Trusted Agent profile · Botley
★★★★★
710 reviews across 2 platforms
Winchester Road, Botley, SO32 2UA
Linden Homes Southern's office in Botley, at Winchester Road, is rated 2.4 out of 5 across 710 reviews on two platforms, including 30 Google reviews rated 3.6.
Every review we hold for the Botley office, from every platform, shown as written. First names only.
1/5
TrustpilotLiars and con men
We reserved our home after seeing it built and the large from garden, after reserving and organising our mortgage, Linden changed the boundary, to which we said we no longer wanted to proceed. They offered us £5k in compensation so we changed our minds. This was just a big fat lie to get us to buy. We never received this money and now they say it wasn’t agreed!! They just tell lies to sell houses. Disgusting behaviour, crooks and cheats. Stay away!!
1/5
TrustpilotWhere to even start
Where to even start! Do not believe a word that comes from anyone's mouths at linden homes !! You would think our house had been built by a child (infact I think a child could have done a better job) Brickwork all over the place, bricks hanging out from the walls, not level, chipped bricks etc.. they came to fix these but as you can only imagine it looks even worse than what it did before! We've had a handful of brick workers come and price up re doing the majority of the side of our house and each one can not believe what a mess it has been left in. One of the brick layers broke into our shed to use our hose pipe and broke it, the people who jet wash the houses down smashed into our house and my car. If I hadn't of noticed all the scratches down the side of my car (that they had try to polish to cover up any damage they had done, and pointed the corner of the brickwork whilst we were out) we wouldn't have known this had all happened whilst we were at work!!! Our garden is an absolute bog all our grass has gone and is thick mud and puddles, we've been promised a drain for the last 2 months! oh, guess what! We're still ringing to chase them up every day to come and fit a drain in. There's so much more I could list here but honestly the stress and upset linden homes have caused to my family has been one of the most traumatic, upsetting and emotional times of my life. If you want an everyday battle to get the home you wanted (the show home or the one that looks great on the plans, the dream home you really wanted) then these are your people. If I could take back buying a house from linden homes I would do it in a second!
1/5
TrustpilotBe very careful
Be very careful if dealing with this company. They offered us financial incentives on a new house amounting to £23,000 which lulled us in. We had Council searches done and surveys done and were exchanging contracts within 8 weeks only for the MD to remove all the financial incentives at the last minute. My advice to you is if you have to deal with this company then make sure it is written into the small print on your reservation agreement that the financial incentives they offer cannot be withdrawn. Otherwise don’t sign it.They also asked for a deposit of £1000 to reserve and have kept £500 for their admin costs!!! Disgraceful!
1/5
TrustpilotThe perils of Part Ex
Be aware if you are going down the part ex route. You can waste 3 months and approx. £2k before they decide they have changed their minds. The ladies in the show room were very helpful, alas the people behind them are more than happy to mess you around (and let you waste your money). Bitterly disappointed with this company. If they do not want to offer Part ex, they should not advertise it (or if they only want to deal with houses less than 10 years old, they should say so)
1/5
TrustpilotAvoid at all cost
Love the design of my house and love the location unfortunately that’s where it ends, from start to finish and now a year after moving in we have been let down with false promises, lied to and had to battle to get things put right. Linden are a fantastic company UNTIL you exchange then they are the worst company I have ever dealt with. I would strongly recommend looking at any other builder other than Linden, you have been warned read all these reviews and steer well clear.
1/5
TrustpilotIt won't do much but I guess if enough…
It won't do much but I guess if enough people put the boot in on Linden Homes and their parent ownership - which as I write i understand to be Galliford Try.My daughter is in a flat on a development in Colchester. The external landscaping to the whole estate of houses is unfinished. Street lighting after four, five, six years still does not work. Specifications on the plans were altered repeatedly. This builder is the worst of a bad lot i fear.
1/5
TrustpilotDon’t buy. Cheaply thrown together homes.
I’ve been in my linden home for 3 years. In that time I have had to change the handles on the internal doors. They were so badly and cheaply put together my son got locked in his room unable to get out. I’ve had to change the locks on the front door and garage. The Wi-fi doesn’t work as the internal wiring is all wrong. The kitchen is so cheap that is looking tired and all my toilets leak heavily from the cistern into the pan causing a huge water bill. I certainly won’t be buying again from them.
1/5
TrustpilotNot happy at all poor after sale service
Not happy at all, I've owned my home just about 2 years now (base in Harlow Essex) , problem I've faced? Wooden beam hanging, pip leaks and poor customer service. As am writing this review my leaks problem hasn't been fixed yet and it has been more then 4 month now, they ignored my emails. Common we have hard earned and pay huge amount for these homes ! I need someone to get back to me urgently please. I will have no choice now but to start legal action. Really? Do we have time for this?
