Leaders Letting and Estate Agents in Cambridge

Ive dealt with Leaders Cambridge a lot over the last decade and their property management department is very good. Recently I have dealt with the property management department, in particular Abi, Anna, Adam and Lauren H who are fantastic and have worked tirelessly to help and get things done. Lettings have also been brilliant with Katie, Jack and Jake with regard to HMOs and they have worked tirelessly to help and make the process as smooth as possible.

I had an excellent experience with Charlie and the team. Charlie was highly professional, helpful, and handled everything very efficiently. He arranged the viewing promptly and completed all the necessary documentation without any unnecessary delays. The entire process was smooth and stress-free thanks to his dedication and attention to detail. Thank you for the exceptional service. I would highly recommend Leaders to anyone looking for professional and reliable assistance.

At the time of paying the holding deposit, Amy was very helpful, supportive, and made the early stage of our move much easier. However, my overall experience with Leaders Cambridge afterward was very disappointing. As an overseas applicant, I was encouraged to pay quickly based on high demand, but I was only able to view the property virtually after the tenancy start date. When I finally saw the property, I noticed signs of damp and water damage, and I did not receive clear updates about these issues. Communication was poor throughout, with many emails left unanswered, making it very difficult to plan an international move with my family. Due to ongoing uncertainty and unresolved concerns, the tenancy ultimately did not proceed. While I appreciate the efforts of individual staff members, the overall experience fell far below expectations.

Very disappointing and unprofessional experience from start to finish. I initially called to book a viewing for a rental property on a Saturday, only to be told that all Saturday appointments were fully booked. I was then offered a Friday viewing instead, which I agreed to, despite having to rearrange my work appointments and drive 50 minutes to attend. On the day of the Friday viewing, I received a call informing me that the property was no longer available and that they would instead be able to accommodate me on the Saturday after all. Once again, I rearranged my plans and made the journey. When I arrived on Saturday, there was nobody at the office and no viewing took place. Another prospective tenant was also there for the same appointment and was turned away as well. While a young member of staff eventually apologised, the attitude came across as very blasé and dismissive considering the inconvenience caused. What is most disappointing is that I never received a follow-up call, apology, or explanation from a manager. After wasting hours of my time, rearranging work commitments twice, and making multiple 50-minute journeys, I expected a far more professional response. Overall, this was a very poor experience that demonstrated a lack of organisation, communication, and respect for customers' time. I would think twice before dealing with this agency again.

Fellow renters - AVOID, AVOID, AVOID AT ALL COST. I rented a studio through Leaders for 1 year. I was forced into the non-refundable "no deposit" scheme, even though I was very happy to send them a regular security deposit. This is basically extra rent / Christmas bonus for the estate agent. (They also push for you to buy their insurance and other scammy add ons). As I was 2 weeks away from moving to Cambridge for a new job, unfortunately I was stuck with this scheme. I noticed the property didn't go through a professional clean at all. I also immediately started to have issues with the boiler (leaks, no hot water, zero water pressure in the shower). It took ages for them to send someone, just to change the boiler to one that seemed even more ancient. The radiator was so inefficient I had to buy a standing heater from Amazon for winter... At the end of this horrific 1 year, they tried to charge me something like £340, of which 140 to fill in two nail holes in the wall - a photo of which figured in the inventory I received on my first day lol. They are very pushy and aggressive, threatening tenants with legal action if you don't comply. I pushed back, threatened them with court too, and they eventually backed off. I contacted the previous tenant who said she was too scared of them and ended up paying an extra £800 for nothing. If you're in this situation, stay strong and don't let these criminals get to you. I got some good advice and support from the ACORN Rental union.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS. My entire tenancy with Leaders in Cambridge was a complete nightmare. Their business practices are highly deceptive, predatory, and seemingly designed to trap tenants. I had to consult Citizens Advice just to protect my legal rights. Here is the reality of renting with them: 1. Move-In Extortion: They ignored my emails regarding the payment process, only to send a link on the exact day of move-in. They demanded 8 months of rent in advance (£10,000) immediately, threatening to withhold the keys if I didn't pay that same day. 2. The NDO Scam & Inventory Trap: I was forced to sign up for their "No Deposit Option" (NDO) under a 1-hour ultimatum. They deliberately withheld the move-in inventory report. Under their contract, if you don't dispute the report within 5 days, it's deemed accepted. Combined with the NDO—which avoids the government-approved TDS and uses a private company (HF Resolution Ltd) that charges tenants £222 just to raise a dispute—this is a deliberate trap to make you pay for pre-existing damages. 3. Severe Safety Hazards: Upon moving in, 5 out of 7 radiators were broken, and the oven was unusable. Worse, a gas engineer later discovered a socket with "cross polarity" (a severe fire hazard) that Leaders had completely missed in their checks. 4. Illegal Gas Safety Management: On July 1st, they suddenly emailed me to stop using gas because they negligently let the Gas Safety Record expire. I was left with cold showers and no way to cook, and they completely ignored my requests for compensation. 5. Horrendous Move-Out Process: After moving out in January 2026 and paying for professional cleaning, they completely ignored my emails and failed to provide a check-out report. Fortunately, I had realized their NDO trap in advance and forced a switch to a standard TDS-protected deposit during my tenancy. Because of this, I was saved from their extortionate dispute fees and was able to safely file a formal dispute with the Tenancy Deposit Scheme to get my money back. Do not trust this agency. If you have no choice, document every single interaction, outright refuse the NDO, demand a TDS-protected deposit, and be prepared to contact Citizens Advice.

Overall, our experience renting through Leaders was mixed. The process was slower than expected, which caused unnecessary stress and uncertainty during the move. To be fair, the staff did try to reassure us that our application was progressing well, but communication and delays were still frustrating at times. One part of the experience that I did not appreciate was the pressure around purchasing tenant insurance. After paying the holding deposit, I was told that declining the insurance could negatively affect our application with the landlord. This did not make much sense to me, as the insurance was for our personal belongings rather than the property itself, and in the end the landlord was perfectly happy for us not to take it. On the positive side, Charlie, who showed us the property, was excellent throughout the process. He was professional, well prepared, knowledgeable about every aspect of the house, and very clear in his communication. It was obvious that he genuinely cares about doing his job well, and he helped make a stressful process feel much smoother.