Trusted Agent profile · HIGHBRIDGE
★★★★★
1,181 reviews across 1 platform
ISLEPORT LANE, HIGHBRIDGE, TA9 4QZ
Simple Life's office in HIGHBRIDGE, at ISLEPORT LANE, is rated 3.8 out of 5 across 1,181 reviews on 1 platform.
Every review we hold for the HIGHBRIDGE office, from every platform, shown as written. First names only.
5/5
TrustpilotBrilliant
I have been in my lovely house 2 years now and never had any problems, the houses are beautiful I love where we live it’s a nice pretty area for my little girl to grow up in. Olivia Gresswell is my asset manger and she is great and always very helpful and quick to respond, Olivia has been a great help to me recently and I’m forever grateful.
Thank you for your wonderful review Stephanie!
5/5
TrustpilotSimple Life 101
Prior being exposed to Simple Life Homes, my perception of the letting real estate agents in England wasn't good. Those I had dealt with ~20 firms, I could sum them up as "Transactional & rigid." Transactional in the way they come across, when you finally manage to speak to a human on the phone! Rigid when they have to do something either outside of their comfort zone or remit. It makes you feel like you aren't valued when they would call back 2 weeks later to an enquiry!Dealing with Simple Life Homes has changed my negative bias to EXTREMELY POSITIVE. (Other letting agents can definitely learn a lot from Simple Life Homes on the customer service side.)I want to make special mention of how well Courtney Davis handled my initial negative outlook and directed it to a positive one! Courtney's colleagues can take some notes from her on that. In summary, very happy with how things are moving along and another "shout out to Courtney" Thank you team!
Thank you Brian! What a fabulous review! Our aim is to increase the standards of renting, so we're pleased to hear that we have certainly done this for you! We have made sure that Courtney is aware of your kind words. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
5/5
TrustpilotSo far, everything is going very well.
Until now, everything is perfect. Niamh has been fantastic, and she always replied quickly to my mails. We are waiting for our move date, and we really hope our experience with Simple Life continues like this first steps. Thanks so much for your help, Niamh.
Thank you for your feedback Julian.
4/5
TrustpilotBumping up to 4 Stars
EDIT: Bumping up to 4 stars after speaking to Adam. We haven't heard back but to be fair I'm not sure if he said he'd call again, just that he'd look into what happened. Either way, very friendly and very empathetic to our situation which gave us a lot of confidence back in Simple Life overall. It seems like our initial experience was a very isolated one that is not their usual standard and given the night and day difference with another agent, I can believe that. For whatever reason, the first agent we had did not want to let us reserve the property and seemed to drag us along until the property was gone. Its very stressful when it comes to a home, its not like a small purchase, and to be messed about was very upsetting - especially when it seems we weren't seen as "good enough". However, Rachel was very helpful and within a couple of hours of enquiring about another property we were able to reserve it. We are moving in soon and are now looking forward to it. I do want to note the updated reply from Simple Life is a little dishonest in an attempt to shift blame. There was not 3 applications with 3 different agents. There was one enquiry and one pre-application with the first agent, and a second pre-application with another agent (Ardent - who again, very different to the first & great to speak to). We were very clear about which property in the emails but the lack of communication on their end caused the confusion. We did not speak with Rachel (the third agent) until after this initial experience.
Hi Beth Thank you for your patience whilst we took a look in to our records to determine where our service fell down for you on your first house. We really appreciate your feedback and making us aware of your situation, it really helps us to see flaws in our services and helps us to improve them. We completely appreciate the fall-through of your initial property must have been very frustrating, especially as you felt it was your perfect home! We’ve spoken to the team and reviewed our records and can see that we had 3 home applications in progress for you at the same time, with 3 different lettings negotiators, so there was some confusion our end as to which property you were wanting to proceed with. We can see that there was then some updates required to the pre-qualification form provided, during which time a holding deposit was taken from another lettings negotiator’s applicant. We’re very sorry you missed out on this home. We don’t tend to stop marketing a property until we are at a stage where we have a satisfactory pre-qualification form and have received a holding deposit from an applicant, at which point we have certainty and commitment from the applicant. I believe Adam, out Head of BTR, has a call booked in with you tomorrow to chat things through so we can work out if our service has fallen short and anywhere we can improve in future - most importantly we want to make sure that you're satisfied with the outcome. We are pleased to hear that Rachel was able to quickly find you another suitable property shortly after and really hope you quickly settle in to your new home!