1/5
TrustpilotShambolic
If there was a way of having - stars I would. We have been waiting for our house since May, we did part exchange and were told that our house will be ready in June/July, which came and went then told July/August, end. End of July we are told the windows they ordered were wrong and they will get replacements end of August so new moving dates to October/November which also came and went. Finally get a moving date 20th December but now with one weel to go, they are again not sure if it will be ready, they have booked CML for the 20th December the day we have been told we will be moving in. Our buyers should have our house on that day which means if they fail we will be made homeless, not to mention that with one week to go we have been a bit more organised than Lindens and booked movers, got BT and utilities moved. Every single conveyance plans they sent had to be resent as they were wrong. Our meet the builder got cancelled twice both on the day it was due, the second while we were there we were told that the site was too dangerous for us to go in. Thank you Linden Homes for the additional stress to our house move that is one of the most stressful things to do, I am not looking forward to potentially be homeless at Christmas with my 4 year old in tow. Utter Shambles..... Disappointed does not begin to explain the feeling.
1/5
TrustpilotOnce you buy, they say bye bye
Avoid Linden Homes, once you sign you will never be able to reach them. I think they turned all their phones off but they keep sending texts for 'new house offers'.28 year old first time buyer who bought using help to buy in 2016. Move in date was delayed until 2017.Building process was a mess.Multiple site managers who kept leaving. Never any clarity, my neighbours and myself had a nightmare. Huge delays.Sneaky discount offer where they offer to give you so much towards legal fees but then charge it back through admin fees at the lawyers (said it was for the other company) they are the developers!! Avoid their solictors and go independent!!Mislabelling of the numbers and site numbers on the pipes meant it took the National Grid/British Gas/Western Power years to figure why my gas meters were not on the register and made payments to British Gas almost impossible as they could not find my property!Entrance/back and flat doors installed by Linden Homes were according to FirstPort not fire safety standard. This was not discovered until a year after I moved in. Due to this FirstPort threatened to take legal action if I did not pay to replace them. Linden homes claim no knowledge of the issue and claim no responsibility. No calls back when raised. Was given a number where they never answer the phone. No repairs done to the building etc as the responsibility was pushed to site managers and or management companies. Despite supposedly being a 10 year building guarantee on all new build properties. Management company counter argue that Linden Homes are responsible. Linden Homes forgot to register me on the land register. Was recommended to use their solictor. They forgot key paperwork, which meant I was hit by huge additional cost on the day of completion. Despite chasers in the weeks and days before. Completely incompetent.I and millions of others were missold leaseholds. I signed into a leasehold contract for service charges with Pentland Estates Management (they no longer exist and are now Firstport). Never sign a leasehold agreement without reading the service charges (mine seemed reasonable but no idea this could be sold off and uncapped) and do not buy a property which has any doubling ground rent clauses.I am now in dispute with both the management company and ground rent company for overcharging and poor customer service. However due to signing a leasehold clause in the mortgage I have no rights and property developers can sell the freehold as soon as possible (after 1 year) to different management companies who are allowed to raise fees and deliver nothing as they see fit. Disgraceful.Only option is to sell, just like my neighbours, in order to get out of this hell of increasing fees.Property developers & convayaners need to be investigated and under much deeper regulatory scrutiny.
1/5
TrustpilotThe worst workmanship and customer service ever!
Completed in September 2020, shower started running through the ceiling. Took months to get sorted. Happened again. I've now got actual mushrooms spouting from the soaked skirting boards. The shower tray is on a slope. Apparently there's nothing wrong with it though. Plus the hellish smell coming from the bathroom. Not lindens problem apparently. I even bothering with their complaints procedure anymore, I'm going straight to a solicitor.
1/5
TrustpilotWaste of time effort & money! Not worth the stress
If I could give 0, I would!! Initially, I ignored these reviews as the site manager seemed friendly & communicative. However, as soon as you’ve signed on that line, it will all change...Buy with Linden homes if you want delay after delay, want to repeatedly submit paperwork due to these changes, pay for your own accommodation after they cause you to be ‘in between homes’ after delaying 7 MONTHS and then take 2.5 weeks and counting to receive a refund after you inevitably pull out. If they ever send it. Oh, and a solicitor bill for a house you’re not even going to move to! Terrible company, appalling customer service and as for communication, well, it’s basically non-existent. And you better not expect an apology for any problems! Steer clear, it is NOT worth the stress (and waste of time and money). Buy literally anywhere else!!! Especially if you have a young family - you *will* be told a completely unrealistic completion date & be finding somewhere else to live. Don’t do it!!
