Every review we hold for the HIGHBRIDGE office, from every platform, shown as written. First names only.
★★★★★ 1/5
TrustpilotReply to inaccurate Simple Life Homes response
I believe that you can't reply to a reply on Trustpilot and this is the reason why I have had to write a new review.The reason I feel strongly that I need to respond is that Simple Life Homes' reply is quite simply incorrect.Emails were not always replied to in a timely manner - or on occasions not at all - and the subsequent delays in this process resulted in needless escalation. I am more than happy to provide the email trails if required.Reply to latest Simple Life Homes’ latest reply: I know reviews can be edited but, as this is a serious matter, I wanted to make it clear what was happening here and not be lost at the bottom of a post. I suggest you look at my email to you dated 3 March 2021 (saying I hadn’t had a reply from you for several weeks) - maybe your audit somehow missed that one.
Lancashire · 28 October 2022
Agent replied · 16 June 2024
Hello, Please note that you are able to edit/update your existing reviews. Following your original review, we undertook an audit and reviewed all emails received and times taken to respond to you and we were satisfied that these were all responded to in a timely manner. We’re concerned that your comments do not align with our records, so we would like to invite you to contact Adam Stephenson, our Head of BTR so he can establish in more detail where you feel the communication wasn’t suffice Adam.stephenson@simplelifehomes.co.uk
★★★★★ 1/5
TrustpilotUnprofessional service
A dreadful company to have dealings with. I was in the very unfortunate position of being a guarantor (avoid agreeing to do this if you can!) and I got very little help or co-operation from Simple Life Homes when needed. Emails were often not replied to with regards to very important matters and this ended up with me having to pay a bill bigger than necessary to sort things out. It felt as if they just didn't care. They have apologised for their errors but haven't taken any responsibility in any way.
Lancashire · 20 October 2022
Agent replied · 16 June 2024
Hello, Thank you for providing us with more identifiable information via Trust Pilot. Firstly we would like to say that we really do sympathise with your situation as a guarantor. Being a guarantor for someone always needs to be very carefully considered, and in some cases can end up meaning that the guarantor is liable to cover any debt accrued. As this is a legally binding agreement that is signed by the guarantor, unfortunately, there isn’t any flexibility we are able give within the agreement. We have checked our records and we can see that our team were as helpful as possible, with all emails being responded to within a timely manner. The only slightly longer time frames within the process were with solicitors who have to wait on the courts to proceed, therefore these instances are out of our control.
★★★★★ 1/5
TrustpilotCowboys - STEER CLEAR
Terrible experience without even having the chance to live in one of those houses. Enquired about properties in Houghton Regis - was told several properties available, and that the viewing times will be checked with the local rep, no answer back, upon 1 week of chasing if the viewing can be arranged - was told that it is impossible as the tenants live in the property (website states they move out on 19/09) asking how to arrange viewing, was told it is impossible..?!? That was Friday the 16/09 - called this morning, was told no properties available at all, no viewings, nothing available to rent. Yet a new property was added last night on rightmove - unless I am slow, someone must have applied and complete the whole process throughout the night... 1 week to find out if the property is available, another 72hr to arrange viewing and then just to be told that it is impossible as tenants still in the property... dozen of calls that are unanswered ... I'd rather pitch up a tent next to M25...
Daria · 21 September 2022
Agent replied · 16 June 2024
Hi Daria,Thank you for getting in touch and for providing us with identifiable information so we could look in to your records. We can see that you enquired on 12th and were responded to on 13th. We did speak to your partner in the meantime and confirmed there were no viewing slots available at the time. We advised that we could arrange a viewing promptly for when our lettings negotiator for the site was back from leave, however we couldn’t take it off the market without an application, and many people are willing to apply off-plan. Unfortunately by the time you came back to us all the properties had been let.
★★★★★ 5/5
TrustpilotMoving into our new home was made easy!
Moving into our Simplelife home was made effortless with the assistance from Jade. A real asset to the company! That’s the easy part. Even after moving into the property, Jade was quick to respond to questions which helped us settle in. I forgot to mention what a pleasure it’s been dealing with Hannah in relation to the one maintenance issue I’ve had since moving in.
Ben · 30 November 2023
Agent replied · 16 June 2024
Thank you for your review Ben!
