Simple Life HIGHBRIDGE reviews

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Called previously about a 2 bed house…

Called previously about a 2 bed house in Newhall however the property was gone I spoke to Courtney Davis and was put on a waiting list. Within two weeks I was contacted back and given details about a new property very good customer service and smooth process, thank you Courtney!

JW · 18 March 2021

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

So far good the team have been really…

So far good the team have been really helpful especially Christine Thompson, assisted me with anything I needed while applying looking forward to moving in!

Ainsley · 12 December 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Approach with caution!

Me and my partner are openly looking for a property within the Manchester area at the moment, and to be honest the Simple Life houses were our preference in terms of a modern house, a newly build estate etc. But after our experience dealing with them, it’s quickly put us off proceeding with them in any capacity in future. This has stemmed from things like their local branches never answering their phone or emails about our enquiries, even months later and I’m yet to receive any sort of acknowledgment to our past queries, to noticing that a fair amount of their negative reviews (when things have gone wrong etc..) are left unanswered and the most concerning of all was per a conversation with their head office this morning (which is the only number that answers by the way) where the member of staff said and I quote “you are better off reserving the property instead of viewing it, and if you really want to view it, we’ll do our best to arrange this after the application process has begun”. “and even if your application is not successful, we’d still retain 50% of this figure”. Which when I pressed the agent for clarity on this, she didn’t seem to know herself.Now whether this is legal or not, I’m not sure. But for a company to ask you for around £250 as per their application process to begin, and you’re not even able to view the property you’re going for first, is just bizarre in itself?! Imagine you find numerous things are needing repaired and you’ve taken the property on good faith?! You’d be truly f**cked. Just overall baffling and I hope anyone who reads this will take caution before they proceed with this sort of company!

Jamie · 13 June 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Never makes repairs to home

I moved into a new home rented from them, right from the first day, I noted the boiler was losing pressure, took months for them to figure out there was a leak in the pipe in the walls by which time there was a lot of mould on the kitchen walls.They have for the past two months dismantled my kitchen making it unsafe for us and our child .It's taking them over two months to fix the kitchen cabinets they dismantled, I am wondering how long it takes to build a new house from scratch.Updated: The issue has now been resolved, got a call from one of their customer care representative who sorted it within 24 hours.

Ayomikun · 13 June 2023

★★★★★ 2/5

Trustpilot

Simple Life Home First Experience

We have had a rocky start.On move in day we found mould in the fridge, dishwasher and in an upstairs cupboard. These things were noted to them in the inventory that was supplied to them by who ever checked the property before we moved in but nothing was done about.We reached out to them and they never offered any cleaning services for the mould. This was made even more frustrating by the fact they didn’t check the utility provider situation of the last tenant. The gas was in debt and because of the bank holiday weekend we were left in the house with mould and without hot water for days. We ended up having to pay for someone ourselves to come and deal with the mould in the kitchen. I thought it was common practice when someone moves out that you have to provide proof that utilities are sorted and payed. They did get someone out to look at the boiler for us really quickly but if they had checked the utility situation when the last tenant left this whole situation could have been avoided. The gas had been fully disconnected/turned off.On top of this we set ourselves up with Ovoenergy as recommended by them but Ovo wasn’t even supplying this property it was British Gas, so Ovo have already taken £200 from us. But we do plan to switch over. We haven’t been compensated in anyway for having to deal with all the the mould in the kitchen ourselves or for the 5 days we had no hot water due to their failure in doing the usual end of tenancy checks with the last tenants. I mean the last thing you want to do when you move into a new home is deal with the last occupants debt.Two stars for sending someone to check the boiler (when I guess they should have known it wasn’t the boiler) and for sending someone out with a key so we could get into the box to see our gas meter.

Kathrine · 12 June 2023

★★★★★ 4/5

Trustpilot

Hannah was helpful in securing the…

Hannah was helpful in securing the remedial work was completed on time and with continuous follow up and update on when the repairs will be completed

Abiodun · 10 November 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Awful, dishonest, greedy. DO NOT RENT WITH THEM!