2/5
TrustpilotLinden Homes
Firstly, we have numerous snags (to be expected) with different severity levels however this included things such as no durgo valve on the waste, which is just sheer incompetence. It took around 3 months to get all of the snags fixed including replacing loft hatch, back door being fixed 3 times, flush on one of the toilets looked at 4 times, front door had to be hung again, slabs repaired in garden, missing kitchen items. As for the 'landscaping' they did with the front garden, all flowers died within 3 days of moving in as they were not planted correctly. We had to wait over 6 weeks to even be able to order broadband and have been back and forth with British Gas re gas and electric ever since, I get the feeling we were moved in slightly ahead of schedule.As they are still building, there is a lot of site traffic down our access road to the cul de sac (expected, isn't an issue) however we have ongoing issues with our road currently having 5 different levels, a pot hole developing and constantly full of nails/mud from JCB's etc. Currently chasing customer services, to no avail! Just waiting for the day I severely damage car/tyres.Feel there could have been better communication from the start from sales team and site manager, with a bit of honesty re the house, road, site etc as feel we were chucked in way ahead of schedule to meet sales targets.I would recommend keeping on top of them with any snags - email, phone, hassle any way you can as once your snagging time period is over, you're passed over to somebody in Head Office who is constantly out of the office and doesn't reply to calls or emails.
1/5
TrustpilotUpdate on my uninhabitable & blighted house (4 years of living hell)
Message to Caveat Emptor - I've shared your very shocking but very honest review on Twitter. Please read my reviews on here too.... almost 4 years I've been unable to even live in my Linden Home. The house is Uninhabitable / Defective / Blighted due to contamination. Linden's Commercial Director forced me out on 19/01/2016 - as at today's date that's 3 YEARS 9 MONTHS and 2 WEEKS ago - and never to return. It's cost me more than £56,000 (to date 01/10/19) in mortgage payments for a house NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE. Linden served me Eviction papers from the first rental effectively throwing me out onto the streets as I have it in the SAR that they had taken "possession" of my house and taken my house "back". They changed the locks to MY house in April 2016 and walked away with the keys to MY house in August 2016 with their lawyer stating "our client was only [fixing] it as a gesture of goodwill and they are no longer prepared to". I moved rentals then NHBC also stopped reimbursing the rent so Eviction papers again. I've moved around like a vagabond for 4 years, living in 4 different hotels (Linden threatened to stop reimbursing the hotel bill 3 times then acted on those threats - my credit card bill rose to £11,000 so I was forced to move out of the hotel into a cheaper pub room until NHBC put pressure on Linden to pay hotel so after a week in a pub room, I moved again, back into the hotel).Yet then NHBC did exactly the same, cut off funding my alternative accommodation in April 2018.I was forced to move to a 3rd rental and it's cost me (to date) nearly £19,000 in rental payments on top of my mortgage. Linden Homes and the NHBC caused me to have a nervous breakdown in February 2016 and I've never been well enough to return to work. My loss of earnings is massive. The bullying, threats and lies I've received not only from Linden and NHBC but their respective lawyers (Gateley and Dentons) has been and still is horrific cruelty. To anyone reviewing Linden after a short time is very naive.I've also been taken to court twice for non payment of council tax on my uninhabitable house when I'm paying council tax on my alternative rental accommodation. I was slapped with two Liability Orders and have had to sell off personal possessions to chip away at the arrears. Linden Homes and the NHBC are LIFE WRECKERS.The CEOs sit in their ivory towers and don't care about ruining the lives of their paying customers. Read the Trustpilot reviews on NHBC too. As if all that isn't bad enough I've lost my overseas holiday home/ retirement property because I could no longer afford the mortgage because that money is being used to fund rental properties to live in in the UK whilst my Linden new build sits empty but still costs me a mortgage every month. Both are abhorrent companies with no moral compass.This is the real truth of buying a so called "dream home" from Linden Homes not these highly suspicious 5* reviews. If anyone wants to contact me you will find me on Twitter at Yvette86129589
1/5
TrustpilotHow bad can Linden Homes be! Well an update to the previous thread…
