Trusted Agent profile · Harlow
★★★★★
1,176 reviews across 1 platform
Barnfield Way, Harlow, CM17 9TN
Simple Life's office in Harlow, at Barnfield Way, is rated 3.8 out of 5 across 1,176 reviews on 1 platform.
Every review we hold for the Harlow office, from every platform, shown as written. First names only.
5/5
TrustpilotMaureen jones
Just wanted to thank all the team for looking after me when l rented a lovely home from you they where all so friendly & professional all the way especially Ciara nothing was to much trouble she was so understanding & helpful lovely lady
Thank you for your wonderful feedback Maureen!
5/5
TrustpilotSTAFF VERY PROFESSIONAL!
I was dealing with Christine at simple life and couldn’t off asked for a better service. She was very fast, professional, efficient, understanding and friendly. She made communication, information sharing and the whole process of proceeding easy! Which is exactly how it should be.
Thank you so much for sharing with us!
1/5
TrustpilotGreedy, typical landlords
I was a tenant with Simple Life for over two years, passed every inspection they performed and kept the property clean to a high standard. We had persistent issues with plumbing and no one fixed it throughout our tenancy, the back garden very clearly had no drainage and despite us reporting that they were no help. And then at the end of our tenancy, they tried to charge us £1042 - our deposit was only £940! After going through mediation via TDS we luckily got part of the deposit back, but this company will try and take the full thing if you don’t fight back!
Hi Liv,Thank you for providing us with identifiable information so that we can identify your tenancy.Unfortunately, we are unable to go into the details of your check out report in a public forum but we can confirm that we have reviewed the pictures taken at check out and the deductions proposed are both reasonable and required to bring the property back up to scratch. Please note that we have also allowed for fair wear and tear with some costs split for Simple Life to pay as the landlord share. We’re pleased to see that you followed the right procedure regarding any disputes for the TDS to act independently on your behalf to review the check out and make the final decision on deductions, therefore we trust that outcome is fair and reasonable for both parties.We can see you raised two plumbing issues during your tenancy, of which, one was fixed and closed within the expected timeframe. We can see the other item took longer than we would have liked to fix as it took a while to work out where the root cause of the problem was, however, this was completed as soon as were able to locate the problem. We cannot see any outstanding issues that have been raised on the maintenance reporting tool. We can also see that you raised a complaint about your garden during winter months, but when reviewed there was no concern of flooding. Please note, tenants are expected to look after and maintain their gardens during their tenancies, this includes re-seeding and aerating where required to ensure that the lawn is to the best of health following colder months.
1/5
TrustpilotMan entering property without notice
Me and my partner had moved into this rented apartment and have some man turning up to our apartment without any notice given to us and if it wasn’t for our camera set up we would have never known.DisgustedThis response I had to my original response is false. The guy had let himself into our flat without our permission we only got to speak with him after he had entered our property and have no sms or email to notify us.
Hi Ellie,Thank you for raising your concerns with us.We have looked into our records and we can see that notice for the appointment was given to you via FixFlo, which also subsequently sends an email and SMS notification. The gas engineer also has provided evidence that a further reminder SMS was sent to you from them.If you do not wish for a visit to go ahead then you must contact us to make us aware of this. The gas engineer has reported that they managed to speak to you through the ring doorbell when attending the property and you provided access for them.If you would like to gain evidence of communication sent, please contact the team and we would be happy to supply this to you.
5/5
TrustpilotBrilliant service…
Christine was amazing from start to finish, the house is fabulous and I'm sure my daughter and her 2 children will be very happy there, Thank you so much.
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review Caroline!
5/5
TrustpilotExcellent Top Level Service provided by…
Excellent Top Level Service provided by Jade Woodham throughout the whole process of dealings with Simple Life. I would recommend the Company to all Friends and Family. Helpful, informative and Cheerful service by Jade made the process of securing our next tenancy fun and enjoyable. Well Done Simple Life Homes.
Hi Kevin, thank you for your wonderful review! We will pass on your compliments to Jade!
4/5
TrustpilotNice
Response has been swift so far.Communication line is open as well.I especially appreciate Jade Woodham who has been very helpful from the very first call I made to simplelifehomes. She's a good one👍
Thanks Folashade!
1/5
Trustpilot1 star too many.
If I could give it 0 stars, I would.We were due to move into our new ‘simple life’ home on Monday 27th November, on the Friday TWO DAYS BEFORE MOVE IN, they called to say we couldn’t move and would need to postpone to 4th December.When we called them back, they said ‘actually it’s 4th January’ - we explained we would be homeless in this time and have a 1 year old child. The woman on the phone, Jade Woodham, was one of the most disgusting, rude and insensitive people I’ve ever spoken with. Simply responding with ‘you’re not homeless until November 30th’I could go on and on about the contracts that were signed, the money handed over, the dates constantly changing along with their reasonings..Never again.Homeless at Christmas. What a disgrace.