★★★★★ 2/5
TrustpilotPoor customer service
We were going to refrain from leaving a bad review, however it seems to be issue after issue. We agreed to let the house were in from the video shared due to timelines, we of course were under no illusion that the property was going to look identical to the video as it has obviously been lived in before. When we finally went to view the previous tenant had painted number of walls dark, paint had been scratched off the radiators and the property was in a pretty dirty state which the tenant had moved out and left it this way. We followed up to Olivia with an email highlighting what we had seen and requested these things be fixed prior to move in, Olivia’s email responses were blunt and only seem to get a half decent reply once we cc’d Adam in to which she then said she couldn’t guarantee all the things would be done, but one thing she did guarantee was a professional clean. Move forward to move in day, we arrived at the property and meet Sam who is doing the inventory and the property was in a disgusting state. No professional clean had been done, there were cobwebs, lights out, dust, grease under the cupboard in the kitchen, rubbish in the garden. This was raised to Olivia, to which she did apologise and get someone back out to clean however point blank refused to get the radiator painted because it worked, not what you’d expect from the properties they advertise to have radiators with all the metal showing. The property was ‘cleaned’ again 4 days later, the cupboard was cleaned however cobwebs were still in the exact same place, floors filthy, light bulbs still not changed, rubbish still in the garden. It was was clear the property still hasn’t been professionally cleaned, this was raised to Olivia who said she was settled it was clean ( she hasn’t even been in the property) and wouldn’t be sending anyone back out but wanted me to note she has got the radiator painted ‘as a good well gesture). Nothing we expected or requested was over and above and are the basics when moving in to the property and should be met by the landlord/property management. We’ve been in the property nearly 2 weeks now and the back door doesn’t shut properly, floor boards are moving when you walk, toilet flush doesn’t work and I am still finding things you’d expect to be cleaned or completed correctly when moving in to a new property that weren’t. What we’ve struggled to understand here is why everything we raised to Olivia were made to feel like we’re expecting too much when it really is the basics of managing a property, we’ve tried on many occasions to reason and understand but the last email we received was utterly rude.What makes it worse is reading the book you provide in the welcome box and your strict checklist about how you expect a property back, but you’re not following the same rules when letting the property out. The property looks better now than they say we moved in and that’s thanks to us have to give the property the clean we should have moved in to! Not everything can be blamed on wear and tear, there is a clear difference between wear and tear & simply just not being cleaned properly and I’m sure you’ve taken the money off the previous tenants deposit for the issues so unsure why it’s so hard to then get back up to standard for the new tenants. We weren’t expecting a show home, but so many of these issues are just basic.
Laura · 26 August 2022
Agent replied · 16 June 2024
Hi Laura and Luke,Thank you for sharing your feedback with us.We have looked in to your records and we can see that in order to accommodate your preferred move in date, there was quite a tight turn around between the last resident moving out and your move in. To add to this, we completely hold our hands up as we can see that there was a couple of days delay our side in getting the works required approved before your move in, meaning that works were then completed by a contractor, leaving our inventory checks and your move in taking place on the same day. At this point our property inspector reported that the clean instructed before your move in was not up to our standard. This did regrettably mean you moving in to a home that wasn’t quite up to scratch. We can see that another contractor was then sent out the same week to do another clean. All other non-urgent works reported since moving in should be fixed within 30 days. I can see that James, our Team Leader has been monitoring this closely and is in continual contact with you to keep you updated. Please be assured that James is doing everything in his power to get any outstanding works completed for you as soon as possible.As James has also discussed over the phone, we apologise for any blunt emails you received. Since on-boarding a number of new staff around that time, feedback and further training has been given to ensure communication is warmer.We know that the above explanation doesn’t rectify or excuse the experience you have had so far but we hope it offers some explanation. We’re very sorry for the issues you have faced and we hope you see a great improvement moving forward.
★★★★★ 4/5
TrustpilotExperience of tenancy application
Hi I am Daniel a Hongkonger and planning to live in the UK with my family near Cambridge, as my son starts his studies in October there. My wife and I so have searched for an accommodation and we finally sent our application for tenancy to Simple Life. We are happy to meet Simple Life as the representatives of it are accommodating especially Jade and Shannah. They kept in touch with me via emails. They sometimes even worked over 1730 as I still received their emails at midnights Hong Kong time. They are really helpful and responsible. However, their third party Let Alliance which help evaluate applicants’ eligibility of tenancy is not quite efficient. It has taken a rather long time to assess my application. I understand that the strictness of assessment is a must and I appreciate that as it can assure the qualification of the tenants. Actually I have kept contact with them to fill out the forms and submit the information required such as our right to rent share codes, financial status documents, the current and past living places, working records and backgrounds, but the uncertainty of application approval and the time waiting for their response make me and my wife feel a bit worried and frustrated since we have paid the holding deposit and if we fail the application we have to suffer the cost of application, the charges of handling fees and most importantly our time and effort spent in achieving the application. The questions “What kind of information should I submit?’ ‘What could I do to help with my application?’ are always in my mind and indeed I have asked them about my concerns through emails. As usual, they have no prompt reply and I am used to waiting for their further instructions. I am now still waiting! That’s my experience I would like to share. Thank you.