Terrible application process. We were offered a slot on a video tour, which makes it sound like it'd be a live facetime session with an employee. No, it was a video from the previous tenant which took weeks to get after being promised with tomorrow, the next day, in 30 minutes, etc. It was just a link to a Youtube video. My 90 year old Grandma could figure out how to upload it faster. Approaching moving day, it was the Tuesday of the move in week (Simple Life agreed to that Friday to move in) and we had heard nothing, everything had gone silent. We reached out multiple times and eventually got a response. We were told that "to make the property perfect for you, we need to delay your move in date" which ended up being the following Tuesday. We made it work because we're flexible but that could've been awful for others moving from further away and with less time to spare. We had to drive to Leeds to pick up the keys, staff simply refused to meet us and drop the keys off.Upon moving in, we were greeted with a pile of cigarette ends in the bin area and an overgrown garden. Which by the way, does not meet the standards of the garden that they expect YOU to keep it in. Towards the end of our contract we messaged our property manager about this and he advised we left it because it was unacceptable that it was left for us in that condition when we moved in. Something they would try and charge us £120 for anyway out of our deposit.The only major issue we had during the year we lived there was with our washing machine. We reported it via their app, and were told to Google it before they'd send anyone to look at it. It's not our job to fix these things, that's what we pay you for.Now for the best bit. Moving out. In all my years of renting I've never had any issues with damages or getting my full deposit back. Of our £1260 deposit, Simple Life emailed us to say that they were taking £924 for "damages" we had caused. Aside from a couple of scuffs on walls which is wear and tear and a very cheap and quick fix, there are zero damages to the property. I have a video of the property after we did a full clean and it looks spotless and ready for a new tenant (god help them). The photos they have sent of the "damages" are laughable, the before and after shots look no different. We are currently disputing this with TDS as we advise everyone else to do when this inevitably happens to them. The previous tenant who has also left a 1 star review had the exact same experience and was awarded his deposit back. We plan on doing the same. I'd also like to point out that Simple Life will NOT allow you to be part of the check out process, which is a huge red flag. This is so they can exaggerate any tiny details they find which are non issues while you aren't there. We asked to be there and were refused. This is frowned upon by other landlords, and goes to show just how shady they really are. Even the TDS guidelines state that they advise you are there for your check out. You may see a few 5 star reviews on here from tenants saying they love their house. But I can assure them and you that their opinion will change when they try to leave and they're confronted by a bill for damages that don't exist. We have photo, video and written (email) proof of everything I have mentioned above which we will be providing to TDS as proof of Simple Life's money grabbing tactics. They will not use the money they try to take from you to fix any minor scratches on walls or fixing their awful, patchy lawns. The property will be left that way for the next person so they can scam them too, while your money goes straight into their pockets.In short, do not rent with Simple Life. They do not care about you, only your money and how much they can take from you when you try to leave them. I've looked down their reviews and it seems that many people have had the same issues. Please do not think that your experience will be any different to ours, you have been warned. I fully expect Simple Life to reply to this review with something very generic trying to justify their disgusting work ethics, but the reality is that they're just bad at what they do and they'll do anything to cover it up.UPDATE 02/06/2023:Simple Life have replied to this review with a delusional response as is the case with most of their bad reviews.Exactly what maintenance works from the last tenant? He got his deposit back, so all that money you tried to scam from him clearly wasn't for anything in particular, you just tried your luck. No major damage has been done to the property during our tenancy besides minimal wear and tear which you have exaggerated in your report. The report in which you state that nearly everything in the property is of either a good or fair standard. You are hypocrites. Garden reductions haven't been made, there's a £120 charge on your report. Stop lying.

