My partner and I recently purchased our first home through Connells Horsham. Unfortunately after our offer was accepted, the service we received from the branch was extremely disappointing.

During our initial viewing we were informed that the sellers had already found their onward property. As we had just secured a buyer for my partner’s property, we were optimistic about a short chain and quick process. Our offer was accepted promptly, which was the only point at which communication with the branch was efficient. Shortly afterwards we discovered that our sellers had not actually secured another property, something that had not been made clear earlier.

From that point onwards communication was extremely poor. We received no proactive updates and only obtained information by repeatedly contacting the branch ourselves. We discovered that our sellers had eventually found a vacant onward property by myself calling the branch for an update.

Nearly two months into the process our solicitor informed us that they had still not received draft contract papers despite repeated attempts to contact the sellers’ solicitor. After raising this with Connells we were eventually told our sellers had changed solicitors and that the branch apparently had not been informed of the new details, despite our solicitor having copied Connells into multiple communications chasing this information.

At another stage our buyer faced a tenancy deadline and mortgage expiry, which we communicated clearly to the branch. When raising this concern with the branch manager, I was told—without any apparent review of our case—that we still had “weeks” to complete. This reassurance proved to be inaccurate and no further updates were provided.

Arranging a second viewing to take measurements was also unnecessarily difficult. After four phone calls over a week and being repeatedly told they could not reach our seller, this caused us yet more stress receiving no communication considering our journey so far. My partner called to complain and the appointment was arranged within 20 minutes; clearly no earlier attempts were made.

Due to the lack of progress and communication, we were forced to move into rented accommodation before Christmas in order not to lose our buyer. In early 2026 we then learned via our solicitor that a divorce at the top of the chain could cause significant delays—information that had never been communicated to us by Connells despite earlier assurances that the onward purchase was vacant.

On completion day we were informed by our solicitor at 12:30pm that completion had taken place and the keys could be released. However, when I arrived at the branch at 2pm I was told they had not received confirmation and could not release the keys. Our solicitor confirmed Connells had been notified completion had taken place and to release the keys twice. After returning to the branch at 3pm I finally collected the keys, only to discover the sellers were still moving out. We couldn't access the property until 5pm.

We submitted a formal complaint detailing these issues and provided supporting evidence including call logs and emails. While the response was apologetic in tone, Connells stated there was insufficient evidence of failures and offered £150 as a gesture of goodwill, which didn't come close to covering the additional costs incurred due to delays and having to move twice. Escalating the complaint resulted in the same outcome and no further engagement.

As first-time buyers we expected the estate agent to play a supportive and communicative role in the process. Unfortunately, throughout the purchase Connells Horsham provided little assistance, poor communication, and no accountability for the issues we experienced.