Acorn Property Group Reviews 113

Beware! I live on a prestigious Acorn development in Bath completed in 2021. The freehold of the common areas which include parkland and a tennis court for the enjoyment of residents should have been transferred to a residents management company on completion of the development. However Acorn appear to have continuously delayed the transfer of the freehold for no apparent reason. No explanation has ever been given to my knowledge why Acorn won’t transfer. This constant prevarication is not only in blatant breach of the S106 and planning permission, but the individual sales contracts for each property sold where purchasers were ‘promised’ a stake in the common facilities. Furthermore it is commonly accepted the estate is now slowly deteriorating under Acorn’s stewardship as we approach 6 years post completion. So beware if you have been promised a stake in ‘marvellous’ common facilities for your enjoyment on your Acorn development - it looks good in the sales brochure but you may be bitterly disappointed!

As we approach 6 months since our move-in date it feels like a fair time to review Acorn following our purchase in Nailsea.
We never pictured ourselves moving into a new build, however, our chain fell through and with school starting for our eldest we had to find a house.
From the first visit Acorn were great. Jessie took over our account and made everything super smooth with great communications in the lead up to purchase, especially at pushing our solicitors!
Team on-site are attentive and have built a modern brick house with zero major issues; any and every snag has been logged and they are working through them.
Consider the new build, especially if it's from Acorn.

Vince and Joady had to replace all the planks on our deck because they were splitting because of being badly fitted. They got the job done brilliantly, suggested a better layout for the new planks which looks a lot better, and where decisions had to be made they involved us. Great job

Since we have been dealing with Justina on Clixifix, all outstanding issues have been dealt with quickly and efficiently and her comms have been exceptional. We have been kept up to date on a regular basis and should any further issues arise, we feel confident that Justina will get things sorted.

Vince and Joady responded immediately to our request to fit an AAV in the roof space. Very satisfied, thank you.

Their support has been good. In particular Vince their engineer has been very helpful in seeing to all of our snags in our new build home. He has gone above and beyond on more than a few occasions!

On their website Acorn property Group state that in the Cubis Bruton Project ‘The architect and landowner will receive a profit share and both have retained a plot of land on which we will build their respective homes’ this is not true we the architects in the project have not been allocated a plot of land there will be no house built for us or any profit share. We have requested this is removed or corrected on several occasions over the last 2 1/2 years and nothing has been done. Do not trust this company we wish we hadn’t.

I have lived in my apartment for exactly two years and overall, my experience has been extremely good.
The main problem I experienced was that I had to wait three months for my flat to actually be released. It had been completed but for reasons I have never been able to discover, all of the apartments had not been passed for occupation.
Once I had gained entry I was very impressed by the quality of my apartment. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it and its continued in that way up to the present. The level of insulation is excellent and the triple glazed windows prevent all but the loudest nosies (emergency vehicle sirens) from being heard. So apart from the expensive delay at the outset I have been very happy with Acorn. The Sales staff have been able to answer any questions I had

My son bought an off plan property with Acorn- shockingly poor build quality with non- existent follow up re snag list as they had promised- BUYER BEWARE!!

While the marketing and sales team at Bucklands Place were professional, responsive, and genuinely helpful in getting our purchase over the line, our experience since moving in has been unacceptable.

We have now been in our home for nine months with a long list of snags still unresolved. An example of this is since we have moved in our whole downstairs ceiling is defected and needs redoing with no signs of this starting 8 months later. The building team’s communication has been poor, progress slow, and accountability lacking — our driveway, for example, was only completed this week. Even more concerning, several snags have now been refused on the grounds that “too much time has passed,” despite the delays being entirely caused by their failure to take action. Some of these rejected items are in breach of building regulations, highlighting a worrying disregard for both compliance and customer care.

The location and potential of Bucklands Place are completely undermined by the poor quality, lack of urgency, and unwillingness of the building team to take responsibility. We would strongly caution anyone considering buying here to ensure all snags are addressed before completion, as aftercare has been severely lacking.

We have tried to get in contact with customer care with little being done, hopefully something can be done to turn our experience around. This one star review is purely due to the aftercare being so poor for a premium house. This does not reflect the lovely sales team namely Helyn being so helpful and friendly throughout.

