About Joseph Homes

My plot is south facing and with the large bits of glazing, is prone to overheating. Even on a cool day (10C outside) it’s not uncommon for the living area to be 25-30C during the afternoon (no heating turned on, just clear skies – I know, handy with energy prices but I’m constantly dehydrated!). In summer, I had temperatures exceeding 37C indoors, which I tried to mitigate by keeping windows open, running a portable AC and such but it was just too much. I’ve complained about this but am told everything is to spec – so now I’ve requested some UV reflective film and a copy of the architect’s solar analysis but await an answer on that.

Likewise, my balcony is highly prone to wind vortexes and I’ve not really been able to enjoy it (every contractor that’s been out there agrees). A couple of the apartments, like mine, are exposed rather than sheltered with brickwork. Wind speeds are high, with my heavy patio furniture being toppled so often that I’ve resorted to chaining it to the balcony. I’ve requested some wind mitigation measures but once again, the response was “it’s to spec”. Annoyingly, because of the wind, I can’t leave my balcony door open to cool the flat as it acts like it’s going to fly off (sadly, nobody thought to include some form of latch for the doors).

Otherwise, fit and finish has been hit and miss. Most appliances and such are fine – others have noted internal noise isolation isn’t great and you can often hear drainage/appliances etc. However, the appliances and such are solid.

Floors, skirting and windows are lower quality than expected and I’ve seen flaking, separation of sealant, sloppy finishing and like others, extremely scratched glazing (literally every window). The upside is repairs to the smaller stuff is usually pretty quick and the management is very polite and responsive in this regard – especially with the transparency we get via Clixifix. Your mileage may vary.

At the height of summer, my balcony doors drooped on their hinges, scraping the patio…another indicator that perhaps the materials used weren’t suitable for the level of sunlight hitting this plot. I’ve also had a recurring issue with one my Juliet balconies not sealing completely- a small bit of air leaks through and I can hear a lot of wind noise. I’ve also had loose cladding but given the sensitivity around that word, that one was repaired SUPER quickly 🙂

Lastly, the development comes with bike storage but its placement is odd. You have to bring your bike into the lobby, take it up a small flight of stairs to a mezzanine level, then take it all the way down a residential corridor before trying to pivot it into a room at the end. I imagine it can be disruptive to folks on that floor and it just makes it really inconvenient for quick hops in and out. I’d have thought the secure underground car park was a natural fit.

I know the tone here reads mostly negative but I’m confident that folks in the right plots are having a lovely time. My issues are very likely limited to the few plots that share similar characteristics.

Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:

Generally, living in the area is serene. The community is new and safe/polite. That comes with the fact that facilities in the area might seem a bit Spartan but commercial ventures will soon start up. Just wish there were some concrete plans to improve the Mill Hill East train frequency as I expect it’ll become pretty busy as we slowly return to the office with all the new residents in the area.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

I wish I’d asked about the shared spaces in detail – I presumed that the landscaping inside the development would be grass but alas it’s Astro turf but greenery and trees surround the development so it’s not too bad.

However, I’ve learnt the hard way that a south facing, corner balcony comes with some headaches.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Somewhat – for small niggles, they’re fantastic and super responsive. Like it’s actually really reassuring. Naturally, nobody wants to accept there’s a problem with my bigger issues as it’s going to cost to fix it. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

Here is a list of the problems we have encountered to date, having completed on our flat purchase at No.1 Millbrook Park on 19 March 2021:

1. An attempt was made to charge us double the amount of service charge (around £1000 more than was due) on completion. This was remedied, but we were left wondering whether such an obvious mistake was intentional.

2. We identified 115 separate examples of dents, chips, scratches, marks, stains, holes, rust, unfinished work, poorly fitted electrical items and toilet facilities, poor workmanship and generally badly finished paint, damaged woodwork, flooring and sealant in our new flat. In particular, all of the windows in the flat have multiple, very long and visible scratches in them across their length.