Daniel · 25 August 2022
Agent replied · 16 June 2024
Hi Daniel, Thank you for your helpful feedback. We’re really pleased to hear that you have had a good experience with our team and thank you for your recommendations. We’re sorry that the referencing has taken some time. We can see that you requested some changes to your application along the way, which has resulted in some delays. Our team will contact Let Alliance today to give them a chase on your application and they will send you an update.
★★★★★ 5/5
TrustpilotSimple Life Resident
I have been a resident for over a year now with simple life.. They are a brilliant.. Always happy to help.. Imogen and Alex from the maintenance team for Mill Vale have always been professional and supportive during any repairs..
Customer · 18 May 2026
Agent replied · 16 June 2024
Thank you so much for your continued support and for taking the time to share your experience after being with Simple Life for over a year. We’re delighted to hear that you’ve found the team helpful and supportive throughout your tenancy.
★★★★★ 1/5
TrustpilotNot So Simple Life
SECOND EDIT - 3rd August 2022After being made to wait months to go through the arbitration process to gte back my deposit I was notified today that I had WON - SIMPLE LIFE had tried to lie and cheat me out of my deposit....Read my review below and remember - keep fighting, keep all emails and record all telephone conversations with Simple Life.I never did get an apology - but I did win in the end.EDIT: Original post below - please take the time to read the reply from Simple Life....who have lied to try and make themselves look caring.1) As you can see my cupboard door was broken for 2 years - never fixed2) They lied about notifying me in advance about a gas engineer visit.. I wasn't warned....and is it REALLY acceptable for some random engineer to let themselves in?3) They don't dispute that the engineer was able to let themselves in with a set of keys4) Which leads to the final point - I sent the keys back, but in any event the locks didn't need to be changed as they had a set of keys which the engineer let themselves in with.In conclusion life in your Simple life home isn't simple especially at theend of your tenancy when they will do their damnedest to trick you out of your deposit... I have now begin a County Court claim to get back all of my deposit that I am rightfully owed.Also note - they would have been happy for me to pay £860 a month but the poor sucker following me is paying £1100 as a "fair market rent"**Nice house and at the price £830 per month it was a reasonable rate for Sheffield - Tyne Close.The kitchen cupboard door fell off - it was reported many times but never repaired and stayed off for two years.There was an occasion when a gas engineer let themselves in to service the boiler, no notice... I only knew they had been because he rang me asking for my alarm code to turn it off.The front door lock was broken about a month before I left the property. It was reported - not fixed. I was told "as you're leaving the property we will repair it when you're gone"After I left the proerty "Joseph Gardiner" emailed me to say the following;Total Deposit £950.00DeductionsReplacement of locks due to one set of keys been returned -£168.00bedroom 1-needs light bulbKitchen-cupboard door needs re attaching £84 Total Deductions £252.00Total Refund £698.00FUN FACT: Two months before leaving my rent was increased from £830 to £860The property was put back on the rental market at £1100Make your own minds up.....
Phil · 3 August 2022
Agent replied · 16 June 2024
Hi Phil, Thank you for raising your issues with us. We’re very sorry about the ongoing issue you faced with your kitchen cupboard door. We can see that it was fixed and broke again shortly after yet it was closed down on our system. We’re extremely sorry for any inconvenience this caused during your tenancy and we will be investigating this in more detail. We can see on FixFlo that a gas engineer was booked in for the gas safety certificate and you were given a date of attendance. All residents are notified in advance and have the opportunity to refuse the visit, however, we never received an objection from you. We can also see your front door issue and our records show that you contacted us to say you had fixed it yourself, so no further action was taken. In regards to the deductions to your deposit, we’re sorry that you’re unhappy with these, but unfortunately, they do simply cover the items that need replacing, including the cost to change the locks due to an unreturned set of keys. Rents across the UK are increasing considerably due to inflation, as you have picked up in your review, we avoid increasing rents for existing residents to the full market rate wherever we can, to the benefit of our loyal residents. As per the tenancy agreements, rents are likely to be reviewed and rise each year and we are unable to avoid that, but we do hope the smaller increments for our existing residents helps to ease any financial burden faced currently.
★★★★★ 1/5
TrustpilotThe nightmare of dealing with simple life homes. An absolute NO,NO!
