Smith & Ken
Reviews and Complaints

Hi Friends I feel my self sorry to inform all the victim of this company that they closed the operations 3 days before. They ran away will all the deposit money. According to RERA buyer should not give cheque in the name of real Estate that should be in the name of seller. The cheque can only encash at the time of deal completion. All the buyer and seller should consult the legal person prior to dealing with the companies like S & K or Smith and Ken. if somebody in US they can persue the case against Ben Smith in Los Angeles because now he is running the scam in USA

Smith and Ken are criminals. They are lazy bone idle inept crooks who do no work, lie, cheat and swindle tenants. I had the misfortune of becoming a tenant of theirs for a year and I will do my utmost to make sure that they never get any more business. As the regulators do nothing about these clowns, the only option is to spread the word about them. Avoid them like the plague!

Smith and Ken is also posting false advertisements of houses they do not currently have in order to get information on potential buyers. Eg: https://www.propertyfinder.ae/en/buy/villa-for-sale-dubai-arabian-ranches-3186572.html

Same thing happened with me.
They cashed the cheque from tenant and haven't paid me for last 7 months. I have lodged a complain against S&K to both Dubai Police and RERA. Lets hope there is some result!

Please avoid Smith & Ken, or S&K, at any cost. They are criminals. They will cash the cheque from the tenant and they won't pay the landlord (our rental is 6 months overdue even if the tenant paid all cheques - they are just keeping the money). They never answer phone calls, they never answer emails, they lie. We don't live in Dubai and made a very big mistake in going ahead with them. Now our only choice is to give up on the money that they owe us and that they cashed from the person living in our apartment, and change agent.

How can I register a compaint with RERA

I am approached by Smith & Ken with a very lucrative offer asking for 10% deposit to be wired to their a/c.
How can I register a compaint with RERA

Fully agree as well. I rented an apartment in Dubai from Smith and Ken.
It's been four months that i moved out from this apartment and i will never see again my security deposit. They lied so many times. I even asked them to tell me the truth because we are adult... but know "i will check the the financial department" Bahh, i don't think it exist this service in their company.
I even sent an email through Linkedin to the CEO and no answer.
I'm still in contact with the landlord and he is still struggling to get his money from them also.

Please everybody, RUN AWAY FORM S&K !

Fully agree. We bought a property thru them and due to our lack of experience we signed a very binding MoU that let them cash our commission at the very beginning of the deal. It was a painful and lengthy transfer. They didn`t know anything about the property and the landlord, they made us issue cheques to the wrong name, unit was kept on being advertised in web sites and also the ad boards were not removed several weeks after signing MoU. The only concern of S&K is to cash their commission cheque. I have heard that the original `SMITH & KEN` company was involved in many issues in the past and therefore their license has been cancelled by RERA therefore they established a new company called S&K, they still have brand rights but there is no real estate company called Smith&Ken as per Dubai Land Department anymore. Avoid and beware.

Today Smith and Ken dropped off a cheque for the agreed total. I consider this issue settled

Today, Smith and Ken has agreed to settle this matter. They have agreed to return my deposit tomorrow at 9:30 am. The amount we agreed to had some deductions that I do not feel is entirely fair, but as we have both agreed to the amount, I will consider this matter settled if they bring the cheque tomorrow. I will not post any additional comments regarding this matter if they make good on their word

