Simple Life Base at Newhall reviews in Harlow

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Avoid at all costs!

I strongly advise against considering Simple Life Homes. When we expressed interest in a property, our initial inquiry was met with unprofessionalism and an unresponsive team.We requested to view the property before making any financial deposit or commitment. Despite being scheduled for an appointment, we were rescheduled three times.We eventually received email confirmation for a viewing. Upon arrival, no representative from Simple Life was present. Instead, a site manager informed us that the home had not been handed over and expressed surprise that Simple Life, lacking ownership or authority, was arranging viewings. We attempted to contact Simple Life five times and finally reached them on the sixth attempt, only to encounter incompetent staff unaware of the situation. They attempted, unsuccessfully, to reach the person supposed to show us around and promised follow-up, which never occurred, I had to email. This experience wasted half a day of annual leave, along with time and fuel costs, without any apology from Simple Life. Based on this experience and corroborating negative reviews, I would avoid Simple Life Homes at all costs. If this is their treatment of prospective tenants, one can only imagine how they treat actual tenants.I have also advised others to avoid engaging with Simple Life Homes. Avoid them at all costs.

Isabel · 19 June 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Nice team

Nice team. They helped me a lot during my new home search and I found one with them.

Joshikr · 19 May 2026

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

RUN FAR AWAY, THEN RUN SOME MORE

Be warned… Would not recommend this unresponsive company. My experience started out pretty positive actually. It was smooth for the duration of my set tenancy. We went with Simple Life for two main reasons, first reason being that they accepted my dog (when we were struggling to find a place). The second reason being, hoping for a better experience than that of a private Landlord. Little did I know about the nightmare to follow…. So, I got the notice that my tenancy was up for renewal. Pretty standard, and I wanted to stay. I read the terms, Simple Life requested the rent to be “in line with current rates” so they maxed out the rent. Pretty standard for business I suppose, not great. READ THE FINE PRINT know your rights, they DEMANDED a month to month rolling tenancy. This was the big reason why I did not renew, I have a dog I could not live without. I’m not going to let a company take advantage of me this way. Seems like they didn’t care to keep us at that point and would not negotiate. Blows my mind (I was literally guaranteed government rent). It does not end here! Simple Life did NOT contact me after their move out inspection (I checked, called, left messages) and they did NOTHING with the TDS until the very last possible day. Worked very tirelessly to try and get most of the deposit back. Overall Simple Life is very unresponsive when you are not giving them money. Simple Life seems to place no resources with this and is very unorganised with their moving out department (think about it from a business perspective why care about leaving customers!) the wait times were much longer, (I experimented) and the staff rude and unhelpful. Makes sense why the reviews are going downhill… Do better if you want better reviews?🤷My review is commensurate my experience with Simple Life. By all means, contact me with some dumb rebuttals. I just couldn’t be bothered dealing with this company anymore so I accepted the deposit. Good riddance Simple Life! They have brought us so much stress and anxiety, DO NOT rent from here, it isn’t worth the immense stress. I caution you strongly against Simple Life. I wish I could give a more positive review but I feel compelled at this point. *Drop Mic*

KC · 17 June 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Bad experience all round.

Bad experience, we were really let down by Simple Life due to poor communication and organisation.We had an offer to rent accepted in February on a 2-bed house in a new development, and were given a provisional move in date of March. We therefore paid our deposit, and handed in our notice to our current landlord at the time to finish renting in February and arranged van hire for moving in March.A week before we were due to move, we still hadn't been given a date to view the property. I kept chasing this up until someone at Simple Life told me that they didn't have the keys or access to the property yet and that our move in would be delayed.I was shocked that this hadn't been communicated to us via official channels, and later that day an email came saying we couldn't move into the property until April. We had to scramble to cancel plans and make arrangements with family to stay elsewhere until April. Then the cycle happened again, we couldn't get a date to view the property, no one on the phone lines knew anything helpful. Finally, a week before our new move in date, we received an email saying we would be refunded our deposit in full because the property was being taken off the market. For 2 months we were strung along by Simple Life, and then another month of frantic house hunting ensued.Poor customer service, poor management, poor organisation leaving families stranded in a really difficult situation. I am just glad we dodged a bullet in renting off this company.

Gabrielle · 10 June 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

We initially missed out on the house we…

We initially missed out on the house we were supposed to move into due to unforeseen circumstances. However, our agent Tahir managed to source us another house which we’ve just moved into. The service we received from himself was nothing short of fantastic. Would leave 10 stars if I could. Thanks so much Tahir if you’re reading this!

