landlord's responsibilities. She is also very pleasant to deal with and I am grateful for her input and suggestions and how quickly she gets things done. People like this make any firm much better and more efficient.

Braemore are an efficient and well organised property management company and I wouldn’t hesitate recommending them to friends. My overall experience staying in a property managed by Braemore has been extremely satisfying. Customer service was exceptional. Staff has been efficient and I have received excellent service from them. I stayed for 2 years at a property managed by Rachel. Rachel has been polite, responsive, friendly, informative and really helpful overall. Communication was professional, clear, consistent and prompt. She has been a great property manager and it was a pleasure to deal with.

Tenants - beware. I'm sure that landlords do well out of Braemore but from the moment they bought over my previous letting agency I had trouble. I always kept the flat as well as possible - it was in need of some renovation but on the whole the landlords and I had left each other alone for the best part of a decade. It was immediately clear that the agents at Braemore could see "potential" for greater returns.
The upshot was that they arranged to evict me from my home of 11 years - the notice was served for a date of 18th December, a particularly nice touch - so that they could increase the rent by more than would have been permissible for a sitting tenant. This was conveyed to me in a rushed 15 second phone call followed by a 2-line e-mail. Greedy and unethical. I am only giving one star because I can't submit this otherwise. Avoid avoid avoid.

...and in response to the below, well, no I don't suppose you would. Shelter Scotland, Citizens' Advice and my solicitor all agreed it was, however. After having contractors in and out quoting for about a year, they gave one date for me to get out for a month for heating to be installed and the flat renovated. I said I couldn't manage this specific date and their response was to serve eviction - the point, of course, being that there's a limit to how much the rent can be increased for a sitting tenant (it's now nearly double what I used to pay). Lewis Baker even said to me, "You would be welcome to rent it again after the work is done." Part of the rush, obviously, was the change in the law in 2017 that would have prevented this. Therefore, yes, I would say that was unethical.

I have to give a review of Susan R as she was so helpful. We needed a reference for a new place as we are moving out of Edinburgh. She dealt with our query extremely quickly and effectively and went above and beyond. Cant thank her enough!

I would also add that Lewis has been fantastic as a property manager. Effective and quick at resolving any issues.

Worst letting agency I have ever dealt with. We have lived with them for multiple years now. During one winter the boiler broke to the point that it would only come on if you fiddled with it for half an hour. After repeatedly ignored requests to fix the boiler in the middle of winter they provided us with space heaters but did not offer compensation. It took a total of 4 months to replace the boiler. In another instance our washing machine broke once again they did not follow up on repeated requests to fix it, leaving us without a washing machine for around 3 months. Following this episode we had a huge and unsightly leak in our ceiling, and two and a half years later there has still been no attempt at repairs. More recently there has been a second leak, which again has not been repaired after about 6 months. The wall is now moldy and a health risk but Braemore has done nothing.

Pictures of the state of our wall in the kitchen attached below, it has been in this state for 2 years.

Edit: Note that there has been no attempt by Braemore "to be in touch after we have looked into this", despite their automated response to this post.

From the initial meeting to the day we signed the new lease with our tenant, the service could not have been better. An absolute pleasure to deal with and peace of mind knowing we are using an honest, reliable, professional managing agent for our property. Very highly recommended