Countryside Homes Reviews 

We couldn't be happier with the service we received when purchasing our new home. From the first moment we got in touch with Alex Fairall, who guided us through our purchase, the experience was outstanding.

After viewing several new development sites across Milton Keynes, it's hard to put into words just how much better the experience with Alex Fairall and Countryside was compared to other sales teams we met. Alex went above and beyond at every point; he was (and still is, even after completion) available for questions, support and guidance. He is kind, very easy to talk to and clearly great at what he does. He made what is normally a very stressful process just seamless. He is a credit to himself and Countryside - thank you for all your great work.

We're very happy with and love our new home.

Deborah at The Colley's Grantham went above and beyond for me and my mother! My mother had met Deborah on a previous visit and thought her incredibly kind and helpful, and I met her when we made a second visit to The Colley's. We hadn't made an appointment and weren't expecting to run into Deborah, but I'm very glad and grateful that we did! She was very enthusiastic and patient, and helped us narrow down potential homes, eventually landing on our dream one. She was efficient, professional, and nice to talk to. She genuinely listened to us and answered all of our questions. As we were walking through the neighborhood, we were greeted by several other people. It is clear that Deborah is well-recognized and very well-liked amongst the community! My mother and I are delighted and truly grateful to have met her. We now have our sights set on a home and have a much clearer understanding of the buying process, and we couldn't have done it without Deborah's help!

Staff were friendly.

We've been working with John Jackson at the Kensington Fields site to reserve and customise our new home. He's been absolutely lovely to work with, clearly explaining everything in a transparent way and always available when we need him. While we haven't moved into our new home yet, the reservation process has gone very smoothly and we couldn't be happier!

Alex at the Tattenhoe Park development has been amazing! I’d honestly say his customer service is one of the main reasons I decided to purchase a property at this site, rather than with another developer. Alex comes across as transparent, trustworthy and extremely knowledgeable. On top of this, he goes above and beyond to support you throughout the whole process, from before you’re even sure if you’re going to reserve the plot until after you’ve moved in. Nothing seems too much trouble. Thank you, Alex!

Katy and her team have been fantastic and supportive guiding us through the process.

Buying a brand-new home should be an exciting experience, but unfortunately mine has been anything but.
The biggest issue has been the complete lack of communication. Since completing on my property, I have had to chase for updates constantly. Emails have gone unanswered, promised appointments have been missed without explanation, and not once has anyone contacted me to ask how things were going or keep me informed. I have been left to find members of staff on site just to get any information.
The most unacceptable issue is that, despite owning the property for over two weeks, I still have no working internet. I have been told by Openreach that the delay is being caused by the developer, yet no one has provided me with a clear explanation or a timescale for resolution. In today's world, internet is an essential utility, not a luxury. I work, manage my life online, and the temporary dongle provided is completely unfit for purpose - it is so poor that I can't even send emails reliably. I do not believe the property should have been handed over without this being resolved or, at the very least, made clear before completion.
To make matters worse, there was an attempted burglary at the neighbouring property shortly after completion. Because of this, I am not prepared to move into my home until I can have a full security system installed, which I cannot do properly without a reliable internet connection. I am effectively paying for a home that I cannot safely move into through no fault of my own.
On top of this, the property has been handed over with an extensive list of snagging issues, including poor workmanship, damaged fittings, unfinished decorating and missing items. While a handyman attended to fix a few minor issues, other promised trades never arrived, and again there was no communication to explain why.
I appreciate that snagging is common with new-build homes, but poor workmanship can be corrected. What is much harder to accept is the complete lack of communication, accountability and customer care throughout this process.
I expected far better from a housing provider. At the moment, I feel extremely disappointed, frustrated and let down.

Execeptional experience from start to finish! Sammy-Jo was so lovely and made us feel so comfortable with the whole process, we fell in love straight away with our home. From the start of the process to moving in day Sammy was always on hand and nothing was ever too big or too small, especially with chasing things behind the scenes, we honestly couldn't of done it without her.

We've really treasured the relationship with Sammy and will continue to do so.

This is my second time going for a viewing at one of countryside home developments. The buildings are so premium you can tell the difference. The service is also very professional. Alan was graceful and helpful as we came in on short notice and were also in a bit of a hurry. He was accommodating.

Very, very good answer to my emails very quickly very good service

From the beginning and the initial viewing of our new home Sammy-Jo has been just brilliant, every contact we've had and every question we've needed an answer to Sammy has gone above and beyond with explaining things and making sure we had everything we needed at every step of the way. Nothing appears to be too much trouble and the professionalism and efficiency has enhanced the whole moving experience for us. This is what you need when going through a house move which can be stressful just to know you are being looked after this well as a potential new home owner to the point where you are moved in and still receiving all the help you need. We cannot thank you enough.

This company gives standard replies without understanding the actual issues. We have sent photos of the pavement subsidence in front of our driveway to Customer Services many times, but they keep saying, “We’re waiting for a response from the site team.”

After I posted a review here, their Customer Services replied by saying that a completely different area—not the location we mentioned—would be fixed once the site is completed. How interesting! They don’t even seem to understand what the complaint is about.

We understand that the road may not be completed until the entire development is finished. However, we fail to understand why the pavement issue cannot be addressed in the meantime. The subsidence has caused debris and water to accumulate, creating ongoing inconvenience for residents and posing a potential safety concern.

