Hightown Housing Association レビュー 53

Terrible, I was put in supported living after having major depression after loosing everything. Drug use is rife in both ajoining properties. All i needed was somewhere for a year to get my feet back under me, but ive been dealing with ASB for the entire almost 2 years ive been here. I am treated as a problem because I complain about the standards and the rife drug use which is affecting my health. They have done everything possible to torment me, insinuating I might be a pdf file, or that the on going drug use is in my head. I have been trying to leave the property for over a year, but they seemingly work with the council to stop that from happening. It is truely disgusting and criminal.

Please see my previous Trustpilot reviews of this landlord here. You really won't believe all the bad stuff coming my way from this landlord since my last review here, including them obviously further trying to silence my voice on Trustpilot concerning my Trustpilot reviews in asking me to, 'kindly reach out to Hightown', where if I did everything would always be in a state of process, & so removing my voice on Trustpilot! This second time was using what I would claim to be untrue, & unethical claims & representation in the form of a letter from an Area Manager which extremely distressed me, with much disturbed sleep, causing me again to seek further help from my doctor's surgery which they provided in the form of a reminder letter to one previously sent by them to Hightown last November requesting minimal, essential only contact with myself in writing only on health grounds! I also sent a recorded delivery letter addressed to this Area Manager at Hightown making it clear that in order to try to protect my personal interests & health from further damage as supported by my doctor's surgery I would not be engaging with Hightown concerning my Trustpilot reviews! In my letter I also referred to the widespread distrust of Hightown amongst tenants, concern over it's lack of ethics referred to in other Trustpilot reviews, & told them they had not taken any notice whatsoever concerning my personally only, serious standing health diagnosis they had known about since becoming their tenant, & two previous letters from my doctor's surgery, the first asking for an urgent review of my situation using my then existing Trustpilot reviews, the second as referenced above! From the start there is clearly nowhere near as much space as needed here to tell you everything you need to know further to my last review concerning just how negative the conduct of this landlord really is, and I am feeling so ill because of this I don't currently have the ability to do so, but I have summed up what I think are the most important things you need to know in this review heading. I will try to come back here & fill in the gaps for you if & when I can. I stand by everything I have written in this & my previous Trustpilot reviews, & I also stand on, & in support of, what has been said in other negative reviews concerning Hightown tenants here as my nearly 25 years experience of this landlord agrees entirely with what has been said in those concerning the negative conduct of this landlord towards & concerning its tenants! As everything seems very much on the line for me now, I want to tell you something deeply personal, & very relevant to me personally behind & concerning my experience as a tenant of this landlord.: Following a personal tragedy earlier in my life fo which Hightown was not at all responsible, i as someone who has from a very young age always thought that I wanted & needed someone for myself carried forward that personal hope of being able to materially, 'start over', with someone. I lost critical years as a result of being a tenant of this landlord, with me having serious bad neighbour & other issues & problems alluded to in my first review here, that this landlord did not help me with, & in more recent years with the conduct of this landlord becoming even more negative & worse, I have also become trapped within a bad situation where I live, particularly because knowing that someone else's life could be seriously negatively affected for years, as mine has been, where I think I have lost the opportunity to start over in the ways i dearly wanted to because of my age of nearly 75 years, because of not being prepared to give an untruthful answer to the obviously & inevitably to be expected question if i tried to exchange my flat with the tenant of another, better, landlord, as to what my landlord is like? My inability to give a truthful answer to that question has meant that I have become trapped in the bad situation I have with this bad landlord now being too old to start over in the ways I wanted, being almost 75 years old, in relation to official average life expectancy in the UK of around 80.7 years, & especially so because of this country's very ageist culture! I have lost too many years that I couldn't afford to lose! Especially if you have personal hopes & dreams where the realization of those could be prevented or materially compromised by being the tenant of a bad landlord such as this one, please do not become a tenant because there is no way of getting one's lost years back! I try to help people, including Ukraine in it current war against Russia, but i otherwise regard my human life as being completely wasted for this reason! Brent Collins.

