Trusted Agent profile · Longbenton
★★★★★
1,121 reviews across 1 platform
Killingworth, Longbenton, NE12 5AS
Simple Life's office in Longbenton, at Killingworth, is rated 3.9 out of 5 across 1,121 reviews on 1 platform.
Every review we hold for the Longbenton office, from every platform, shown as written. First names only.
5/5
TrustpilotThe staff are very nice and helpful
The staff are very nice and helpful. We need to especially thank Shannah and Ardent for their prompt response and support all along.
Thank you for taking the time to write a review Sonia! We will pass your thanks on to Shannah and Ardent!
5/5
TrustpilotSimple life homes came through for us
Simple life homes came through for us. We had initially foreseen issues as we are new in the country and had no records but with guidance from our assigned Agent, we provided all the documents we had, and before you know it, we were in talk with the Referencing company and voila, we received the mail that we passed and can go ahead and make payment. We had met the requirements and in no time we had our own place. They were really helpful and professional.
Thank you Adeyemi, this is great to hear and we're pleased we could be of help!
5/5
TrustpilotBrilliant service
Excellent customer service, the phones were manned by Amber who made the process effortless. Couldn’t recommend more.
1/5
TrustpilotPoor Fault Reporting System
I am having difficulty at the property I am currently renting with regards to the fault reporting system. The turn around time and lack or urgency to address issues has become ridiculous! I reported one of the kitchen doors came of the hinges - it took almost two months to get it repaired. The second, current issue is honestly so critical but again there's no sense of urgency. The is evidence of a leak as the ceiling has a large water stain (probably from the bathroom upstairs). In the past three weeks I had three visits to the property with no action. I live with a two year old and i honestly fear that something serious could occur but it is not treated as such. I am absolutely appalled by the service received via the fault reporting system.
Hi Ferlicia,We’re very sorry for the trouble you’re experiencing and the inconvenience caused. We can completely appreciate how frustrating this must be for you.As your property is within its first 12 months of being built, most maintenance raised will be under warranty, meaning that it is the housebuider’s responsibility to get items resolved for you. We can see that you have unfortunately had a lot of back and forth with the housebuilder regarding a leak which they have marked as complete a few times, but the problem has then persisted. We can also see you have had some issues with the boiler pressure at your property.We appreciate that despite relying on the housebuilder in this situation, the delays and back and forth are not acceptable or up to the standard of care that we promote. We would like to reassure you that our team are continually chasing to get the items resolved for you once and for all.We’re pleased to see that the housebuilder is coming out to get the leak sorted this week and the boiler is now also fixed.
4/5
TrustpilotAmazing apart from I wasn’t given the…
Amazing apart from I wasn’t given the original house that I reserved, sent many emails stating I had the wrong address on my paper work and the response was that it’ll be fixed ready for my tenancy agreement. Tenancy agreement was sent over a week later with wrong address on it once again and I was told it was human error and nothing could be done. Not a problem just wish there was communication when I flagged this up so it wasn’t such a shock in the end. But apart from that they’ve been very good and I can’t wait to get into our new home!
Hello,Thank you for your review!I’ve taken a look in to your records and spoken to the lettings team and it does appear that the wrong plot was reserved for you initially, which was completely down to human error and we’re very sorry for this. I am pleased to see that as soon as this was spotted, the situation was resolved and everything was updated to your desired plot.Despite this, we are pleased to hear that you’ve had a really good experience with us and we hope you’re settling in well at your new home.
4/5
TrustpilotFirstly I’d like to say I’m so excited…
Firstly I’d like to say I’m so excited to move in on the 2nd of September, Rebecca and then secondly Lucy have been very helpful and efficient answering all of my many questions as I have not moved in 12 years. However I am completely blind and my youngest child is also severely site impaired and I have asked for an additional banister to be fitted to the property and also a small fence to be added to section the patio from the grass to make the house safer for everyone But I haven’t received a response as yet and when I rang last week I was told that I may have to do this myself. Anyway I’m looking forward to finding out more about my property in the coming weeks and finally having a look around the property before I move in as unfortunately the property is still being built.
Hi Samantha,Thank you for your review! We're delighted to hear you're excited about your new home and the team have been looking after you well! I have checked with the team on your requests and I can see that you have been sent a property alteration request form which we have received back within the last 24 hours. The team will now review all your requests and they will be in touch to ask for any additional information required so we can accommodate and help where possible. It is very important that you feel at home with us.We look forward to getting you moved in!
