Operating across four regions throughout England, Tilia Homes, previously known as Kier Living, is committed to making a positive difference to local areas through the homes they build. Tilia Homes is dedicated to being a trustworthy company that its customers, employees and partners can be proud of.
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We came across the development by chance after looking at a used property across the way, and looking at the development map we saw a plot which we both thought would be perfect for us and we’re already excited at the prospect of buying it. The design of our plot suited us well and having a good amount of space at the front was a strong selling point also.
Moving in to our first owned home after renting was great, and whilst there were a few issues raised as there is with any new build these seemed to be rectified promptly, notably that there was no hot water on day one. However this being said the quality was very good, and we were excited to start our journey. Our property wasn’t strictly to plan this likely due to the gradient which the garden sat on, and to our surprise original plans to have a garage side door was changed in the early stages of the development which was a blow, and is still an inconvenience and I’m sure this would be a shared wish of other homebuyers on the estate.
Otherwise a big selling point of our plot the Lockwood was the spacious style layout which wasn’t too crammed in, this again was a big selling point and something which we enjoy about the property. The quality within the property was overall pretty good, and the symphony kitchens are usually admired by visitors, we were happy with our colour choices.
The quality of the building work is not the best standard, with some of the brickwork on the property quite clearly out of plumb, and pointing looking rushed. However this isn’t disastrous but could defiantly be improved.
The facilities on the estate are better than expected as no play park or extended walk was ever advertised however to our surprise was implemented. As a dog walker this is a great little addition and gives that extra local plod to take in the Leicestershire Countryside.
The management of the estate is well maintained and is still under development but with the plans to include good landscapes with greenery around the estate I have good hopes to look out into a lovely estate.
The assistance which we have received from Kier now Tilia homes has overall been very good. The customer services agent Mark has been our main point of contact and helpful during the buying stages which originally proved difficult due to mortgage issues, since he has always been easy to approach and willing to help with any issues. I will note that construction staff were also brilliant and when I began to extend my driveway as a DIY project most were keen to ask about what was going on, which the site manager at the time offering to help out, which was something they didn’t need to do but made life a million times easier. This all together has made our experience on the development a good one, and whilst you come across the usual issues which are common with new builds our experience is overall positive and something we would do again.
Ibstock is a great place to live, with good access links to a local leisure centre, schools and a traditional style high street with what we’ve found are some great restaurants and take aways.
The development is well designed on our street for off road parking which was a selling point about the property, and less like some developments which lock this and have no front garden space. This means that there is usually no issue with parking on the estate which we like, however on the flip side a lot of property’s with single drives alike ours would have to switch the vehicles around, however if well managed this isn’t an issue, and the space allowed us to extend our drive way.
Traffic noise is to a minimum due to the station road which links the estate being a low traffic road, and it’s not something we really think about even being at the front of the estate.
I believe more flexibility with garden choices such as patio laying would be beneficial to allow a bigger garden space for seating for a small extra cost.
Yes for the most part, now out of our 2 year warranty all issues have been addressed.
I will note that I have queries a wooden fence which was erected at the front of the property, which has taken around 12 months from being mentioned to being planned to get taken down. We are happy the site manager has come around to let us know the plan, however it has just taken a long time. The benefit means we are ant enclosed in by a big fence, as we can’t see out downstairs and you can’t see the front of the house.
Facilities-wise, a poorly-maintained playground is present on the original part of the development, but this is not easily accessible from the rest of the site. Additionally, allotments remain undeveloped and amenities such as a coffee shop remain unbuilt (we have been here for five years).
Design- and location-wise, the development benefits from excellent transportation links, being sited just outside Derby city centre, just off the A38, and within easy distance of the national rail network and the M1. However, absolute no thought was given to access to the site at large. The Kingsway roundabout had lights installed at the beginning of the development – these were turned on twice, both times leading to traffic carnage that affected the wider transportation network and made access/egress to/from the site a nightmare. The lights remain inactive, not only meaning that traffic flow is not correctly controlled, but also making access to the site incredibly difficult and dangerous for pedestrians, given Kingsway’s 40mph speed limit and lack of light-controlled pedestrian crossings.
Property management has been an issue – the firm originally contracted to provide this folded shortly after we purchased in 2017, and management has since been undertaken by Kier (original developers) and Tilia (successors), but with no formal arrangement established with existing residents. This does not affect new build properties, but has caused extensive legal issues for those of us selling our existing properties.
The development overall is very pleasant, with a range of non-identical styles of housing adding to the feel of actively avoiding the cloned and boxy developments that are so prevalent nowadays.
On balance, this is a pleasant area to live, though new buyers should be aware that development is still ongoing (likely to last several years) albeit by a different developer to the original, and is not in line with plans set out per original design of the development.
