Orbit Hailsham reviews

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Not fit for purpose.

I do feel sorry for all the hard working and well meaning staff at Orbit, I know from personal experience that there are many. I also know from personal experience that this organisation is not fit for purpose.Orbit are aware that I have ongoing mental health issues. They recently issued a Notice of Seeking Possession of my home because I was seven days late in paying one hundred and ninety pounds rent.Today I got up at 05:20Hrs to clear and clean my bathroom for repairs booked on 17th January that were required due to my bathroom being signed off when it had not been sealed. I was told at the time there would be a two month wait. By 11:00Hrs and given my previous experience with Orbit repairs and boiler safety check appointments I checked my account on the Orbit website and found that the repair date of 22/3/22 had been removed and now it only said that the job should have been done by mid February. Needless to say nobody contacted me or shew up and I had wasted my time and energy yet again.My experience of Orbit has been that they allow my neighbours to burn noxious chemicals under my windows day and night ( triggering my PTSD ). Orbit allow my neighbours to come onto my property and use it as and for whatsoever purpose they wish, to put a threatening note through my door, Orbit allow the same neighbours to bully and provoke me, to put up a camera that follows me around my garden and that watches me while I exercise and Orbit allow the same neighbours to tell an Officer of my District Council that I have been photographing their grandchildren in their garden. Orbit’s response to me being triggered bullied and called a nonce?. Not. A. Word.My Solicitor charges £450 per hour...Update as of 8/6/22:My bathroom is still unsealed and not decorated.The CCTV next door still looks over my garden and gym.I paid my rent on 30/5/22 and today I got a letter from Orbit dated 30/5/22, a Warning of Court Action due to my rent being overdue on 27/5/22 to the value of... £15.56Update as of 1/8/22. On 8/6/22 I left a copy of my Trust Pilot feedback as of 8/6/22 on my account in the Orbit website. I then got another threatening letter from Orbit claiming that court action was pending, this for a debt I had already paid before the letter was even written. I then paid £4000 into my rent account in the hope that it would stop the nonsense threats and by the close of business that day the funds had not been put into my rent account and I had not been sent a receipt. I asked why this was and got an apology and was told this was usual for them. After some time I was then contacted by Orbit who said “ Orbit are only allowed to hold a month in advance on your rent account as it can be seen as money laundering hiding money from the tax man, so I have issued you a refund form to complete for the remainder to be refunded “. Orbit continue to insist that it is my responsibility to do bathroom sealant and decoration, though I have made it as clear as I know how that the problem is that the bathroom was signed off without it being sealed. The bathroom was never up to the standard of the rest of the house. A 'Friday afternoon job' as one workman put it. For a year or so there was damp around both sides of the window and in the external wall where the extractor fan was mounted. Eventually an enclosed cowl was fitted to the exterior of the wall. The problem persisted. On the next visit 3/4 of a metre of unnecessary tubing was taken out of the space in the wall between the extractor fan and cowl. On the next visit a new fan was finally fitted. All the while I was fighting to get the fan replaced the paint across the whole of the ceiling was bubbling up, falling off and and fluttering down around me. I shall have to ask a professional to do the job and will present Orbit with the bill. I expect that if I do not take action quickly they will claim I am not keeping my home in good order.I did manage to eventualy get Orbit/MPS to replace a leaking tap in my kitchen. My water usage between January and May was less than 12 units per month. In July, while I waited for the tap leak to be fixed… 60 units. The chap who replaced the tap unit was very nice, unfortunately he somehow managed to flood my cupboard and didn’t fess up to it or try to clear it up and left me with a kitchen soaked where the cupboard lining meets the external wall and the cupboard and its contents completely soaked. He also left me with a not very sturdily attached tap and when trying to clean up I found one of the securing nuts hidden behind a downpipe in a pool of water.

R · 1 August 2022

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Shared ownership with orbit

Shared ownership with orbit, is like asking someone to rob you while they are punching you in the face.There is nothing favorable when getting on the property ladder with Orbit. Over charges on communal repairs, management charges when they don't do anything, they even make selling more difficult.