I would strongly caution anyone considering buying a property from Acorn Property Group.

My experience has been nothing short of infuriating. I discovered a scratched window pane shortly after moving into my house at The Old Paintworks in Frome. Unfortunately, due to the dark and rainy weather at the time (December), the scratch was not immediately visible and was missed both by Acorn and the snagging company during their inspection. Despite this very reasonable explanation, Acorn have flatly refused to accept responsibility because it wasn’t reported within their arbitrary time frame.

In what seemed like a half-hearted attempt to address the issue, as a gesture of good will, they sent over a plastic surgeon to "polish" out the scratch. This made things worse, not better. The polishing was so aggressive that it distorted the view through the glass, effectively ruining the window. Yet, Acorn has continued to deny responsibility and refuses to replace the damaged pane.

To make matters worse, their aftercare team has been shockingly rude and dismissive throughout this entire ordeal. They’ve all but implied that I caused the scratch myself (as they are denying it was them)—a truly insulting and baseless accusation. When challenged, they backtrack and obfuscate. There is no accountability, no empathy, and no willingness to do what’s right.

The customer service is abysmal, and their refusal to stand by the quality of their product is despicable. I am left with a flawed window through no fault of my own and zero support from a company that should be taking care of its customers.

I am now exploring all public avenues to raise awareness of this issue, including sharing my experience with local and national media. I would strongly advise potential buyers to think twice before trusting Acorn Property Group with one of the most important purchases of their life.

Every time Vince comes over to do works he’s so helpful and always goes above and beyond to make things look great or help solve a problem. He’s always really polite and friendly and clearly loves his job which also shows in the quality of his work.

It's often said that an organisation is only as good as its people and this was the case for me. Whilst there have been 6 years of issues with a leaking garage roof, the final resolution to the problem which involved Vince and more recently Jaody, has been everything you would hope for. There has been a clear understanding, assessment, plan of works, repairs and checking that all is now well. Instrumental in this has been Vince. Vince has been clear with me as the customer and with the company about what was required; monitoring and assessing the work of specialist roofers and carrying out all of the work that was his responsibility. Vince paid great care in his work, as if it were his own property, ensuring it was done correctly, tidily and to an excellent standard.

We have had great dealings with ACORN and are more than happy with their professionalism and expertise.

I invested some of my SSAS pension into a Loan Note Agreement with Acorn. It was a 4 year agreement and has just matured and been fully returned to my SSAS account with the agreed yearly accrued interest. It has been a great experience for me dealing with Acorn. I had regular updates during the entire 4 year period re where my money was being invested. Big thanks to Eilidh who sorted out the seamless return of my investment.

I am posting this review to highlight concerns regarding the transparency of Acorn Property Group’s Trustpilot reviews. A recent five-star review, posted on 21 October 2024 by Patty Pereira Taylor, raises questions about a potential conflict of interest. Ms. Taylor is an employee of Caesarstone, a company that supplies materials for Acorn’s developments, including Bucklands Place in Nailsea. Despite this business relationship, the review was presented without disclosure, potentially breaching Trustpilot’s guidelines on review authenticity.

This is not an isolated incident. On 11 May 2023, Acorn's own Group Financial Controller, Yonatan Ayele, left a five-star review while appearing to be an independent customer. When questioned, Acorn confirmed Ayele was an employee but also a purchaser. However, this relationship was not clearly disclosed upfront, which raises concerns about the integrity of their reviews.

A broader review of Acorn Property Group’s Trustpilot ratings reveals a striking pattern: an unusually high number of five-star and one-star reviews. This imbalance suggests the possibility of selective review moderation, where negative feedback may be discouraged or removed while positive reviews from internal or affiliated individuals remain visible. Transparency is essential for consumer trust, and review platforms should ensure that all reviews - whether positive or negative - are treated equally.

I have personally had a negative experience with Acorn Property Group, and their approach to customer engagement and transparency has significantly eroded my trust in their business.

A Word of Caution to Potential Buyers, Investors, and Landowners.

Anyone considering buying a property from Acorn Property Group, investing in one of their unregulated investment schemes, or entering a joint venture as a landowner should proceed with extreme caution.