BEWARE of Ben Smith from Smith and Ken Real Estate Brokerage in Los Angeles, California!
This man is a criminal from UK and is on the run after scamming hundreds of property investors in Dubai. The scam was short lived but he has since fled to the US and recently established a US Real Estate brokerage company in Los Angeles and claims to specialize in luxury homes.
Company CEO Ben Smith has fled Dubai when the authorities caught onto his Dubai Real Estate scam and he will be arrested if he ever ends up back in the UAE. He uses several UK criminals by the name of Susanne Adam, Jeremy Bentley, David Kodama, Scott Mitchell, Rebecca Cooper and several other UK expats to continue to run their scam, right here in The UAE and operate under the name Smith and Ken.
Smith and Ken once operated legally here in Dubai but had their license revoked last year after a flood of customer complaints and misrepresentation and mismanagement of funds.
As a new resident of Dubai, my wife and I agreed to hire Smith and Ken as our agents to protect our investment by assisting with our first UAE property purchase in September of 2013. We agreed to buy the property from Smith and Ken sales agent David Kodama at the listed price, but had no idea that the seller listed on the MOU was not even the real seller. The property had been repossessed by the bank during the 2008 crisis.
After checking this information with the Dubai Lands Department, Susanne Adam (Smith) was confronted but she claimed that my MOU details were a simple mistake on their part and claim they did not realize the property had been repossessed. This process dragged out for a painful 12 months of excuses by Susanne and her team.
Once it was determined that Smith and Ken was not able to close the deal, I asked them to return my 10% deposit, but they refused to communicate with me again offering no reason not to pay. After several weeks of unanswered emails and phone calls, I reported the incident to Mr. Abdulla, Senior Investigator from The Real Estate Regulatory Agency, and he ordered Susanne Adam and Rebecca Cooper to attend a meeting in person which they agreed to do. They showed up the same day and it was determined that Smith and Ken should NOT be using the name Smith and Ken to conduct business in the UAE. It was also determined that brokers are not allowed to ask for 10% deposits in the name of the company here in The UAE. The deposit cheque should be written in the name of the seller. The 10% deposit should NOT be cashed until the day of the transfer. In my case, the funds were cashed without consent and sat in the broker's account for the entire year and the funds have still not been returned! I have since found out, this is something that Smith and Ken is known for in Dubai and part of the reason why Smith and Ken lost their Real Estate license.
Upon signing of the MOU in 2013, Smith and Ken agent Jeremy Bentley from Smith and Ken Home Loans charged me an additional 8, 500 AED to get me a personal loan which he was not able to get, so he gave me the contact details for a competitor who was able to get me the loan for an additional service charge. Jeremy ended up cashing my cheque which was supposed to be held as a security deposit until my loan was received. Jeremy claimed that this was a mistake on his part and promised to return the deposit, but weeks later, Susanne Adams (Head of Client Services) stepped in and said the funds would not be returned as per the request of her company CEO, Ben Smith. The wording of the MOU is very transparent and clearly said that the deposit would be returned if the personal was not approved. These details were investigated by the Real Estate authorities who determined that Smith and Ken had NO right to cash the deposit. RERA demanded immediate reimbursement of this deposit but still, the deposit was not returned. These details can be verified with Senior Investigator Mr. Abdulla Mohammed Al Shehhi at +[protected] from the Dubai Lands Department who is currently investigating this crime.
Susanne told Mr. Abdulla that Smith and Ken will return the deposits which total about 130, 000 AED, but she requested permission to keep the commission for putting in the effort which was about 24, 000 AED. Mr. Abdulla determined that Smith and Ken was NOT entitled to keeping the commission since they did not complete the terms of the agreement and was given 48 hours to return the funds to me. Still nothing was returned to me.
Before the payment deadline date two weeks ago, Susanne, Rebecca and David made several attempts to renegotiate the total reimbursement, but no evidence was presented to justify keeping any of the funds and RERA did NOT grant permission to repay an alternative amount. On the last day before the deadline, Rebecca told Mr. Abdulla that Smith and Ken will not return my deposits.
RERA has officially given Susanne and Rebecca until Thursday of last week to pay the funds or be faced with severe consequences. I was told that this can include prison time in the UAE since several laws were broken to scam me out of my 130, 000 AED which is equivalent to around $35, 000 USD.
If my funds are returned in full, I will update my statement on this website and admit that Smith and Ken made good on their word, but at this point, I am doubtful as all indications are suggesting this was a scam and keeping my deposits were intentional and calculated in advance.
After some lengthy investigative work, I made the discovery that Ben Smith has opened another Real Estate business in the US in Los Angeles, and called him on the phone. He was absolutely shocked that I tracked him down. As a North American expat myself, I was able to tell him with confidence that public feedback goes a long way in North America and negative customer feedback should not be underestimated. Since public warnings all over the UAE Complaints Board and Black List websites have not stopped Ben Smith from scamming the public, it appears as though he will try his luck at challenging the public feedback forums in the US.
The fact that this money was outright "stolen" by the Smith and Ken group means that I will spend whatever time necessary to ensure that Ben is not able to continue his scam in the US.
Smith and Ken Los Angeles is already making claims that they specialize in high ticket properties and claim to have a client list that include several well-known celebrities such as Reese Witherspoon, Sean Combs, JayZ and Beyonce but this company has no connection to transactions with the celebrities they mention. All evidence already indicates that Ben Smith has plans to scam Americans during his stay in Los Angeles. Ben Smith has partnered with a man named Peter Szumski who also specializes in Real Estate scams.
If you or someone you know has been approached by Smith and Ken, Ben Smith, Peter Szumski or anyone affiliated with their company, you are urged to call the police and report the details of your transaction to ensure that you are not a victim of their scam. Do not let criminals come to North America and prove that there is room for shady business practices and scams.
Smith & Ken Estate Agents Inc. BRE License No. [protected]. Tel +[protected], Fax +[protected] and email info@smithandken.us