5/5
TrustpilotSuper Simple Life
Living in a Simple Life home has and continues to be a genuinely wonderful experience, and it's made all the better by our asset manager, Hannah Bishop. She's always been incredibly helpful, and goes out of her way to get things sorted quickly, and to completion. We couldn't wish for a better asset manager, or a better landlord in Simple Life! Keep it up! 🙂
So lovely to hear! Thank you so much Jake!
1/5
TrustpilotDidn’t even wanna give 1 star !!
Didn’t even wanna give 1 star !!! Have an issue with the grass in my back garden.Informed somebody called Tommy back in April ,had a man round about a month ago .I phoned this Tommy to be told he’s not had anything back from the person that came round.He was gonna leave a message for this person to contact him.Whenever I phone goes straight to answer machine ,tell a lie I’ve got through to Tommy about 3 times, each time I get the same answer no reply from the man who came round to look at my garden.Never do I get a reply from the phone messages I leave for him and I have left loads!!! Also my emails never get replied to.He is useless.Love my house but would never advise anybody to rent from these guys.Also for the rent we pay you’d think we’d get better Maintenance.So please don’t rent from these cowboys .30/07/ Had a phone call from simple life spoke to a lovely man,just seen the reply from simple life on this ,would just like to say there is no way it’s down to my dog ,the whole estate has these weird looking circles,I’ve googled it and it is caused by when the people who layed the grass it was layed on top of workmans gravel,if it’s my fault why is it in everybody’s garden.Also it’s on the grass out the front of the house.So I was really happy that I’d got a phone call back ,but not so happy now .Think it’s time to pay for a private report on the grass.I have just added a picture of the grass outside of my house that my dog doesn’t go on .These are the same as in my garden,only the garden ones are bigger .So please tell me how this is my fault!!!
Hi Liz,Thank you for making us aware of the issues you are facing with your garden. We’re sorry to hear that the problems have not been rectified.Firstly we would like to apologise for the lack of response you experienced with your Asset Manager, we can see that there was a 10 day gap between communication at one point, which isn’t acceptable and isn’t the standard of customer service we expect from our team. We’re pleased to say that a new Asset Manager has recently been appointed in your area, so we hope that you see a positive improvement here.We have had a look in to your records and we can see that you raised issues with your garden a number of months ago with our old customer service team. As a result we can see that a 3rd party specialist was sent out to inspect the garden. The report we received back deemed that the garden damage is due to pets and therefore the garden can be recovered back to a healthy state if cared for using our ‘caring for your lawn guide’. We can see that you have recently raised the issue again and you would like to contest the results of the original report we received. We are therefore more than happy to get a second specialist opinion, so I believe our Head of BTR has been liaising with you to get another inspection booked in with an independent specialist. As soon as we have a new report back we will be in touch with you to discuss the outcome and to work together to get your garden in a better state.
1/5
TrustpilotAvoid at all costs
Avoid at all costs. This is now my 3rd day with out a fridge/freezer in the middle of a heatwave with children. I have no storage for food or medication and they have completely fobbed me off. I’ve had the manager call me completely rude on the phone and told me I should appreciate the fact they are paying for it rather than waiting for warranty to sort it. Rude workers, outright refused a credit to my account. I will never rent through them again.
Thank you for providing your feedback and we fully understand your frustration around this situation. Our team have been in contact with you throughout the process as we’ve tried to bring repair dates forward based on our contractor’s availability. I understand that the contractor has attended and identified the issue and will be endeavouring to repair in full next week, and in the meantime, I’m glad to see that you have now been provided with a temporary appliance. We apologise for the delay in getting this to you, as we had to source stock that wasn’t immediately available.We have reviewed the contact you’ve had with the team and we’re pleased to hear that it remained professional throughout. We hope to have everything back in working order as soon as possible.
3/5
TrustpilotGot our keys to our new property on the…
Got our keys to our new property on the 15th of June and everything went really well with the application process and moving in, the first problem we had was the boiler but that was sorted straight away, then it went down hill from there, the grass was supposed to be cut before we even moved in but it’s over a month later and after been let down multiple times it still hasn’t been cut, we still have no bins after 3 different people at simple life told us they had been ordered when they hadn’t, we also still have no internet because a wire is broken that we keep getting told they are chasing it up but hear nothing back, it was so straight forward at first but now we don’t get any communication with our manager.
Hi Kelsey,Thank you for taking the time to leave us this feedback. We understand that our Head of Build To Rent has since been in contact with you to resolve the problem, and you’re now happy with the outcome.We hope to improve your impression of us moving forward.
5/5
TrustpilotAmazing representative for the company!
Met Christina at a property in Drakelow, she was very professional and welcoming, answered all my questions on the spot with no hesitation, I’ve actually put a holding deposit down on the property I viewed the day after! Brilliant representative for the company, I highly recommend.
