Gentoo Homes reviews in Darlington, Sunderland and Houghton-le-Spring

★★★★★ 4/5

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Cottier Grange

We moved into our home on the Cottier grange development just over a week ago. Unfortunately we had moved over a weekend and had a leak from the shower within the first 24 hours. The out of hours team left us without hot or cold water until the Monday morning. We were really disappointed that this was the first weekend of our new home, and how the out of hours team had left us. However we cannot fault the service from the site team (particularly Paul, Mark, Ritchie and Luke) have been amazing. We felt listened to and we felt the team were also disappointed with what had happened. It showed us that they genuinely take pride in the homes they build and apart from the leak, we are over the moon with the standard of the house and the aftercare from the team at Cottier grange. We hope our experience prompts gentoo to help support customers and improve their out of hours care so this doesn’t repeat in the future.

Sophie · 14 September 2026 · Gentoo Homes Darlington

★★★★★ 1/5

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⭐ 1 star

⭐ 1 star, Avoid Gentoo Homes at all costs especially their SCHOLARS GARDENS DEVELOPMENT. I genuinely wish I had known what I know now before buying a home from Gentoo Homes. What should have been an exciting experience has instead turned into months of stress, frustration and a complete lack of confidence in the company. My brickwork issues have dragged on for over 12 months, with delays of more than 3 months before work was even properly addressed, despite repeatedly raising concerns. I have also had my driveway laid three times because of sinking, along with numerous other defects and remedial issues throughout the property. I am still waiting for proper answers and resolutions on several outstanding problems, including the shower tray, which has been reported for months and still has not been properly resolved or, in my view, correctly bedded down. There have also been issues involving the roof tiles, pointing, manholes, fascia, patio doors, kitchen components and other remedial works. The biggest frustration isn't just the defects themselves, it's the lack of communication, coordination and accountability. Too often, concerns seem to be passed from one person to another, with the customer left chasing for updates and answers. Being repeatedly told that something is "within tolerance" doesn't resolve the problem or make the experience acceptable. We have also been left extremely disappointed by the changes to the development. We originally understood there would be 16 affordable/shared-ownership properties within the 99-home development. That has since increased to 38 homes, around 40% of the entire development. This is a significant change from what we understood when purchasing our home and has added to our overall disappointment. A new-build home should not involve constantly chasing the developer, waiting months for answers, having remedial works repeated and feeling like you have to fight to get problems taken seriously. Unfortunately, based on my experience, I would not recommend Gentoo Homes to anyone considering buying from them. If you're looking at buying a Gentoo home, my advice would be to do your homework, ask very difficult questions and think very carefully before committing.

Anthony · 21 August 2026 · Gentoo Homes Sunderland (Mill Hill Road)

★★★★★ 5/5

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Gento home is second to none in terms…

Gento home is second to none in terms of structure quality, and holistic approach towards customer's satisfaction. They keep to time without compromising standards. Beside the quality of the buildings, my personal engagement with Sheena, Jack and Emma gives me the assurance and courage for recommending Gentoo home to friends. Nevertheless, your personal experience will convince you. Agbo

Agbo · 17 August 2026 · Gentoo Homes Darlington

★★★★★ 2/5

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Floor finish are coming off (Scholars Garden)

Over the past year, the floor finish has progressively begun to fail in multiple areas of the gtound floor. The edges of numerous boards are lifting and coming apart, and the damage is continuing to spread across teh entire ground floor. This is clearly not an isolated defect but appears to be a widespread issue affecting the flooring throughout the house. Given that this is a new-build property, we do not believe this level of deterioration after only one year is acceptable or consistent with the quality that should reasonably be expected. The flooring has been used under normal household conditions and has been well maintained, so we do not believe this is the result of misuse or everyday wear and tear. The floor has been inspected by your engineer and they intend to just repair the parts they have seen. Hiwever, during our last inspection, we saw same thing in another part of the ground floor. Because the problem is occurring across several areas, we are concerned that replacing a few individual boards will not resolve the underlying issue. We therefore request that your technical team carries out a thorough inspection of the flooring throughout the property and provides replace the ground floor finish which is a more permanent solution. Based on the extent of the defects, we believe a full replacement of the affected flooring should be considered. Also, the main Bathroom has an odour since we moved in. We can't keep the window closed becasue of the smell. Those are major issues we need resolved as soon as possile.

Theresa · 23 July 2026 · Gentoo Homes Sunderland (Mill Hill Road)

★★★★★ 4/5

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Delighted to finally move into our new…

Delighted to finally move into our new home, despite a few little niggles at the start of the process Luke has made the experience smoother than expected. Move in day was excellent. Now to get the boiler working properly and we will be rocking! Thank you to the site team for exceptional customer service on our first day in.

Emma · 17 July 2026 · Gentoo Homes Darlington

★★★★★ 5/5

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Scholars Gardens

We’ve been in our new home at Scholars Gardens for just over 3 months now. The Gentoo team have been amazing. They rushed to get our house ready early, and made the whole process stress free. Any question or issue has been dealt with swiftly and we’re really happy with our new home.