Susanne Adam from Smith and Ken is very angry today, not only because she notice that people are starting to unveil the secrets behind the Smith and Ken scam, but also because she found out that the UAE laws do not govern comments posted on the world wide web. The local municipal police have told her that they do not govern freedom of speech on websites supported by .com so these warnings will continue to be posted. As one of the agents included in the list of names who have advised me incorrectly and walked me into the company scam, her name and her contact details will continue to be posted as a warning to others who are conducting business with Smith and Ken. Don't get caught in Susanne's wed of lies. Luckily for Susanne, there is a way to make this go away. If the money she has stolen is returned, as per RERA's instructions, I will remove my posts. I have now posted warnings about the Smith and Ken's shady business practices on 12 public websites and will continue to post on more websites daily until my deposit is returned. In the end, this scam will cost the company more than they managed to steal from me if they continue to drag out the inevitable. DO NOT SUPPORT REAL ESTATE BROKERS WHO SCAM FROM HARD WORKING HONEST PEOPLE WHO COME TO DUBAI TO CONTRIBUTE TO IT'S GROWTH!

Beware of the following names in the Real Estate industry:
Benjamin Smith Company CEO / ben.smith@smithandken.com
Susanne Adam (Smith) Head of Client Services +[protected] susanne.adam@smithandken.com
Rhea Malagum Head of Conveyance +[protected] rhea.malagum@smithandken.com
David Kodama Senior Sales Negotiator +[protected] david.kodama@smithandken.com
Jeremy Bentley Head of Smith and Ken Homes and Loans +[protected] jeremy.bentley@smithandkenhomeloans.com
Rebecca Cooper Admin Manager +[protected] rebecca.cooper@smithandken.com

Smith and Ken have agreed to return my deposit, minus some fees. I feel the amount should be highly, but we both agreed on the amount so I will be considering this matter settled once the cheque is received in an hour

Today, Smith and Ken has agreed to settle this matter. They have agreed to return my deposit tomorrow at 9:30 am. The amount we agreed to had some deductions that I do not feel is entirely fair, but as we have both agreed to the amount, I will consider this matter settled if they bring the cheque tomorrow. I will not post any additional comments regarding this matter if they make good on their word

According to RERA, Smith and Ken's latest scam is over charging and false property details on the MOU. Square footage, property value, and seller's name and title deed information can be obtained at the Lands Department. People are realizing that Smith and Ken is setting up property scams using information obtained from people who were forced to leave the country during the 2008 crisis.

Susanne Adam, Rebecca Cooper, Jeremy Bentley, David Kodama are some of the names who continue to operate the Real Estate scam here in Dubai. If you have been approached by any of these names or anyone else who sales they work for Smith and Ken, contact the police right away. DO NOT BE SCAMMED BY THESE PEOPLE!

Susanne Adam from Smith and Ken is very angry today, not only because she notice that people are starting to unveil the secrets behind the Smith and Ken scam, but also because she found out that the UAE laws do not govern comments posted on the world wide web. The local municipal police have told her that they do not govern freedom of speech on websites supported by .com so these warnings will continue to be posted. As one of the agents included in the list of names who have advised me incorrectly and walked me into the company scam, her name and her contact details will continue to be posted as a warning to others who are conducting business with Smith and Ken. Don't get caught in Susanne's wed of lies. Luckily for Susanne, there is a way to make this go away. If the money she has stolen is returned, as per RERA's instructions, I will remove my posts. I have now posted warnings about the Smith and Ken's shady business practices on 12 public websites and will continue to post on more websites daily until my deposit is returned. In the end, this scam will cost the company more than they managed to steal from me if they continue to drag out the inevitable. DO NOT SUPPORT REAL ESTATE BROKERS WHO SCAM FROM HARD WORKING HONEST PEOPLE WHO COME TO DUBAI TO CONTRIBUTE TO IT'S GROWTH! If you are curious about Susanne's side of the story, you can always contact her directly at +[protected]