Daniela · 6 May 2022

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Avoid , avoid , avoid

Avoid these people like the plague. I have 2 friends who had the most horrendous experiences from beginning of tenancy till the end. I can only imagine the good reviews on here are their own family and friends boosting their rating and the bad reviews are from actual tenants. I am not just having a good old moan on here, I am actually pre-warning anyone considering them to rethink and save yourself the hassle.

Nay · 7 September 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

We were given an entry date of 24th May…Not professional and complete lack of customer care

We were given an entry date of 24th May only to then be told that the checks hadn’t been carried out on the property yet and a new date (provisional?) was 5th June. When I queried the 2 week period extra I was told it was because they only use their own contractors and they had to adhere to their schedule? They were unwilling to use outside contractors to get it done sooner, despite it being their fault? I don’t think they have tried to meet us halfway even and were not helpful! We are constantly chasing them for updates which haven’t been forthcoming?We’re moving from Scotland to Manchester and have removal company on hold pending a date and extra storage costs and now having to rent somewhere else while we wait? No offer of help or support from them. I am very disappointed in the way we’ve been treated and to be honest I’m losing faith in them at this point?

Donna · 24 May 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Submitted a complaint

Submitted a complaint today due to the constant lies and never ending delays, added to their complete lack of empathy for our circumstances, of which they were completely aware of, I have lost all confidence in Simple Life. We constantly have to chase them for updates and due to the utter lack of communication my family and I are now homeless with a new born expected in a matter of weeks. This entire experience has had a detrimental effect on us all, not least my heavily pregnant partner who has been suffering mental health issues because of it. I dread to think of what this stress is doing to my un-born child.

Rhys · 23 May 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

This was my first interaction with…

This was my first interaction with Simple life Housing & strait away they seem so professional.

Robert · 21 May 2026

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

If I could give zero stars I would

If I could give zero stars I would. Absolutely awful company in terms of customer service. On 02/05/24 I enquired about 5 properties newly listed To Let on Rightmove (the two beds at Merlin’s Point) My Partner wished to proceed with an application, but we were told that there were currently no available properties? I was incredibly confused, as five properties of the same design had just been listed on Rightmove that day. I sent a couple more emails to Isobel (the lady who had said none were available) double checking that she was certain none were available? She assured me that no, they weren’t, that I had been added to the mailing list for when properties are released. Fast forward a couple of weeks and one by one I saw ‘let agreed’ appear on these properties listed on Rightmove. My partner and I attempted to call Simple Life numerous times but only ever got through to an answer machine. Neither of us have been called back despite leaving messages.Yesterday, with only one of the original five properties remaining on Rightmove, I thought I’d send just one last email to gain some clarity on why I’d been told there were no properties available and what was happening? I received a reply from Isobel once again, saying that one property remained?!! So confusing! So there WERE available properties. We immediately filled in an application form, however this morning my partner received an email saying ‘sorry, this property has been taken’.An absolute shambles. If we had been able to submit an application on 02/05/24 when we first enquired, rather than being told ‘no properties were available’ (incorrect information) we may have been able to secure one of the five properties.An incredibly frustrating situation and not once have we received an explanation or apology for what has happened.

Emma · 16 May 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Trust your instincts, stay away

Somehow I knew I'd be writing this review. I needed accommodation and found a new build property for rent via google. It looked perfect and after doing my due diligence on the company I applied with trepidation. I work closely with our companies PR/Comms department and the vague apologies, coupled with poor excuses (change of management, last minute sickness etc) mentioned on trust pilot gave me cause for concern, but I took a chance and applied anyway. I paid the holding deposit and went through the application process. I have poor credit history and was open and honest about it in my referencing email. Simple life's website says that bad credit can still apply so I made sure I was honest and open from the off.Skip forward a few weeks, I receive an email saying I was unsuitable and would need a guarantor. That's not really my concern here, although I did offer 6 months rent in advance which was turned down. My big issue is the handling of the holding deposit. Reading many if the negative reviews here it seems that getting money back is always difficult from this company, so this was always a worry paying a holding deposit (for an apartment that is not even fully built). So I received and email to say that this apartment is not finished and would not be available so I could receive a full refund. Excellent news. A day later i received an email to say I could not continue with my application due to refencing checks and would be offered a partial refund. I have requested further details on this as I have not breached any of the comments mentioned on their website. Turns out if you apply you will receive emails from several different departments, who do not speak to each other, do not follow their advertised rules, and do not respond in anything quicker than 2 days. I await with baited breath the response to why I am not eligible for a full refund, having made sure I complied with all their demands.To summarise: If you need a place quick - do not applyIf you have bad credit history - do not applyIf you want a quick response to any queries - do not applyHowever:If you want your money to be held up on a property that is not ready - This company is for youIf you want super slow response to simple questions - This company is for youIf you want to pass over money knowing deep down inside that they will try and scam you out of getting it all back - Guess what, you've hit the jackpot!, this company is for you.Do not use this company if you want a place. Read the reviews, look on other social media platforms, trust your instincts. I'm pretty sure they make a good portion of their profits by keeping holding and tenancy deposits. I will be fighting them all the way to get mine back however. Simple life? Could not be farther from the truth. Stay awayReply:I’m happy to hear the refund in full has been paid, would be nice if it actually had. Still no sign of this. I’m sure the response will be banking times or delays but why post this if you are not positive the refund has been received? For a company who insist payment must be made in 24hours or you will lose the property it certainly takes a long time to process a refund.

