I really recommend City Property Lets. They've obviously had a lot of experience dealing with…read morestudents because they instantly knew what all our concerns were, without us even saying. They knew Bristol inside out (as you'd hope from an estate agent) but I felt really comfortable with them. When I used City Property Lets, it was the first time I tried to find a place with friends. It was during my first year when the university was telling me that I needed to start looking for houses right after Christmas and needed to have a house/flat all sorted by March. My friends and I were really panicking about finding the right place, but the estate agent calmed us down and helped us ask the right and necessary questions when we went house-hunting.

I used City Property Lets to find a flat after graduating and the team were friendly, polite and…read morehelpful. The company service both students and young professionals and listened to our concerns and responded to our quires in a timely manor. If we couldn't get hold of our landlord for any reason CPL would send out a maintenance man and when we had trouble getting out deposit back (direct from our landlord) we approached CPL and they took our issue seriously, contacting our landlord for an explanation immediately. When we went to look at a flat that we decided to rent, there were other people looking round at the same time as us. As the property was on a first come first served application process, we were anxious to fill out the forms straight away. Spotting this, our agent event gave us a lift from the property to the office so we didn't miss out - that's what I call good customer service.

This was the lettings agency I had to go through when I moved into my current flat. I'm always wary…read moreof agencies, as I've had my share of bad experiences in the past. In this case, however, I was pleasantly surprised. As far as I can tell Pentrich Properties consists of a small office located on Coldharbour Road and one small Smart car. The very nice lady who sorted out my deposit and contract etc, it later transpired, was also the owner of the business. Unlike some of the larger firms of letting agents I've had dealings with, the staff were very helpful and easy to get hold of at all times. In this case they were only looking after us until we moved in (we now go straight to the landlord if there are any problems), but during that time they certainly did an excellent job.

I've used Ocean a number of times in the last decade - their staff have always been friendly,…read moreprofessional and not at all pushy. If you're looking for an Agent who has a very good understanding of the local housing market across Bristol, then they're definitely worth checking out.

Terrible experience. Incompetent and rude staff, we have had on going issues that they are…read moreunwilling to address. It's the bad attitude of the staff that is the biggest problem.

If the Bristol letting/estate market were likened to a football division then CJ Hole would be in…read morethe title race along with Andrews and Ocean. I rarely hear praise for CJ Hole, their fees are immense and their service comes with a rather corporate feel. On the plus side they did have a big marketing budget and everybody's heard of them, so while they won't jump through hoops for you they are likely to get the job done.

Without doubt Bristol's finest letting agent. Extremely impressed by the continual quality service…read more I have been a landlord client now for over 4 years and have seen the service levels grow and exceed expectations. I never used to receive the sort of service I now enjoy from previous managing agents - for example I receive 3 monthly inspection reports with photos, I don't think my previous agent ever went to the flat after the tenants they found moved in! Exceptional attention to detail and the highest levels of customer service seem to be what this company excel in. Having introduced myself to my tenants I know they are also delighted with the service. In a world where it's all so easy to find fault and pick holes, especially when it comes to the evil "estate agents" - these guys have changed my whole perception and prove it is possible to focus on delivering exceptional service in any industry! Way to go guys, you've got a lifelong customer in me.

Bristol Res Lets, as they could be abbreviated, are one of the larger lettings agent in Bristol,…read moreoperating mostly in the affluent north Bristol areas of Clifton, Cotham, Redland etc. They run a pretty large scale operation, and you're likely to see some of their cars milling around the roads when you've been here long enough (or care to look out for those type of things). Their staff are all pretty friendly, and work hard to ensure viewings are useful, and should it get to the next stage, that the official documentation goes ahead smoothly. Their offices are situated near the bottom of Whiteladies Road, in a big glass fronted premises that holds the ads of their available places. It's quite a swanky looking office, so they've clearly made efforts to look presentable, which isn't the case for some other lettings agents in the city. If you go down the road of Lettings Agents, fees are inevitable, but theirs are quite reasonable compared to market. They have a number of the high quality type places you'd expect to find in the expensive areas in which they operate, so if you have a large budget you'd do worse than giving them a go.