http://residentialpropertyawards.net/index.php/Tools/2011-Arabia-Winners/2011-Lettings-Agency.html
http://residentialpropertyawards.net/index.php/Tools/2011-Arabia-Winners/2011-Real-Estate-Agency-Website.html
http://residentialpropertyawards.net/index.php/Tools/2011-Arabia-Winners/2011-Real-Estate-Agency-Marketing.html
http://residentialpropertyawards.net/index.php/Tools/2011-International-Winners/2011-Winners.html

Enough said really...

smith and ken dubai real estate property fu**ing smithandken.com they are just scammers and nothing else

the same thing happens with me when i visited their website and they told me the price of the property too high which i want to buy, but i got some doubt about their given prices and when i confirmed with others then i get the difference which is very clear and very big difference...thank you Abu Abdullah, but you are absolutely right they are scammers or nothing...

Google take some action on these spammers, this is really bad tactics.

What the hell they are doiiiiiiiiiiing man

Smith and Ken is indeed a scam! Their Real Estate licence has been revoked in the UAE. Susanne Adam and Rebecca Cooper along with Scott Mitchell are running the Dubai scam while Ben Smith and Peter Szumski have fled the country and have now opened another Real Estate brokerage company in Los Angeles.

If you have been contacted by any of the names above, including sales agents Jeremy Bentley or David Kodama, contact the police or Mr. Abdulla Mohammed Al Shehhi, Lead Investigator at The Real Estate at +[protected].

If you or someone you know has been scammed by Smith and Ken, contact RERA right away. They are currently launching an investigation into this team of US criminals who have been using their company to steal money from expats in Dubai since the 2008 crisis.

The name behind this scam is Ben Smith who is now living in Los Angeles where he runs his legit Real Estate company called Smith and Ken. He uses the names below to continue to operate their UAE scam while he sits safely in the US.

Beware of the following names in the Real Estate industry:
Benjamin Smith Company CEO / ben.smith@smithandken.com [protected]
Susanne Adam (Smith) Head of Client Services +[protected] susanne.adam@smithandken.com
Rhea Malagum Head of Conveyance +[protected] rhea.malagum@smithandken.com
David Kodama Senior Sales Negotiator +[protected] david.kodama@smithandken.com
Jeremy Bentley Head of Smith and Ken Homes and Loans +[protected] jeremy.bentley@smithandkenhomeloans.com
Rebecca Cooper Admin Manager +[protected] rebecca.cooper@smithandken.com

Other names to be very cautious of in the Dubai Real Estate industry are the following names which are working for Ben Smith:
Peter Szumski
Scott Mitchell
Nicole Thompson
Adriana Kostic
Lisa Green
Wezley Clarke
Sean Orrett
Sean Cope
Alex L. Smith
Jelena Dzajic
Inam ul Haq

These names are all associated with UAE's latest Real Estate threat and all the names above should be reported immediately if they are requesting money from you or someone you know. Report your incident to RERA and have these criminals put in prison!

smith and ken dubai real estate property fu**ing smithandken.com are just scammers and nothing else

Thanks alot for taking the time to write down this info. I Was looking at a few properties they listed on propertyfinder.ae and the prices were too good to be true and then when you call for those properties they will say its been rented out already and wont stop calling to try and lure you into renting something else from them.

I figured something is fishy with this company and well a quick google search had me end up here...So thanks again for sharing this valuable info ! :)

This page has been set up to commend the excellent service offered by Smith & Ken to counteract the slander that has been put on this website by competitors of Smith & Ken. Such is the danger of websites such as these, where comments are not vetted, means good company's such as Smith & Ken can be damaged. Being a loyal client of Smith & Ken's and friends with some of the people who work there, I have taken it upon myself to create this post.

Smith & Ken has completed over 2, 000 transactions since 2008, even if the wild accusations on this website were true (8) then that's a complaint rate of 0.004%; what company in the world is able to celebrate such a success rate?

