Avant Homes Midlands estate agents in Derby and Swadlincote

★★★★★ 1/5

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Lies, excuses and empty promises

Upon purchasing our Avant property the sales representative was absolutely fantastic, sold us the dream to seal the deal but unfortunately upon completion it has been quite evident up to now that what they offer and what they deliver are two entirely different things. Just to note we have had situations outstanding for approximately 18 months and have given Avant every opportunity to correct their wrong doings before publicly displaying the issues like a platform like this. However now we feel it essential to forewarn potential future Avant purchases of falling in to their lies and traps. To bullet point some initial problems:* Garage floor laid like a building site, we were told that they would rectify the matter they then were delayed to due “COVID” they then backed out and we had to fight tooth and nail across a 4 month period to have the floor relaid at a subpar standard. * The back garden during heavy rain periods gets flooded as a result of Avant creating a mound which they initially buried “illicit” materials underneath. They stated a timeframe for drainage to be complete, this has not been upheld and we are 18 months further on. * The downstairs toilet has had approximately 6 different plumbers come out all stating different things, they have cancelled on the day at least 5 times incurring cost to ourselves as you don’t get paid for not working when your self employed. With nothing but an apology and not a care. * The roof has a gaping hole due to the roof not being completed correctly and is missing a vital tile, we have made them aware and they are trying to fob us off again stating “slippages” are not covered. However as we has reiterated to them there was no tile there in the first instance. * The garage door is the incorrect size as there is a gap approx 10cm at the bottom, they sent out a garage specialist to deal with at which point the specialist stated that they have used the incorrect door and quite simply it is just to cut costs. These are just a few of the occurrences since we moved in to the brand new property and we feel it necessary for prospective future purchases of Avant homes to be fully informed. We are in hope that this will be enough for Avant to take this seriously and correct the issues we are experiencing and also in the hope others don’t have the same future errors.

Georgi · 13 August 2021 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 1/5

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Babington Quarter Plot 95.

I reserved a property back in april (roughly) I was told I would receive full incentives package of all flooring, all integrated appliances, garden and fencing. The trouble was the house was too small and I needed the bigger house. I was told I HAD to pass affordability with Evolve solutions and only them before I could reserve a house. They would not pass me for the bigger house. Zoe from Avant was amazing she was ringing me trying to help. Saying if I was to swap to the bigger house I’d still get all the incentives. I said I couldn’t pass affordability as I could only use Evolve and the house I had originally reserved wouldn’t be big enough. Zoe told me that should I change my mind and come back I’d get the incentives. Roll on a couple of months another house comes up. The bigger one yet £5k at least more than the others. I rang up to speak to them again. They passed me which was great however they messed up AGAIN and passed me with a lender I know won’t lend to me. I told them I’d go elsewhere and I was told well I’ll have to tell Avant you can’t afford it. This is not the case as I had an AIP from mortgage adviser bureau. I complained to avant and they said I should have had a choice and they don’t conditional sell ( that’s not the way it was portrayed hence losing the other house) so I told Avant about the incentives to which I was told no. Zoe had moved elsewhere and they now have a no incentive policy. I have requested this policy and have yet to see it. The house from prior is still not built but 3 months later they won’t honour their word. They won’t budge on incentives, still won’t show me this policy. I lost out of a cheaper home with a bigger garden and full incentives due to conditional selling with avant/evolve. Being told I had to use evolve and that MAB was new to them as evolve was messing up. This is a lie as MAB is an approved service for affordability to reserve.Had I been given this option prior I wouldn’t have lost the other plot.I asked for negotiation on price I was told no. They’re quick to pressure you into reserving then pull back on anything offered prior. I am gutted about this and I am considering pulling out … I have asked someone to call me about this.. surprise surprise they have not.

Holly · 6 August 2021 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 1/5

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Can't book a viewing

We've been trying to arrange viewing a property in the Woodyark Park developement in Nottingham for 3 weeks and no one is interested at all. We've filled out forms, rang the office to chase 3/4 times, all they say is someone will be in touch, but they never are. If this is a reflection of the service we'd get if we did purchase from them I'd be seriously concerned! Even stranger is that they are reducing the prices of these properties most probably due to lack of interest.Someone in senior management at Avant Homes needs to investigate this!