Thank you for your wonderful review Chelsey! Christina will be delighted with your feedback! We hope you enjoy your new home!
5/5
TrustpilotExcellent CS by Ardent and Sales Team
I have had an excellent experience with Simple Life especially Ardent was very helpful. I found him genuinely concerned and helpful .
Thank you for your recommendation Mohammad!
5/5
TrustpilotI am currently a SimpleLifeHomes Tenant to Be Tenant…
I am currently a SimpleLifeHomes Tenant to be awaiting confirmation from the Referencing Team. I would like to say that I have had outstanding Customer Service beyond what was expected throughout my dealings with SimpleLife. This was all due to Aaron Taylor based in the Manchester office who was both professional and friendly and could not do enough for us. We are excited about Moving in to our new home and we would recommend SimplylifeHomes to anyone who would want to rent with a first class Company. Aaron Taylor deserves a special mention throughout the process.
Thank you Kevin! Aaron will be thrilled with this excellent feedback. We're delighted to know that you've had a brilliant experience with us and we look forward to getting you moved in to your new home!
5/5
TrustpilotOut with the old and in with the new. Not just words simple life team listen and do.
kate ewbank Brookside Grange management i want to thank her so much for the support getting my works done i had waited such a while Im very happy with it my mum is delighted and has taken the anxieties she had if noah or anyone else fell. Really pleased with it the contractor was professional. Can i also add the boiler lad came yesterday he was wearing full ppe very polite professional young man. One last thing the maintenance men who have just taken over where Forest public snake path have done a amazing job. Can i say that in a short time since the change over of new management you all really are making a difference, you get things done and keep to your word not fobbed off, the neighbours as we call ourselves simple life families lol have said what a difference . I am a very proud of my beautiful simple life forever home . Just wanted to thank you personally kate for the support and reassurance you gave me. We're not tenants were a simple life family 👪 ♥ because simple life really do care. Fidelma
Hi Delly, thank you so much for sharing all of this with us, it has really made our day and we have made sure that the new management team have seen your kind words. We're really happy to hear that the changes we have made, have made a huge difference to our wonderful residents. We're glad that you're enjoying being a Simple Life family and that you're enjoying your forever home! How wonderful!
5/5
TrustpilotThank you for reaching out to us!
We are a family of two from Hong Kong. Thanks to the merciful BNO policy, we have granted our right to live in the UK since early of March. We had been searched hundreds letting properties in last two months but no any landlord was interested in accepting our offer. I though it is due to the lack of credit history in the UK as well as we were not physically presented in the UK. We were both frustrated about our situation but suddenly we have received an email offer from the Simple Life. Having communicated with the representative of the Simple Life, we have finally made our first home in the UK with the Simple Life. During the process of the tenancy we found the representatives were very responsive and helpful. They indeed gave us a very impressive experience and I will definitely share it with other BNOs in the near future. Thank you for reaching out to us!
Hi Mankit, thank you so much for sharing your story! We're really pleased we were able to find you a new home and to help you with your big move. We hope you settle in quickly!
2/5
TrustpilotWe had many problems with simple life
We had many problems with simple life, starting with them double booking the plot we had paid a deposit on. We were told we needed to choose another site & we had to have a three bedroom property (when we had reserved a 2 bed). Once we moved in, our boiler was broken. With 2 young children this was an issue. The garden was left in a state, not to mention the manhole sticking right out of the ground. We were (as residents) told we would be able to access help during the Covid 19 pandemic-yet when my partner & myself were given positive results & were unable to work, simple life did not share our concerns. They were not phased by the fact that we would not be able to pay our rent and were told it would have to be paid no matter what. Poor customer service from start to finish!
Hi Claire-Louise, We’re sad to hear that you’ve really not had the best experience throughout your journey with us to date. As you will be aware, we have recently made a lot of changes in our customer service team to ensure that residents are getting the high quality service that we pride ourselves on. We appreciate that this is no excuse for the poor service you have received to date but we really do hope that you start to see a big difference moving forward. In the meantime, we would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused. We would also like to take the opportunity to pick up on your point about Covid and requiring support during this time. As you know we are always here to help those who have genuine problems with their rent and throughout the pandemic we have been offering residents suitable support if they were struggling as a direct result of Coronavirus. We can see from our records that like all our residents, this was communicated and offered to you. Our Head of BTR has tried to get in touch with you a few times over the past few days to chat through your situation and to see how we might be able to help. If you could give us a call back when convenient, we are here to help.
2/5
TrustpilotVery very unhappy.