3. We notified Joseph Homes of all of these issues on 22nd March. Two visits by the sales director and customer experience manager have so far failed to remedy all of the issues, most notably the damaged windows. We are currently going through our second full day of workmen attending the property to attempt to repair the scratches on the windows. The workman has stated that he will not be able to repair any damage located within 2cm of the window frame because of the risk of shattering the glass. So after a second disruptive and noisy day of repair works, the windows will still not be in a satisfactory condition. The sales director and customer experience manager were made aware of this before the workman’s second visit but decided to employ him anyway, knowing that he is unlikely to be able to repair all of the damage. They tried to give the appearance of giving good customer service by claiming that employing the workman costs more than ordering replacement windows, which is highly doubtful in view of the cost of the windows.

4. We chose to purchase a flat with Joseph Homes partly because we had hoped they would offer better quality flats and better customer service than more mainstream competitors, e.g. Berkeley Homes. Sadly this hasn’t been our experience. Our previous flat (Berkeley) was built to a noticeably higher standard.

All in all, a thoroughly unpleasant, stressful experience so far, with no immediate prospect of resolution.

My recommendation would be to purchase elsewhere.

Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:

Avoid purchasing a flat with Joseph Homes at all costs.

Here is a list of the problems we have encountered to date, having completed on our flat purchase at No.1 Millbrook Park on 19 March 2021:

1. An attempt was made to charge us double the amount of service charge (around £1000 more than was due) on completion. This was remedied, but we were left wondering whether such an obvious mistake was intentional.

2. We identified 115 separate examples of dents, chips, scratches, marks, stains, holes, rust, unfinished work, poorly fitted electrical items and toilet facilities, poor workmanship and generally badly finished paint, damaged woodwork, flooring and sealant in our new flat. In particular, all of the windows in the flat have multiple, very long and visible scratches in them across their length.

3. We notified Joseph Homes of all of these issues on 22nd March. Two visits by the sales director and customer experience manager have so far failed to remedy all of the issues, most notably the damaged windows. We are currently going through our second full day of workmen attending the property to attempt to repair the scratches on the windows. The workman has stated that he will not be able to repair any damage located within 2cm of the window frame because of the risk of shattering the glass. So after a second disruptive and noisy day of repair works, the windows will still not be in a satisfactory condition. The sales director and customer experience manager were made aware of this before the workman’s second visit but decided to employ him anyway, knowing that he is unlikely to be able to repair all of the damage. They tried to give the appearance of giving good customer service by claiming that employing the workman costs more than ordering replacement windows, which is highly doubtful in view of the cost of the windows.

4. We chose to purchase a flat with Joseph Homes partly because we had hoped they would offer better quality flats and better customer service than more mainstream competitors, e.g. Berkeley Homes. Sadly this hasn’t been our experience. Our previous flat (Berkeley) was built to a noticeably higher standard.

All in all, a thoroughly unpleasant, stressful experience so far, with no immediate prospect of resolution.

My recommendation would be to purchase elsewhere.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

I wish I had known that Joseph Homes are not good quality home builders.

Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:

A nice and pleasant open space beside the development, i.e. Panoramic Park, where you’ll often find pet owners and families and children hanging out/playing. Overall a great vibe in the neighbourhood. I feel safe walking home at night. It is generally very peaceful in the area. Amenities are lacking slightly in the wider Mill Hill East area, especially given the number of people that have moved in to the area recently, but that should hopefully improve in the coming years.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

There are many trains from Mill Hill East station that will take you straight into the city, without having to change at Finchley Central, which should help cut your journey time by ~5 minutes

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

No major issues since moving in. The small issues which I raised were resolved very quickly.

Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:

Mill Hill East is a lovely quiet area. There are lots of green spaces and amazing views. However, there are very few restaurants and pubs here.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

Living in a modern flat has a lot of advantages compared to an old house. Some of these we noticed only after having lived in one.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

In general they have tried to fix issues as soon as possible but the execution has been poor at times. It can take a while to have things fixed and contractors haven’t shown up for appointments on quite a few occasions