My experience with Ashtons has made it apparent that if you are a first time renter or not fully aware of your rights then they will likely try to pull the wool over your eyes, so be careful and make sure to question anything you aren’t sure of. I personally dealt with Alf and Kirsty, both work in lettings and do not seem to have much knowledge or awareness of how to act professionally. I wouldn’t recommend Ashtons in Welwyn to anybody looking to rent or purchase a property. The staff in this branch were unprofessional and uninformed during every interaction I had with them, which unfortunately lasted over the course of a number of months. When the current 12 month rental contract expired it took Ashtons over 5 weeks to send a renewal contract; by the time this had arrived the landlord had decided to sell and wanted to provide an eviction notice. Ashtons broke protocol when providing the eviction notice and didn’t attempt to contact or explain the situation beforehand; they then admitted their staff had acted against their professional guidelines - this seemed to be a regular occurrence. Ashtons staff then advised the landlord to request deposit deductions for repairs that they had informed the tenant would not be needed, and when they were advised that the TDS would unlikely side with the landlord (I spoke with TDS directly ) they conveniently changed their opinion and advised the landlord not to request these deductions. They continuously avoided questions regarding whether or not they were acting in the best interests of both parties, and at one point Kirsty the lettings manager actively declined to answer. I requested a face-to-face in the Welwyn branch and was told it would be a 2 week wait before I could speak to somebody in person. I won’t say that you shouldn’t use Ashtons in Welwyn Garden City, but I will say that you might want to speak to other estate agents first.