If you too are a happy client of Smith & Ken then please comment on this post.

Thanks

Jonathan Greyside
(Purchaser of 3 buy to let (income) properties through Smith & Ken).

Smith and Ken has dropped off the cheque today for the agreed amount. I consider this matter to be settled

Smith and Ken has come to an agreement on the settlement amount and are scheduled to drop off a cheque this morning. I will consider this matter closed and will not take further action

Today, Smith and Ken has agreed to settle this matter. They have agreed to return my deposit tomorrow at 9:30 am. The amount we agreed to had some deductions that I do not feel is entirely fair, but as we have both agreed to the amount, I will consider this matter settled if they bring the cheque tomorrow. I will not post any additional comments regarding this matter if they make good on their word

Buyers and Sellers BEWARE!

There are several UK expats that have set up a Real Estate scam in UAE using a FAKE company called Smith and Ken. Smith and Ken was once a registered company operating in UAE but shady business practices have caused them to have their license revoked by The Real Estate Regulatory Agency. This can be verified with RERA and the Dubai Lands Department.

Company CEO Ben Smith has fled the country when the authorities caught onto his scam and he will be arrested if he ever ends up back in the UAE. He uses Susanne Adam, Jeremy Bentley, David Kodama, Rebecca Cooper and several other UK expats to continue to run their scam, right here in The UAE.

I agreed to buy a property from them in September of 2013 which "sales agent" David Kodama showed me. I agreed to buy the property but had no idea that the seller listed on the MOU was not even the real seller. The property had been repossessed by the bank during the 2008 crisis.

Jeremy Bentley from Smith and ken Home Loans charged me an additional 8, 500 AED to get me a personal loan which he was not able to get, so he gave me the contact details for a competitor who was able to get me the loan. Jeremy ended up cashing my cheque anyway which was supposed to be a deposit, which was cashable only provided the loan is approved. Jeremy claimed that this was a mistake and promised to return the deposit, but weeks later, Susanne Adams (Head of Client Services) stepped in and said the funds would not be returned because they assisted by introducing me to the bank who offered me the mortgage. The wording of the MOU were very transparent and clearly said that the deposit would be returned if the personal was not approved and RERA investigated this matter and ordered Smith and Ken to return the deposit, but my funds have still not been returned.

Susanne Adam (Smith) claimed that my MOU details were a simple mistake on their part and claim they did not realize the property had been repossessed. Once it was determined that Smith and Ken was not able to close the deal, I asked them to return my 10%, but they refused to communicate with me again. I reported the incident to Mr. Abdulla, Senior Investigator from RERA, and he ordered Susanne Adam and Rebecca Cooper to attend a meeting at RERA. They showed up the same day and it was determined that they should NOT be using the name Smith and Ken to conduct business in the UAE. It was also determined that brokers are not allowed to ask for 10% deposits in the name of the company. The 10% deposit should not be cashed until the day of the transfer. In my case, the funds sat in the broker's account where it is still currently sitting today! This is something Susanne had been warned about before and part of the reason why Smith and Ken lost their Real Estate license.

Susanne told Mr. Abdulla that Smith and Ken will return the deposits which total about 130, 000 AED, but will keep the commission for putting in the effort which was about 24, 000 AED. Mr. Abdulla determined that Smith and Ken was not entitled to keeping the commission since they did not complete the terms of the agreement and was given 48 hours to return the funds to me.

Before the payment deadline date two weeks ago, Susanne, Rebecca and David made several attempts to negotiate the total that was to be paid to me but no evidence was presented to justify keeping any of the funds. On the last day, Rebecca told Mr. Abdulla that Smith and Ken will not return my deposits.

RERA has officially given Susanne and Rebecca until Thursday of last week to pay the funds or be faced with severe consequences. I was told that this can include prison time in the UAE since several laws were broken to scam me out of my 130, 000 AED.

If my funds are returned in full, I will update my statement and admit that Smith and Ken made good on their word, but at this point, I am doubtful. Either way, I will continue to ad updates on this site and all other websites that warn the public of these people and their true motives.

I actually found the contact details for Company CEO Ben Smith who established the business in 2008. It turns out that Ben has a "legit" Real Estate business in Los Angeles called Smith and Ken. So far, his US business seems to have a positive name, but I have warned him that public forums and online customer feedback is what US businesses rely on to survive. I have given him until this coming Monday at 6pm to return the funds before I start to put out public warnings all across the US. This will include contacting the names on his LinkedIn account and feedback under his youtube interviews.