If i could put 0 i would

I live in a Hightown Housing Association property with my four children, and I am deeply disappointed and distressed by the way we’ve been treated. Our home is mould-ridden and unsafe, yet Hightown refuses to take proper action.

We have:
• Dangerous mould throughout the home that has caused asthma in me and my children.
• Rusty, broken heaters, with one completely out of use.
• Holes left in the walls by contractors during boiler repairs – they reported it to Hightown, but the repairs were never done.
• Extractor fans and solar systems that don’t work – they’ve never been fixed despite being reported multiple times.
• Overcrowded conditions, and even with medical issues and children affected, Hightown still refuses to move us to a more suitable property.
• Both I and my eldest daughter now suffer from mental health issues (anxiety and depression) from dealing with this situation every day.

And worst of all? When I try to make small improvements to protect my family’s health, Hightown threatens me instead of supporting us.

Hightown has shown time and again that they do not care about tenant wellbeing. They ignore complaints, delay vital repairs, and leave families in unsafe environments. If you are thinking about dealing with Hightown, be warned – this is not an organisation you can trust with your family’s safety or dignity.

I used to rent a flat from Hightown association but must leave. They allow to rent different people, a lot of antisocial behaviour and drugs. Their antisocial behaviour team (multiple rent officers) did nothing to deal with it. I ve been tried to resolve the antisocial behaviour issue for years through Hightown, and the Head of housing Shetal Shegatia Patel just ignored my emails. To respond my email it could take 1 week instead of the written procedures. My case could be easily to resolve but still no actions been taken.

I’ve reached a point where I barely even bother reporting issues anymore. In the past, whenever I contacted them to check or fix something, their contractors simply couldn’t do the job properly. They would come, look at the problem, and say something like “the builders did this wrong, there’s not much we can do,” and then just leave without resolving anything.
After dealing with that repeatedly, I became exhausted with constantly reporting problems that never get fixed. So I stopped. What’s the point when nothing actually gets resolved?
Now, five years later, they are suddenly putting those exact same unresolved issues back on me and claiming they are my responsibility. It’s incredibly unfair and frustrating.
I honestly wish I had read the reviews about this association before applying. I am deeply disappointed. In all these years I’ve never truly enjoyed living in this house because the service has been so poor and the support has been practically nonexistent.
Instead of helping tenants, they make the experience stressful and draining. It has genuinely affected my mental wellbeing. I have kept up with payments for six years without missing a single one, yet I struggle to see what they have actually done for me in return.
If you’re considering applying here, please take the time to read the reviews first. I certainly wish I had. Based on my experience, it feels like the only thing they truly care about is the money.& make sure u die!!

They were once quite effective in addressing issues, but that's changed. Now, it seems like they accept anyone as tenants, leading to rampant drug use and antisocial behavior. The buildings themselves are poorly constructed, particularly the lack of soundproofing, which was a big issue when I initially moved in. Hightown seems indifferent, as they consistently ignore emails and their phone line is unresponsive. Improved communication with tenants is essential. I’m unsure which maintenance contact is accurate or who the property manager might be.

Worst housing association going. All they care about is making sure they get their rent money. I've had an ongoing issue with my neighbour for nearly 4yrs and they just don't want to know. All I get told is fill out diary sheets and we'll send them a letter. Yeah right like both of them are a solution. They just don't care at all. They let any Tom, D*** and Harry into these flats and decent residents have to put up with nuisance neighbours. We have had loads of anti-social behaviour yet Hightown don't do anything. There are loads or families and kids in these blocks of flats that shouldn't be around the type of behaviour that happens yet Hightown allows it to happen.

Worst HA ever. If you can avoid at all costs. High rent, nothing included and don't want to deal with problems. If I could I would give them no stars. All they want is money from you.