My experience with simple life homes was absolutely horrible! I would not recommend anyone to use their services. I did show interest in one of their properties. I was told that in order to take the property off the market while referencing was conducted, I had to pay a holding deposit on the day, which I did. There is absolutely no information about not accepting tenants who have CCJ’s. On the completion of the very first referencing form, they do ask a question about CCJ’s which my partner clicked “yes”. If they have such a strong policy about NOT ACCEPTING people who have CCJS (despite being old and fully paid for) the referencing process shouldn’t even have started. They charged us, made us loose our time, and in risk of becoming homeless with two children as we had limited amount of time to find another property and move out from the current one. After over a week of “referencing”, we were told that our application was unsuccessful due to my partner’s CCJ, and the money we originally paid, would only be partly refunded. I am still to receive that refund despite many attempts of contacting them. I was told that the refund was going to take 3-5 days but the money never arrived. They have the right to have their policies, what is concerning is the lack of consideration for peoples lives and the advantage taken from people. You don’t accept people with CCJ’s, absolutely fine. Be clear about it before people actually pay you. On the very first stage of the application process, you do have a question regarding ccjs. If people answer “yes”, do not conduct any referencing because you already know that person won’t meet your criteria. Its absolutely disgusting to treat people like this! The distress that this whole process brought to me was really unnecessary if more clear information was given to start with. My partner did disclose his CCJ, if he did not, would be understandable. The advisor who I was dealing with (Jade Woodham) originally came across as quite friendly and helpful, but once things started to go sideways, she became impatient, sarcastic and quite inconsiderate. Not responding to my emails about my refund, coming across as she was doing me a favour every time I called to chase it and not helpful at all. Having two children (including a small baby), not in the best financial position due to being on maternity leave and having a deadline to leave a property, I do not wish this on anyone. Sympathy is important as we don’t know where we will be tomorrow, and we are all human beings with problems and struggles, so be a bit more considerate to people!
Sílvia · 11 July 2022
Agent replied · 16 June 2024
Hi Sylvia, We’re really sorry we were unable to progress your application. Whilst we can’t disclose application details in a public forum, we understand that following your initial application with the team various changes were subsequently made throughout the process which we weren’t aware of at the start, and therefore meant your application could not be continued. We’re sorry if this was not made clear to you at the time, but we understand the holding deposit refund has now been processed.
★★★★★ 1/5
TrustpilotRats were found running in my garden.
Rats were found running in my garden.I reported this matter with photos attached to simple life and suggested pest control needed in this residential area however Asset Manager replied me by saying" Has this been spotted again , unless the mouse is in the house we would not instruct pest control , you would need to call the local pest control"Since then I have to keep the garden door and all windows close tightly to stop mouses sneaking into my house. This is what I found in Simple life website "Here at Simple Life, we offer beautifully finished new homes to rent, with the little details taken care of for simplicity, ease and total peace of mind."But in reality what I experienced was far beyond expectation.
Doris · 2 July 2022
Agent replied · 16 June 2024
Hi Doris, Thank you for your feedback and providing more identifiable information. We have checked our records - we can see you have had a couple of sightings and there have been no reports from any neighbouring properties. I believe Adam, our Head of BTR has followed up with a call to you to explain that we wouldn’t ordinarily get pest control out unless it is a problem within the property. If it is a persistent rodent issue externally, it would have to be reported to the local council in line with their guidance. If you feel the problem persists and you have further sightings then we encourage you to report this to the local council but please also make us aware so we can escalate this with the council if it proves to be a persistent issue.
★★★★★ 5/5
TrustpilotWhat a wonderful and simple stress free…
What a wonderful and simple stress free company to deal with. Simplelifehomes are outstanding and made our transition an enjoyable and uncomplicated experience. Having dealt with other companies in my area which were a total nightmare and full of time wasting, Simplelifehomes are head and shoulders above them all.Highly recommended and the whole team are outstanding. Special thanks to Shannah with her updates and care which made our life so much easier. 10/10 and thank you all.
Kemmy · 13 October 2022
Agent replied · 16 June 2024
We're so glad to read this Kemmy. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
★★★★★ 1/5
TrustpilotAWFUL experience!
