ELC Sales & Lettings  Omdömen 40

I recently applied to rent a property through ELC and, unfortunately, the experience was quite frustrating and unnecessarily rigid, and simply told my application was withdrawn, no confirmation of when I would get my deposit returned.

While I appreciate that referencing is outsourced to Let Alliance, the process felt entirely system-led with no meaningful human review. My application was declined on affordability grounds, despite having a VISTA score of “Good”, which reflects strong credit history, good payment behaviour, low fraud risk, and overall reliability as a tenant. No CCJ's or Bankruptcy.

In simple terms, I was assessed as a low-risk applicant, yet still rejected due to a formula that did not take into account my actual financial position. Specifically, the assessment failed to consider:

confirmed additional rental income of £2,300 pcm from my own property
additional income of approximately £16,900 for the last financial year
an annual bonus of circa £9,000
the fact my current housing costs would transfer directly to the new tenancy
my willingness to proceed with a guarantor

Instead, the outcome appeared to be based purely on a static snapshot of income versus outgoings, without any flexibility or common-sense review. Paying 6 months upfront was my only option yesterday, but not today, which I find redundant, if I can't pay the initial 6 months in your eyes, how would I afford month 7....8...9....etc

Communication between ELC and the referencing provider was also unclear at times, with conflicting information being given about how decisions were made, for either side. One putting the blame on the other.

Overall, the process felt impersonal and overly reliant on automated checks, rather than a fair assessment of a tenant’s full financial picture. A more balanced approach, with some level of human discretion, would make a significant difference. Needless to say I have one week to find another flat as someone is moving into my house....

We recently tried to rent a one-bedroom flat in Edinburgh for just over £1000 per month through ELC Sales & Lettings as a couple, both working full-time. Despite having a solid rental history and no issues in the past, the experience with ELC was deeply frustrating and unnecessarily stressful.

Firstly, ELC does not handle referencing in-house. Instead, they rely on a third-party service called Let Alliance, which uses an automated AI system to assess references. There are no real people involved in the process, meaning your actual financial situation including bank statements, payslips, or proof of affordability is completely ignored. In our case, the system rejected us for not meeting income requirements, even though we would no longer be paying rent at our previous property once we moved, a key detail the automated system failed to take into account.

Even more concerning is the fact that ELC asked for a full deposit to be paid before referencing was completed, and well before any contract was signed. This is not standard practice with most reputable agencies. Now that the referencing has failed, we are having to wait 2 to 5 working days just to get our own money returned.

Throughout the process, we found ourselves constantly chasing ELC for updates. Communication was poor, and the entire application process was far more stressful than it needed to be. There was no personal touch, no support, and certainly no flexibility or understanding of real-world circumstances.

In short:
Impersonal, AI-only referencing.
Deposit required before referencing.
Poor communication and support.
Time-wasting and stressful process.

Never again. I would strongly recommend others to avoid ELC Sales & Lettings and save yourself the time, stress, and frustration. There are better, more professional agencies out there who will treat you like a human being, not just a data point in an algorithm.

Christina is a fantastic agent and was so helpful & assuring throughout the process of buying our first house. She was upfront, genuine & always came back to us very quickly whenever we had questions (& we had plenty!). Christina really steered the ship for us & got a lot done in quite a short timeframe. A lovely, first-class sales consultant. From J&S

Hii my name is Rahul
I meet one if the property agent name is Claudia..she is very good she explains us everything nicely…
I like her behaviour with us..
Property is also in good condition 👍🏻

Felt I was in good hands from the beginning to end of the Letting experience with ELC Sales & Letting. They kept me informed every step of the way and got the right tenant for my property. Can't rate Alex and Fraser highly enough.

Frasier has been very helpful and friendly and we had great chat - such a good viewing experience. Highly recommend.

Recently enquired about viewing properties to let in our area and spoke to a lovely gentlemen called Fraser. He was extremely helpful with our enquires and supported with navigating there online website. Highly recommend the service they provide. Keep up the fantastic work

Very professional and kind Claudia . I’d definitely recommend elc to anyone looking to rent property in Edinburgh

We were helped by Fraser and he was amazing. Very kind and helpful, he helped us through the applications process and he was very knowledgeable as well.

Highly recommended finding a property with this company!

I have had a great experience from the start with the ELC, looking forward to a great relationship with the team at the Bruntsfield branch.
Many thanks

Had a viewing with Fraser Jamieson for a property yesterday. He was very professional and went the extra mile to answer any questions that I had regarding the property. I would highly recommend, keep up the great work!

I viewed a property yesterday, Fraser was absolutely lovely, professional and friendly, such an asset to the company.

I was running 5 min late and Fraser didn’t make me feel bad about it. Such a pleasant man.

Alex and Fraser did a great job in supporting me with turning my flat around during extensive renovation works, and in finding me an excellent new tenant. Their attention to detail with viewings and the inventory was highly professional. Also their communication and knowledgeable advice was much appreciated- thank you and the reception team for all your help.

I had a viewing with Fraser today. His communication before, during and after the viewing were absolutely fantastic. Cannot recommend highly enough. It was great dealing with someone who actually wanted to help. Thank you.

Just at the stage of the viewing, but it went great, agent - Fraser Jamieson - answered all of my questions and made sure to mention everything there was to know about the property.
Let's see if I get the flat and get the luck to continue with ELC Sales & Lettings!

My wife and I have been tenants through ELC for nearly two years, and we hope to continue working with them in the future. Any repairs or issues are quickly addressed, and the agents are communicative and helpful when viewing properties. Thanks, ELC!

Great communication and friendly agency. Fraser made the flat viewing and application process a great experience.

Couldn’t recommend them enough! Fraser was extremely helpful, and they made finding tenants stress free

We have had ELC as letting agents for a few years now and their services have been excellent. They are a very well organised company administratively and their customer relationship is first class, being responsive and efficient.
A recent experience as valuers was fast and efficient, with all the required documentation provided, and at a reasonable cost

ELC were very professional throughout the process. In particular Claudia and Fraser were very easy to work with.