Hi Molly,We’re really sorry you are in this situation. Unfortunately, the existing residents retracted their notice at the last minute. It is industry standard that residents are allowed to do this up to 24 hours before they are due to vacate the property. The landlord is not legally able to enforce an agreement or notice given by a resident to vacate so unfortunately we have our hands tied in this situation. We can see that an alternative home was offered to you by our team but this was declined and therefore a full refund was arranged on the same day. Again, we are very sorry that this has happened but we hope you can understand that we unfortunately have no control over this situation. We'd love to still help you to find your perfect home.
1/5
TrustpilotI can’t take much more of the Simple Life BS and excuses
I cannot even tell you how angry I am right now with this sham of a rental company. You FAIL to do any repairs that were reported on the move in inventory. Honest to god, I’ve had ENOUGH. I’m now contacting my local council to get involved because YOU as a landlord have a legal obligation to carry out repairs.
5/5
TrustpilotExcellent service from Simple Life…
Excellent service from Simple Life Oroperty Manager with quick response to snagging issues. Holly is very friendly and approachable and nothing is too much trouble.
Thank you for your review Mrs Reid! We really appreciate your feedback.
1/5
TrustpilotIf you want your deposit back don’t…
If you want your deposit back don’t rent with them.Common thieves if I’m honest. Lived in one of their houses for 2 years - upon moving out they tried to keep 80% of our deposit. When challenged they made some concessions but we are still in a battle with them to get the rest of our money back. They left it at least a week between us moving out and completing the checks so of course the grass had grown etc. Unbelievably cheeky of them to try and fleece us. Also I wouldn’t trust any 5* reviews on here either. We used to get leaflets through the door offering us a chance to win a prize if we wrote a 5* review on trustpilot.
Hi Az,Thank you for responding to our find reviewer request, allowing us to locate your tenancy.We have reviewed your move out inspection report and we can confirm that the deductions proposed are deemed to be warranted and fair, with the landlord covering a share of the costs for general fair wear and tear. The grass cut is one of the items now being covered by the landlord, however we would like to highlight that the inspection took place the day after your move out date, so there was a not a week between move out and inspection. The TDS (Tenancy Deposit Scheme) holds the deposit funds and act as an independent adjudicator by reviewing all information from both parties (landlord and tenant), to reach a fair conclusion. This is the right process to take in this instance and we’re pleased to see that you have followed this process.We’d also just like to address your accusations around 5 star reviews on Trust Pilot. We do not and have never incentivised residents for Trust Pilot Reviews. We are aware that Home Views (another development review platform), themselves target households with an incentive to leave a review on their review platform, which may be what you are referring to.
5/5
TrustpilotNot all hero's wear Capes...
I've had no internet and a couple of things unfinished since moving into our new home and i'll be honest it was getting a little frustrating, Hannah managed to get back to us very quickly with nothing but her 'Can Do' attitude which help get us in touch with the right people and resolutions followed swiftly and quickly after. We really appreciate you Hannah for all your help and hope we don't have to bother you again but if we do... well we'll be coming straight to you for sure lol (victim of your own success ;))
Thank you for your review Chris! We're sorry to hear that you had problems initially when moving in, but we're pleased to hear Hannah delivered great service and got everything sorted for you!
5/5
TrustpilotI have loved every moment of living in…
I have loved every moment of living in my new home. Very modern homes and a lovely community to be part of. It took a matter of a week between me applying for the house to me picking up the keys and moving in. I feel a sense of security that my house can not be sold from under my feet with renting from simple life homes.
This is brilliant to hear! Thank you for your feedback Jessica!
5/5
TrustpilotI have been a tenant with yourself for…
I have been a tenant with yourself for a year now the process change that has happened recently with yourself has made a massive difference Kate Ewbank who is my account manager has been great very professional and very fast in dealing with my queries just like to say a big thank you to Kate.
Hi Robina, Thank you for this excellent feedback. We're really pleased to know that our customers have felt the benefit of the changes we have made over the last 12 months to improve our service. We will pass on your thank you to the team!
5/5
TrustpilotMe and my partner have recently moved…
Me and my partner have recently moved into a property with simple life. From the minute we step foot into our new home we was so happy and it was like a weight had been lifted off our shoulders, it’s more than we had hoped for and expected. Starting from Jade helping us sort getting the property we wanted down to then dealing with Hannah since we have moved in with fast responses to helping us out with simple issues such as being unable to set the alarm and reporting the door bell to her for Hannah to pass on to the relevant people to get fixed. Nothing seems too much trouble for Hannah and is happy to point us in the right direction.
Thank you Jessica! We're so pleased you're happy with your home and with Simple Life as your landlord! We will give your kind feedback to the team!
3/5
TrustpilotI love Christine
I love Christine. If i have got a house in Simple life now is because of Christine.I am also deeply grateful to Shannah.But i want to mention, Christine has coordinated with everyone to have everything done for me to be able to purchase this house when other members were busy clearing the backlog.The sentiment that Christine has for people , truly deserves a lot of praise. I am deeply grateful to Christine and everyone who supported.But I must mention the process in SimpleLife needs upgrade. It needs to be more convenient from.cuatomer experience side.We need many more property agents like Christine and Shannah
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback Sumana!