Mr · 3 October 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Building manager is abysmal

Building manager for Collingwood Close...This woman is either really bad at her job or, just plain ignorant.6 weeks ago I was told I'd receive a phone call from her in 48hrs. Still waiting. Now, this isn't the first time she has done this. Hence the...bad at job or just plain ignorant. I personally believe it's both. When you ask why she hasn't responded you get ignored. SERIOUSLY!!!You then end up complaining about your original complaint. It seems the people who deal with Eastbourne just do what they want. When you ask...when was the last time she visited..no response. (Pattern emerging)We have cleaners that didn't turn up for weeks, gardeners that are useless. Grass looks like it's been hacked to bits. Problem is...nobody ever checks their work. Orbit will quite happily take our money but won't actually get off their backsides to actually come and look at the crap work these contractors do. (Estate manager..That's you)When was the last time either of these people actually visited Collingwood Close? Building manager mainly.It's not just the building manager and estate manager that are questionable. I had new smoke/ heat alarms that connected to mains supply put in a few years ago. When a guy came to check my fuse box this April as new heaters been fitted...he couldn't believe what he saw. They hadn't even connected the smoke/heat alarms to the electricity supply! He ended up putting crap trunking all over the ceiling and walls to rectify it. (I'm still waiting on someone filling in the 50 pence size hole that was left in my ceiling due to this) Better a small hole in your ceiling than choke to death on smoke as your smoke alarms weren't fitted properly! This is what I mean about the dodgy workmanship.Someone from head office needs to get their backside down here and look into how many complaints about non returned phone calls and the job they're meant to be doing. New CEO said he wanted to make things better... You're not! The buildings are 31 years old. Still waiting on new bathrooms. Orbit seem to spend a lot of time sending out surveyors to take pictures etc but never actually do anything. Maybe they like looking at pictures? What other reason could there be if they don't act on them? You couldn't make it up! So whoever is in charge..Take a good look at the people dealing with Collingwood Close.Separate the wheat from the chaff then you may start to get some improvement.

G.P · 2 October 2024

★★★★★ 3/5

Trustpilot

I did not like how Sureserve gas…

I did not like how Sureserve gas services would not take responsibility for their engineers actions when flooding the customers kitchen and wrecking a cooker while replacing a boiler, they would not compensate for a new cooker or any damage caused by their actions.

Kimmy · 14 April 2026

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

I reported the repair over a week ago

I reported the repair over a week ago. It was supposed to be a 24h urgent repair and it has not been done to date. Water is pouring onto the electricity and gas boxes and customer service is passing the responsibility on to Robert Heat Hiting.

Wojtech · 28 October 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Engineer was good

Engineer was good. I missed one appointment and rearranged one appointment which they sent an engineer anyway. Then I got 2 threatening letters for technically missing one appointment it over the top it’s not my fault they sent an engineer out even though I rearranged the appointment . Disgusting behaviour!!!!!!!!!!

Mr · 16 August 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

She was very helpful and sort my…

She was very helpful and sort my problems very fast The best customer service ever Thank you so much

Adam · 28 September 2026

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Don't expect Orbit to help when someone dies.

My mother was a tenant with Orbit for over 40 years. Sadly, she passed away more than a month ago, and since then I have been trying to inform Orbit and arrange the return of her keys.

Claire · 21 May 2026

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Still ongoing despite formal complaint