5/5
TrustpilotThank You Simple Life Team,
So far, I can see the great side of having a corporate landlord with dedicated staff. First, I was an international tenant and I was able to sign the flat contract before coming to the UK which gave me a great peace of mind. Catelina the letting agent was very helpful and supportive along the way of contracting and referencing.Now, we needed to upgrade the property to a house. Again, Catelina was great help, as well as Nick our asset manager. Both make our life much easier and both are making the transition from the flat contract to the house contract smooth and easy. One minor note I may add to make Simple life experience even greater. International tenant would need a bit more orientation about the house facility when they arrive. I know you provide all the manuals as soft copy, but as a new person to the British systems and appliances would appreciated if even someone gave me a call to make sure I am settling in well.One more time, thank you Simple Life team :)
Thank you Ghadir! We're delighted to hear that we were able to make your move nice and easy and we will pass on your lovely comments to Catalina and Nick! We also welcome your suggestion and will make sure this is fed in to the team! Thank you!
1/5
TrustpilotStill no action regarding safety fence repairs.
It's now 6 months since I reported a collapsed boundary fence between our properties. I posted on here on the 23 rd February and apart from a cursory reply from the company, nothing has been done.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention again. After reviewing this with the team, I can see that the works were approved and instructed earlier this year. Unfortunately, the contractor has let us down, however the team have been actively chasing this and I’ve been advised the works are now booked in for this week. Thank you for your patience, and apologies for the delay.
5/5
TrustpilotGood Customer Service Email Support
I had issues arranging a viewing and accessing the application centre via the website. I emailed the company and was helped to book a visit and finalise my log in to the application centre by Niamh.
We're delighted to hear that Niamh could support you in organising a viewing and accessing the application portal. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, Alex.
1/5
TrustpilotThe worst place I’ve ever rented from
The worst place I’ve ever rented from. They literally rob you of your deposit. Very disorganised management too. Avoid at all costs.
Hello Lovina, Unfortunately we are unable to identify you based on the information available to us in your review. We're sorry that you feel our proposed deductions to your deposit were not reasonable. All residents have the opportunity to dispute the deductions with the TDS (tenancy deposit scheme) who will review evidence from both parties and who will make an independent, final decision to ensure any deductions are fair.
4/5
TrustpilotBetter experience later on
To be honest the company messed up on the initial house viewing plans, cancelling my viewing on the day of the viewing. Reason provided was, the road was being dug up, so it wasn’t safe. Also, struggled initially to get the date I wanted to move in revised which I felt was unsympathetic to my cause but got my preferred date later on. Remediation to the initial issues were speedy thanks to Adam and his team giving me a better experience saving me from a stressful move. He acted with diligence ensuring I got my preferred move in date. Finally moved in now, the welcome gift box was also a nice touch and totally unexpected. In a way, the quality of the house, remediation by Adam’s team and improvement to the service I received compensated for the initial challenges.
Hi Adbullahi,Thank you for bringing this to our attention. First of all, we would like to reassure you that we in no way want to be perceived as not having any empathy. We’re always as flexible as possible when it comes to move in dates, however we are restricted by when the property is available and in a suitable condition for you as a resident to move in to.I know you have been in conversation with Adam, our Head of BTR but just to reiterate over Trust Pilot, we apologise that your viewing was cancelled last minute. A member of the team arrived slightly earlier to prepare for the viewing to find that the road had been dug-up which wouldn’t allow us access. Our housebuilding partners would ordinarily give us notice of this, but on this occasion, we unfortunately were not made aware which led to your viewing inconveniently being cancelled very last minute. We really are sorry that this happened and we really do share in your frustration.We can see that since you have had a successful viewing and we’re delighted to see that you are moving in today! We wish you all the best in your new home and we hope you settle in quickly!