Beth · 1 July 2026 · Gentoo Homes Darlington

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Great New Home At Cottier Grange - thank you to all the site team ☺️

I absolutely love my new Gentoo Home at Cottier Grange, and the sales executive Luke Jones dealing with my purchase was amazing, from start to finish, as was the site manager Terry on my moving-in day. Thank you Cottier Grange Team 😊.

Maia · 29 June 2026 · Gentoo Homes Darlington

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Very pleased with new house purchase and buying experience

I've recently completed on a new house purchase at the Cottier Grange estate in Prudhoe and found the whole process to be very smooth and enjoyable. Luke the Sales Executive has been most helpful during each stage of the buying process, from making the initial reservation through to completion. He has been efficient at responding to emails and there was genuinely zero pressure when selecting options to pick anything expensive or beyond what I was interested in. I am so far happy with the quality of the house. A few minor issues, which you would expect with any new build property, but no concerns around the quality of the build after spending a few days checking through the house. I would recommend Gentoo Homes, and the Cottier Grange estate in particular has a wonderful setting and aspect.

Joe · 22 June 2026 · Gentoo Homes Darlington

★★★★★ 4/5

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Scholars Garden's

We completed our house in October 2025 at Scholars Gardens. The site manager Jack is approachable, friendly and extremely helpful. Even since moving in, the support and help received from Jack has been great and made moving into our first home so much easier.

Chloe · 11 June 2026 · Gentoo Homes Darlington

★★★★★ 5/5

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Right from the start Luke was not…

Right from the start Luke was not pushy, very helpful and friendly. The site manager Paul has also been approachable, helpful and friendly. All in all we are very happy with all at Gentoo Homes.

Nicola · 5 June 2026 · Gentoo Homes Houghton-le-Spring

★★★★★ 5/5

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Move-In to Settling In

We recently moved into our new home with Gentoo Homes, and the experience has been pretty positive from start to finish. A special mention has to go to Jack, Emma and the wider team, who have been outstanding throughout. From the initial stages right through to settling in, they have been approachable, proactive and genuinely helpful. Any questions or queries we had were dealt with promptly and professionally, which gave us real confidence and peace of mind. Since moving in, the team has continued to provide excellent support, ensuring everything has gone as smoothly as possible as we’ve settled into our new home. Their commitment to customer care have really stood out. We’re very pleased with our new home and would highly recommend Gentoo Homes to anyone considering buying. The service we’ve received has been fantastic, and we’re grateful for all the support along the way.

Graham · 2 June 2026 · Gentoo Homes Sunderland (Offthe A183)

★★★★★ 1/5

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Despicable untrustworthy housing place

No one at all should trust this gentoo,my experience is they suddenly turned up entered our home & demanded to search the rooms we refused & asked for a warrant & they said move or we get police to drag you out & we will still search them!then we discovered they actually allow adjoining property's to be used for surviellance into your property by way of listening & technology that allows to see through walls,technology that they don't want us to know they have,we tested it & they reacted every time,pretended to have something illegal to carry in public 3 times all 3 times police pulled & checked us but we didn't take anything out we just pretended to & sure enough they reacted to it,repairs done so bad we had to redo them at our expense,fake gentoo workers being loaned gentoo clothes & van to illegally enter homes & tampered with fittings in the house as we proved,seems this place is ran by some pretty unsavoury people thats corrupt to the core so bad that I'm registering as homeless in a few weeks as would rather that than this,I suggest anyone getting a place to get it checked for hidden cameras & microphones & check adjoining property void spaces for holes knocked through into your property where you can't see them,I've plenty photos of the ones in here & builders don't miss huge holes in places when building property's,especially just the corners,use these as the very last option if you must,shadiest landlords I've ever dealt with & totally lawless with cowboy repairs,fake staff pretending to be gentoo but with their property,and demands for illegal house searches & taking advantage of vulnerable elderly who say yes to everything asking them to phone as soon as their carer goes out so they can get a yes to everything they ask to do!blatant taking advantage that is and its disgusting,i wonder how many others they've got away with doing this to

John · 1 June 2026 · Gentoo Homes Sunderland (Mill Hill Road)

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

fabulous experience with Gentoo homes

fabulous experience with Gentoo homes, our property is wonderful and very attentive service from all the team. very pleased and cant wait to begin our journey in our new home. Pauline and Peter.

Pauline · 14 May 2026 · Gentoo Homes Sunderland (Mill Hill Road)

★★★★★ 1/5

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By A Gentoo Home with CAUTION

Just over 2 years on moving in to a brand new home we had water ingress through our kitchen ceiling. Gentoo generously asked a sub contractor to repair.. A few years on the leak has returned... Now NHBC will not get involved as a contractor has been to site without going through them. Gentoo will not talk to us, now their contractor will not get involved as they don't want responsibility for any Gentoo design issues..... Now up the creek with no paddle .... Just hope it doesn't rain..... Please stay away from Gentoo Juniper homes in the North East.... They say they are aware of situation but don't contact me unfortunately....