I’m writing to formally complain about the ongoing issues I have had regarding outstanding repairs, lack of communication and transparency with Orbit.Payments: In January 2022 I received a letter outlining the direct debit payments for the year. I have now just received a letter (28th March) to advise of monthly payments increasing by approximately £34 per month immediately (1st April) with no explanation of why. This is not the first time Orbit have done this and it has created a habit of increasing the monthly payments with little notice throughout the year making it impossible to budget.Property: I reported a crack in my ceiling near the boiler when I purchased the property in 2017. This was never fixed and has since got worse.Car park lighting: I first reported that one of the lights in the car park was out in summer 2021. Since then, all lights were out, and this was consistently reported throughout the winter. I mentioned the safety issue every time I called. I could not see should anyone be hanging around in the car parks. I could not see pedestrians if I was driving unless my headlights were directly on them. I have called Orbit and explained that it’s not being fixed at least 10 times this year alone, both to the repairs number and customer resolution team. Your response of booking it in with MPS is not working. The lights remain off part from one. Again, I would like this removed from my service charge and to be reimbursed for this expense from last year.Mechanic doors: Emergency exit/token entry system added incorrectly. The system (that was added to our service charge) is null and void. You can still enter the building with a key and when leaving, you don’t need to press the exit button that’s been installed, you just turn the handle as we had always done. I’m unsure of why we had to pay for this job which nobody uses as it hasn’t been done properly.Car permit enforcement: After emailing a complaint to both Orbit and HML about a parking control enforcement without consultation, I have since received the letter that was sent to the houses to be informed. The homeowners living in the blocks were not notified or added to any consultation or survey process despite the main changes taking place to the parking that’s specifically for the blocks. The issue that was reported is the commercial vans that are parked opposite the houses on the street. It would make more sense to add a red/yellow line to the areas on the street where it is dangerous to park. Why would a consultation and survey only be sent to the houses (the ones who have complained about the on-street parking issue) but the solution is to penalise the bay car parks that the blocks use? Why was the survey/consultation extended to the ones that will be most affected by this change? As stated in my previous letter, I do not consent to this or cost to be added to my service charge after 1 year.Back door is broken: The door constantly breaks and has been broken for months. The door needs to be physically held in place whilst the lock mechanism returns to actually close the door meaning that it ends up being left open.Window cleaner: I reported that the cleaner comes, only cleans the windows on the first 2 floors and doesn’t clean the back windows. This hasn’t been rectified.Bin store: The lock kept breaking and replaced with cheap locks. A resident replaced it himself with a better quality one. Further highlighting that in the event the repairs are carried out, they are done in such a cheap way that the fault keeps returning.Management fee: I’ve been requesting to meet/see/communicate with a property manager which hasn’t yet happened. With so many issues in this building, I don’t see the need for a £3456 fee.I am appalled at the lack of service, communication or care received in my five years living here. I should not have had to reach this point over repairs and issues that were quite simple to rectify.A copy of this will also be sent to the housing ombudsman.Edited to add: I've already been in touch with the customer resolution team after the last complaint, it's still outstanding.

C · 29 March 2022

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

This really isn't good is it?

This really isn't good is it?I called at 9.45pm to your emergency line as I have a leak somewhere in the kitchen under the sink that is behind the actual plasterboard and has now leaked all under my kitchen floor making it squishy, the flooring is ripping and breaking due to the leak.I was told I would get a call.in the next 4 hours but maybe before....it's now 3.07am and I haven't had a call....I explained I have a special needs son and she assured me what I just stated. So I just waited up all this time for what? My son will wake up early and need 24 hour care, I'm a single parent and I'm going to have to deal with all the daily stress with little sleep. Thank you yet AGAIN for being a complete waste of time. I will cancel my direct debit that I set up to pay the rent and I am not paying another penny until the issues in my property are sorted.Don't house with this association, they don't care about tenants or the state of properties and when you are a few days late with rent they threaten you with all sorts of disgusting things. If you want your rent on time carry out the repairs on time, and as for emergency 24 hour call out? Hahahaha, who's going to crack the next joke?The longer you leave this water that's flooded my kitchen floor underneath the more damage, the more damage the more it costs you to rip it all up and replace it. ***UPDATE***I had an UNQUALIFIED plumber sent by Orbit by MPS to fix it.....he told me himself!! He isolated my cold water pipe going into the washing machine and told me that basically it was my fault and orbit would most likely not repair anything....fair enough.....He goes, tells me there won't be anymore leaking as it was that....I now have video evidence of the old eroding copper piping leaking! Of course it wasn't fixed as they sent an UNQUALIFIED plumber!! I will be contacting my local council to report this behaviour and I won't be allowing any of your contractors into my property to fix anything unless they can prove they're qualified to do so. Disgusting performance and the press will be getting this, I also want someone from orbit to contact me and explain why they allow UNQUALIFIED personal into properties to fix things they aren't qualified to do! He then told orbit he "didn't say it"....oh really? Why would I know that his Dad was a qualified plumber and took him on jobs as a kid and that's how he picked it up? I smell incompetent liars 💀🔫🔫🔫

Nempire · 27 March 2022

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

The operative arrived on time and was…

The operative arrived on time and was very polite. He did an excellent job and was thorough.

David · 1 October 2026

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

No hot water for 3 weeks!!

