Vistry Partnerships

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

The local area is great; it ticked all the boxes. We're no more than 10-20 minutes walk away from everything we need, including shops, doctors, community hospital (no A&E), train station, pleasant walks, etc.

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

They were working through our snagging list slowly but steadily. After six months, we discovered that one drain that had been regularly overflowing was not actually connected to the sewer. Their response to this major issue was pathetic and the only way to get their attention was to go through official complaints procedures and threaten going to NHBC.

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

Tell them you're going to bring your own building expert over on a regular basis during the build, and won't complete until everything is done to a good standard to your satisfaction. If they won't accept these terms, then walk away.

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

Hurstpierpoint is a lovely village with a few nice pubs, and some great local shops. Our street is great, we’ve not had any issues at all really.

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

Gateway as a company don’t seem to be very involved or communicative. Bovis have been okay.

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

Some gardens have serious drainage issues!! The houses aren’t very soundproof.

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

This is a development that was initially started in 2014. I moved here in 2015. The local shops and facilities are in the market town centre, about a mile away. As with many rural small towns, it would be fair to describe it as struggling, but not as badly as others. The estate design lacks forethought, in that many households have two vehicles, and sometimes a company works van. The roads are narrow with few pavements for pedestrians. The number of vehicles parked in dangerous and selfish places is increasing. People do not consider where their vehicle will be parked when buying or renting a property. A number of people drive far too swiftly along the estate roads, and this adds to the noise, at various times during the day.

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

My house is not managed by anyone other than myself. The two year after-sales service was virtually non-existent, and I quickly learnt it was far easier for me to sort out problems myself.

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

If you buy a new property on a housing estate from a big developer, be aware that the 'sales pitch' about subsequent customer care is probably dubious. The reason for customer dissatisfaction is clear: poor workmanship by contractors/sub contractors, a lack of inspection of their work by the developer, an attitude of 'that will do', and a willingness for developers to accept that every new build will have an extensive 'snagging list'.

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

Reasonably close to local mini sainsburys pub/restaurant every close (100m) with lovely foods and ales. Buses run every hour or so that run to town/ train station, hospital and even to Brighton Town, train station and hospital. Dog poo bin over flows constantly and very rarely gets emptied.

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

I have had no issues or problems that I have had to raise

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

Children park just like all newer versions are very basic and boring for kids with nothing else near by

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

It’s about a 10-15 minute walk for town which is excellent and the newly developed skate park means fun for everyone. Cloakham lawns in itself is an amazing community. There is a lot of on road parking who is good but sometimes can get tight in places if it’s very busy. It’s also a quiet area to live.

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

The building management team were excellent when we had problems when we first moved in.

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

We wish we knew about the intergrated appliances as they have been a pain to replace.