Owen · 2 June 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Not so Simple Life

Where to start, I guess, with the beginning..After finding the property on Zoopla and reaching out to Simple Life (SL) we were asked several times for the same information. Despite sending information several times, SL still managed to frequently refer to me by another name.We pressed on, as the above (we thought) could be overlooked. We were eventually invited to a virtual tour of the property and asked to book a slot. I think, as most of you read this you will agree this sounds like an invitation to a FaceTime/ Zoom showing - it wasn’t. What SL actually meant was a video. A slot for a video. Anyway, we press on, as SL frequently fail to make sense..Now, the video - this took 15 emails and 2 weeks to send, after numerous emails promising to send the video they would invariably forget. SL didn’t create the video though, course they didn’t - that would involve leaving their office (God forbid they are forced to work).It’s worth adding that you won’t be invited to view the property before moving in. SL delayed move in and blamed the previous tenant for leaving the property in a poor state. We have since found out this was a lie, with the previous tenant receiving full deposit back despite SL attempting to rob him.It also took many calls and emails to prompt SL into sending over the initial inventory check. It’s worth adding that - in the end - I only received the report as I called to complain about something else..The something else was quite entertaining. A week after moving in SL emailed to inform of an inspection (after 6 days in the property). Now, confused (understandably) I called to ask why an inspection was required after 6 days. I also explained that SL are yet to send over the inventory report! The member of staff appeared confused by the inventory check (standard, most SL staff are), and did not understand why an inspection was booked. It was during the above call (after a week in tenancy) that I asked for the initial inventory report - something SL were in no rush to send. TDS will be pleased to hear about this though (details below).On moving in we found the garden left overgrown and full of weeds. The house generally was in a poor condition, despite SL delaying move in. I think by this point though - exhausted by SL shenanigans - we just wanted a simple life (something you won’t get from SL). Also, we had just driven to Leeds to pickup a key, as SL don’t like to leave their offices. During the tenancy we avoided making contact with SL, as they had already proven to be simple in more ways than one during the initial process. We did however contact them once to report a broken washing machine - they asked us to Google it.Now, on to the latest. We’ve recently moved out and SL are attempting to steal £900 of our deposit (for a bit of a clean and a few bits of patch painting). We are currently raising a dispute with TDS, as we - like many have - won’t be robbed by this appalling, inept company.£120 of the deposit theft is for the garden (which was handed over to us in poor state). Our property manager advised us via email to leave the garden in the state it was found. We did, and were subsequently charged for this. More juicy evidence for TDS though!Unfortunately the 1 star reviews are true, these cowboys will attempt to rob you at the end.I must also warn that YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO ATTEND YOUR CHECKOUT INSPECTION. In my many years of renting this is a red flag I’ve not come across before. It’s now clear why tenants are not invited. You will not meet SL throughout your tenancy. They won’t meet you on key handover. They won’t meet you on checkout. Overall a cold, incompetent bunch of numbskulls who make a business in scamming good tenants. Now, it’s worth saying that I expect SL to reply to this with a wishy- washy generic vague response. They do after all have a habit of responding to all negative reviews with absolute nonsense. I have evidence to backup all of the above and look forward to taking my complaints further. UPDATE. SL flagged the above in an attempt to get it removed. Red flags galore. Avoid SL.

Daniel · 1 June 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

We are with Simple Life since June…

We are with Simple Life since June 2022, no problems at all. Jade is one of the best person to contact regarding to rent procedures.

Szabolcs · 29 November 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Couldn’t be more happier with Simple…

Couldn’t be more happier with Simple Life. I found them when I moved back to the UK when I was looking for a place to live and they were great from late 2021 until now and we’re in 2023, that I am living in the beautiful apartment, we have an app to ensure we’re up to date with payments, news etc.. my Asset Manager Oliva Gresswell, every time I enquire about something, she has prompt and helpful response! Looking forward to continue to rent with Simple Life as long as possible!