To find this place look out for ashop front is smart in black with a stylish green logo. The theme…read moreis continued inside with big leather chairs and everyone talking calmly and confidently into their phones. I've always thought estate agency was a bit of a confidence trick (how else do they get away with such exorbitant prices?) and they've done their best to keep up their charade here. Right, now I'm finished with that slightly bitter description of what they look like I should give an assessment of the service they deliver. First I should highlight that they're an lettings agent, rather than sales. Things are done on time and phones are answered, which is more than a lot of the colleagues can manage. They do charge a lot, but then so does everyone else so I shouldn't hold that against them. Another plus is that they actually manage to say a few words when they're showing you around the place, again something a lot of other estate agents don't manage. Bristol Residential Letterings do a bad job well, if that makes sense.

You would think that the ability to spell "lease" would be the one of the only literacy…read morerequirements expected of a letting agent. Nugent and Wallis cannot spell "lease" on their application forms and contract documents. This... doesn't inspire confidence. The showing started off with a nice older female agent who performed the Ritual of Which-Key-Is-It with 9/10 points for style, faffing and near-lockouts. My husband and I looked around the apartment and liked it. As we were leaving, we encountered another couple on the doorstep. They had apparently been scheduled for the same showing, had been left waiting, and were a bit annoyed. Eventually, I was the one who figured out that the agent had been double-booked without being informed, and I was the one who suggested that the correct thing to do was to give this couple their own showing. This... didn't inspire confidence either. While the application agent we worked with was a pleasant young brunette with a bit of intelligence in her eyes, the senior agents were a certain kind of older blonde lady who bellowed confidential client details at each other across the tiny office like mastodons across a primeval swamp. They seemed to do little except crash around the office making tea and gossiping loudly about said clients. Of course I listened to every word, and was interested to note how classist the agents were, seeming to think that a person who wasn't white and over 30 couldn't possibly afford their properties. This continued to not inspire confidence, although it provided an education. And we weren't even offered any of the resulting tea! I couldn't help but wonder what they said about us when we left. The agents also exhibited reading and comprehension difficulties. My husband and I printed our full names clearly on the application form. Apparently baffled by the fact that my last name is different than my husband's, the agents completely ignored my name and instead queried our references about Mrs Husbandname HusbandLastname. They expressed shock and confusion when our references sarcastically replied that no such person existed, but that they would be happy to provide references for me, Ms. Myname. Because that is my name. My credit, work documents, leases, visa documents and bank information are all under MY NAME. To repeat: my legal name was clearly printed on the form, they chose to ignore it, and they wallowed in the resulting delays and confusion when this made it harder for them to investigate me. At this point, we were looking for a shred of confidence to be inspired by. We found it. Because I am self-employed and American, we apparently needed a co-signer, although my husband's salary was more than sufficient to cover their minimal requirements. We chose my husband's parents to co-sign the lease for the apartment we could more than afford. Nugent and Wallis sent them a contract that was so full of holes that my father-in-law, a contract lawyer, sent it back with corrections. The resulting silence lasted for a week. We began to worry that not only would they not give us the apartment, but that they'd keep the 300 pound fee out of sulkiness. I am not a native of Britain, although my husband is, so I was surprised by the real estate system here. I have actually worked in the real estate system in the States, and it costs me $25 and about an hour to run a credit check on a potential tenant. Yes, even an international credit check. Yes, even when I have other properties to maintain. Yes, even when the renters have different last names. But we wanted to rent a specific flat, so we had no choice but to go through Nugent and Wallis. We paid them 300 pounds and they took ten days to... well... well, to be fair, they were quite polite and nice. The apartment is lovely. The sense of competent, organized professionalism was just not there. (Nugent and Wallis, if you need a proofreader, call me.)

This appears to be one of the more understated yet high end letting agents in Redland. There sure…read moreis no shortage of letting agents, it can be so hard to know where to start. If you don't want to be messed around by some young upstart with a giant ego and a rubbish new Mini Cooper then you could do a lot worse than go to Nugent and Wallace. Sure, they don't have the sheer amount of properties on their books that say Andrews and Ocean do but the ones they have are pretty good finds and usually get snapped right up so you need to be on the ball and keep checking there regularly. Most of the staff are women who seem to have been in the business for a good few years (no offence and all, I'm not saying they are old, just knowledgeable). It doesn't seem like the more student-focused letting agents, which if you're a young professional or family is obviously a good thing.