Sovereign Reviews 266

I’m at a wits end. Been moved out of our sovereign property - myself, partner and 2 young children (one 7 month old
And a 2 year old with disabilities) . This is due to a dipstick of a neighbour - don’t have the energy anymore to create any insults that are more colourful - driving into the kitchen wall. Currently living in a relatives front room , been nearly 6 weeks and only just been out to secure the property. Which I will commend sovereign on for responding to me when I flagged how much of a danger the structural damage is .

Both children are unsettled, I’m back in the care of my gp/been with the mental health team because the amount of dishonesty and the pressure of being out of a home is really getting ontop of me.

Cannot take anymore .

Me and my partner have a 1 year old child and live in a sovereign flat in Teignmouth, within a week of moving in the smell of cannabis was coming into our property through the vents and windows, sovereign promised via email that that take this issue very seriously and would do everything in thier power to stop it, and yet a year later nothing has changed, they claim this is a family friendly building and yet house addicts and anyone to congregate in the communal areas, we have had knife fights in the hallways people passed out drunk in the stairwells,people smoking and taking drugs in the building and everytime you report the issues to sovereign it's just met with a"not much we can do about it" attitude. They make promise after promise about how things will change and things will be done for you to resolve these issues and then fobbed off with excuses or ignored all together. Sovereign are not fit to managed propertys and in constant breach of welfare and health and safety, if anyone is offered a sovereign property do not take it you will be safer sleeping in a tent on a motorway.

I have been in my Shared Ownership Property with Sovereign for just over 2 months. Sovereign are responsible to fix any issues for the first year from handover from developers. I have been reporting issues since moving in, and yet again, they do NOT take the responsibility, they do NOT respond to emails, and ultimately the issues do not get fixed, resulting in escalation. A bathroom leak which caused mould/mould mites was classed as a non-emergency issue and STILL not resolved. PLEASE if you are looking to get a property, AVOID Sovereign as they are the WORST Housing Association.

I have been a resident of a Sovereign property for 12 months and have had nothing but problems from day 1. When I came to view the property I pointed out issues that still have not been dealt with. I have sent numerous emails and made many complaints direct to Sovereign and still nothing has been resolved. The ventilation system does not work and has never worked, even with so called sovereign engineers being sent out to fix this numerous times. The roof has been leaking since before we moved in, which is now causing mould and damp in every single room. This has been confirmed by several different Sovereign workers who have been out to look at it and nothings been sorted. The guttering and facias are all rotten. The ceiling outside my flat has been deemed as dangerous and due to collapse at anytime. This is just a few of a long list of issues I have with my flat which still haven’t been resolved 12 months later.

Attempting to carry out a tenancy audit during a pandemic
You not responding to an emergency when the roof fell in (still ongoing)
Being investigated after malicious lies from a troublesome neighbour about having left the property and when you found that to be untrue, not investigating the neighbour
Being forced to travel to a court in reading while I was ill to address a rent shortfall, which was paid in full before the hearing, the judge threw the book at you.
having your careers advisor attempt to find me work, in a factory production line when I am fully qualified to do my regular work, I was told, "you have to take this work or we will evict you"
Threatening to have a police officer visit the premises unannounced because the housing officer at the time thought it would be a good idea to have the police snooping around under the guise of "Community policing"
Having a religious fundamentalist as a neighbour who makes life a misery for all the tenants which you have done nothing about
Having a boiler which literally explodes on average once every five years and is due to explode again any day now
Attempting to tow away my vehicle from the car park for absolutely no reason.
Fighting an eviction which you started because I fell behind on the rent through illness
Fighting an eviction which you started because the DSS took a year to award me housing benefit
Your failure to upkeep regular maintenance
Plus numerous more examples over the last two decades

Finally gave them the correct notice as per my tenancy agreement only to be told, I can't leave because they have changed their procedure. Now am a prisoner in an uninhabitable home with a one year old

In regards to Corey's message below
Attempted to ring your office numerous times today, spent about two hours listening to your crappy on hold music and you never answered the phone, so you can add, useless advice from Sovereign advisors to that list as well as illiteracy.
" If there is further concerns", should be "if there are further concerns"

On going problems with treatment of leaseholder as opposed to Sovereign tenants. Fencing erected outside my window due to alleged damaged to railings which have been like it since 2018. Would it not be easier just to fix the railings instead of putting up the herras fencing? When is it going to be fixed?

I would rather pay for the railings to be repaired myself than to have the fencing up for two years.

On the subject of dangerous items we have broken dumped trampolines in the communal garden. Much more serious if my grandchildren were injured on these than some bent railings.