Adam · 4 August 2021 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 1/5

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Terrible

Earlier this year I put in a request to view one of their properties at the Peerfields development DL17, via their website. It took about two weeks for someone to call me. The lady who eventually called me couldn’t have been more rude. Firstly she started by asking if I was a local (clearly due to my southern accent). I’ve lived in the area for years after marrying my husband who is local. I’ve no idea why she felt this was an acceptable question or how it was relevant. She then told me I couldn’t view the house without speaking to their mortgage advisor. I explained I had a large deposit and had seen a mortgage broker and could provide my agreement in principle or broker details. This wasn’t good enough- if I didn’t see their broker then I can’t view the house. I reluctantly agreed and then never heard anything again. Decided to forget Avant and buy elsewhere and am now settled in my lovely non avant home. I have no idea how they sell houses with this approach.

LC · 28 July 2021 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 1/5

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Extremely shoddy work

The front of our house, the grass never grew despite watering it from the moment we moved in. It was all brown and straw like. After months of chasing Avant they finally came out to look at it and said the reason it had gone like it had was because the chemicals they sprayed on the bricks had got onto the grass and killed it. So in fact admitting it was Avants fault the grass didn’t grow. On Friday they sent someone out to “replace” the grass with new. The results were; I watched from the window the Gardner attempt to dig into the soil with no such luck. I thought at one point he was going to break the shovel he tried that hard. In the end they just laid “new” turf around the edges on top of the rock hard soil and marked the job as done. They told me it would need watering every day otherwise the grass won’t grow. Now I’m no Alan Titchmarsh but the state of the turf they laid down looks even worse than before. It’s brown, straw like, breaks off in your hand the moment you touch it, pretty much dead. How do Avant get away with expecting the job is made new when it fact it looks 10 times worse. It’s horrendous. I wish I could attach the photos for you all to see.

Ami · 25 July 2021 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Plot 135 Tetbury in Collingsgate.

Plot 135 Tetbury in Collingsgate.I can only speak from our experience in purchasing our forever home and at times it was stressful especially with some of the many reviews and bad press regarding new builds. But you need to look beneath the surface and look for the good and despite what some would have you believe it is there.We reserved off plan in September 2020 and were given a completion window of May-August 2021. Following a change in company policy due to Covid, Avant decided to remove the site sales team and decided to adopt area sales teams, it was a pain, communications suffered and im sure Helen and the team got fed up of my queries but even they had to apologise as they weren’t happy with how it was working and it was very frustrating and they tried there best, but we loved what we could see as the end result as the style and quality of Avant was “different” and a definite “better than the rest” so stuck with it.In the new year we started to meet the site team starting off with Paul (Site Foreman) and Richard (his trusty sidekick) and they were great and to be honest one of the reasons we stuck with the purchase and the support they originally offered wasn’t just false promises as it continues across the site no matter who you are and when you moved in, they always go above and beyond. We moved in as forecast towards the end of May and there were a few snags nothing major, but each one has been resolved with minimum fuss by people who have not got a bad word to say about the site and the way its ran.A big thanks to all

Mike · 22 July 2021 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 5/5

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Charlotte is Brilliant

We have had the usual few things that needed to be sorted out by Avant. On speaking to Charlotte she is the most helpful Customer Service operative we have dealt with ever. We have had several new homes (don't ask our ages!) and of those the Avant experience is by far the best - mainly thanks to Charlotte being so engaging and organised with answers when asked questions. Well done !

Ken · 21 July 2021 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 5/5

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I have brought a home on Waterside

I have brought a home on Waterside, Chesterfield. Great place to live. There were a few snags but they endeavour to put them right as soon as possible. Always pleasant and helpful. High standard of bathrooms and kitchen finishes. Opted for frost free integrated fridge freezer. £81 extra. Great value. Was totally supported through buying process even through Lockdown. Nice of Tara to send me photos and an update at each level of construction. Also Mark site foreman reassured me even though I have now completed I not alone if I need any help. Very reassuring. Great they are landscaping areas where residence have moved in. Lovely unexpected welcome pack too.Well done all the staff. Thanks.