Carla · 25 May 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Hannah bishop (Redcar branch) super…

Hannah bishop (Redcar branch) super friendly and polite when emailing. Always responds to enquires about decorating super super fast. Aswell as this when things have needed repairing or looking at she has responded to emails regarding these things extremely quickly! Had a incident a while ago where our boiler stopped working for a short time and the company that was arranged to sort it tried to charge us directly for the repair however Hannah gave us immediate reassurance that this would be sorted and sorted this is issue within the same day! amazing asset to the team always so friendly when emailing and nothing ever seems a bother to her :)

Georgina · 24 May 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

must avoid this agency... worst experinece

I lived in a property at Redcar under Simple Home and had the worst ever experience with this agency. I am in the UK since 2009 and always lived in rented property in different parts of Yorkshire. I never come across this ridiculous way of squeezing money from the deposit amount.My tenancy started on february 2021 for 1 year and I told them well before finishing my 1 year agreement to extend the contract. But for unknown reason they started my new contract from march 2022 for 1 year which should be from february 2022. I bought a new property in the same estate from Linden home , both are under the same parent company Vistry property, and moved out of this property in december 2022 and I had to pay the rent till march 2023 even after handing over the key in december 2022. If they didn't do the trick at least one month's rent could have been saved. I requested them to consider and as expected didnt get any positive response. I also asked to explain the reason for this discrepancy of staring date of the new contract but the most unhelpful asset manager, Hannah Bishop didnt give any proper explanation as expected. Now the ugly picture of this agency came to surface when I expected to get back my deposit amount. Out of the £720 ,they agreed to pay mere £140 and rest of the amount they claimed ... can you believe!!! I raised the dispute to tenancy deposit scheme as I totally disagree with their claim. They claimed £198 for deep clean. Firstly I don't understand the meaning of this even after living in different properties under different agencies.Being a doctor I know we need to do deep cleaning the operation theatre or the ward after infective patient ( like covid). Yow will agree with me that this won't be applicable in residential property.They claimed £219 for redecoration of different part of the house.They just put the claim where ever they wanted. Actually what I see they just want to repaint the property at the cost of my deposit money. After living in a property about 2 years it was expected to have some wear and tear. I don't believe the claim of £219 is justifiable unless they already made the plan to redecorate it at my cost. I made the mistake not to read the review at trust pilot before taking this property. Now I can see that most of the tenant who put a poor review ,had exactly the similar ugly experience with them. I want to make you aware that entering to this property is smooth but they will try to rip you off at the time of leaving. Like other poor review I am also expecting a mechanical response from simple home to show their concern in front of the readers but without any effective step.

Jayasish · 24 May 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

We deal with Olivia Gresswell who is…

We deal with Olivia Gresswell who is always so helpful and approachable should we ever have any questions. Olivia is always happy to help with any general queries and nothing ever seems like too much trouble. Thanks Olivia!!

Hannah · 2 November 2022

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

AVOID AT ALL COSTS

Moved in in Feb 2021. Had several asset managers who pass from pillar to post. Issues as below:- Had to replace the grass at a cost of £2000 ourselves as they would not respond.- Initially reported issues with washing machine when moved in- took 2 years for it to finally get their attention. Washer replaced in Dec 2022 and still waiting for remedial works to be completed. - Shower drainage broke- Charged us after sending a plummer round who said to use a plunger- still broken and another plumber sent round to sort the issue- Still expected to foot the bill. - Promised rolling contracts from 1-5 years when we moved in. Recently put onto a 12 month rolling one. - Painting issue- Never fixed.- Washing machine broke AGAIN on 17th April 2023. Reported and still waiting for a replacement on 18th May 2023. - Been told several different stories to cover themselves with this which haven't matched. - Electric socket broke- Simple life are very quick to let us know that it needs fixing at our own cost. - Fence has broken, reported and not yet acknowledged.- Rent has increased by £90 a month in 2 years and differs dependant on when the contract was taken out. The name is ironic- More like "difficult life". Please avoid to save yourself the hassle and go through a local agent.