AWFUL experience.We decided to rent on the Canalside development in Wigan to prevent the sale of our house falling through as we hadn't yet found an onward property. We thought the estate looked nice when we originally viewed....looks can be deceiving. We are a quiet, hardworking family, in well respected professions, who keep ourselves to ourselves. Since we have been here we have experienced children frequently knocking on the door making a nuisance of themselves trying to sell you things. There is dog faeces all around the estate which is disgusting! I am the owner of 2 dogs myself and clean up after them. We have experienced aggressive, verbal abuse from a resident who couldn't control their aggressive dog - same person also threatened that his dog would "rip my effing (won't allow use of the actual word) dogs throat open!" Then the maniacs that constantly cut the corner coming onto the estate and abuse you because of their poor driving (funny how men think they are better drivers than women, wonder how many of them have done advanced driving?). Then there is Lidl.....when you live in the direct field of this supermarket you get to fully experience the impact of the midnight, 1am 6am, 11pm (you get the picture) deliveries which literally echo and rattle around the whole area. Not good having sleep constantly disturbed when you both have safety critical jobs. Add to that the fact it took nearly 2 full days for my husband and I to clean a "clean" house when we moved in in the COVID world.....Simple life just don't care! Although the fact they've had 3 or 4 different "asset managers" since we moved in 6mths ago speaks volumes of the type of company they must be. They charge you a significant amount of money (not too dissimilar to our previous mortgage payment) unless you are claiming benefits to live in one of these properties, to be abused by other residents, have sleep and wellbeing constantly disturbed and don't even bother to acknowledge your issues / complaints. The gardens are mudpits, no drainage at all and unusable on the whole.If you are someone used to living in this sort of environment you'll be ok but if you are aren't then save yourselves at least 12mths (minimum contract term) cash and hassle! The only bonuses of being here is the ability to have your pets, the houses are functional and up-to-date due to being new build, an issues with the house have been quickly sorted. I'm grateful that the direct neighbours are nice and friendly but I can't wait to get out of here.In response to Simple life's response - I can clearly identify the children as yet again last night shouting through a neighbour's window and again just now them ringing the door bell on this property about 20 times continuously! What prevents me identifying them to yourselves is a small thing called safeguarding!! As an adult and a registered professional I can't and WOULDN'T follow a child home nor can I take pictures of said children because that's a whole other legal issue. Not that I'd expect Simple life to have any understanding on this matter with not being a group registered professionals or in a legal or local authority who need to have knowledge and awareness of such legalities. Therefore it's a wonderful way to deflect responsibility on your part Simple LifeAdams call was appreciated but finding another property isn't an answer to a significant proportion of the issues. Rental is a temporary and unexpected solution for us currently and will be moving as soon as our ongoing purchase is completed. Simple life really should take onboard the issue with these properties directly facing and in the close vicinity of Lidl. They should have a duty of candour when letting these properties, due to the monthly cost, by informing potential residents of the horrific noise generated up to 4 times some days and in unsocial hours. This is one of the main reasons I have actually written a review on here, to help inform potential future residents.
KDuell · 8 June 2022
Agent replied · 16 June 2024
Hello, Thank you for your review. We’re really pleased to hear that you’re happy with your Simple Life home, your direct neighbours and the management of your home. We’re disappointed to hear that you’ve experiencing some issues with the wider local community. I hear that Adam, our Head of BTR, has followed up over the phone with your husband and we’re pleased to hear that you have reported the noise issues coming from Lidl, to both Lidl and the local council. As your landlord, we would always take action and give warnings to any residents or their children who might be causing problems for other residents, however we’re aware that you have been unable to identify the children causing a nuisance so far. If the problem continues, we encourage you to keep us informed and we will do everything within our power to support you. As mentioned over the phone, we would also be more than happy to help you find an alternative home or development elsewhere if this is desired.UPDATE: Thank you for our further conversation over the phone; we’d never suggest residents follow anyone home and I’m pleased that we clarified this as a misunderstanding. Your complaint is the first resident complaint we’ve ever received about noise from the nearby area, however as discussed, if there is anything additional we can do to support, please let us know.
★★★★★ 5/5
TrustpilotCharlotte was really helpful in talking…
Charlotte was really helpful in talking to me over the phone and in supporting me with what I needed. Very happy
Gabriella · 29 May 2026
★★★★★ 5/5
TrustpilotJunior was superb today at aiming to…
Junior was superb today at aiming to resolve my maintenance issue. Empathic and friendly, I genuinely felt listened to and what seemed like a major wait during trying circumstances has been resolved with a new date of next Tuesday, which I really appreciate. I hope Junior stays at Simple Life as he is the best employee I have ever dealt with after renting with Simple Life for four years.
Jessica · 28 June 2023
Agent replied · 16 June 2024
This is brilliant to hear, thank you Jessica! We will pass your thanks on to Junior!
★★★★★ 1/5
TrustpilotAs my previous post
As my previous post I admit we was in arrears but we w spoke to Megan at that time who assured us that this would not affect us getting another home with simple life as we was given the wrong home this was advised by your member of staff we waited a year now for the blame to be passed on to us when we was told by simple life manager at that time it won’t which is misleading because this has affected us with now putting us in a difficult situation and no home if someone can call or mail me would be great
Rizwana · 18 May 2022
Agent replied · 16 June 2024
Hi Rizwana, We refer you to our last response further down this page. Unfortunately, due to the history of arrears you have stipulated it makes it very hard for you to pass our referencing criteria. We have listened to all our phone records and reviewed all emails and we are unable to find any communications where a member of staff said otherwise.