Importance of consolidation of all legal documentation post-completion – let down by poor solicitor recommendations made by developers (since removed from approved list).
Spaciousness, large windows to front aspect, and larger than average garden for new build property.
Ever since we walked into the show homes we loved the houses. Whether it a bungalow, 4 bed or 3 bed they all feel so spacious. We went for a 3 bed being a first home and couldn’t really ask for more as it’s very generously sized. Have a decent driveway for at least two cars with easy access to park on street. Very large garden which isn’t quite so common on new builds these days.
The road conditions though on the estate however has at times been near on un drivable however the site team deem it adequate. The road is full of potholes and bumps which even at 2 mph feel horrendous. The site team keep promising the road will be finished however every time they don’t deliver or do as they say. Then when you chase you get ‘selective responses’. Driving through the conditions just quite frankly frustrate us so much as you have a lovely home however at times have had to park on the road due to not being to able to get through, and then the groundworkers make you feel like you’re getting on their way.
Local to the area so knew what it was like prior to buying. Brilliant transport links to bigger towns and beaches. Street is nice and quiet.
Have been some anti social issues partially due to the sales staff not informing us we’d be near social housing, and the social housing company don’t seem to vet any tenants.
House has a lot of extras as standard where other developers would need to pay additional. Would be nice to see the options list prior as the sales lady we seen when buying told us there wasn’t a list we could see…
Within the first 8 weeks when you have meetings with the site manager excellent. However site manager has left now and when you go via customer service you have to be prepared to chase and chase and chase as they don’t seem to pickup emails or follow up on anything.
We have a 2 bed semi detached bungalow and I love it so much! We have downsized and it’s great, very well made, good quality fixtures and fittings, the windows are lovely, really good quality, really good size rooms and we can’t hear anything from the neighbour next door, all our neighbours are great, the position of the house is great, nice and secluded. We have a driveway for 2 cars which fit easily, its not at the front door and there are 2 steps which is quite difficult for me due to my mobility issues but I manage ok……now, thats the good stuff! Oh my, the management company Tilia are not great, as you all probably know you have 12 months to report defects and ‘snags’. We have had a list of defects since we moved in on 24th April 21, its now Jan 22 and we still have a list of defects, some of them have been repaired but there’s still at least 10 defects outstanding, the Tilia development manager on the site is horrendous, he avoids you if he sees you, he doesn’t answer calls, he doesn’t respond to messages, its so frustrating! We have also had a few problems with together homes (TH) management, firstly the buying process was absolutely horrendous! I have never been through anything like it, it was so stressful, the rep from TH was very difficult to deal with, just be warned, also you have to know that anything you want to change in the house you have to ask permission from TH e.g. we wanted a walk-in shower instead of the shower over the bath due to my mobility issues, so we had to ask permission first, we also wanted to board the attic for extra storage but they said no until the 12 month period was over, we will ask again in Feb. With regards to the defects, I must have sent 50+ emails to TH and its hard to get a response plus we can’t go straight to Tilia, we have to report the defects to TH then they contact Tilia and Tilia then arrange the job/repair with us. Its been really tough but you have to stay strong and be a nuisance or nothing would get done, I’m sure they hate me but I don’t mind because we spent a lot of money and it has to be right. We have also had a few issues with the grounds outside our house, the biggest problem is that they don’t tell us what is happening, again its so frustrating, if they just communicated with us it would be much easier, I have to say it isn’t the workmen on site, they are all great, so nice and polite, it’s the site manager, I think he literally doesn’t care about the people who live in the houses. Overall we’re happy we bought the bungalow via shared ownership. We just need these last few defects sorting out and then it’ll be ok. The kind of defects I am talking about are; the front door is twisted and there’s a 10mm gap letting all the cold air in, the bt internet box is hanging off the wall and has been since the day we moved in, there are little things like scratches on doors which were repainted by “the snagging man” yes that is actually someone’s job! So it’s not over yet but we’ll get there, we love the house and that’s the main thing
We didn’t move too far from where we have lived for over 20 yrs so we know the area well. There are some lovely restaurants and pubs in the immediate area. We are literally on the doorstep to the countryside either by walking or a short drive away. Longridge is the local shopping area and there are some really nice boutique shops and hairdressers, barbers etc everything you need really, it’s a really nice area, transport links to Preston Town centre are great too.
Just be strong with the reporting of the defects, you have paid for it so make sure its right…..look at and inspect everything! Make sure you take the time to validate all the appliances in the house to ensure the warranties are activated. Always report things via email, its evidence!
Very slow process, you have to be patient and persistent. Some issues have been sorted but there’s still a lot outstanding.
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