Janice · 21 July 2021 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 1/5

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Purchased a part exchange home from…

Purchased a part exchange home from them on 10th June and the amount of builders rubbish left within the property/garden is a hazard to my child, I have contacted them on numerous occasions to remove the waste, still not resolved......

Michelle · 20 July 2021 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 1/5

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We were looking to buy from Avant but …………

We were looking to purchase with Avant homes. However after nearly two weeks of very bad communication from a few too many people, my other half eventually got someone else on the phone, explained which development we were enquiring about and which plot. Only to be asked by the sales lady, how much money do we have to buy the house. Very very rude and bad sales. If we couldn’t afford the house we were enquiring about we wouldn’t be asking to make an appointment to discuss it. She then went onto say someone will be in touch to book us in for an appointment, heard that before with them. She has basically made our minds up on purchasing from Avant. Which is a no. It’s correct what people say on here. Stay clear .If the initial enquiry for me dose not go smoothly then I’ve usually already made my my mind up, very bad customer service and sales team.I would say don’t buy from them save your hard earned money for something better. It’s a sellers market with Avant homes not a buyers market. Thats the impression they give to customers.

Jo · 18 July 2021 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 1/5

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DO NOT BUY!

Terrible experience both before and after moving in! Tried to move me in twice before it was even signed off by building inspector, then 1 hr before picking up keys the boiler broke as it was plumbed in wrong way round. Since then I've had bathroom retiled and not worked for the last 4 months, Sewage leaking from ensuite down into downstairs toilet wall, through skirting and under floors. Hob and fridge both broke, poor quality plastering, 2 windows aren't even installed straight! skirtings tatty, tiles chipped all over the place, even boundary fence was missing cos they tried to take a short cut! Every time they try to fix something, something else arises. Now at the point of wanting it finished so I can sell up. Never again will I own an Avant home!

Klare · 16 July 2021 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 1/5

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AVOID

Would give a zero if I could. Paid a reservation deposit for a plot (I will say we did feel rather pressured by the sales person), a week later attended a reservation checklist appointment - I can only describe this as disastrous. The lady informed us that she 'could answer our questions but they often give answers but they turn out to be wrong anyway, so we'll see the day we get the keys' - we left feeling beyond confused and unsettled. As it happened, our circumstances changed and we no longer wanted to go forward. We contacted Avant and were assured that our deposit refund (minus £100) would be requested immediately - it has been over a month now and still nothing, despite numerous emails chasing this! We're gutted we didn't read reviews on here before contacting Avant, we've found the customer service to be pretty shocking, they couldn't answer basic questions about what was actually included with the property, our refund is yet to be processed and communication is ridiculously poor. AVOID at all costs.

Jasmine · 14 July 2021 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 1/5

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Easy 1 Star for Avant at Hawthornden.

Oh dear... How wrong can they get it

Stuart · 12 July 2021 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Coming 3 years and I do not have a finished house,

"Don’t just live for now. Live for wow | Avant Homes"More like Live for the How? How does it take nearly 3 years and still a mess? 5 star builder, not sure how that works? Trust pilot has you down as 3 star? I have you down as 1 star.Coming 3 years and I do not have a finished house, Despite moving out for major work for 10 days last year, they have messed up again, and my bathroom is left out of action. If your thinking of buying drop me an email i will let you know what it all about.

Stuart · 12 July 2021 · Avant Homes Midlands Derby

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Just this weekend purchased a house in…

Just this weekend purchased a house in Pilley. A while until we move in but very impressed with the service so far. Huge thanks to James for making us feel so welcome and passing on all of the information needed. James was very professional, gave us lots of time and we didn’t feel rushed at all. James also managed to slot us in at short notice so we could see him ASAP Also really appreciated getting an email from Sam straightaway congratulating me on the purchase. Look forward to the next steps and will keep updated.