Have had an issue with my neighbour for nearly 4yrs now playing music at unsociable hours but Hightown aren't interested and don't want to help. All they have done is sent her letters as a reminder- like they're gonna do anything. They did take non-legal action eventually but we are back at square one meaning I have to put up with her rubbish. She has basically gotten away with it whilst my son and myself have to suffer. If I could I wouldn't even give them a star.

Genuinely one of, if not THE WORST housing associations in the UK. We've had many issues in our flat block since we moved in, whether it be damage to the building, drugs in the block, and all manner of people using the bin store who dont live here. HOWEVER, since 2023 we have had the absolute worst downstairs neighbours. They bang and bang all day long, we've asked our housing officers time and time again to do something. They say they will, and then they dont. One of them even shut the case down cause they were leaving for another job. Our most recent housing officer, John, says he has done all he can to help. Want to know what he's done? Sent a few poxy letters to them (supposedly), and asked mediation to help. That's it. No threat for removal, no fine, nothing. What is mediation going to do? Do they seriously think thats gonna change the behaviour of our neighbours? Hightown seriously needs to get their stuff straight.. Cause we aren't even living anymore. All you hear is them banging on the walls, stomping on the floors, and screaming all day long when theyre here. Can't hear tv, can't hear music, just them being a NUISANCE NEIGHBOUR which goes AGAINST the contract

Fraud & abuse continues to be Hightown's only guiding light. Hightown creates fictitious jobs and sets up fake contracts for services that it does not intend to perform. If Customers raise concerns it uses 'policy and procedure' to silence them, creates fake records to stitch them up and makes false allegations. It seems the 'hands off' attitude of the government and authorities is serving Hightown well

Hightown is one of the worst housing associations in the country.

Our building has had a foul odour emanating from the sink in our apartment and all the apartment below us. We were told its a soil stack issue and that Hightown need to investigate and repair it. This was 6 months ago. NOTHING has been done.

On top of that, they frequently shut down the lifts without any indications or pre-warnings so people with accessibility issues are totally left our to dry and wait hours for Hightown to finish scheduled maintenance without informing residents.

The building we live in is also finished with flammable cladding, similar to the cladding on Grenfell tower. Hightown has been aware of for over 2 years and still have not addressed the issue at all.

Be careful if you are buying or letting a property that is part of Hightown.

I bought my spacious flat at the end of March 2025, worst decision, I love the flat but Hightown are the worst housing association I have come across.
The housing officer is crap and they do not respond Ito any emails or voicemails
I report a smell from flat above smoking illegal drugs cannabis. They smoke it all night. The housing officer needs to get of her arse and sought it out.
On their website it’s said we don’t allow illegal drugs to be on our sites.

The two subcontractors who attended my property today the names are Ben and Harry. They were very experienced electricians and I would recommend them to anyone.

If I could give 0 stars I would. I have had rain coming down my living room wall down to the plug sockets which has now caused mould since the start of December! Hightown keep messing me around and said “it’s an expense” it’s now been 6 months and they haven’t done a thing!
AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

Constant cold house, have had problems after problems with this building. How is a disabled tenant able to afford pay for an repair ( add urgent ) when on benifits and currently no money coming in. IT'S the Landlord's DUTY OF CARE to ensure there homes are maintained well as to look after ALL their tenants. Unless the repair issue the fault of the tenant/s then it's the Landlords responsibility to pay for it. "the law says housing association landlords are responsible for most repairs to a rented property. This includes repairs to: Structure: The roof, walls, windows, doors, stairs, and bannisters. Plumbing: Pipes, drains, sinks, baths, and toilets. Heating: Boilers, heating systems, and hot water. Electrical: Wiring and any appliances provided by the landlord. Safety: Ensuring the safety of gas and electrical appliances"

Simon from mention done a wonderful job at my apartment he filled in all the cracks and left it all neat and tidy :) thank you so much Simon

My experience of a shared owner through Hightown:

-- Buying the property --
Everything was rushed by Hightown, with no consideration to the purchaser. Property had 100+ defects which they refused to delay completion on (wouldn't have received any rental payments until we moved in). Had to get these done in dribs and drabs whilst living in the property. Worth noting they charge above the market value rent which they are allegedly allowed to do, given that they did not use funding from Homes England.

