CPS Homes Reviews 

Antwoord van CPS Homes

16 dec 2024

Hi Farzana,

Thank you for leaving a review. We’re sorry that your experience with CPS Homes hasn’t been a positive one.

We’ve looked back and can see that you only reported one maintenance issue during your 12-month tenancy. This was a bathroom light switch sometimes not working, which was resolved within 3 working days. We identified a few other minor, mainly cosmetic issues ourselves when we attended for an inspection. You hadn’t reported these, but we wanted them resolved for you. We promptly fed our findings back to your landlord and they had somebody attend to resolve them within 3 working days. Among the issues noted were a snapped bed slat, which your landlord deemed was not your responsibility. The attending contractor deemed a cracked freezer drawer was caused through misuse, but your landlord chose not to apply a charge for this. We highlight these elements because we think they demonstrate diligent management of what was a recently-refurbished property with very few issues, with fairness and transparency applied throughout – all of which is at odds to the picture you have painted in your review.

In terms of the construction work, as previously advised, your landlord disputes that they had knowledge of any building work being done next door. When somebody applies to the local authority to obtain planning permission to do work, the local authority follows a prescribed process, which includes notifying neighbouring properties of the application. Crucially, it doesn’t say when the work will be done, as the applicant doesn’t need to specify when – or indeed if – they intend to do work. Additionally, neighbouring properties are not automatically informed of the final decision on a planning application by the local authority, so won’t necessarily know if it was granted or refused. Planning permission is typically valid for 3 years, so permission could’ve been obtained up to 3 years prior to the work being started. Bearing in mind the landlord had only recently bought the property when your tenancy began, it’s wholly possible they weren’t aware of the planning application. And, as stated, they’re only informed of the application, not the decision or indeed when the work will be done.

We document the condition of each property at the end of the tenancy (as we also do at the beginning of each tenancy), then provide this report to the landlord for their assessment, as – being the owner of the property – they are the decision maker. Within the report, we highlight items that we believe are a result of wear and tear, therefore the responsibility of the landlord to make good before any new contract-holders arrive. We also highlight any items we believe to be over and beyond fair wear and tear, which – if substantially different to the condition at the start of the tenancy – they may wish to claim from the deposit for. When we completed your check-out inspection, we noted a stained mattress, which your landlord initially indicated they would like to make a small claim for (£40 to supply and fit a mattress protector). However, when we advised your landlord that the similar staining was present upon move-in, they agreed to drop the charge, and you were refunded your full deposit within 10 working days of your tenancy ending.

Finally, we provide at least 24 hours’ notice of any viewings or inspections, though if a maintenance issue is reported and we can have a contractor attend sooner than 24 hours’ time, we will always aim to do so as we assume that occupiers would prefer to have the issue rectified sooner rather than later. Contractors often get last-minute slots available in their diaries, so we try to fill them as it can sometimes be days until they get another slot. However, if an occupier indicates that they’d prefer to wait at least 24 hours for a contractor to attend, we will of course follow their instruction on that.

Kind regards,

The CPS Homes Team.

Antwoord van CPS Homes

9 dec 2024

Hi Cristian,

Thanks for your review. We’re aware that you’re currently in discussion with our team, who are liaising with you and your landlord regarding the landlord’s claim from your deposit. Bear in mind that occupation contracts are between the contract-holder(s) and the landlord, so it’s the landlord who chooses to submit this claim. We would much prefer not to have to make a claim from a deposit, as it's far quicker and easier to return a deposit in full. There have been delays in this return process, which we apologise for, though they have not been at CPS Homes’ end. The delays initially occurred whilst we attempted to ascertain what your landlord’s claim was, and subsequently when we’ve been negotiating with him on your behalf to have him reduce the amount of the claim.

To explain further, our contract with the landlord stipulates that we will document the condition of the property at the end of the tenancy (as we also do at the beginning of each tenancy), then provide this report to them for their assessment, as – again – being the owner of the property, they are the decision maker. Within the report, we highlight items that we believe are a result of wear and tear, therefore the responsibility of the landlord to make good before any new contract-holders arrive. We also highlight any items we believe to be over and beyond fair wear and tear, which – if substantially different to the condition at the start of the tenancy – they may wish to claim for from the deposit.