Siob · 5 July 2021 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Melton, Wakefield

Have had an absolutely excellent experience with Avant and couldn’t be happier. The process of choosing our home, plot and extras was really simple and fun thanks to amazing sales advisors. We had loads of issues selling our existing property and our coordinator went completely above and beyond to make sure things went ahead as they should. If it wasn’t for her I think we would have missed our move in date!There have of course been some snags as expected but nothing major & site managers have been excellent in supporting. We have also had head of construction Darren out personally to help and he was fantastic. Overall can’t fault avant for anything.

Ross · 4 July 2021 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 4/5

Trustpilot

Radford's Meadow, Micklefield

Following a rather frustrating process at times, the current outcome has been very positive.I have been looking to secure a plot at the development in Micklefield; Radford's Meadow.As previously mentioned, this was initially frustrating with slightly conflicting info being provided. Following an on site meeting with Owen however, our questions were answered, he went above and beyond our expectations and we left with a reserved plot and a smile on our face.I look forward to the house being completed to a high standard and leaving another good review!

Jonny · 2 July 2021 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Waterside Quarter - Chesterfield

Outstanding experience from start to finish with the team at Avant, buying my first home at the Waterside Quarter in Chesterfield.Buying off-plan could have been seen as a gamble, but sales advisor Jack Staples was so knowledgeable and organised in his approach that it left no stone unturned.Once the plot was reserved, Tara Hutton kept me updated weekly with the progress of the home; supplying pictures and current build stage.The home itself is superb and more than I bargained for when I reserved the property. The build quality is excellent and the lightness and space within the house is beyond my expectations.Once I had moved in, the site team have been incredibly accommodating with any snags or minor adjustments that need to be made. I feel looked after by the site managers Mark and Mike, along with their deputy Scott and all of the workmen on site.Rosie from customer services has been in regular contact to check issues have been resolved and has been proactive at raising job sheets so these minor issues can be rectified as efficiently as possible.I cannot credit the entire team enough. Their work has been superb and I would recommend anybody to buy their first home from Avant. The whole process has been smooth, as stress-free as possible and has been a pleasure to deal with them all. Exceptional from start to now.

Callum · 2 July 2021 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 1/5

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We have bought a new build Avant home…

We have bought a new build Avant home in Barrhead. This should have been a joyous occasion but instead, we have had nothing but stress. The house itself is lovely, as is the location but we have no end of problems with Avant sorting out the snagging list. Avant are useless. They constantly lie, make false promises and nothing gets done. I can honestly say I would never buy from Avant again and would strongly recommend all others to avoid this company unless you are prepared for a long haul fight to get the most basic of snagging issues acknowledged, never mind fixed.

Stuart · 1 July 2021 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 1/5

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If I could give Avant homes 0 stars…

If I could give Avant homes 0 stars I would. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR YOU MONEY. By far the biggest mistake i've ever made was buying a new build from Avant. Quick to take your money (through and awful sales experience) but take an age, 4 site manages, 2 customer care reps, 5 directors, and even and email to the MD to sort your issues.... all of which have failed. I still live in a substandard house, they are overpriced, for the poor quality you get. They fix one issue and create 3 more! I live in a house which shouldn't of passed building or NHBC regs, yet its take 6 month to fix and the standard of finish is shocking. They cant even get their legals right, and i'm left with a property where the legal drawings and plans don't match what's it place. its been a nightmare and I don't see it getting better any time soon. Awful.I have a garden which is a swap. a fence that's falling down, and no-one has an answer. you take time off work for a meeting to resolve the issues and they turn up 45 minutes late (again your time isn't important, only theirs) and have no answers, are ill prepared and have to ask you questions on the subject they're meant to be an expect on. My house leaves me on the brink of tears most days, has caused unneeded stress, and frankly Avant should be disgusted, because we are.

Steph · 28 June 2021 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Nothing but praise for James!