Buyers: Ensure you conduct thorough due diligence on the build quality, completion timelines, and contractual obligations before committing to a purchase.

Investors: Acorn offers investment opportunities that are unregulated, meaning they do not fall under the protection of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). This means investors have little to no recourse in the event of financial losses or disputes.

Landowners: Those considering joint ventures with Acorn should seek independent legal and financial advice before signing agreements. Ensure all contractual terms are clear, fair, and enforceable, as disputes over land agreements can be complex and costly.

Trust and integrity are vital in the property sector, and I urge Acorn Property Group to take steps to ensure all reviews on this platform reflect genuine customer experiences without undisclosed affiliations.

Trustpilot has confirmed that the above review meets its guidelines and will remain published on its platform. (Ticket #31728934)

Brilliant and tidy resolution of snagging. Thanks

Thankyou very much Vincent for your due diligence and commitment to putting problems right.Without your perseverance and ability we surely would had had bigger issues.
Hopefully Acorn will listen to your recommendations and act accordingly in the future.
Regards Dave and Terri Mitchell

Being a valued client over last 4 years its all gone downhill last year having 3 investments inc 2 isa leaving me being taxed at source and losing over £2800 which i was never told about. As you can imagine im pretty pissed off as the total lack of communication and help has led me to invest elsewhere. Management awful and only help i recieved at the end was communication from Harry. Beware before you invest and find out about any small print to be on the safe side.

This relates to my previous review where I complained that Modbury, the new property management company for the Courtyard at Duporth, have made application for payment on the 6th Jan 2025 declaring it to be overdue if not paid by 1st Jan 2025! The hugely increased service charge being unsubstantiated. Following multiple complaints/questions from residents they issued a general response but with still no proof or justification for the increased/added costs and some important questions ignored altogether.

They cited TP1 obligations of the residents in order to encourage immediate payment. But the TP1 works both ways - they have to supply actual spend accounts for the previous year, to say that they have not received actual spend accounts from the previous property manager (Penina) is not an acceptable excuse. Surely Penina are obliged to hand the accounts over? Did Acorn (the landlord) not facilitate the handover?
Penina have never supplied clear actual spend accounts so residents have never been able to see exactly how much of and on what their money was spent. I am still owed reimbursement for terrorism insurance that was erroneously placed on the estate insurance last year.
Now the residents are being threatened with debt recovery:
‘Owners who choose to withhold payments will unfortunately need to be referred to the arrears recovery process. This is not our preferred approach, but it ensures fairness for all owners and protects the development as a whole’.
According to the TP1 until actual spend accounts are available and issued to residents the property manager only has the right to ask for half the estimated payment for the forthcoming year. So Modbury need to reissue their application for payment and return half the payment to those who have already paid the full amount. Then get to work on those actual spend accounts.

Also Modbury/Acorn still need to address the unanswered questions raised by myself and other residents. The most important being about shared costs between the estate and block where the split is apportioned, which a leaseholder has apparently influenced - initially Modbury admitted that a leaseholder had kindly helped with the invoices but they are not saying that now. This shows bias. Acorn/Modbury must be 100% sure that costs have not been unfairly skewed in the leaseholders favour (causing estate contributors to pay more than they should). Whilst costs are shared we can never trust them. How can the estate insurance possibly cost £2577.65? We have a g2 listed Clocktower in the ‘private’ grounds nevertheless it shouldn’t cost anywhere near this amount. Estate and block should have separate insurance policies. Separate everything, ne’er the twain shall meet. How difficult can that possibly be to achieve? I have requested insurance policy details and a copy of all the invoices but they are not forthcoming.

I have tried raising all of the above and more with Modbury and AcornPG and Acornblue but got no response, not even an acknowledgement, from any of them, so I am forced to put it in a Trustpilot review.

I was initially very happy with my Courtyard property but what with its lack of insulation, it’s dodgy heating and the property management mess, also I have to pay two estate service charges - yes two, I now regret my purchase.
Update 29/1/25: Modbury are not in direct contact, despite numerous requests from me by email and on their online system - no response. And no actual spend accounts either.