When you moved in, you signed an inventory that read “unless otherwise stated, the condition of the property…is clean and ready for occupation”. You didn’t note any cleaning concerns on the document. We have significant evidence that cleaning was required when you left. You even offered to return to the property clean the areas of concern, though we cannot allow contract-holders to access the property again after their tenancy has finished.

Once the landlord has decided how they wish to proceed, we add comments to the inspection report and send it over to the contract-holder(s) for their perusal. We invite contract-holders to comment on anything noted as being over and beyond fair wear and tear. This demonstrates a transparent, two-way process that is geared towards avoiding any potential deposit dispute. When contract-holders provide their comments, as we always encourage them to do, we revert back to the landlord and attempt to negotiate the deposit return of behalf of both. This is what we’re doing for you currently.

As you know, the landlord’s claim is not for just cleaning. We have presented you with evidence of other items too.

We feel it's important to point out that it's not uncommon for there to be a dispute at the end of a tenancy. Quite rightly, contract-holders are keen to receive as much of their deposit back as possible, whereas landlords would like to be compensated for any dilapidation they believe is not a result of wear and tear. So, by virtue of their own standpoints, deposit claims are a contentious matter. Thankfully, the process described earlier in this reply successfully resolves the vast majority of potential deposit disputes before they become protracted, which we think is something that should be commended.

As with any deposit return, if a contract-holder feels a landlord's claim is not justified and a mutual agreement cannot be reached, the deposit scheme that protects the deposit can appoint an unbiased, impartial adjudicator to consider all evidence and make a ruling. We're pleased to say that the vast majority of deposits CPS Homes returns are done so with mutual agreement between landlord and contract-holder, meaning only a small minority require independent adjudication. As we’ve been unable to reach an agreement between you and your landlord in this case, an adjudicator is due to look at the case shortly. In the meantime, you have been paid the undisputed portion of your deposit.

Many thanks,

The CPS Homes Team.

Antwoord van CPS Homes

3 dec 2024

Dear Roger,

Thank you for sharing your feedback. We sincerely apologise for any frustration caused by the timing of our notifications to you, though please know that we always act swiftly on instructions from property owners and provide as much notice as possible to all parties involved. There are occasions when we’re told late-on that we can’t view a property as intended and, as you note, there are also times when we have a viewing booked in but agree a sale on the property in the meantime.

Your commitment to viewing with us is greatly appreciated, and it’s never our intention to cause disruption to your plans. We understand how much effort goes into making a journey like yours to Cardiff, so we truly regret the inconvenience this situation caused.

While we understand your decision not to engage with us in the future, we’d like to offer an alternative that might help if you reconsider. For any property of interest where timing or travel is a challenge, we’d be happy to arrange an initial video call to ensure it fits your expectations before making the journey.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if there’s anything further we can do to assist.

All the best,

The CPS Homes Team.

Antwoord van CPS Homes

20 nov 2024

Hi Toby,

We're sorry that you've had a less than positive experience, and we thank you for your feedback.

We’d like to clarify that while our departments – such as deposits, maintenance, and lettings – have distinct roles, they do work closely together. For example, our inspections team collaborates with the deposits team as part of the deposit claims process. We recognise that seamless communication between teams is essential for providing a positive customer experience. If there was a breakdown in communication internally or in how we kept you informed, we sincerely apologise. Your feedback highlights an area where we can improve, and we’re committed to learning from this to ensure better coordination and responsiveness in the future.

We've been unable to determine which property you lived in, but we know of the contractor you describe. We must point out that we have a panel of preferred contractors that we instruct to attend properties when a landlord gives us the green light to deal with an issue. This panel is made up of trades who have a proven track record of completing work promptly and to a high standard. This contractor is not on said panel of ours, so will have been instructed by your landlord directly, independent of CPS Homes. Remember that we don't own the properties we manage, so we don't have the final say over who comes out. As the owner of the property, if a landlord wants to take that decision out of our hands and instruct somebody they believe will do the job to their satisfaction, we have to go along with it, even if we disagree. We're sorry that your landlord chose to handle things themselves, and the result was that they appointed a contractor who did not perform to the levels that we have come to expect from our own panel. This feedback is something that we continue to use internally, so we thank you for bringing it to our attention during and post-tenancy.