5/5
TrustpilotFriendly, professional and very efficient.
Moving home is incredibley stressful, especially if you're moving back home to UK from Ireland (as I am). From the first contact, Simple Life Homes have been super friendly and professional, and the incredible detail in their adverts and brochures ensure that you have all the information you need to make an informed decision. Literally everything is covered. This is as far as my review can go right now as I'm currently in the reference process, but I have no doubt that my experience will remain a positive one.Edit: I have now collected the keys to my new Simple Life home and my 5 star review remains. At every touch-point, every representative of Simple Life Homes have been friendly, professional and efficient. And the quality of the house and the incredible added facilities are just first class. A special mention to Ellie and Lucy who have been amazing throughout. The process was an incredibly sleek operation and super easy to follow. Thank you all involved. I'm buzzing with my new home. 🙂
Thank you Phil! We are delighted with this feedback! We look forward to welcoming you to your new Simple Life home!
5/5
Trustpilot10/10 Homes & Service!!!
I cannot recommend Simple Life Homes enough, what an incredibly easy experience! Previously, moving homes has been nothing but stressful and complicated. However, Jade & Ellie has been amazing from start to finish which is a first when dealing with letting agents, they have been so helpful and informative! The homes are in excellent condition, it’s so surprising to get such a high-quality rental home for such a cheap price! Simple Life have done everything right in my eyes and I would 100% recommend!
Thank you for your review CJ! What a brilliant review of our homes and our services! We're delighted to hear that you feel you're getting great value for money and you're happy with your new home. Wishing you lots of happy memories there!
5/5
TrustpilotGreat customer service
Great customer service. Amber was really helpful on the phones, it made the process much more simple.
4/5
TrustpilotHouse and service great
House is great and for the most part the service is great too. For some issues we have been waiting longer periods but can't complain I feel if any major issues had occurred they would have been sorted sooner. Overall good a professional stay.
Thank you for your feedback Dexter
1/5
TrustpilotNo deposit back after 2 months!!!
2 months have past and I still haven't seen my deposit back. After 7 months living in hell, in noise and dirt from the construction site, no heat for 2 weeks and so on, I had to terminate my contract early in Harebell Gardens, Houghton Regis. I moved out on the 2nd of June. They said they found a tenant that will move in in July. Had to hand over the keys. In July they told me the new tenant changed his mind, so I had to pay rent till they will find another one (I assume they kept the deposit paid by the tenant who wanted to move in as this is their requirement if you change your mind). Asked for the keys back as I was still paying rent there, but they said this cannot happen. So I paid rent for 2 more months, without even having the keys! Had no ideea this can happen in Britain, and what's worst, nobody can help you.Not to say that thermostat upstairs wasn't working because of the pipes not being laid out properly, so after I handed them the keys (through mailbox as they couldn't bother and blamed it on Covid) they said they will repair them but of course I need to absorb the costs of water and electricity used by the builders!They finally found a tenant on August 10. It's 13 October now and I still don't have my deposit back. William says it's the accountants, accountants say they have nothing from him and so on. And yes, of course they do not want to give me the whole deposit back as they charged me for issues that were not my fault (like extremely low quality of the blind cords (cheapest ever!). I have never been so frustrated in my entire life, and not really because of them but because nobody can help you out in such an abusive situation. And yes, because this can happen in Britain! Please Simple Life do not reply to my comment, as I have nothing to say to you, I will avoid you all my life and I just think you said enough and have emails to prove everything. Please just give me my deposit back and hope one day what goes around comes around...P.S. You will see below their reply. They made a lame excuse and yes, I received my deposit but only after I wrote this review ( Thank you Trustpilot!). The rest are all lies. They are not working hard for anything and never wanted to give me the keys back ( why would they suddently want to give me the keys back after 2 months?!).