No hot water for 3 weeks!!The level of urgency from our managed estate agent, Hamptons is shambolic. We have been without hot water for 3 weeks now and seem to be no closer to a resolution.Hamptons/Orbit only hire cheap contractors, who attend your property and leave within 2 minute as they have no clue what they are doing.The level of communication from Hamptons is arguably non existent. All we do is chase and chase and get nowhere.As long as the landlord get their rent paid, nothing else matters. Absolute shambles of a company.

Chris · 15 March 2022

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Poor customer care

I contacted the customer care team about a fire alarm that had been constantly going off from one of the houses currently being built. I spoke with Farzana, and then received responses from floor walker Paul.

Millie · 22 May 2026

★★★★★ 2/5

Trustpilot

John Wayne's homes

As a temporary contractor who has worked on everything from wind farms in Cornwall to ASOS WHARE HOUSE in Germany powerstations and house building I can honestly say I'd rather live in a pop up festival tent ..These properties are thrown up .using the very cheapest materials available ..how do I know ...I unload the lorrys . I've been doing this job 26 years I know cheap bricks plasterboard when I see it .. the site management struggle to run a bath never mind a site ....and don't worry there's lassoo and spur marks on everything ..yeeehaa ... .

Paul · 11 February 2026

★★★★★ 4/5

Trustpilot

My experience with Orbit has been…

My experience with Orbit has been mixed. Staff I’ve spoken to have generally been polite and pleasant, however dealing with ongoing ASB issues has felt very slow and frustrating despite repeated reports from residents.

Sara · 27 May 2026

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Constant deliberate mishandling of complaints, corruption and ignorance!

I have made constant complaints about one of Orbit's tenants harassing me for the better part of 4 or 5 years.Back in around November 2014, I told the tenants son, who used a motorcycle that pavements were for people and not motorcycles, this is enshrined in law, namely Sections 33 and 34 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and Section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002.The son responded by telling his bully and thug father that I "threatened to kill him" when those words were never said. My exact words were: "pavements are for people, not bikes... numpty". Since then he made a point of riding his bike on footpaths knowing that I was watching, and on at least 2 occasions, there were small children playing nearby. Who knows what would have happened if he hit one of them, perhaps a disqualification and a prison sentence for causing serious injury by dangerous driving?Some time later, he had an accident on a dual carriageway after a car hit him, he got a new bike and his acts carried on unabated and he eventually got a large Honda motorcycle which was loud and backfired. He did this purposely outside my address while giving me the middle finger.I contacted Orbit Housing repeately, and all they did was DELIBERATELY mishandle my complaints, and ended in them ignoring me, despite repeated proof by way of video evidence. In the end, I just exposed them on Youtube and he sold his bike and I have not heard from him since.The father on the other hand...The father up to last year continued to harass me, using his loud motorcycles on footpaths, this includes riding them without wearing a helmet, almost running over small children, and reving up his engine between the hours of 4 and 5 in the morning knowing what he was waking me up every time. I started to record him and eventually got proof that he was pushing his bike past his house, but riding it past my address, which shows that he was doing it purposely.Since around 2 or 3 weeks after that video was uploaded to Youtube, I have only heard his bike start up once. That was earlier this year.In short, Orbit were less than helpful, and only cared about taking rent from their tenants, ignoring and deliberately mishandling complaints from tenants of other associations.**UPDATE**Orbit have now ceased all communications with me.This is because, in my view, their customer service is so bad, that it does not exist! I am also of the view that I can say with a degree of confidence that they dont care about the utter misery that their tenants cause people like myself and just prefer to ignore it. A lack of response here tends to support this theory as well.

Thomas · 11 November 2021

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Supported by a stranger that made my day!