Alan · 19 March 2026 · Gentoo Homes Sunderland (Mill Hill Road)

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Worst possible customer service, don’t keep appointments, no regard for private property, shoddy and shady practices.

Graeme · 16 March 2026 · Gentoo Homes Darlington

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Deplorable

Moved in to 4 bed detached home 16 months ago. When speaking to customer service for ongoing problems in November and being promised callbacks by Lisa and Sandra (who I believe is the head of customer service), we have received none to date. Gentoo are living up to their deplorable reputation. I would not recommend this builder.

Wendy · 9 March 2026 · Gentoo Homes Sunderland (Mill Hill Road)

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

No customer service

No customer service , don’t keep appointments, no respect for private property as use it as their own storage facility. Use underhand tactics to avoid any responsibly going forward . I strongly advise to purchase elsewhere with a reputable builder.

Graeme · 6 March 2026 · Gentoo Homes Sunderland (Mill Hill Road)

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

I purchased a "Avoid: Premium Price for Substandard Quality and Zero Aftercare"

I purchased a "premium" property from Gentoo Homes in scholar gardens chapel park, but the experience has been a nightmare. It has been a year since I moved in, and critical issues remain unresolved. DO YOU WANT YOUR NEW HOME FEELING GONE-COME AND BUY HERE WANT TO GET THE LEAST QUALITY AND WORKMANSHIP-COME AND BUY HERE Major defects include: Structural & Exterior: Cracked and chipped brickwork that undermines the house's exterior quality. Internal Workmanship: Terrible paintwork and poorly fitted internal doors, the "attention to detail" promised is nonexistent. Safety & Damage: Ongoing water leaks that have not been professionally addressed. Lack of Accountability: There is absolutely no follow-up. They have ignored my requests for 12 months, seemingly exploiting the community’s trust and the buyer's inexperience. Gentoo Homes is happy to take your money for a high-end property but fails to deliver the quality or service to match. Save your money and avoid this developer.

Ram · 3 March 2026 · Gentoo Homes Sunderland (Mill Hill Road)

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Literally the worst company I’ve ever…

Literally the worst company I’ve ever had the misfortune to deal with. Months of delays actually completing on the house that ended up being 9 months later than our original date. Since moving in we’ve been plagued with snags; some of which have been serious in nature and actually dangerous. Our roof had not been installed correctly which only came to light when tiles came off and landed on my car. That could have been a person! No use of the main bathroom for 4 months because of a tiling issue only to be followed by no use of the en suite shower for 5 months because of a leak. 1.5 years in and we still have snags to be resolved. Avoid!

Sonya · 18 February 2026 · Gentoo Homes Darlington

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

DO NOT BUY A HOME FROM GENTOO!

** See addition below** DO NOT BUY A HOME FROM GENTOO! Was given a move in date for September. Not a single form of formal communication since September. You ring the office multiple times and they are absolutely clueless every single time. Appalling service. I repeat, DO NOT BUY FROM GENTOO! Edit: Still ongoing poor communication, multiple minor and major snags, slow resolution, very poor finishing, cheap items, differences in layout completely different from build plans which was not communicated or agreed. Never have I experienced such a poor service. Avoid this company at ALL COSTS!

Esosa · 23 November 2025 · Gentoo Homes Sunderland (Offthe A183)

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Scholars Gardens

We have recently bought our home at Scholars Gardens which has been built by Gentoo. Since moving in they have been absolutely amazing! From keeping us updated with what’s happening on site to just being a massive support in general. Jack (site manager) has been amazing, so welcoming on site and again been great at keeping us up to date with what’s going on onsite. The idea of moving onto a new build site is daunting with the noise but the guys on here have been so considerate of the families moving in. Thank you so much!!

CG · 21 November 2025 · Gentoo Homes Sunderland (Offthe A183)

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

From sales to customer care

From sales to customer care, the whole company is just a shambles. We have been lied to over and over again and still to this day are no further forward. My mental health is in the pan through buying a house from this company.

Tyler · 28 October 2025 · Gentoo Homes Sunderland (Offthe A183)

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Rating only, no written review.

Soin · 13 October 2025 · Gentoo Homes Sunderland (Offthe A183)

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Smooth Purchase at Scholars Gardens, Chapel Park

We recently purchased our new home at Scholars Gardens, Chapel Park with Gentoo Homes, and the experience has been excellent. From the very beginning, Sheena from the sales team has been amazing, always patient and supportive while our house sale was going through, and taking the time to explain everything clearly at each stage. The process has felt smooth and stress-free thanks to her guidance. We’re now really excited to move in and start enjoying our lovely new home!

Jordan · 3 October 2025 · Gentoo Homes Sunderland (Offthe A183)