The application process and the moving in process was straightforward, me and my partner were pleased with that. However, once we'd moved and settled in, a couple of months or so into the tenancy, we noticed a problem with the boiler - constantly completely dropping in pressure, all sorts of fault codes appearing which one night resulted in my partner having to call out an emergency gas engineer. These problems were reported to our Manager of the property, and ever since the 1st reporting, Simple Life have been shocking at how they have handled the problem. We had to go just under 2 weeks with no heating or hot water (Simple Life were aware of this) and yet it took them nearly 2 weeks to "sort" it. I have a little toddler who's not even 2 yet, and also heavily pregnant. My little girl had to stay with my mum for them 2 weeks we had no heating or hot water, as I was not having her suffer just because the issue wasn't getting fixed by Simple Life. All this has been ongoing for months now, however it has been 6 weeks since the boiler also started leaking every day, and since they sent a contractor out to have another look, to which he finally (hopefully) found what needed fixing. 6 weeks ago - and Simple Life have not communicated with us to tell us if or even when they intend to order the parts that the boiler needs to be fixed - it is always me or my partner getting on at them and chasing them up for some sort of communication and we always get some excuse. It does not take nearly 2 months to get "approval of a quote from a contractor" when all needs doing is ordering a certain part for the boiler or even a new one. Our boiler is STILL leaking water every day, the leaks are now coming from more parts of the boiler, it is still completely going in pressure, more fault codes .. I could go on but I'd be here all day. Very very poor communication from Simple Life , i dread to think what if the situation isn't fixed by the time my newborn baby is born, in the next few weeks. They also ignored us for a couple of months regarding our washing machine, too. We could never use it without it tripping the fuse box and all the lights going off, even after a contractor had been out, looked at it and reported back to them what needed doing. We've only recently got that fixed. So far we've just had an awful experience , to the point where my partner and I have been speaking about moving elsewhere once our contract is up, we are just so unhappy and frustrated with this issue.
Hi Megan,Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We’re really sorry that you’ve had so many issues with your boiler. We can see from your record that the issue has been seen to and ‘fixed’ by a contractor on many occasions, yet each time the issue has reoccurred which must be so frustrating. We’re really sorry for all the complications and we really do share in your frustration on the matter. Our Head of BTR has picked this up and we’re pleased to see that a new appointment has been made for Friday. Our Head of BTR will be monitoring this for you to ensure that the issue is fixed once and for all and that everything is satisfactory for you. Again, we apologise for the inconvenience and we hope you have a better experience with us moving forward.
5/5
TrustpilotThe whole experience from first seeing…
The whole experience from first seeing the property online to signing up for a rental was so easy with Simplelifehomes. The staff we dealt with was very professional, & very helpful. They answered any questions we had immediatly either by email or phone. As my wife and i are currently in Australia and are re-patriating, we were a bit worried we wouldn't have a property to move in to straight away, until we found these guys who took all our worries away.
Thank you Richard. It's wonderful to know that you have been well looked after and we have made things nice and easy to assist with your big move. We wish you many happy memories in your new home!
5/5
Trustpilotsuch a perfect first home
such a perfect first home for me and my partner, we couldn't ask for more! its clean, well laid out and every little detail has been thought out carefully. the support on house DIY is great for people moving into their first home with plenty of simplelifehome youtube videos! window are cleaned!! communication between the staff at simple life homes is fast, if you ever have an issue with something they are quick to respond and deal with it for you. they have lovely event days for residents and great online competitions and promote simple life homes residents if you have a business. honestly the best!
Hi Sasha, We're really happy that you've had such a brilliant experience with us and that you have been making the most of our community events. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
5/5
TrustpilotGreat service
Spoke to Jack, very polite and great help 👍🏼
Thank you for your kind feedback James!