I have met with James today, whilst viewing a show house at their Fitzwilliam site in Huddersfield, and all I can say is that he was the loveliest, kindest, professional but most of all very genuine when showing us round the site. He’s made me feel so at ease, he was very patient with my questions and nothing was too much trouble for him. It’s a little wait until I can move in but I’m looking forward to that date!

Denisa · 27 June 2021 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Great house buying experience

Recently purchased a house on the Waterside Quarter development ar Chesterfield. Really pleased with the house and after sales service has been excellent. Reported a number of minor snagging faults and the team have always responded really quickly and resolved the issues. Always happy to advise on stuff too. Special mention to Janice on the customer services team and Mark, the deputy site manager . Thank you

Gary · 24 June 2021 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

very poor house quality and after care

very poor house quality, have had a leaking roof twice loose bricks , first leak they fixed after numerous unanswered emails , now telling us we have no warranty for second leak .. also trying to take on a small area of land which they landscaped and are supposed to maintain , but havnt touched in 8 years so took upon ourselves to maintain ..they havnt replied to any of our queries regarding fencing the land in , possibly purchasing from them.. seems once they have your money it’s game over..daisy lane in downham market pe38 9avat say only 2 years warranty on roof , but came an repaired 2 yrs ago when the house was 6 yrs oldalso have live chatted with avant at least 5 times about an area of land running parallel with our garden which we have maintained to stop the weeds and brambles overcoming our fence was told it would be maintained, would like to fence it in and make it ours ,(maybe purchase) but unsure how to go about it , hence all the live chats .. was promised a next day reply on every chat just to say sombody is looking into it , we have never had any kind of reply (10 days later)Have now received a reply telling me that the region head of customer services is now in contact with us , Well there NOTme and my partner both provided contact details and still no communicationYet another month has passed , still no communication from avant homes regard land we are still maintaining and wanting to take on as ours

Ben · 21 June 2021 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Defective bifold doors

I have lived in a Roseberry in Balfour Park since January 2018. It has about 5 metres of bifold doors stretching from wall to wall and they are beautiful. They consist of two sets of three doors. The centre doors can be opened independently of the rest. From the day that we moved in we have had a problem with the doors. The main problem is with the traffic door (the opening door with the lock). It sticks on the bottom rail as the doors do not sit comfortably in the frame due to the fact that the traffic door is mounted at an angle as the two sets of doors did not abut at the time of installation and do not abut now. Two companies have tried unsuccessfully to repair the doors. It appears that the problem will only be solved by replacing the doors and or the frame along with associated building works.If I was able to attach a video you would see an elderly lady struggling to open the door for about nine seconds and then she turns and says ‘They won’t open’ The man says, ‘It’s stupid. It get’s bad’ the audio then cuts but if it had continued it would have recorded ‘but never this bad’That was on 31st July, 2020. Before and after that date the hinges have been replaced regularly by Avant. Unless the basic problem is resolved I will be left with a perennial and costly maintenance programme. After about twenty visits the doors still fouls the bottom rail and after each visit the problem becomes progressively worse but does not quite reach the situation described above. Nevertheless on one occasion two screws sheared from the bottom hinge leaving it hanging by a single screw. It had been fitted the previous day. I was unable to close the door from inside the house and had to close it from the outside and come into the house via the front door.That repair lasted one day. Other repairs/ adjustments have lasted six days and seven days.A new hinge which was fitted on 30th April, 2021 is beginning to creak on 1st June, 2021. This is the first indication of the problem starting yet again.Avant are reviewing my case and I have asked for a customer service manager to contact me but my calls are not being returned by the manager.You may not have any problems with bifold doors but you may encounter Avant’s unwillingness to rectify a problem. It is now more than three years since I bought the house.For these three years I have written factually without emotive language. However, today, 18th June, 2021, I feel that I am suffering from corporate bullying. I may not have been bullied but I feel that I have.It will be for others to decide.I am considering whether to ask a consumer affairs programme if they have any interest in the matter.

Brian · 18 June 2021 · Avant Homes Midlands Swadlincote