Hi Diana,Thank you for getting in touch and making us aware of your situation.We’re very sorry to hear about the troubles you have had and the inconvenience caused.It is outlined in all our tenancy agreements and it is standard practice within the industry that if someone wishes to terminate a contract early, they are still liable for the rent until the end of their contract. Where possible we will always work hard to find a new resident quickly so that the previous resident’s contractual obligation to pay is cut short. We can see that on 27th July you were offered to obtain the keys during the time you were still paying the rent for the property.We are aware that there was a long delay in your deposit being released to you due to some errors with our automated IT processes which meant we had to step in to manually get this sorted for you, we are extremely sorry for the delay and any problems this caused you, this isn’t our usual standard of service or deposit release timeframes and we really regret that you have had this experience.Following your review, Adam, our Head of Build to Rent has been in touch to explain the IT issues we experienced, although we know this doesn’t change anything now, we hope it gives you some peace of mind and understanding of the situation. We’re pleased to see that you finally received your deposit return back on 13th of this month.
5/5
TrustpilotWill has been a champion from day one...
Will has been a champion from day one, both polite and patient, even in those frustrating moments. We've had our fair share of problems having moved into a brand new apartment (No fault of SimpleLifeHomes I'd like to add - all the responsibility of the construction company.) What they have done, and more specifically Will has done, has made it easy to report issues, been quick to respond, as well as quick to resolve the issues (where within their power!) I've learnt in life, issues happen, whether we like it or not, what's important is how companies and people deal with those issues. SimpleLife have always been pleasant and happy to answer questions from application, moving in, to living here. The application process was easy (albeit extensive), costs/fees were clear, and they've typically been flexible. Happy to have moved in here and so far I'm confident that we're in good hands.
Hi Aled,Thank you so much for your review - really refreshing to hear and we appreciate your honest feedback. We hope you continue to enjoy being part of Simple Life!
4/5
TrustpilotGood team and professionals the company…
Good team and professionals the company gives effective communication such a well smooth experience for me
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us this lovely review, it's great to hear that communication has felt smooth and that the team have looked after you well. If there's ever anything we can do to make your experience with Simple Life Homes even better, please don't hesitate to get in touch at hello@simplelifehomes.com. Thanks again, Simple Life Homes
5/5
TrustpilotRebecca Evans has gone above and beyond…
Rebecca Evans has gone above and beyond at helping us secure a home. We recently moved to Manchester after my husband left the army as he is from here. Most estate agents would not give us the time of day because we had a credit issue. But Rebecca made numerous phone calls, cooperated with myself, my Dad and our brother in law who were both helping us by being guarantor. She’s the only person that hasn’t made us feel awful for past financial mistakes and has given us the opportunity to have a home together again. I cannot thank her enough for going above and beyond.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us and others Rachael. This is lovely to read and we're delighted that we were able to help and give you the service you deserve. We will be passing on your kind words to Rebecca. We look forward to getting you moved and settled in.
5/5
TrustpilotThe staff is very helpful
The staff is very helpful. I must mention that Naomi was super helpful and extremely supportive.Everything was arranged very well and the house is done to very good standards.My moving date is in December..Looking forward to it…Thank you so much
Thank you for your wonderful review Jasminder! We look forward to you moving in!