Think twice before buying a home from Countryside Homes.
Due to their negligence, my garden fence was installed in the wrong position, and the issue has remained unresolved for four years. Not only has the company ignored correspondence from my legal counsel, but they have also blocked me from commenting on their Facebook page. Countryside home refusal to address a clear defect, combined with their active suppression of customer feedback, shows a complete lack of accountability.

We have found that once the development has fully sold, the customer service completely disappears. Emails fall short of their service offer, continual calls to customer service mobile numbers go unanswered and straight to voicemail. The office allocated to the region seems to be unmanned (have called numerous dates at a variety of times) and i seem to always be first in line.....then nothing...straight to answermachine. We have left numerous voice messages on landlines and mobiles, sent e-mails, whats app messages of our ongoing plumbing issues in the hope someone may speak to us.........

After nearly 2 years of living at the property we’ve had a leak come through from under the shower where the waste wipe wasn’t screwed on properly and had been leaking all this time little but little, when we took the bottom board off the shower to see underneath there was an empty lucozade bottle and plastic bag and loads of rubble under the shower! I can understand little snags but that is just disrespectful from the builders to put a shower together on top of their own rubbish!

🏡 Beautiful Homes buuut please read the small print very carefully.

The buying experience with Countryside Homes Newhall was genuinely lovely. The team were welcoming, professional and the homes are beautifully finished ✅

But if you're buying here there's something critical you need to know before you exchange 🚨

The freehold estate comes with an estate charge and rentcharge which is managed by Stiles Harold Williams (SHW). I raised serious concerns about the contractual terms with Stiles Harold Williams (SHW) however they refused to budge.

Here's what you may be signing up to:

⚠️ Right of Entry to your home is NOT excluded
🏠 RentCharge Owner can take possession of your home
📜 RentCharge Owner can grant a lease of your house to trustees to raise money owed
💰 No cap on rentcharge fees (separate from the estate charge)
📈 Unrestricted fee escalation
🔒 No right to challenge the rentcharge
🙈 No consultation rights
📊 No statutory right to see Stiles Harold Williams (SHW) full accounts
⚖️ No First-Tier Tribunal access
🛑 No Right to Manage
🔐 Absolute restriction on dispositions affecting your ability to sell
💳 Consent and "premium permission" covenants that you pay for permission on your own property
❌ Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999
💸 Also ask what percentage of your estate charge goes to insurance. Managing agents in this sector have routinely taken hidden broker commissions averaging 30% of premiums (up to 60% in some cases as stated by the Financial Conduct Authority) which had all quietly passed on to homeowners. Multi-million pound class action lawsuits are underway across England and Wales. Demand full written disclosure.

The enforcement mechanisms tied to estate rentcharges are too severe... In a worst case, the rentcharge owner has legal routes to your home 😰

👉 Here's my advice: get independent legal advice before you exchange. Understand what an estate rentcharge means and what rights you're giving up. The homes are wonderful but you deserve to go in with your eyes fully open 🙏

Countryside Homes Team: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Stiles Harold Williams (SHW) Management Company: ⭐

From the very first viewing, Creig at Vistry Countryside Homes has been absolutely outstanding. His level of customer service has gone above and beyond—nothing has ever been too much trouble, and he’s been incredibly helpful and supportive every step of the way.

Thanks to Creig, the whole experience has been smooth and enjoyable, which has made such a difference during what can often be a stressful time. I’m so excited to begin my new adventure at Saddlers Reach and couldn’t be more pleased with my new home.

THE FAIRWAYS, LITTLE HULTON, SALFORD. There is Japanese Knotweed on this site which has spread to new areas. Unfortunately, despite making 2 complaints about this, I am yet to receive a reply and as such, there are continued risks. The existing knotweed is not fenced off and there is no signage to alert people to this invasive species. It is located right next to the public path that runs around the site and I believe there is a high risk of this being spread further. Buyers beware!

As a young couple with a small child, moving out of our first home together seemed like a logistical nightmare, however the moment we visited Alex and Diana in Tattenhoe Park (Milton Keynes) not only did they reassure us of the ease of the process, they guided us from designing the house, to the legal and logistical, all the way from enquiry to getting our new home, since we have moved in we have had regular check ins, and any problems are promptly dealt with, the team are super supportive and friendly and I could not recommend them enough. Best decision we ever made, and a massive thank you to Alex for his hospitality and hard work (which we mainly created!), for giving us the confidence to get on the ladder.

Danielle and Anth, along with the rest of the team on site at Foxrush Walk, Redcar have been fantastic throughout our house buying journey! We literally popped in to the show homes one day just to be nosey, loved what we saw and decided to buy almost straight away.

Danielle was wonderful and answered all of my Husband’s many questions and was so helpful throughout the entire process. She was always at the end of the phone when we had a worry or needed some help and would strive to make the process as stress free for us as possible - and in the end that’s what it was, completely stress free!

Anth provided practical support and was able to help with what we needed when we moved into our house, he was attentive and wanted to ensure we were completely happy with our home.

The rest of the team, whilst working around our home, made sure they were respectful and kept us up to date on any work they were going to carry out that could affect us. Genuinely lovely people all around.

So just a massive thank you to everyone! We absolutely love our new home and know we will enjoy it for many years to come x