I was apprehensive about answering the phone because it was no caller Id but I am so glad I did Amy took her time and was very patient with me I felt lonely dark and quite sad this morning but Amy listened and explained what she was going to do for me she asked my permission to refer me to a couple of different support networks she cheered me up and I can tell she is a kind and generous lady. Thank you Amy 10 out of 10 darlin! Oh yeah she should get a pay rise and a promotion lol we could do with more Amy’s in this world…

Heidi · 4 November 2021

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

On Friday 15th October I was with My…

On Friday 15th October I was with My Mother in Her Flat ME2 4DX When the Kitchen Light failed to work. My Mother is 85 and Disabled and Phoned Saturday 9am to Report the fault. After insisting she was Disabled and used a Zimmer Frame around her Flat Orbit agreed to a 4hr call out. After no-one appeared another phone call was made and it was10hrs before anyone appeared who said he couldn't repair as wholesalers were now closed and would report and sort on Monday18th October. Needless to say no0ne appeared or contacted my Mother. After an official complaint was made. A Contractor phoned on Saturday 23rd and said it had not been followed up or request for repair was made. Mother was also casually told to put a Table lamp in Kitchen to use. Where is Health and Safety in that. Eventually 12 Days Later an Electrician appeared and fixed faulty light. I was told by Scheme Manager that Repairs are all on 30 Day Response and Later informed it was now 90 Days Response. How can Orbit treat Elderly Disabled Residents in this Way. They Just Don't Care about anyone. Only Silly Rules & Regulations.

Chris · 1 November 2021

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Does the department exist /were my money

Oh were to start orbit were great during our tenancy but now we have moved out its been hell We moved out 3 months ago and when leaving we spoke to the person who would collect keys and survey property so we would get deposit back and he was going week after. All good but this is were the issues start We were billed for a month that we were not there and had to chase for that refund and took around a month to get that back Out deposit is held in separate account apparently and they need outcome of survey to issue refundI have had to chase every week with numerous emails and calls and what ever this department is either consists of one person or maybe there still using carrier pigeons and more code because I have had no response. I'm 3 months into my new house and should not have any dealings with orbit now it's becoming a joke now 1. Were is my money 2. Were are the staff dealing with my issue 3. If no one has heard from surveyor in 3 months are they ok should we send help 4. You have done works in the flat since I left so I assume it was fine 5.if everyone that moves out of a place owned by you are they all waiting 3 months (getting onto 4 months) for a deposit returned or our you hoping they just forget

Roger · 24 September 2021

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

JOB WELL DONE

I personally found the electrician sent to my flat to be extremely thorough, knowledgeable, polite and didn't muck about. He had a job to do and he did it extremely well: so far so good.

Armchair · 6 May 2026

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Orbit does not care about the safety of their tenants and their innocent children

Orbit has shown consistently poor customer service, they are dismissive, slow to respond and lack concern for tenant safety. Repairs are delayed, and when work is carried out, it is often incomplete.

Sinead · 26 May 2026

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Having had a bad year since Covidvid and…

Having had a bad year since Covid and lock down, I had suffered mental health issues and a breakdown. I was also burying my head in the sand and avoiding Orbit due to my rent arrears. Sharon Jones went above and beyond my expectations and helping me to realise I was going to lose my home if I didn't do something.She has been an absolute rock, so helpful, and supportive all the way. Having now cleared my arrears, Sharon still continued to support me in having an eviction cancelled, and get my tenancy renewed.I really couldn't recommend her more highly, she has been an absolute rock, throughout the process.

Suzanne · 23 June 2021

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Jo-Ann Lyon has been extremely helpful…

Jo-Ann Lyon has been extremely helpful over the past 6 months. Helping me with a range of things since moving into my 1st orbit property from how to be a good neighbour to how to access further support from orbit. Jo-Ann enabled me to access the super surfer grant so that I could have the ability to get online and be confident in using the tablet I was provided. She also secured me funding to start a course of my choice. She has also offered wellbeing support and made sure I knew that she was always there if I needed to talk.

Maria · 7 June 2021

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

I was contacted with regard to suspension of housing benefit due to returning to full-time education

I was contacted with regard to my present rent situation as I have returned to full-time study and have been contributing to my rent with some assistance from Housing Benefit. However a person from Stratford District Council wanted to see all my Student Loan documents only my application process was online. To cut a long story short my Housing Benefit has been suspended and I was contacted today from a young lady that explained that my situation was not that serious of an issue due to the amount that is outstanding on my account as I have cleared an amount already and reassured me that it can resolved with an action plan she has helped me with. The kind lady explained that as long as you remain proactive and keep Orbit informed of your situation it will be resolved and everything will be okay. It gave me complete peace of mind to know that my housing association cares about the individual enough to help them accordingly in situations like this. I feel more positive now I now there are lines of communication available to help people as they try to progress in life.

Martyn · 27 May 2021