Rachel · 18 May 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Amazing friendly customer service from…

Amazing friendly customer service from Mitchell. I know their houses are in high demand and so sent a few emails to him. Was extremely helpful and ensured my application was submitted in a timely manner to increase my chances of being successful with this property. It’s a massive thing moving house and finding the right place so I am really grateful for him being so efficient and helpful.

Danielle · 7 March 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Rip off merchants! Avoid

Avoid these rip off merchants! Moved into my home 2 years ago and was paying £750 rent… then moved up to £780Now it’s gone up to £940… how can they justify such an increase.They built these houses and promised to create communities and long term let.But I can’t afford that.I wouldn’t mind if we got good service for what we paid.I waited 6 weeks for a new washing machine, whilst telling them I have a disabled child and needed it asap! I’m not sure how I’m supposed to afford to move and pay another bond, they are forcing people to pay ridiculous prices if they want a forever home.

Tanya · 17 May 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Avoid!!!

I’ve recently vacated my simple life homes property. When I moved in last year, we were left with no running water for 2/3 weeks, and barely any assistance to help fix this issue. It turned out that it was damage in the pipe work - which surely having running water should have been checked and fixed before the property was even rented out to a new tenant. Also, when we moved in the property was an absolute tip. They had sent a cleaner to meet us at the property to “give it a hoover” and even this employee commented on the state of the property and took photos of the damages on his own behalf. Firstly, our front door key was bent and we had to go and get one cut, there was what appeared to be hair dye stains all over the bathroom floor, burn holes in the kitchen floor, the kitchen work tops were all cracked, the freezer drawers were broken, the doorstops were all snapped off the skirting boards, there was no beading for the blinds to be able to roll them up and down, the doorbell was broken, the bath was all chipped and none of the plugs worked in the sinks… on top of having no running water!!! On moving in day, I took photos of all of these issues and sent them to my property manager and uploaded them on fixflo.. I was told as majority of the jobs were minor and didn’t affect the use of the property that they will be left and the jobs were then closed on fixflo. And now I have received an email stating that I will be billed for all of these jobs out of my deposit that is held against the property.. it’s an absolute joke. I will be disputing this but I have no doubt that I won’t get any of my deposit back from them.

Beck · 16 May 2023

★★★★★ 4/5

Trustpilot

Hi there Tom is a Problem Solver!

Hi there, so Tom has been amazing throughout the process. He actually made our relocation plan easier than imagined.I would recommend simple life homes to my loved ones and friends planning to move house.Once again, Tom thanks so much for all you do, I appreciate you.Blessings!

Allied · 29 September 2021

★★★★★ 4/5

Trustpilot

Our first week with simple life

Reply to simple lifeGreat thank you, sorry I miss worded I didn’t mean blinds in the bathroom I meant the downstairs front window and bedrooms. Shannah delt with our application and was really helpful and kept us updated.Our Irwell house is lovely, few marks on the floor in the bathroom and no blinds, been in our property nearly a week and was told we would be given a date, still not no date for the blinds which isn’t ideal as there are builders up and down from 8am till 5pm so no privacy and don’t really want to pay for our own when they’re meant to be included. One of our lights isn’t working in the kitchen we reported this on fixflo and was given a date for it to be fixed almost instantly, which is fab so thank you for that.No welcome box, something I was looking forward to going off other peoples posts online.Aside from these couple of minute bits (so far) I could not recommend simple life enough, the homes are beautiful and I can tell we are going to be really happy here.

Rosie · 26 April 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

Overall very good experience!