Mike · 15 May 2024

★★★★★ 2/5

Trustpilot

290£ for a viewing?

I must say, it was the most confusing experience I've had. Currently, my partner and I are looking for a house to rent in Manchester or Sheffield, and we came across a promising listing on Rightmove. To our surprise, it was a property managed by Simple Life, a company we had never heard of before.Initially, everything seemed normal. We contacted them to book a viewing, and they offered us a choice between two similar properties in the same area. We selected one for a viewing, but then they requested a £290 deposit upfront, claiming it was to secure the property. It's important to note that they asked for money before we even viewed the property.In the same communication, they stated that if we changed our minds at any point during the application process, a portion of our holding deposit would be non-refundable. Specific amounts were outlined for various reasons, such as re-advertising and referencing costs.To add to the pressure, we received this demand at 5 PM, with an aggressive statement that we MUST pay immediately, or our application would be canceled. This was entirely unprecedented in our experience.In response, I expressed our confusion and requested clarification. However, it's been a week since then, and we've yet to receive any reply.Overall, this has left us feeling uncertain and frustrated about Simple Life's practices and transparency. Such treatment is unacceptable, especially when entering into such an important agreement as renting a property.

Taisiia · 14 May 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Charlotte was incredibly helpful

Charlotte was incredibly helpful, guided me through the whole process. Unbelievable work. Can’t wait to start living in my dream home. JS

Jay · 31 October 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Excellent Service

Excellent Service! Property is amazing and the Havenswood development is stunning! Olivia has dealt with any minor teething issues quickly and efficiently! Move in process and referencing went without a glitch, kept up to date on everything and all steps. Cute touch with the welcome box too and all the info given about the property!

CC · 18 August 2022

★★★★★ 3/5

Trustpilot

Lack of communication

We are due to move into our new property on the 18th of this month but I have not received any communications from SimpleLife since I paid the reservation fee.We have done the references and we were told the agent would ring us to discuss further and I am still waiting....Considering I am moving from the other side of the country in less than a week I would really appreciate a response to my emails or someone answering the phone...M.Tucknott

Michella · 13 May 2024

★★★★★ 2/5

Trustpilot

Do Not Recommend

The houses themselves are lovely, although same usual challenges with new builds - small rooms, not much storage space, dodgey turf/garden. Trying to get repairs sorted takes absolutely forever, and they will try anything to make you pay for things yourself. When they do finally sort repairs they will send the cheapest dodgeyest contractors. They will also hike the rent prices each year. Since leaving they have made absolutely ridiculous deductions from our deposit, and 6 weeks after leaving we still haven’t had the remainder of our deposit back. I would never recommend or use again.

Emma · 12 May 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

What a shameful company

What a shameful company, We had moved out and after many months of the garden being under water and we had use pallets to walk around the back door. They put the rent up twice in the time we lived there. It felt like a complete construction site. We tried to get our deposit back and they wanted to charge us £1100.00 to replace the entire garden when we said it was under water most of the time we lived there. We have not to this day received our deposit. AVOID the company they are very bad service My old neighbours are moving out too

David · 11 May 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Unsure how this company operates if I’m…