★★★★★ 5/5
Trustpilot5 Stars for Junior
I have only given 5 starts due to the fantastic Junior has shown of late since joining Simple Life and helping with getting repairs finally completed.Junior is like a breath of fresh air and something that Simple Life needed within the repairs / customer team.There should be more Junior's in the team!!Thank you Junior for actually listening to concerns, getting them rectified and just having great customer service.
Deb · 9 July 2023
Agent replied · 16 June 2024
Thank you for your review Deb, we will be sure to pass your kind words on to Junior!
★★★★★ 5/5
Trustpilot5 star service from Tahir!
So me and my wife have been looking at simple life homes for the last year just waiting for the right property to turn up, then all of a sudden in a matter of a days we managed to land our first simple life home - the main reason for this is because our first interaction with simple life was with Tahir, from start to finish he was nothing short of outstanding with his customer service, he even went out of his way to ensure we landed this home. Constantly keeping us informed and up to date of everything that was going on - even when our move in date changed and created a bit of panic with our previous landlord Tahir made sure he got us in ASAP so we had no issues with the previous agent. 10/10 service form Tahir.
Isa · 3 May 2022
Agent replied · 16 June 2024
Hi Isa, Thank you for such a wonderful review! Thank you for sharing your feedback. We will make sure that Tahir is made aware of your kind words. Hope you enjoy your new home!
★★★★★ 1/5
TrustpilotWe have had nothing but problems since…
We have had nothing but problems since we moved into our apartment- now trying to leave is an even bigger headache! There is a severe lack of communication between head office and tenants from the initial application, where we were refused a moving date right until now where we are trying to move out. When we finally did get a moving in date we came to move and we’re met at the main doors to a man who gave us keys- no show around the flat, no explanation of where our post would be or how anything worked in the flat. We came up to let ourselves into the flat to keys which did not work in the door- we were lucky to catch him as he was about to drive off. It turns out he had given us the keys to another flat which was already occupied. We’ve had people who have been unauthorised trying to enter our apartment and even someone try to move their stuff in when we clearly live here!! I dread to think who has been in our apartment whilst we have not been here. We have had problems with the windows and external doors which have took most of the year we have been here to resolve. At 34 weeks pregnant my health visitor deemed the flat unsafe to live in due to the rain coming into the living room when it rained and the wind coming through the windows in the bedrooms. Simple life where made aware of this Yet still took months to fix this. The water pressure is shocking! Don’t expect to get a shower after 9pm or do the dishes as there will be no hot water. Something again we have simple life but nothing has been done to resolve this. Knowing I was pregnant and living in unsuitable and unsafe conditions we informed our property manager on 21st December, that we would like to move out (4 months prior to the end of our contract) she responded that we would be liable until someone else was able to move in. Being unable to afford two house rents we said we would stay until the end of our tenancy. I emailed to confirm we would be leaving as arranged with Jennifer on 30th March to which an automated message informed me she had actually gone on maternity leave- again no communication!! I called to be informed we would have a property manager but they were unsure who this was- they’d find out and get the person to be in touch. This person emailed the next day having no clue we had already said we would be ending our tenancy and was extremely rude in her reply. We were informed they did not need to communicate with us or check we still wanted our tenancy at the end of the year and we would be liable for the flat until 30th April! Now being 36 weeks pregnant this has caused extreme stress as we now need to find rent money for two addresses as simple Life have such poor communication!Avoid this letting agency at ALL COSTS! This is definitely an agency we will NOT be using again!
Beth · 3 April 2022
Agent replied · 16 June 2024
Hi Beth,Thank you for your comments. We understand that our Head of Build to Rent, Adam, has since been in touch with you to discuss the situation. We accept that human error led to you being given the wrong keys at move-in, for which we apologise. Due to Covid protocols at the time for your move-in, we were not conducting full property walk-arounds, although this should have been explained to you in full. All our keys are monitored and logged in and out when used, looking at our records, we have no indication of any keys being logged out aside from during your move-in, therefore are confident that none of our team attempted to access your property. We can also see that Jennifer responded to your query in December within 24 hours, but did not receive any further requests from you until March when she was off. Communications had been sent to all residents regarding Jennifer’s maternity leave, which we can see were received by yourself and your partner though not opened, which suggests they may have ended up in your junk folder. We’re glad that your conversation with Adam to clear up these few issues went well and you were satisfied with the explanations.