130, 000 AED might be peanuts to most property investors living in the UAE, but to this expat, this is enough money worth chasing. The fact that this money was outright "stolen" by the Smith and Ken group means that I will spend what ever time necessary to follow the names involved in this scam so they can not continue to take advantage of others no matter where they hide.

If you are approached by anyone claiming they work for Smith and Ken, do not give them money. Notify the police right away!

A message to all who are having issues with Smith and Ken and feel they have been treated unfairly...

Today, it is with great pleasure that I have learned that Smith and Ken is about to be brought to justice for the crime of not returning my 10% deposit. The punishment they are about to receive will be more harsh than they have experienced in the past and they will not be able to hide behind the company shell for this crime. The company CEO, Ben Smith who now sits comfortably in his office in LA, California, may be able to keep himself out of jail as long as he stays away from UAE, but the managers who continue to operate this scam will not be so lucky. This company has had their real estate license suspended and is not allowed to be using the name Smith and Ken in UAE. They have been issued fines, including a recent fine of 150, 000 AED for not complying with UAE regulations. After many weeks of case building with the officials at Real Estate Regulatory Agency, they have agreed to take more serious action against this company for their crimes which will include more than just fines and suspension of license. I strongly urge all parties who fell victim to Susanne Adam, Rebecca Cooper, Jeremy Bentley, and David Kodama's scam, please go to RERA and file your complaint today. These are some of the key members who will be help personally accountable for their crimes in the UAE and I will be following up daily to ensure they are brought to justice.

Smith and Ken's policy is to train their agents to request for 10% deposits made payable to their company, which is illegal in the UAE. Smith and Ken has been warned about this, although their agents refer to this as a "grey area". A 10% deposit is to be held in good faith, by the broker, in the name of the seller, to ensure the buyer intends to fulfill his agreement to purchase the property as per the MOU. Brokers do not have the right to cash these cheques and hold the funds in their own account which Smith and Ken did to me and many other Dubai property investors. BUYER BEWARE, Smith and Ken use title deed details of delinquent payers who lost their properties to the banks during the 2008 crisis. Smith and Ken agents are trained to refer to this type of incident as an "honest mistake", but warnings from the public are suggesting that Smith and Ken is doing this specifically for the purpose of challenging the right to keep their client's deposit. In my case, Smith and Ken actually cashed the "deposit" before the transaction date, without client consent, which is also illegal in UAE, and the funds are still in their own bank account where they have been since the beginning of 2014. RERA has ordered Smith and Ken to pay back the funds in full and have given them a limited period of time to return the deposit or have their Real Estate license suspended. This information can be verified with RERA and I will share the complaint details, and RERA investigator contact information, with those who have a similar complaint about Smith and Ken. If you, or someone you know, is currently buying or selling a property through Smith and Ken, I strongly urge you to contact RERA immediately and request more details on the ongoing investigations to ensure that your investment is not at risk.

Susanne Adam from Smith and Ken is very angry today, not only because she notice that people are starting to unveil the secrets behind the Smith and Ken scam, but also because she found out that the UAE laws do not govern comments posted on the world wide web. The local municipal police have told her that they do not govern freedom of speech on websites supported by .com so these warnings will continue to be posted. As one of the agents included in the list of names who have advised me incorrectly and walked me into the company scam, her name and her contact details will continue to be posted as a warning to others who are conducting business with Smith and Ken. Don't get caught in Susanne's wed of lies. Luckily for Susanne, there is a way to make this go away. If the money she has stolen is returned, as per RERA's instructions, I will remove my posts. I have now posted warnings about the Smith and Ken's shady business practices on 12 public websites and will continue to post on more websites daily until my deposit is returned. In the end, this scam will cost the company more than they managed to steal from me if they continue to drag out the inevitable. DO NOT SUPPORT REAL ESTATE BROKERS WHO SCAM FROM HARD WORKING HONEST PEOPLE WHO COME TO DUBAI TO CONTRIBUTE TO IT'S GROWTH!

Maybe good idea for all to contact Smith & Ken Los Angeles 14556 Ventura Blvd Los Angeles, California 91403 tel +[protected]