Unsure how this company operates if I’m honest.On first contact we got told houses were becoming available and completed an application for a 3 bedroom house. We waited for a few weeks, but we kept in contact during that time and got told repeatedly 3 and 4 bedrooms were soon becoming available. We then received an emailed to say we were being offered a 4 bedroom house. We are a couple with no children and not only don’t need that size we don’t need to pay for rooms we don’t need. We enquired about the 3 bedrooms we had applied for and were told would be coming however we got told they wouldn’t have anymore 3 bedrooms only 4 bedrooms. This was a drastic change from them being available soon to them not having any 3 bedrooms to rent ever in the future. We got told via email at 2150 hours in the evening. We had to decide if we wanted the house before 0900 hours the next morning. Very odd operating hours when the website shows working hours as 9-5. 3 bedroom houses were still shown as available so I tried to call. This went to voicemail and I was told I’d get a call back in 24 hours. This didn’t happen. I called again and got told the same. It’s now been three weeks and I’ve had no call back. Since being told no 3 bedrooms at all would be available and we had to choose a 4 bedroom or nothing, 3 bedroom houses have been shown as available on the website. However the same day as posting we have enquired and we are told they have already gone. I’m not sure if these are being given to family or friends of the company because surely our application is also in this list of people who have applied and we should be getting contact? Instead of the stone wall no take a 4 bedroom or nothing. I’ve send multiple emails but myself not my partner are receiving anything other then you can have the 4 bedroom or nothing. I’m not sure if this is just to try get us to take the more expensive property?I’m confused about why despite applying for a 3 bedroom we are only being offered 4 bedrooms. I’m confused as to why we are being told no 3 bedrooms will ever be on offer again and then adverts are still being shown as available for application. I’m even more confused by a company who will happily make contact just before 10 in the evening and yet have no contact with potential customers at any other time.

Rae · 9 May 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

This company seems like a sham

This company seems like a sham! I recently made an enquiry and was instantly offered a property. To even set up a viewing I had to pay £260, which I did hesitantly. After viewing a property of similar size I decided not to go ahead and asked for a refund of the deposit. This was 4 weeks ago. I have no refund. Bank details were provided. No communication to say a refund was actioned. My emails are being ignored. I feel like I was suckered in and no one seems to care at all. Don't bother with their telephone number as no one has any idea on whats going on either.If you want a simple life, don't choose this company

Charlotte · 2 May 2024

★★★★★ 4/5

Trustpilot

Maintenance Issues

EDIT: I've now received a response from the maintenance manager, who has resolved my issues to my satisfaction, and a new washing machine has just been fitted. As I said below, our house is lovely & so are our neighbours - the area's great & I'd definitely miss it if we moved. Hopefully they can make some improvements with the speed in which they process maintenance issues & repairs, and some of the other issues mentioned in my below review, but they do seem to have taken this all on board - much better than regular landlords who in my experience, are likely to get defensive, or give you notice in revenge!ORIGINAL REVIEW: I would like to bring to attention some concerns regarding maintenance during my tenancy so far. I have emailed about these complaints to give you a chance to resolve them before leaving this review, but have received no response, so I’m hoping this will be brought to the attention of the correct people.On March 5th 2024, I notified Simple Life about my broken washing machine. Despite promptly receiving a repair quote on March 8th, it wasn't until April 2nd that authorisation for the repairs was actually granted by Simple Life. The contractor took one look on April 10th and immediately determined that the machine was beyond repair.It has been 51 days now without having a functioning washing machine, resulting in considerable inconvenience and financial burden, particularly as a single parent caring for a disabled child. Regrettably, my inquiries regarding how to make a formal complaint were unanswered (so I just used the main email address, but nobody has responded).Upon moving in December 2023, the property had several issues such as a broken fence, an overgrown lawn in terrible condition, and a damaged electricity meter cupboard door. Initially, I was informed these were my responsibility to resolve, which is obviously unreasonable given that they were there upon moving in. I have had to pay myself to get the lawn sorted out (somebody eventually turned up out of the blue to fix the meter cupboard & fence).Additionally, there was a concerning GDPR breach at the beginning of my tenancy, whereby my personal information was mistakenly sent to an unauthorised individual, which I wasn’t informed of until this individual got fed up of it & called me himself (as they had given him my name, phone number & address). I did eventually get an apology from Simple Life, but it definitely added to the stress. Furthermore, I’ve had visits from bailiffs and police (late at night, frightening my daughter) searching for the previous tenant, which have raised concerns regarding property management practices.I am hopeful that these matters can be addressed amicably & this is helpful in terms of improving your processes, Simple Life, as the house is nice overall, my neighbours are lovely & I like living here! But the maintenance side of things & the lack of communication is in desperate need of improvement, and I strongly feel that I should be compensated for all of the time & the hundreds of pounds I've had to spend in the launderette over the past two months.