Shannah and Jade dealt with my application. They were very professional and quick with any replies of any questions I had! I couldn’t praise them anymore! I love the property, it was a little bit dirty but you can’t really blame Simple Life as my development is still being built so there is all dust in the air from other houses being built. Nothing that a little cleaning and wiping can’t handle! On the move in day of getting my keys, was abit hectic. Only because the development is still being built so there were trucks everywhere, no where for me to park. My driveway was barriered off still. The person who gave my my keys told me to park on the side and the construction workers quickly moved us saying ‘they have a job to do’. Wasn’t very professional of them as we literally had no where to park. But after instructing them to move their vans and barriers so we could actually get into our drive, this was rectified. Overall a very good experience! Just the little details that would have made it perfect. Gave a 5* as I am rating Simple Life homes and not the construction workers and the small petty things. One last thing… I know it’s not mandatory and it’s just a goodwill of the company. But I didn’t receive a welcome box with presents in! I was quite excited to post it on my Instagram account!!

Holly · 21 April 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

DO NOT RENT A PROPERTY!!

DO NOT RENT A PROPERTY!!Overpriced letting, unapproachable staff and poor servicing! When leaving the property they want multiple charges for various things such as grass cutting... in winter!! Absolutely shocking experience! Throughout our tenancy there was people drug dealing in a nearby carpark - every night. Our car was broken into and valuables taken. Doors have been attempted overnight. New build properties are likely to have cracks in the first few years due to settling... be prepared to pay a hefty price for this when leaving the house! People coming whenever they feel like to come and inspect the property. They increased the rent charge but then when we left the property they increased the new price by another £400!! Absolutely shocking. Boiler maintenance came, checked the boiler everything fine, the guy was still in training and nothing was followed up... little did Simplelife know the tenant was a boiler engineer and it was faulty! The house was left gleaming, repainted and professionally cleaned. Yet, we have been sent a shocking bill. Do NOT rent from this company! You WILL be charged above and beyond for ridiculous things.

Danny · 12 April 2023

★★★★★ 3/5

Trustpilot

Waiting in response

Today, after 1 week of waiting finally I have had the chanche to speak with Jade, after contacting the IG page as she didn't reply by mail at all for a while.We passed all the reference check and payed the full amount for deposit and one month rent in advance before moving.We asked to view the property before our move in date (1st May) and she told is not able to as the tenants are still inside but she can arrange it as soon as they get out next Monday, it is supposed someone will get on touch with me for arranging a date.My husband and I asked for confirmation of our moving date last week and only today I've been told they need to check the property and see if there is something to sort it out before our entrance which is great but we have only 19 days missing and we had to book the house removal company and give leaving notice to our current address.Once I gave her these infos she answered that we need to contact them and say it's a provisional date and there could be delayas which is frustrating because a family of (nearly) 5 need to plan everything in advance.I've been reassured that she will get in touch with me as soon as she has more infos about (the probably) works the house needs to have and let me know for sure if the date is confirmed or not.Our hoping is not having problems during our stay in this new developement (which is the main reason why we decided to try SIMPLE LIFE) as we've have seen lots bad reviews about leaking or long waiting in repairs.At the moment I need to complain on the late reply during the process of the references and the questions made by mail and not answered in time.I also hope they give priority to people that are moving sooner and avoid long waiting like ours.

Stefania · 12 April 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Trustpilot

I have rented with Simple life homes for over Two years they are a fantastic company keeping you updated with useful information, helpful, supportive and they promote great community spirit.

I have rented with Simple life homes for over 2 years and I am very happy.They are supportive, helpful and promote good community spirit.Very good and keeping you updated with useful information.Also extra things for example Free ice cream in the summer Simple life ice cream van and Santa comes around near Christmas.

Lisa · 28 October 2024

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Leaking Ceiling

My move date with Simple Life was initially delayed due to a leak. However, I was ensured that the issue was fixed before I moved in. Three days after moving in the ceiling in the bedroom started leaking. The advice from the property manager was to move into a living room and put pans on the floor. It's been a week and the issue still hasn't been resolved. I was told that the contractor would fix it last Friday, and when I called today to check - the property manager didn't know if it was. It's very frustrating as I don't believe it's safe to stay in the property with a leaking ceiling which may potentially collapse. It's been a very stressful experience.

Sandra · 27 March 2023