★★★★★ 4/5
TrustpilotSatisfied renter - 1 year
deleted previous review in error will write it again apologiesPositives -New build property, it’s well decorated, carpeted and floored to a good standard better than that of a council or housing association for example. Higher quality appliances for example and the kitchen is greatAllowed pets which is a big selling pointThe estate itself is beautiful and a nice place to liveHave raised a few minor repairs which have been sorted, these have been completed by countryside homes and their partners due to the 1 year warranty so cannot comment on simple life’s repairsNegativesAssett manager changed 3 times in 10 monthsTend to respond through fix flo rather than via phone which sometimes I think they could give a callI did previously critique the contact I had around a gas service being cancelled, I appreciate the call from simple life taking on board this in future. I can say they accommodated my request for a new appointment in a morning and this was competed. Kieron from Caldor was great, really friendly, so that is a positive. I have also been given advice about some ASB concerns I have following a call from simple life.Overall, positive experience, would like to have phone contact at times whilst I appreciate that’s not always possible
Emily · 22 March 2022
Agent replied · 16 June 2024
Hi Emily,Thank you for your review!We’re delighted to hear that overall your experience has been positive and you like the quality of your home.We’re sorry for the many changes to your Asset Manager over the past 10 months, the most recent change is to ensure more consistency, so hopefully you will feel a benefit moving forward. We’d also like to apologise for the previous cancelled appointment you had from Caldor, this should have been communicated to you promptly and we’re very sorry that on this occasion, there was a break down in communication our side. We’re pleased to see that the appointment was booked in and completed this morning.Thank you for your comments, this really helps to inform us and improve our services.
★★★★★ 1/5
TrustpilotI went to viewing on 2nd Mar and…
I went to viewing on 2nd Mar and confirmed to rent on the same day. Simple life had sent those reference check steps, T&C and deposit things to me promptly. I made the deposit of £180 & gave documents for checking.And then, I was notified my referencing check is passed. On 8th Mar, they sent me a tenancy agreement to sign. I signed the contract via docusign on the same day. My part is finished at that point of time. And then, all of the staff just simply disappeared. 1. No representative to sign the rest of the contract. 2. No one reply email nor call to talk about next steps. 3. I have called Lucy(referencing team contact) for 5-6 times during these 10 days, and no one pick up the line, not a single time. 4. I called the general office hotline. A random staff told me to call again on next Monday....5. I texted the agent, he just didn't reply as well. They simply hang me in the air. This is so unprofessional, and I wonder what kind of service will be like after I moved in... Can someone contact me directly? Thank you...[Update] So Simple life called me within an hour after I posted the above review. That is impressive. 1. They explained that it is because the staff that handles my case is on leave now. 2. They told me that is normal practice, to have their representative sign the tenancy agreement on the day I move in. I wonder why I have to sign the agreement so early then. (There is a 1-month difference for different parties to sign the same contract?)I do hope Simple life can put the processing status online or update me by email. So I don't have to worry about the status or missing out on important things. Thank you.
Jen · 19 March 2022
Agent replied · 16 June 2024
Hi Jen,Thank you for your review.We’re sorry you feel that there hasn’t been enough contact from ourselves since your contract has been signed. We can assure you that everything is still in motion but as there was a decent amount of time until your tenancy start date, there wasn’t any updates to give you at that point in time, however we appreciate even a courtesy update to stipulate this and next steps would have put your mind at ease, so we will take in board your comments to better our service in future.We have checked our call log and we can’t see any missed calls from you and we can see that all emails have been responded to. As you have mentioned in your update there was a couple of days delay in Lucy getting back to you whilst she was on leave.We’re pleased to confirm that since leaving the review, Jade has spoken to you to run through any concerns you have and we’re looking forward to getting you moved in to your new home!
★★★★★ 5/5
TrustpilotExcellent service
We have just reserved and secured a property with simple life and I must say the experience has been seamless! Application was put in along with hold deposit, references came back within 24 hours and all passed and a move in date was given to us. We now only have 24 days until we move in to our beautiful new home and we couldn’t be more excited. A massive Thank you to Rachel who has been extremely accommodating with my questions and great communication throughout.
Gemma · 15 March 2022
Agent replied · 16 June 2024
Thank you for sharing your experience with us Gemma, we really appreciate it! Enjoy your lovely new home!
