Pocket Living Reviews 50

(UPDATE TO ANSWER 24th AUGUST 2023: Mr Sandor is another resident. Until now we received ZERO compensation, Southern said they reverted the compensation for Pocket to pay us but this didn't happen. We paid more than £400 for heating/hot water without having hot water for 2 months and heating full winter, the HIU meter continued counting without hot water in the building! Bill for electricity because electric heaters was more than £300 and we were full day out to work , and we were freezing anyway with temperatures not going up then13°c/14°c! I paid £54 in the nearby hotel just to have a shower and the water was cold too. For a pregnant lady this was not living conditions my balcony door had a big gap and was not closing it was like we were sleeping outside WITHOUT heating!! I am happy to delete this bad review when everything in our flat is sorted. Until then I don't recommend this building.)

19th Feb 2023: I live in a new building developed by Pocket Living with a defective and faulty communal boiler. I don't see hot water/heating for 5 days in a row now. During the week they instruct the contractor to come and re set the boiler after we go to work and when we are back it's cold. We reported and their Customer care service told us the hot water was away only briefly Wednesday evening. They sent 2 engineers on Thursday that didn't check my water temperature or radiators, only a pipe in the utility room that was not hot enough to get heating and they switched on the thermostat and temperature didn't go up. Later pocket told me I had hot water/heating!! They know they have a defective boiler and instead to do a big fix, Customer Care insinuated we are liars when I only want a hot shower!!!

I live in a flat in a building owned by "Pocket Living" in Croydon. We didn't have hot water for more than 30 days in the last 3 months, and the heating is not working properly for several months. I gave a negative review previously expecting some changes, but the problem persists. Today is the 4th straight evening without hot water or heating. Several residents reported it to the block management team on many different occasions this week, and these were the replies from Pocket Customer Care:
1 - "We have been advised that the system was back up and running within 30 minutes of being reported.
Please be assured that we have numerous operatives on site every day at the moment to test the water and re-set the boiler, when necessary. (...) this system has ensured any loss of hot water has been short lived."
2 - "We have received confirmation that there has been heating and hot water throughout the building everyday this week, other than for a short period on Wednesday evening. We do appreciate that this is extremely inconvenient.
3 - "The engineer who attended to your home informed us that your heating and hot water was working. We have asked them for more information as this contradicts what you are saying. We will come back to you once we have this."
This information is false. The problem with hot water and heating was never fixed as comproved by the many reports from several residents during the week. It's true that we had an engineer visiting our flat but he didn't check the water temperature or the radiators. He turned the thermostat ON but the temperature didn't go up. (I asked for the report, but Pocket hasn't shared it with us).
When I arrive home from work, if I don't have hot water I call the Block Management emergency number, but no one comes in the evening to fix the problem. Sometimes someone comes in the morning (12 hours after the report) but when I arrive from work I don't have hot water again.
We can see the times the engineers sign the clock-in sheet downstairs and it's NOT TRUE that Pocket has "numerous operatives on site every day to test the water and re-set the boiler."

I recently sold on my Pocket home and therefore needed to liaise quite closely with the Resale Team (given the s106 resale requirements etc). I was helped by Madu who I must say went above and beyond to help get the sale completed. This was my first experience of a property "chain" (selling / buying) and it was no doubt a stressful experience (as they probably always are), but whenever I needed anything from Pocket, Madu was always incredibly prompt at responding and very helpful. This even extended to her obtaining and posting certain documents to my solicitors at very short notice.

Thanks for all your help Madu!

Generally speaking, I loved my time as a Pocket home owner - it was great flat in a close-knit building, and a great location too. I support Pocket's mission and would recommend their developments to anyone looking to get onto the ladder.

Great communication by the Pocket Living Team, they are efficient and always happy to help.I have been in contact with Lorna on several matters and she is great at providing effective resolutions in a swift manner. Their customer service is outstanding so thank you for your continued support. Highly recommended.

Before you do ANY of the basics looking at a Pocket Living property, find out about the restrictive clause you'll be required to sign up to ( an S106 covenant )

My daughter had instructed a surveyor and received a mortgage offer before she knew anything about this.

It was only when she received a call from her solicitor, who had just received a pack from the vendors solicitor, that we realised the buying a Pocket Living property would prove VERY challenging.

Her solicitor informed her that the purchase would be subject to a S106 covenants…. ‘Very strict covenants, which significantly effect the value of the property and the ability to obtain a mortgage against it’ (her words). So began our real understanding of Pocket Living.

We were obliged to disclose the Covenant to the Mortgage provider, First Direct, who reviewed it and immediately withdrew the mortgage offer.

I called the Agent (SoSales) to ask whether they were aware of this covenant. Yes, they were fully aware and understood it in detail. I asked why they had not mentioned it to my daughter. They said it wasn’t their responsibility to… it was the vendor’s responsibility. “Surely if you are aware of it, you should have told her as it impacts the ability to obtain a mortgage”? I asked…. “Well we asked her to register with Pocket Living… all the info is on their website” they replied. I also asked the Vendor, who said she thought is was the Agents responsibility.

So I personally followed the link the Agent had provided to register withy Pocket Living. It provided no information whatsoever, it was much akin to signing up to a mailing list. I started trawling the Pocket Living website for details of the Covenant. Eventually I found something, under the FAQ section.

Their statement says - 'Section 106 agreements, also known as planning obligations, are agreements between developers and local authorities that are negotiated as part of the condition of planning consent. In the case of Pocket homes, the section 106 agreement means that the home is available to buy for people who meet specific eligibility criteria. These restrictions stay with Pocket Homes in perpetuity, meaning Pocket owners are obliged to find a similar buyer when they are ready to sell’

Sounds simple enough? FAR from simple. It is in fact a 56 page document tying the buyer in to very tight clauses explaining exactly how and when they can sell the property and also the very tight rental restrictions.

This is why many of the major mortgage companies will not agree to mortgage them. In simple terms, if the buyer defaults on the mortgage, the mortgage company may have a hell of a problem disposing of the property within 6 months…. and at a value well below market value.

The Covenant also effects the real value of the property. These properties are sold, when new, at a 20% discount from market rate. The challenge here is that the asking priced in resale are only marginally cheaper…. They certainly don’t represent to 20% discount that was initially offered.

My Daughter’s second mortgage application was also offered in principle (Nationwide) and they declined when they established that Pocket Living has a 5 year ground rent review. They stated that….’ Property is not suitable security due to ground rent review occurring every 5 years;

So, having spent the best part of £1000, my daughter walked away from the purchase, knowing that this property would become a nightmare to sell.

I discussed this matter in detail with the Pocket Living resales team. I said that surely it was the obligation of their chosen Agent to disclose the S106 upfront, before expenditure had occurred. They said they would discuss with the Agent.

I also asked that Pocket Living to make the covenant very clear on their website, not hidden with a brief explanation under the FAQ section.

This will significantly affect your ability to resell, rent, or obtain a mortgage. Beware!