I feel that you have no regard for your leaseholders. I will send you the repair bill early in the New Year.

Paul go to citizens advice if you are vulnerable or go and make sure universal credit know. Show anything that proves you don’t live there and whether your ex got a transfer of the property into her own name - if not you still could apply for sole tenancy and make her move unless children involved also make sure rent arrears hers as I know UC need clarification - if you are in UC go to a decision maker .

Selling your shared ownership is very difficult, the sovereign team offer very little help and clearly need more training, depending on who you speak to you will get completely different instructions, they clearly dont read emails or just refuse to reply, now I need a lease extension to sell the property and I have been offered no help and they're happy to admit that they dont know what they're doing or they say they will ring me back and never do, my phone bill this month was £51 and its normally only £10 buying a sovereign home was the worst mistake I have ever made and has caused never ending stress and sleepless nights.

We had a new boiler installed on the 25&26th November and I cannot fault how friendly, tidy and efficient mark and Paul were they did a fantastic job and were very safety conscious and safe in these difficult times and informed us of what they were doing as they were doing it

I rented a garage from Sovereign (Garage 5, Ash Road, Newport PO30 2AG) last year, and everything was set up in their office in Lugley Road, Newport PO30 5EL. It was easy and efficient.
But now I want to give up the garage and return the keys and it turns out to be mission impossible!
The office in Newport is closed now. I have tried to telephone all their 0300 numbers and have spent lots of time pressing buttons, listening to the same annoying piece of music and the voice telling me to go to their website over and over and over again! Never managed to actually speak to a living being.
The website is not much help either as it only gives one the 0300 number and addresses of offices - among them the Newport office, which as I said is closed now.
No email contact address anywhere to be found on the site. It's totally prehistoric - phone or write only.
But the phone option is a waste of time and the write option leaves me with the question of where to send my letter - to the address of a closed office, to the address on my rental agreement (but this address does not match any of the addresses given on the website) or to any old address on the website in the hope that my letter will eventually reach the right department?
And in the meantime I keep paying for a garage that is now empty and no longer in use ...
NOT GOOD !

Moved into property early Feb 2020 and was advised about an ongoing problem with chimney. Basically, it leaks from the top. However I have had repairs done to the base of the chimney and surrounding thatch. No complaints with the subcontractors doing those repairs but the rain and pigeon poo is still coming down from the top of the chimney. Still leaks and it is running down the back of the fireplace ruining the paintwork done when we moved in. This is a leaking chimney not leaking thatch. I really would like to have it repaired so we do not have to listen to constant dripping into the bucket necessary to catch the water. Sovereign itself is fine but ask for a repair and it's hopeless. Guessing next step is the Ombudsman???

Don't buy shared ownership with this housing association. Companies such as Radian offer a much better service. 6 years of dreadful service and sneaky extra charges. When you have a problem and call they are constantly restructuring and nobody has any idea which department/person is in charge. Save yourself hours of time on hold and talking to staff who are often rude and dismissive and go elsewhere!

Shared ownership property.
This is by far the worse service I have ever experienced.
Water coming through a light.
Floor is starting sag from the leaking of the bathroom.
I pointed out the problem over 6 months ago. Still not resolved.
My bathroom is now covered in mould.
DO NOT BUY A SHARED OWNERSHIP PROPERTY FROM SOVEREIGN!!!!

New kitchen fitted in March had a complete nightmare with faults. They have just spent 3 days repairing the issues but still waiting on the Electrician although booked but did not turn up and Plumber got no idea when they will attend. Then about 15 other jobs outstanding from Asbestos in the garden to broken lights etc and as yet no contact on any of these repairs. The level of attendance when jobs are booked definitely needs improvement.
Not a happy camper

Having a complete nightmare with neighbour since November, sending in diaries, phone calls, emails , nobody replies I have to keep chasing them, police involved, environmental health ASBO and still nothing is being done , how is this acceptable when it’s impacting my mental health? Nobody is interested, maybe they should live here for a week !!
No duty of care what’s so ever, now looking to rehouse after being in our home for 21 years.

So my boiler was close to blowing up , I’m now a week into chasing them about it after it’s been completely disconnected two children in my property yet no one can answer a phone ! No hot water or heating and on top of this 6 weeks lift maintenance work is apparently starting on Monday me being on the 6th floor had been told we will be re locating you it’s now nearly 1pm offices close early and we are none the wiser as to what the hell is going on ! Not the first time I’ve been left in this situation , I have been a tennant for 6 years and have been left without hot water for two months before ! Absolute joke when trying to actually formally complain they find a way to prevent it from happening.

