How to reply to a bad Google review (for UK estate & letting agents)

June 2026 · 6 min read

A one-star review stings — especially when it's about a deposit or a repair, and especially when there's more to the story than the reviewer wrote. But how you reply matters more than the review itself. Most people reading it aren't looking at the complaint; they're watching how your agency responds.

Here's the approach we'd suggest, with examples you can adapt.

1. Wait until you're not annoyed

The worst replies are written in the first ten minutes. Give it an hour. A defensive, point-by-point rebuttal makes the agency look worse than the original review ever could. Your goal isn't to win the argument — it's to show the next prospective landlord or tenant that you handle problems like grown-ups.

2. Acknowledge the frustration, even if you disagree

You can take someone's experience seriously without admitting fault. A simple "we're sorry it felt that way and we'd like to understand what happened" does the job.

"Thanks for flagging this — we're sorry the repair took longer than it should have. That's not how we want things to run, and we'd genuinely like to look into it for you."

3. Move it offline — politely

Never try to resolve the detail in public. Invite them to contact the branch directly. This protects you and signals to readers that you're solution-focused.

"If you can drop us a line at the branch, we'll pick this up properly and get it sorted."

4. Never reveal personal or tenancy details (UK GDPR)

This is the one that catches agents out. Do not confirm whether someone was a tenant, mention an address, a deposit amount, or any specifics of a dispute in a public reply. Even correcting an inaccurate claim by sharing facts can breach data protection rules. Keep the public reply general; keep the detail for private channels.

5. Don't start every reply with "Thank you for your feedback"

It reads like a template, because it is one. Vary your opening. Sound like a person at the branch, not a corporate auto-responder.

A full example

"We're sorry to read this — the communication clearly fell short here and we understand the frustration. That isn't the standard we aim for, and we've raised it internally. Please get in touch with the branch directly so we can look into it properly and put things right."

No "valued customer". No defensiveness. No personal details. Calm, human, and pointed at a resolution.

The catch: doing this well, every time, takes time

One thoughtful reply is easy. Twenty of them across Google and Trustpilot, in a consistent tone, on a busy week, is not. That's exactly what we built AgentReply for: paste any review and get a calm, on-brand reply in seconds — written to stay GDPR-conscious, and always a draft you check before posting.

Try AgentReply free for 7 days →

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