Well an update to the previous thread of ‘LINDEN HOMES A VERY SORRY TALE...........’Well yes they may construct a good house somewhere, sometimes, but the reviews on this site clearly show otherwise.Those that actually write good reviews within weeks, or a few months of moving in, are a little niave to say the least, but each to their own.After 6 years of hell and no contact from Linden for over 4 years this is the end result!Well just to update this thread, 6 years to the day of buying this property the NHBC finally issued a Certificate of Repair, on all the works carried out. The total costs are well over £300,000.00 not to mention our financial burden to get it put right.We have had no contact from Linden Homes since 2015. They just ignore emails, and never reply.Galliford Try who own Linden have a new CEO so I thought I would write to him about our plight, include all the lying emails and deceptive practices as evidenced in the Subject Access Request, as well as the paragraph in their handbook they give to all new home owners...........It clearly states'Moving In and Enjoying My New Linden Home (sic)Page 10 - 'FOR EXTRA REASSURANCE’“ Essentially this means you could be entitled to compensation, if we encounter problems finishing your home, and any issues once you have moved in, that are our fault will be put right. We know this is the worst case scenario, but it gives everyone peace of mind just in case something does go wrong ”We asked for compensation as documented in the booklet, where they clearly you got things very, very wrong. Things that were clearly their fault. Even to the point of signing off faults identified by the Building Inspector, as corrected, that never where.The response in short was tough luck, the NHBC repaired your property, so there is no come back on us. It is not our fault we bought a new property in good faith, allegedly constructed to a set standard, and inspected throughout its construction by the NHBC. Is not out fault that Linden Homes signed off faults that were never corrected, and its not our fault it was built to such a poor standard it was a building site on and off for 6 years and took over £300,000.00 to repair. But apparently according to Galliford Try it is, and the fact they had spend so much putting it right is our fault too?Dear Mr Thank you for your email dated 11th October.I sympathise with your situation and apologise for the difficulties you have experienced. I understand, however, the matter has been dealt with by the NHBC in its independent capacity.Regards Graham ProtheroChief ExecutiveThere is very little justice in this world, and Galliford Try are now to buy out Bovis and merge them with Linden Homes!As said before such stories are just 5 minute wonders, no one sits up and takes notice, there are no consumer rights for new house buyers, building companies know this and just laugh all the way to the bank with your money, what a wonderful occupation to be in.Fat cats just get fatter
1/5
TrustpilotI wouldn't buy from them again. Shame.
Pain to deal with them. We bought a new build home (Borley Park, Botley) and gave them our key to sort out snagging problems after we moved our belongings into the house. Next day when I was at work and they worked on the house our smart alarm system recorded one of their people as he rummaged in our drawers. The next day they sacked the man and they said sorry. I had to replace the locks, and put a new security system in place plus disposed of all the effected clothes which cost me thousands. I ask Linden to pay for some of the damage they caused because of their negligence, but I had no luck with them. Nice. I wouldn't buy from them again. Shame.
1/5
TrustpilotIf there was an option for zero stars…
If there was an option for zero stars it would be that. I have lived on the Linden Homes estate in Radstock for 2 1/2 years and had no contact from Linden Homes to the changes of plans for the road etc. The Road works have been contracted out and the lovely men completing the works have kept the street up to date of changes. This is not good enough Linden Homes!The road plans have changed, I have checked with BANES, we have not been informed by yourselves. The road is meant to be a two way road, however you can only fit one car down at a time. You have not met the legal requirement for two lane road... what are you going to do.Also stop ignoring the feedback and comments your customers are leaving. The Bristol office have not been helpful, and are refusing to contact any of the property owners to discuss options. All we ask for is communication.My first ever home and I would not buy from you ever again - not worth the hassle.
3/5
TrustpilotHaving been in our house in Truro now…
Having been in our house in Truro now for 3 years, the house is good quality and a really nice design, just make sure you get them to fix any problems as soon as you possibly can as time goes by as they loose interest the longer you leave it. Make sure to check every screw, fixing, hinge, downpipe, french windows etc... in the first couple of weeks of use and keep on at them until they turn up. AND when they do turn up make sure you are there to make sure everything is fixed.