If we knew which property you occupied, we’d be able to shed more light on the condition upon arrival, i.e. whether the cleaning was also something your landlord independent of CPS Homes, or whether it was instructed by us. Both CPS Homes and the cleaning companies we use realise cleanliness is subjective, so we’re prepared for scenarios where incoming contract-holders don’t think it’s up to the required standard and the companies are happy to re-attend to look over the points of concern; ideally meeting the contract-holder there to discuss any further cleaning needs.

As occupation contracts are between contract-holder(s) and the landlord, any proposed deposit deductions at the end of a tenancy are decided by the landlord. We don’t profit from deductions and prefer to return deposits in full as it’s faster and simpler.

Our contract with landlords requires us to document the property's condition at the start and end of a tenancy, providing this report for their assessment. We highlight wear and tear, which is the landlord’s responsibility to address, and note items that go beyond fair wear and tear, which they may choose to claim from the deposit. Once the landlord decides, we share their comments with contract-holder(s) for review, encouraging them to provide feedback. This transparent process helps avoid disputes, as we work to negotiate deposit returns fairly.

It’s natural for contract-holders to want their full deposit back while landlords seek compensation for damages. These differing perspectives make deposit claims inherently contentious, but our process resolves most disputes before they escalate.

If agreement isn’t reached, the deposit scheme protecting the deposit can appoint an impartial adjudicator. Thankfully, most deposits we handle are returned by mutual agreement, with only a small minority requiring adjudication.

Many thanks,

The CPS Homes Team.

Antwoord van CPS Homes

11 nov 2024

Dear Mr White,

We’re sorry that you’ve had a less than positive experience with us. We cannot currently locate you on our database, so in order to verify and learn more about your experience, we’ve approached you via Trustpilot's private messaging platform. We'd appreciate your response to this.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,

The CPS Homes Team.

Antwoord van CPS Homes

Geüpdatet op 29 okt 2024

Dear Leanne,

Thank you for your review. We’re sorry that your experience with CPS Homes hasn’t been a positive one. We’ve reached out to you via Trustpilot’s private messaging platform in order to ascertain which property your soon rented through CPS Homes and when, so that we may look into your comments and respond in detail.

Commenting more broadly until we get that information, we do carry out an inspection prior to each tenancy started and, if needed, instruct a local contractor to perform a clean. Cleaning standards are subjective, and cleaning contractors are not against reattending a property if incoming occupants believe further cleaning may be required. Had this been communicated, we or the landlord would have requested that the contractor visit again and act with your son’s direction.

We await further information on the alleged dangerous sockets. In line with legislation, every property’s electrical installation is periodically inspected and tested, and in line with guidance, items such as sockets are inspected visually between tenancies.

We take pride in conducting thorough inspections of our properties prior to each new tenancy. However, some issues may not be immediately apparent during an inspection, particularly if the property is unoccupied at the time. Certain maintenance issues only become evident once the property is in daily use. While we strive to identify and address potential issues proactively, we also rely on feedback from both previous tenants and new occupants to alert us to any concerns that may arise after move-in. We encourage contract-holders to reach out at any time with maintenance requests, and we are always here to address them promptly with their landlord.

Finally, we feel it’s important to establish CPS Homes’ scope as a managing agent. We are the ‘middleman’, sitting between landlord and contract-holder(s). Our aim is to ensure both sides are adhering to their legal and contractual obligations. The landlord owns the property and holds the ‘purse strings’, so when maintenance or improvement requests are made to us, we pass them onto the landlord with our comments. If they instruct us not to proceed with something – whether that be correctly or incorrectly in accordance with their legal or contractual obligations, in our opinion – we must take their instruction. We will always communicate the landlord’s reasoning to contract-holders and again offer our comments.

We look forward to working with you, your son and the landlord to resolve any outstanding issues you may have.

Kind regards,

The CPS Homes Team.