Thankful to have a beautiful home.
Only been in it 3 months and only had to ring repairs once but came the day before they were due. So far so good. Just happy for a perfect place to live.

Yes there not very good at repairs I'm still waiting for intercom not done yet also that have nasty housing officer like Paul months trying to force me out my home for no reason treated me with section 21 said makcme homeless horrible man

Absolutely useless, each and every single one of them is an incompetent moron.

Waste of breath, can’t do a single thing right.

They don’t give a damn apart from collecting their money.

Update: 16/28/07/21 - still no contact from Sovereign!
Update: be VERY CAREFUL OF THIS HA. They lie, are very dangerous. They put my son and I in danger because they said I had to keep a violent man under control that didn't live with me and wasn't my boyfriend or else they would evict me. I was with Sovereign for 12 years and never put a foot wrong but when a lying neighbour decided to bully me and flirt with the antisocial behaviour officer Chris Jones suddenly i had problems. He told me "keep your boyfriend under control or we will evict you". But he wasn't my boyfriend and I had to get/keep a violent man in our lives so basically he could impress a blonde woman and her 2 daughters who now at least 1 of them works and gets a lot of money (she says) for working on onlyfans with lots of subscribers. But Chris Jones made my life and my young sons life hell. The only reason I didn't kill myself is because of my son. But the sheer bullying from Chris Jones was unbearable. He took photos off a page that was nothing to do with him or the neighbour and tried to take it to court to say neighbour threatened. But I have proof the neighbour and I were friends and discussed the photos at the time and it was evidenced nothing to do with anyone. It was a mock (and said so underneath the photo) for Halloween. He came to my sons school and told lies. He went to the police with a list of lies and the police proved every single one was a false complaint. But the police don't do anything about false complaints from corrupt housing officers, so as SH haven't even bothered to get back to me, I guess I'll be seeing them in the civil courts where I'll be taking them to court through a project that defends innocent people from corrupt liars with power. Having now experienced a different HA I could NEVER go back to SH because my home would be in danger again. He allowed the neighbour to put out an offer of £5000 to kill us and he did nothing. It was rumoured he was sleeping with the neighbour but I've no idea if that's true or not. All I know is that he went A LONG way to destroy me on behalf of a blonde woman who is so bent she tried to lie and get a nursery closed because she didn't like one of her colleagues getting more attention. So she lied and said the woman had physically abused a kid at the nursery. But she waited months to report it and didn't until she was sacked. Then tried to say she was whistleblowing - but didn't on the day she supposedly saw the 'abuse'. Since then she's tried to destroy a guy who's been a peadophile hunter for years because he wouldn't date her, so she emailed every hunting group in the country with lies about him. I experienced extreme bullying from one of their staff and they literally dont care. I put a complaint iin4 years ago - in fact several and all were swept under the carpet by senior managers. They have absolutely NO idea how to conduct fair investigations in a neighbour dispute. They favour the one who is less vulnerable..is the nicest way I can put that. They lied to me, scared me and my child, threatened me, put me and my child in extreme personal danger with their demands. I Keep escalating complaints but its ignored apart from a very rude phonecall from a nasty woman called Mandy- who did NOTHING. My rent was rarely late but once it was - bang letter threatening within days. Some staff lied hugely, fabricated evidence and tried to take that evidence to court - even the date stamp let them down there thank god. After 12 years of a solid no problem tenancy, an absolute liar fabricates complaints. Even though it was proved they were lying Sovereign conducted a hate campaign against me. They tried everything to destroy me for complaining one of their staff members was/is corrupt. As I was leaving there was a tiny tiny dink in the worktop, a missing plug chain and a patch of mud at the top where they made me remove the decking (for insurance puposes). They made me replace the entire worktop and said if the grass hadnt grown back by moving day they would refuse the swap. (It grew back) Absolute truth. When they came to inspect the two officers PRIDED themselves on bullying me. Yet found almost nothing and did not follow landlord rules to do with fair wear and tear. They literally got me to the point where I almoat killed myself due to their bullying. Cruel is the best way I can describe this HA. Unless you are working and have zero issues and I meanZERO- do not go with this HA. With regards to repairs I didn't have anything major so the repair team were OK. They moved the heating thermostat once and left an unsightly hole but otherwise N/A.
There were nice people working there but they mostly seemed to promote the cruel and corrupt ones. They bullied tthir own staff.
New HA are absolutely wonderful - if you have a choice I'd recommend anyone other than sovereign housing and anywhere Chris Jones doesn't work