2/5
TrustpilotWished my experience was better
I waited this long to write this review because I wanted to be as objective as possible and give simple life enough time to resolve all issues but it seems we are getting no where with it. I would like to thank Courtney Davis and Kate Peel for their help throughout the application process, we had a few delays with the referencing but Kate was always available to respond to our calls and emails which was reassuring. Due to the delays with the referencing we got the keys to the house 5th of August even though the tenancy agreement started 29th of July, we accepted this since the terms and condition stated the landlord would not change the dates as the delay was due to no fault of his. Everything went downhill from here. A few issues were noted in the inventory which I believe was taken since the 27th of July so reasonably these issues should have been sorted before we moved in. One of which is the garden, Kate gave us details of our manager Jennifer who I sent an email on the 13th of August to ask when we will get someone to sort out the issues raised in the inventory, she responded she will get someone out ASAP. I didn’t hear from her again with details of when someone will be coming out so I sent another email 19th of August which she never responded to. Another issue was when I went to pick up the house keys, I was given 1 set of keys and told we will find a second one in the house since the agreement has two people and we should have two set of keys. Got there and no second key, my husband contacted Jennifer again to raise the inventory issues with her and the keys. We then got an email saying somebody will be out in 28days to look into the issues which listed every other thing apart from the grass cutting which we were more particular about and nothing about the keys. It’s almost 2months we have been in this house so you can imagine how full the garden is and it will take another 28days for someone to be out, we might as well move to the bush. I am 37weeks pregnant and this entire thing is stressing me out. We also noticed the pressure level on the boiler was low we tried to watch videos on how to sort this but apparently we need a key which should be in the boiler to fix it but the boiler had no key. Again we raised the garden abs boiler issues on fixflo, got a response from George Paton asking us to purchase the key and we will be reimbursed and no response regarding the garden even though they were to come out within 3days. The last 2months have been an absolute nightmare. I shouldn’t be dealing with this coupled with my pregnancy. It’s stressing me out.We might as well get someone to fix all the issues in the house and send the bill over to simple life. If we have to cut that garden, be rest assured we will leave it same way whenever we are leaving the property.
Hi Temi, thank you for your review. We are keen to get to the bottom of some of the issues you are facing with us so our Head of BTR tried to get in touch with you on Friday to gain more information. He will try again this week and then hopefully we will be in a position to reply in full once we have been able to speak to you.
1/5
TrustpilotJoke of a company . . .
Have been living in a 'simple life' home for approximately 2 months now and it has been one of the biggest mistakes we have ever made. The site is still a building site and the noise is unbearable in the day time. Be warned you will be expected to complete all the snagging when you move at a great waste of time to yourselves including being available for multiple visits from trades people to repair items that should all have been rectified prior to you moving in. You have to complete the snagging taking hundreds of photos of all damage / marks as you can be certain if you haven't spotted it, you will be charged for it when you leave. Our dishwasher has been broken for 5 weeks now with 4/5 visits to fix and the supposed 'final fix' it has now been pushed back another week due to spares availability. UNACCEPTABLE. Our site manager Will is beyond a joke, doesn't have a clue what is actually going on. Office is based in Manchester and the site is in Wakefield. His response to our queries is that it doesn't matter whatever issues you have the house is still technically 'habitable' so you do not qualify for a partial discount for the period the appliances are broken. Can someone at simple life (other than Will) please contact myself or my partner to help us expedite the dish washer repair.
Thank you for taking the time to leave this review. We are of course disappointed in the poor experience you have had thus far. As a new-build housing provider, if you’re one of the first people to move into a development there is likely to be construction disruption whilst the build continues. Sadly this is unavoidable unless you choose to delay your move-in until later on in the build programme when the site is completed. Having looked into your records, we can see that the resolution to your dishwasher issue was delayed due to the appliance supplier being unable to rectify, and subsequently the developer was awaiting parts. An appointment was booked for the 28th August for the developer to attend and fix. Throughout this process our team have remained in contact with you to discuss any updates and have chased third parties as far as we can. As far as we’re aware your dishwasher was fixed on the 28th August, although we do not close off maintenance jobs until we have had confirmation from the resident directly. When the appointment was booked you have asked us not to contact you anymore, and therefore we are currently unable to verify this has been resolved or work through any outstanding issues as we have been unable to reach you. We do hope that this has been fixed, and are happy to take your call to discuss anything further.
5/5
TrustpilotMatthew Boyd was so helpful and…
Matthew Boyd was so helpful and professional all the way through in helping with a property in Lincoln .From the initial application to moving in day , Matthew was there every step of the way helping and guiding us ! Thank you Matthew!
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback Gill!
1/5
TrustpilotMy over all experience with simple life team is not pleasant...
