Cobden & Hayson Annandale

In my lengthy experience as a tenant of a property managed by Cobden and Hayson there has been only unprofessional and incompetent practice from them. The people I dealt with [more than 5] lacked the capacity to communicate honestly and follow through on anything. During a period of more than six years, they showed nothing but contempt for me as a tenant in a rental property.

It is clear to me that they see tenants as such a low priority that I felt like a rodent. They refused to negotiate on inspections and repairs and mostly did nothing to care for the house or the tenancy. I waited over a year for urgent repairs to be made to allow the use of the kitchen, for example.

The agents never issued a receipt once for payment, ignored requests regarding rental adjustments, were unable to keep an accurate record of the rent that had been paid. In the downward swing in the market in 2020 during COVID, the agents ignored legislation that offered assistance to tenants. Instead they completely denied that shift in many people's financial circumstances would mean that rental prices need be reduced.

After years of being ignored, lied to and waiting for un reasonable periods of time for a response about anything, the tenancy ended with a series of insulting emails from one of their senior team who tried to gaslight me and make all sorts of claims to cover his own incompetent practice.

My new real estate is excellent. I nearly dropped to the floor in shock when they helped me with something that went beyond the call and then they attended to a repair within 48 hours. I do hope Simon and his team at Cand H are reading this- 48 hours!

Unless you value meanness, incompetence and rudeness along with very long periods of waiting, then do not go near this agency. There are many more out there and all of them will offer more care and humanity.

Cobden & Hayson Annandale managed my property. They were very professional and excelled with there communication & honest practice. When first looking for an agency i found there advice and genuine approach was second to none. My property manager Bill Bana went above and beyond to ensure all my worries were taken care of from the leasing process all the way through to the final inspection and handing of the bond. Definitely recommend Bill & the Cobden Hayson Annandale team to look after your investment Property.

I recently sold a house with C&H. I am very happy with the result.

Bens strengths are mental flexibility (we changed the sales strategy to capitalise on strong interest), perception (reading his clients), negotiation and communications. Ben also presents very well. Alina's strengths are in logistics - house dressing and arranging/overseeing any repairs/maintenance needed prior to launch - and communication. Alina presents with professionalism.

IMHO the principal weakness in my sales process may be the original valuation. But in saying this I was happy with the result.

The C&H (Annandale) team is good - very good. I would without reservation use them again,

Jonathan Hammond was our sales agent for a 375 sqm, 3 level terrace house with 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 3 parking and front and backyards. He has taken great lengths to censor me previously. I make no imputation about him or his character.
I wish to outline the following facts and my experience. This is a description of the sequence of events and circumstances. The property was pulled from auction after 3 weeks of the campaign, which then went on for months. It was one of the most buoyant markets historically in Sydney. Many thousands were spent on marketing, styling and alterations to the property. The outcome was sale of the property to his brother. To be clear, this is fact and again I stress I make no imputation.
It was one of the most unpleasant experiences that I have encountered. This was the first and only time I have listed a property. It has left a lasting impression. I have the right to convey my experience. I will not be censored.

Had the pleasure of being helped in my property search and rental through Cobden & Hayson. Bill Bana as my Property Manager was always responsive and professional. Nicole Morgan also saved the day and went the extra mile for me. I would recommend without hesitation in engaging this team to assist your in your property search and management. Thanks.

Ben and his team at Cobden & Hayson Annandale, went above and beyond with the sale of our home.
Ben surpassed our expectations especially in this challenging period of a pandemic.
Great work, Great outcome! Undeniably use them again!

Cobden & Hayson at Annandale have been extremely helpful in managing our rental property over the past 3 years.
Bill Bana is always very professional and very timely with responses to questions etc. We have complete faith in C&H Annandale to look after our property and tenants.

We rented a townhouse via this agency for two years. Dealing with Ashley has been very pleasant. Quick to respond to requests, great service and helpful in getting things sorted.

Ben and Marcus made the selling of our old home and purchasing of our new one hassle free. In these uncertain times they helped keep the stress levels to a minimum. We love our new home and would highly recommend them for your real estate needs.

Ben and the team at Cobden & Hayson Annandale were amazing with both the sale of our home and also the purchase of our new home. Extremely responsive; extremely thorough; extremely reliable and true to their word. They did everything they could to make the experience the most positive experience possible, despite the challenging times of COVID. Couldn't be more complimentary of this team. They are amazing!

We found Ben Southwell to be helpful and reactive both before and after settlement. In particular we had many questions after we occupied the property which he answered though conversations with the previous owner.
Settlement day.when we moved into the property, was very stressful, but Ben and his staff ensured everything (like key delivery), was done as quickly as possible.

I recently sold my property with Julie Hatch and felt happy, secure and realistically guided through the whole process from beginning to end.
Her expertise in the Inner West is golden and I can’t recommend her highly enough.

As a tenant, dealing with real estate can sometimes be an unpleasant experience. Not the case with this agency. My agent Ash is always quick to respond to my queries and he’s genuinely invested in finding quick and satisfactory solutions to problems. I’m moving out of the area, but I’ll miss dealing with such a professional and easy-going agent as Ash has been.

Ashley did a fantastic job as my property manager. Very responsive, helpful and considerate. Highly recommended him and the Cobden & Hayson team.

Ben Southwell and his team did a great job of selling our house at Leichhardt. The positive impression we got about him through the agent selection process was multiplied during the sale period. Trustworthy, experienced, responsive and good communications made Ben a "trusted adviser" that led to a result we are very happy with. Jenny and I highly recommend Ben, Marcus and Alina.

Ben and his colleague Alina make a superb team and we found them to be a pleasure to work with on the sale of our home in Glebe.

Ben displayed thorough knowledge of the local market; providing timely and informed advice in a very honest and personable manner. He worked respectfully with the many people who viewed our home and was able to identify the genuine buyers.

We thank both Ben and Alina for achieving such an excellent result for us and we would recommend Ben and Alina without hesitation.

I never wrote recommendation for real estate agency but when Ben and Alina ask me to do so, I'm exceedingly pleased to comment on my experience buying my first home from them.

Ben is a top-notch expert in the market who understands the intrinsic value of the property he represents. From the first time we met, he gave us a realistic price range which enabled us to commit to this purchase. Notwithstanding that Ben and Alina ultimately represent the vendor, they treated us with respect, dedication and utmost professionalism.

Ben and Alisa have been prompt in their communication with us and went above and beyond to address our concerns. Most importantly, they have been transparent throughout the entire campaign which gave us the confidence to bid at the auction. I can say that working with Ben and Alisa has been the best home-buying experience.

Needless to say, we won the auction bid. Looking back, I do believe it was their candidness and genuine support that convince us that this the house for us. If I ever buy or sell again, I would definitely prefer working with them again.

For buyer who are looking for hassle-free home-buying experience and honest advice, and for vendors who want to take the stress off selling in a competitive market, I recommend to you - Ben Southwell and Alina Setter.

Very happy with their service - they've been managing our rental property for 3 years and we've never had any issues, property is consistently checked, always on top of our rent payments, and reports are perfect for tax purposes. Would highly recommend!

If I could give less then 1 star for customer service then I definitely would. I called & emailed property manager Kate many times with no reply, and in the one instance she did take my call, she promised to call ‘right back’ but never did.
I’d never give this agency a property to manage after our experience with Kate. Very disappointing.

As a tenant, Cobden and Hayson was a delight to deal with and I recommend their services without hesitation. They were professional and worked with us to balance out needs with those of the landlord.