Sam · 1 May 2024

★★★★★ 2/5

Trustpilot

Processes not followed…

Recently received keys to the property but no checks had been done before I moved in. They said I would receive a welcome pack and MOT checklist on my arrival to the property but none of this happened and has left me lost. I had to chase for keys to get into the property and then discovered the boiler, dishwasher and a shelf were all broken. Due to the boiler issue I was unable to move into the property but Simple Life refused to reimburse me for the rent even though I couldn’t live there and hadn’t even yet moved in.The property besides this is nice and I’m looking forward to moving but the whole processes has been very difficult, very unfair and far from ‘Simple’. Hoping that simple life will recognise me as a person and rectify all mistakes quickly and apologies fairly for the catalog of errors.

Caz · 29 April 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

I have previously put a review on and…

I have previously put a review on and had a reply from simple life homes, unfortunately I can’t reply to that. The reason Laura the letting manager rang me within 30 minutes of me putting a review on was pretty much obvious. I emailed the team 4/5 times over two days prior to me putting the review on. I asked numerous times if a manager could contact me to discuss my application further instead of over email where things were not very clear. The team could tell by my emails I was very frustrated and it took me to write a negative review for the manager to call me. That’s such a shame and in my eyes, is ignorant and unprofessional. She did not ring me to try and help me it was because I put a review on- clearly! I also asked for her managers contact details which I am still waiting for. I am in my own right to complain about my own unsatisfactory experience with simple life homes. I understand there is a criteria and I did not meet that, but if someone just phoned me in the first place to tell me properly it wouldn’t have been such a big issue. But it took numerous emails and a negative review to get one phone call back. As for data protection and not being able to share details I have an email from the team telling me they were going to reach out to let alliance to find out why I did not meet the criteria. How would that work if simple life and let alliance can’t share information and it is confidential?!

Emma · 27 April 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

BEWARE THEY LIE TO YOU AND WILL TRY AND STEAL YOUR DEPOSIT

FRAUDULENT AND LIARS. They are trying steal our deposit. Firstly we were misled and lied to to rent the property. On the viewing the person said it would be like brand new and everything would be immaculate yet when we moved in the carpet was loose there was glue on the carpet and nail varnish staining the floor and radiators. The most revolting was blinds with old food stains We were then told this was fair wear and tear and we had to deal with it so we were clearly deceived.Now we have moved out simple life are trying to take nearly 400 out of our deposit to fix these things. They are trying to charge us to remove the blinds they promised would be replaced if we moved in. Furthermore there are tiny black marks on the wall that they are claiming means the whole wall needs redecorating. These are tiny black marks barely visible yet they claim bright pink nail varnish all over the floor and radiator is fair wear and tear.Due to the heavy rain as well it was impossible to cut the grass without damaging the grass so I emailed 4 times asking how to proceed as I didn’t want to damage it. Simple life either didn’t respond or evaded the question knowing full well they were setting a trap where either way we would be charged. I have spoken to other simple life renters as well who have had similar experiences as well.If you are interested in simple life they will lie to you rent the property and then try to lie further and take your deposit. UPDATE.YES I HAVE RECEIVED A RESPONSE BUT IT WAS ZERO HELP. THE ONLY ALTERATION WAS FOR FOOD STAINED BLINDS WHICH WERE FROM THE PREVIOUS TENANT.WERE WERE LIED TO ON THE VIEWING AND WERE TOLD WOULD BE REPLACED IF WE RENTED THE PLACE. THIS WAS NOT DONE AND TO ADD INSULT TO INJURY THEY TRIED TO CHARGE US.ANYONE WHO RENTS FROM SIMPLELIFE WILL BE SUBJECTED TO DOUBLE STANDARDS. WE WERE TOLD STAINED FLOORS, LOOSE AND STAINED CARPET AND FLOORING WAS ALL FAIR WE AND TEAR SO THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO REPLACE THEM YET MICROSCOPIC BLACK MARKS ON THE WALL ARE DEDUCTED FROM THE DEPOSIT ANYONE WHO RENTS MAY AS WELL ACCEPT FROM DAY 1 YOU WONT GET YOUR DEPOSIT BACK AS THEY WILL FIND RIDICULOUS REASONS TO WITHOLD IT.HUGE REGRET RENTING FROM THEM.

Jamie · 26 April 2024

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Great Experience

Rev assisted us when moving out of our previous Simple Life Home and moving into our new Home on a new Simple Life development. She was very friendly and helpful and went over and above to make sure we as tenants felt happy and comfortable throughout the process. Thank you Rev ⭐️

A · 10 November 2022