-- Living in the property --
Aside from the defects, relatively smooth. But I put this down to having limited other issues. Stuart from the Defects team was great and I cannot fault him for the effort and communication in getting defects resolved (even if the builder TW refused to fix them all). This, combined with the fact that they did not apply the maximum rental increase permitted in the lease increases the rating from 1 star to 2 stars.

-- Selling the property --
If I thought buying it was difficult, selling it was 100x worse. Honestly at the best of times it didn't feel that I was valued as a householder - despite being called a charity, it was run purely as a business (badly). The reason I say this is due to the rushed 'now now now' aspect of purchasing from them, which varies dramatically with the selling experience.
The whole selling aspect was terrible, and delayed by months due to waiting weeks for email responses due to the case only being allocated to one housing officer (who may or may not have the same first name as me), rather than to the team - despite emails being sent into a Home Ownership inbox.
Had to escalate the issues to his senior several times and honestly wish I had done it sooner as this was the only way that things got done.
Prime example - sent an email requesting assistance/documents, titled "urgent enquiry to prevent chain collapse".. Took 2 weeks to get a response to this which came back with various excuses for a late response which frankly is ridiculous.

Shared ownership got me on the ladder and honestly I'll be forever grateful to the government for implementing this as an option, as it allowed me to buy outright - but frankly Hightown's iteration of this and the way my cases (buying and selling) were a complete let down.

Would I recommend shared ownership as an affordable option to get on the housing ladder? Yes.

But would I recommend Hightown Housing Association as a provider for this to someone looking to start out? Maybe I just got unlucky with the case officers assigned to my purchase/sale - but without a doubt, I urge you to consider shared ownership elsewhere.

Horrendous.

I have lived in my flat for almost two years, three months ago a tree fell down and took up the whole car park. That took weeks to remove and now, two months later, half the car park is still fenced off and hasnt been fixed - leading cars to park in unsafe places and me and others ALWAYS getting boxed in.

They do half the job and leave the rest. I have called before and was also promised a call back on another matter - never got it.

Honestly with all the complaints they have had I am surprised local councils haven't shut them down.

Awful housing association. I haven’t lived in the flat I rented for over 6 years now however when I did live there I was told I was able to “make any changes to the property I moved into, including knocking down walls” I moved into what can only be described as a shell of a property with wires hanging out of walls, loose floor boards, missing skirting boards, the list is endless. I installed a brand new kitchen, had carpets fitted throughout and paid a decorator to fix the awful job they left me with, to be told by my housing officer how much of an improvement I had made to the property. I paid my rent in full and on time every month. When I left I received an invoice for a kitchen, skirting boards, plug sockets, doors, again the list was ridiculous. I sent photos of what the house was like when I moved in and what it was like when I moved out to be told it didn’t matter. I then had a bill for over £7000 sent to me. After being told numerous times it would be looked into when I put in a complaint I received letters from debt collection agencies twice! I got so stressed out over the 3 years of absolute hell they caused, while I was pregnant with my daughter for 9 months of it, that I agreed to make payment monthly. I do not recommend anyone living in any of their properties, you get told one thing by one person and another thing by someone else then get fobbed off. And now I’m paying for a property that apparently is an absolute dump! This started in November 2018 and I gave in in July 2022

As per response below: I did complain at the time and was told I was out of the time frame by 2 weeks so I could no longer complain anymore.

Do not buy share ownership from the Hightown Housing Association, especially any of their development at Watford. BLUE BELL They make me regret the home ownership team's unnecessary bureaucracy. When I try to contact them, you wish to talk to them, but no one wants to talk to you. Recently, I have a problem with my fan extraction warranty. I try to talk to them, but they don't know anything about their property. I've been without an answer for almost eight weeks. Every day, excuse the deployment of cheap material. They don't know where they bought them. I'm really sorry for myself and my family in these situations. Please take my advice.👎👎👎