I would like to share that the back garden work is even not started yet!!!! You can validate the same with your property manager, as per the property manager it will take up to 6 weeks to finalize the back garden work and as of last week He was not able to provide the starting date even. Please contact me on my email and I will share with you the garden current status pictures and the email about the same from Nick (Simple Life Property Manager).I would like to recommend, since simple life is not allowing house viewings prior to move in date, there should be a process in place by simple life team to validate the readiness of the house to avoid such an inconvenience which I have faced that I am paying rent for entire house but I am not able to use the garden and soon summer will be over. Internet wiring: Please visit any of your new built houses there no wiring for internet available in any area of house, the only connectivity is available is in a store below the stairs and there are only 2 ports which can be used only to connect the land line telephone. All new TV boxes from the providers like (BT, Virgin Media, Sky etc..) requires CAT6 wired connectivity between the internet router and the TV box. To make it simple for your understanding that the internet (hub or router) is fixed in the store and there is no wires going from the store to any areas of the house which can be connected to the TV box.Just like to clarify that I have not received any call from your Head of BTR!! Please feel free of contact me anytime. My over all experience with simple life team is not pleasant, one of the major reason is that house is handed over to me almost 2 weeks before but house backyard Lawn Turf Laying is not yet started, which means I cannot use the garden space until now and I am paying the house rent, in addition to this there are some minor issues which was reported in timely manner but almost no resolution provided by simple life team. Ideally these things should be taken care prior handing over the house keys and starting of rental agreement. Moreover, Until today the garbage are not provided and there is no communication from simple life team about the handling of garage until we receives the bins.Houses are nice but no provision to connect the IPTV (BT or Virgin Media boxes) in living room or any other areas in the house only Aerial Antenna Connections are available. which means I cannot subscribe for pay channels or I have invest in buying or laying additional network cable to get the subscription.I would like to share that communication/documentation was excellent and all other things went well with the simple team until signing the rental agreement. After moving into the house the communication and support from simple life team is very minimal.I hope this feed back will help other tenants and simple life team to improve their quality of services and my concerns will be reviewed and simple life team will take the necessary actions to resolve it.
Hi Rizwan,Thank you for bringing your experience to our attention. Having looked in to your record we can see that you have had a number of issues since moving in to your home with us. We are extremely sorry for the inconvenience this has caused and it is completely unacceptable to be moving in to a house where the back garden is incomplete. We can see the garden has now been completed by the housebuilder and the team have noted other items you have raised with us within the last week.We can confirm that all our new homes are internally wired, however if any resident would like to access internet or satellite TV it is the residents responsibility to get this sorted with their chosen supplier, this is something that is detailed out in our documentation and is also stated on our website.Our Head of BTR would like the opportunity to discuss your experience with you over the phone, I know he has tried to get in touch a few times this week and has left you his name and number, if you wouldn’t mind giving him a call back, it would be very much appreciated as we are keen to help you and to provide a much better service moving forward.
5/5
TrustpilotTahir 5 Stars!
Due to move into our property in a couple of weeks. Just went and saw the property and couldn’t be happier! Our agent Tahir has been superb from start to finish. Couldn’t have been happier with the process so far! Being our first property since moving out of my parents home, the whole thing was a bit daunting but he made it seamlessly easy. Highly recommend if you’re looking for rentals!
Hi Sarah, thank you so much for sharing your experience with us! We look forward to you moving in!
4/5
TrustpilotReally excellent service received thus…
Really excellent service received thus far from Jade, Kate and Ellie - pleased that we have passed referencing and will be moving in. Process has been really simple thus far. A bit of confusion with the viewing as we had booked but the asset manager stated he was unaware when we arrived so didn't get to see the actual plot but great nonetheless. Just really wish we could sign the final contract sooner than the two weeks prior, to get all confirmed and set up tax, utilities etc.
Hi Michael, thank you so much for your review and we're pleased to hear you're happy. Thank you for your constructive feedback too, we will be feeding this in the management so we can make relevant changes in order to further improve our services.
Where the same review appears twice we show it once. We leave out reviews that name another agent or another of the brand's offices.
Simple Life's HIGHBRIDGE office has 1,181 reviews across 1 platform: 1,181 on Trustpilot (across the whole business).
Simple Life HIGHBRIDGE is rated 3.8 out of 5 across all 1,181 reviews.
Simple Life HIGHBRIDGE, ISLEPORT LANE, HIGHBRIDGE, TA9 4QZ.