★★★★★ 2/5
TrustpilotNot what we expected from Simple Life Homes
In reply to your answer…I have had a nice conversation with Adam who was very apologetic that we had not received certain information from your team, information that could have been useful for us. In regards to your comment‘ We also confirmed to you that we didn’t have the keys at the time of reserving as the property hadn’t been completed and handed over to us at the time but we did assure you that as soon as we had them we would book a viewing with you. In the meantime the team tried to give you as much information as possible with a walk-through video of that property type, brochures and floorplans.’This is the first I have heard about not having the keys in order for us to view the property. Please forward me this email if you have found it because it is not in my inbox. Also, if the property was not complete and handed over to you, why was my moving date in 7 days?I appreciate a floor plan and video was sent but we was asked to sign the tenancy agreement, pay the deposit and a months rent upfront, all procedure for you, but without viewing it ourselves we did not feel comfortable.Kind regards.Jade was excellent in communicating via email. I was approached that some properties had recently become available after previously enquiring with simple life homes.I am currently in a tenancy and would have to give a written notice of 8 weeks. Which I’m sure as a letting agency yourself you appreciate.Whilst receiving my final tenancy agreement to read, pay the deposit and sign, I noticed that the move in date was the 14th March. Only one week after I had received an email saying that the properties had become available.Myself and my husband were extremely interested in moving into the property from our current one. Purely based on the house being a new build and in an area that I was wanting to move to.After calling and explaining my situation, I was told that the date of the move was not negotiable and if I did not sign and pay (all within a matter of days) then the house would be back on the market. Which I appreciate, but I felt extremely rushed. My only option was to pay rent on 2 properties for 2 whole months and there was no consideration that this would be money completed wasted for me. I was told by Joe that simple life homes would lose out on 2 months rent and whilst I completely understand that, as a letting company that to me looked very professional on the internet and at the site of development, I now felt I was being rushed and not taken seriously that we wanted to move in. I would think that if a tenant was to ever leave one of your properties that you would expect your notice in your tenancy agreement to be met, so I wondered why there was no consideration on my behalf. Jade did say to me that the best she could push it back was a week, and although I thank her for this, after speaking to my husband we did not feel comfortable moving forward with Simple life homes. We had no invite to view the home before signing a tenancy agreement and was expected to up and move our life within a week and pay out a lot of money, and if we did not then we are not worthy. We pay our rent exactly on time and have messages from our landlord stating that we are very good and reliable tenants. You would know this when your referencing for us took place. All I can say is that you have lost out on a lot of years of money from us, for the sake of a couple of months whilst we finished our current agreement correctly.I do hope at least some of your customers are met with empathy and professionalism when wanting to pay their hard earned money into your business.
Claire · 14 March 2022
Agent replied · 16 June 2024
Hi Claire, Thank you for getting in touch with us. We’re sad to hear that you feel your experience has tainted your view of Simple Life. We’ve looked in to this for you and we can see that you were on the waiting list for a while for one of our properties. As soon as one was coming available we made sure you were contacted and we can see that we did stipulate that in this particular instance, the property was available at short notice so we would only be able to take an application if the applicant is able to also move quickly which you advised would be the case. Unfortunately we can see that after this discussion you had found out that your landlord required 2 months’ notice, and whilst we’re always happy to accommodate move in dates as best we can, we are unable to leave a property void for that length of time. We always try our best to gain interest in a property with as much lead time as possible in the hope that move out dates and landlord notices can better align, but occasionally the lead times can be quite short where we have had imminent confirmation from the construction team due to less predictable works on site, so this particular property did have a shorter lead time. We also confirmed to you that we didn’t have the keys at the time of reserving as the property hadn’t been completed and handed over to us at the time but we did assure you that as soon as we had them we would book a viewing with you. In the meantime the team tried to give you as much information as possible with a walk-through video of that property type, brochures and floorplans. We’re sorry that on this occasion we were unable to accommodate you, but we really hope that we’ve been able to shed some light on the circumstances and we’re pleased to see that Adam is helping you to find another suitable property for you.
★★★★★ 5/5
TrustpilotNew Chapter, New Home... Life couldn't be more Simple
From enquiring, to applying, to passing references Simple Life have been at every step to ensure we've had everything we need. Jade who helped throughout the process answer all questions an reassured us to Ben showing us the Home and making us feel welcome was really comforting. New couple with a New home starting a new chapter... Everything has been... Simple lol
Chris · 10 November 2023
Agent replied · 16 June 2024
This is wonderful to hear! Thank you for sharing with us Chris!
★★★★★ 5/5
TrustpilotExcellent service - Matt Boyd
I contacted Matt many times enquiring the property which I expected to rent from Simple Life Homes. Matt was very patient and helped me to go through the process. I am so grateful that I can be able to rent my ideal home from Simple Life.
Wing · 14 September 2024
Agent replied · 23 October 2024
Thank you for your lovely feedback, we will pass this on to Matt!
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