1/5
TrustpilotI was told that my home would be ready…
I was told that my home would be ready winter 2019 they was very pushy in me signing my house over and everything then to have a letter saying my house is ready but roads and stuff are not and that my house wont be ready till January to July 2020 I needed a quick move y I went down this route now I regret and wish I bought another house as this would of been a quicker option for me I would of been waiting over 18 months for a move since I bought this house. Linden your a joke and hope people dont make the same mistake as us
1/5
TrustpilotGoogle 'Portsmouth news woman suicidal' re Linden
To a recent Reviewer saying "this is a genuine review" all I can say is how naive to give a 5* rating just over a month after moving in. Encouraged to leave a 5* review so soon yet who, in their right mind, gives 5 stars then goes on to list multiple things wrong !!!!! If they were genuine I'd have thought 3 stars at most would have been more appropriate. Snags having to be done multiple times, getting contractors back not once, not twice but 3 times. This reviewer does realise, surely, that when giving a review against Linden that does include their contractors 🤔 so complains or admits faults yet still gives 5* 😂Let's see if they still want to give 5* when they've been in 2 years or when something major goes wrong and Linden doesn't want to know. Maybe this reviewer should Google 'Portsmouth news woman suicidal" and see the contempt Linden really treat its customers with.How anyone can give 5* to this abhorrent, unethical, bullying, cowboy of a builder is beyond me.
1/5
TrustpilotDon't be fooled by suspicious good reviews - read the truth in mine
All very well someone below saying "stear clear of witch hunts and spouting off on social media" but for most of us, we only TOOK to social media because of Linden Homes' attitude and appalling bullying and mishandling of our claims. Easy to be a part of the "blame" culture when it's not you who has had your life ripped apart. If you want the truth, read my reviews, not someone who has one way or another been incentivised in giving a good review... and who in their right mind reviews a company highly when admitting it has taken the 2 year warranty period, almost in its entirety, to get the house they were lied into believing they would get! If you bought a car that didn't run properly for the first 2 years, are you telling me you would find that acceptable and give praise just because it got fixed just about within the 2 years. How absurd. Linden walked away with my keys after changing the locks and tried to have me thrown out of a rental property whilst withholding the keys to my house. Not only have I paid more than £54,000 in mortgage payments on a house "unfit for habitation" but I've paid out more than £20,000 to live elsewhere in temporary accommodation too and have lived in 4 hotels and 3 rental properties in 3.5 years. Packed and unpacked 10 times so please, don't anyone tell me it's about relationship building with these unethical bullies. The TRUTH about Linden Homes lays in mine and the other 77% of unhappy, ripped off and abused customers reviews.Strange how these so called 5* reviews pop up after several scathing ones! You don't fool us Linden.
4/5
TrustpilotAbbey Farm B Swindon
My wife and I purchased a Linden Windsor in October 2017. We have had our fair share of issues from drainage problems to the usual snagging such as creaky floor boards and settlement cracks. At first there was a problem with communication between the customer care team and my wife and I but Linden made changes internally which inturn helped in building a good relationship between Linden and ourselves . We will have been in our house 2 years in October and the issues are coming to a close within the 2 years builders guarantee. The best way to approach issues with house builders is to build good communication and a relationship where both parties respect each other and the same end goal within a realistic time frame. I have been in the civil engineering and construction industry for 22 years so can relate to being the contractor and the buyer. My advise is to steer clear of witch hunts, spouting off on social media and concentrate on sorting your own home and all will come good. My family are now enjoying our Linden home almost issue free.Hope this helps anyone only reading the bad reviews.
5/5
TrustpilotDevelopment
Development - Wilford Fields, West Bridgford. My partner and I visited many developments in the West Bridgford area before deciding to buy a new home with Linden Homes. From the initial meet, the sales team really stood out in terms of friendliness, approachability and passion. They helped us choose the home and specification that suited our budget. They were very good with updating us on the progress and actually expedited the build so it was ready for my partner's birthday which was lovely. All of the punch list items were resolved quickly and the build quality is excellent. My father owns his own construction company and commented on the quality of this house and the development. I would really recommend this company and several reviews below would have put me off but I'm glad I made my decision based on merit, which was to the sales team.
1/5
TrustpilotI’ve never known such a untrustworthy…
I’ve never known such a untrustworthy company in my life!! Poor workman ship!! Bad attitude off staff mainly managers!!!! Never admit liability or fault for there mistakes!! I’ve never cried as much in my life as I have while dealing with awful company!! We’re now stuck in a awful situation with them as we’ve spend thousands on furniture/ blinds etc all ready to exchange to find out we’ve been miss sold a house with false boundaries and were being blamed because we’ve only just noticed 😂 “sorry for trusting in the company!! More fool us!! Over a meter width we’ve lost to our neighbours!! To be told they will compensate us with a dishwasher and washing machine 🤦♀️ There refusing to move the boundaries now as the other house is occupied! So now we have to have the property re-valued again!! And basically start from scratch!! I want to pull out of the whole thing but there refusing to help cover our money lost!! My advice stay clear! There frauds!!!
Where the same review appears twice we show it once. We leave out reviews that name another agent or another of the brand's offices.