1/5
TrustpilotTenant beware take plenty of photos on move in and move out
***UPDATE***Went to adjudication with the DPS and got the rest of my deposit back. Not sure if Simple Life didn't submit any evidence as this was resolved within a week of the evidence deadline. Any tenants going through similar please persevere and send to adjudication as you most likely have a positive outcome like mineWhen you move into one of their houses please please make sure you take detailed photos from every which angle especially if you are moving into a house that has already been rented previously. I had numerous problems before moving in (admin related) and when I finally got into the house last year the cleaning wasn't the best. I commented on the inventory but didn't think to take detailed photos of all the issues as I considered them very minor. When I moved out in April they have tried to keep £390 of my deposit as despite my property being cleaned by my usual cleaner and having a company in to clean the oven this wasn't deemed acceptable. They also wanted £180 as they claimed the second bedroom needed painting but they backed down over this. Please make sure you take photos of absolutely everything on checkout as I am now in dispute with them regarding their £210 charge for the deep clean. The pictures they have taken are ridiculous and are very close up and from different angles compared to check in. Don't expect them to be quick either if anything needs fixing as they also left me without a washing machine for the best part of two weeks and all my neighbours that had any maintenance issues faced the same wait. All these good reviews are from people who have yet to move in and as more people come to move you will get more reviews like mine and some of the others sprinkled on here. I would not recommend to rent from Simple Life as they make life far from simple
Hi Michelle, Thank you for providing us with more information so we can respond fully. We’re pleased to say that despite some of the walls needing a re-paint, this has been deemed fair wear and tear and has therefore been covered by ourselves, this also includes some minor fixes and works required in readiness for new residents to move in. We’ve sourced a more competitive quote for the deep clean and are sorry for the inconvenience caused here. We understand that you have since agreed that a number of items required cleaning in line with the pictures taken as part of your check out report. The costs presented for the deep clean include cleaning of appliances and carpets, which is more than would be included in a light clean. We have also reviewed and compared the condition of the property from your move in report and the end of tenancy report and we can confirm the charges presented to you at the end of tenancy are justified and reasonable based on the cleaning required. All deposits are held by an independent adjudicator, the TDS, so if there are any disputes regarding the proposed deductions, this can be reviewed on behalf of both parties independently. We’d also like to take the opportunity to address your comments regarding maintenance. We have looked at your maintenance record and can see that all requests have been completed within our set timeframes, including repairs like the washing machine which are not deemed an emergency. We’re sorry that you are disappointed with the outcome of your check out report and hope our efforts to reduce costs where we can have provided some recompense.
1/5
TrustpilotIs it a scam?
My experience with this company makes it feels like a scam.We were delighted to find a beautiful looking property let my simple homes.We got the checks and guarantees done within the first 24 hours and payed the holding deposit as they said it was a new build so we couldn't view it ... yet.However having waited 3 weeks, we heard that there were tenants in the property which is why we couldn't view it, then they said as soon as the current tenants have vacated (31st may) we would be able to arrange a viewing.Since that date we have sent emails and attempted several phone calls. The emails have not been responded to and no one answer the calls.
Hi Kasai,Thanks for making us aware of your situation. We’d like to reassure you that we will always try to arrange a viewing as soon as possible. In this instance we needed to wait until the previous residents moved out of the property, and then we had a slight unanticipated delay due to the bank holiday weekend - we’re sorry that it took a few days longer to get a viewing booked in with you. We can see that you tried to call a number of times within half an hour of each other a few days ago. We apologise that no one was on-hand to take your call, however as soon as a message was left, we made sure that someone returned your call.We’re glad to see that you now have a viewing arranged and we’re very much looking forward to showing you around.
1/5
TrustpilotIs this for real?
Is this for real? I mean, who on earth rents a home without seeing it or meeting with someone in person??? I can't find any offices for this company and this kind of dealing sounds as dodgy as h**l! I found a couple of properties advertised via Zoopla near Dunstable and when I contacted Simple Life, I was told that the virtual tour is the only thing i can go by to make a decision, pay a holding deposit, first month rent and 5 weeks deposit. Who on earth parts with £3,500 to rent a property they have never seen? Huge alarm bells!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Oana,Thank you for your message. We believe that there was a misunderstanding here. We specialise in new build rental homes, so often we will be marketing and taking applications for properties before they are 100% completed, which means that specific plots cannot always be viewed for health and safety reasons, however you are able to view other completed properties at this development, as well as the show home we have available there. We’d also like to reassure you that 5 weeks deposit is a standard deposit across the rental industry.I understand that our head of lettings has spoken to you today to explain the process and we’re pleased to hear that you have a viewing booked in. We very much look forward to showing you around. If you’d like to find out more about Simple Life and what to expect as one of our residents, please feel free to visit our website www.simplelifehomes.co.uk, where you can view properties and find out more about our communities.
5/5
TrustpilotVery good experiences as a tenant
Very good experiences as a tenant: from a very beginning during the application process to living in one of their houses. Good cooperation: phone calls are answered and you are being listened. A good quality house which makes living in it as a very plessant experience which is very important for a foreigner who needed to have found a new house in a new country. The company philosphy, ethos seem to represent very personal approach.I recommend that company as a trustful one. Many thanks.
Thank you Aleksandra, what a fabulous review! We're so pleased you're having such a great experience with us and you're enjoying your new home!
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.
Tell us what you need and we'll put you in touch. Simple Life hasn't joined The Trusted Agent yet, so we'll pass your enquiry to them or to up to three other top-rated agents near Longbenton.