5/5
TrustpilotAmazing
Everything was so easy to understand , any questions were answered in detail and promptly. Very good customer service
Thank you for your wonderful feedback Alex!
2/5
TrustpilotSimply glad I left
We loved our home, but rent increases left us feeling resentful of the whole company. The rent increases that will force you to have to move out. Started on £790 in August 2020, then £820 in 2022, then £930 in July 2023. Pretty sure they're only allowed to increase by 10% at a time (so should have been a £82 increase, not £110). After we left and the house was put back up onto the market; £1300. It surprises absolutely no one how much they're trying to get out of people who want to live in these houses, ask absolutely any tenant who has lived there for over a year. Don't be fooled by the once-a-year free ice cream, or Santa walking the streets. Its not worth it.
Hi Robyn, Thank you for your review and getting back to our find reviewer request. unfortunately we are unable to locate your tenancy as the details you have supplied are not a match on any of our tenancy agreement documents.We're sorry that rental increases were not suitable for you. It is within our tenancy agreement that rents will be reviewed on an annual basis, which is standard practice in the industry. As we are not an Affordable housing provider, our rents have to be aligned with the average rents for similar properties in the same area. However, as you have discovered once leaving the property, when we try to maintain a very fair and considered approach to our valued residents renewing so often you might find the renewal rent is slightly lower than what we could get for the property if it was put back on the market.
5/5
TrustpilotMaintenance work
I have recently had an issue with my boiler no heating or hot water. I reported this on ooh then on portal, it was taking time as it needed different parts replacing. Basically it was being past from different workers . I then contacted Jade who involved Hannah and between the two of them they got the right people as it was the actual Baxi company that needed sorting. They both were brilliant, both called after hours to check where things were up to and kept us updated, I couldn’t thank both Jade and Hannah enough.
Thank you so much for your lovely words! We will make sure Jade and Hannah see a copy of your review!
5/5
TrustpilotOutstanding Customer service
I have been a tenant for almost a year and have found the company to be efficient with any issues. This is down to our agent Jade, she will always get onto any problems. Jade will always see a job through no matter how long or time, jade will call in the evening to check things are done. This is above and beyond as I have rented for several years and never experienced the excellent service that Jade gives her tenants. I like the Portal as this covers all aspects from timelines when registering an problem knowing that this is being picked up straight away.
Thank you for your review Jackie!
4/5
TrustpilotBeautiful property
Beautiful property, great customer service, the only reason I haven’t gave 5 stars is the rent is quite high and the increases every year are quite high.
Thank you for your kind review. We’re glad to hear you’re enjoying the property and that our customer service has met your expectations. We understand concerns around rent and aim to keep pricing in line with current market conditions. Thank you for your feedback!
5/5
TrustpilotBig thank you to Chris and Tom for…
Big thank you to Chris and Tom for laying our flooring, looks great! And thanks to Lauren for sorting all the materials for them to get the job done! Super friendly and hardworking ! Thanks again
Thank you for your review Morgan!
1/5
TrustpilotAVOID
AVOID! If you value having your deposit back even after putting days of hard work in cleaning and repainting, Simple Life is still trying to take all of our deposit. I have a good track record of getting all my deposit back when I lived in so many different rented places. Simple life should be ashamed of how they try to get money from their tenants! So please avoid, I will never stay with Simple Life ever again after this painful lesson. We are going to make a dispute to TDS, will not let this scum company take our money without any solid reason.
Hi Cindy, This appears to be a duplicate review of the the one you have left just below this. Please refer to our response to your last review.
2/5
TrustpilotNot as simple as they advertise
It is becoming incredibly frustrating living in a Simple Life home. This is my 4th year and I'm finding there is little support for residents who adhere to the contract terms whilst other residents continue to display antisocial behaviour. This induces a lot of anxiety as a single mum of a young child. It seems that Simple Life are only interested in their rent and not the quality of the tenant. The police have done as much as they can to support me and advised that I speak with the landlord which is what I have been doing for the past few years. Please think twice before renting with this company. It's not as Simple as they make out.
Hello,Thank you for getting in touch with us on here. Since bringing this to our attention on Trust Pilot, we’re pleased to see that one of the team has been in touch to discuss the issues you’re having. As discussed on the call, following your previous complaint about the children in the street, the appropriate resident has been contacted and advised that their children have been warned about being respectful to the neighbours. The issues you’re having with parking on the roads, is unfortunately a police/civil matter, particularly as Simple Life are not the landowner and do not own the roads. As discussed, if the problem continues then the best course of action is to contact the local council or police. If you have any evidence the you can provide which advises that one of our tenants is responsible for parking issues, we can do our best to mediate, however we cannot enforce anything, nor is this a tenancy breach, but we will always help as much as we can.
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