Placefirst Reviews 

I'd like to say thanks to Mark at Welsh Streets in Liverpool. My Mum has been telling me about this kind and proffesional man. He has been helping her with her a few issues she's been having but she couldn't remember his name. Last night when i went round she had remembered his name because he had helped her with her shopping when it was raining. Going to extra mile is sometimes lost by people nowadays but this person definitely has with my Mum. She loves it here and I want to say thank you Mark. Keep up the good work!

My experience with Placefirst has been excellent. The team has always been helpful, supportive, and quick to respond whenever I needed assistance. I’d especially like to thank Mark Madden for his professionalism and genuine care—he made the whole process much easier and stress-free. I’m really happy with the service and would definitely recommend Placefirst.

Living at Welsh streets. The property manager Mark has been great since I lived here. I see him always cleaning the back gardens so it’s clean for my children to play in. I also see him fixing the bins after the bin men have been. My street looks great and we love living with the community here. Thank you.

I've just moved out of the PF Welsh Streets after living there for 2 years. Overall everything has been fine. The application process was easy, maintenance is generally good too (minor bits like cooker dials and a window latch) and fairly responsive (still need to fix the communal garden lights though!). I know people have lots of comments on rent increases but everything seemed ok to me and never had any issues. I did my checkout with Mark a few days ago and everything went smoothly. I asked him to come over twice for pre-checks and he did and we went through everything so in the end the check out was smooth and no deductions. He said he'd action it on the day I left and he did, which is great. Overall though, its a nice place to live! For anyone moving to Liverpool I would recommend. :)

From the initial contact, the customer service has been exemplary. Mia provided exceptional assistance in guiding me through the referencing process, which was remarkably quick and straightforward. Upon allocation of the property, the check-in process was conducted thoroughly and professionally. Dave was both friendly and helpful throughout.

As for the property itself, I am truly impressed. The house is stunning and has been completed to a high standard. It feels like a dream come true, and I can't wait to move in fully . Thank you, Placefirst.

Lived on the Welsh streets for 3 years. Had to move out due to rent increases of above 11% year on year. Not only this but they harass you on a regular basis. they threatened us with eviction 3 times for "missing rent" which turned out to be administrative errors on their end every time. They are near impossible to contact with issues and just want you out so they can hike the rent up for the next poor tentant.

I've read some of the replies from Placefirst to other messages on here and it's infuriating. They are very quick to respond when they get a negative review on Trustpilot... Try getting them to respond when you want to discuss a 13% rent hike or an automated eviction threat. Rest assured, they are not investing in the Welsh Streets, they are exploiting them for profit.

Worst of all, the houses are not even in good condition, thin walls and cheap interiors.

Really bad landlord. Avoid at all costs

What we hoped would be a place to stay for a long time at Place First’s Welsh Street’s development, turned sour *very* fast.

We enjoyed living at the Welsh Streets for one thing and one thing only, our neighbours. Everything else about our experience there was left wanting.

Our rent skyrocketed, with a >20% increase in two years. Placefirst claimed to be happy to discuss ‘individual circumstances’, but instead gave ultimatums and attempted to coerce tenants into signing fixed term contracts whilst implying they’ll be evicted if they don’t.

They rely on tenants not knowing their rights to gouge more money from them. I’ve seen direct correspondence from Place First in which they have tried to claim the full deposit amount from a previous tenant, and then threatened debt collection proceedings CCJ’s unless the tenant agreed to pay more than their deposit ; which is not only not within PF’s rights to do, but also completely morally bankrupt. Placefirst have assets of £300+ million and are threatening legal action to try and claim more than they’re entitled to from working people and families? Pathetic.

Communications from Place First were woeful, especially when discussing rent increases. They would increase rent disproportionately to the point that we were paying significantly more than our neighbour for the same type of house, when we moved in within a month of each other! When this was queried, the response was ‘we don’t discuss individual circumstances, nor do we negotiate. The rent will be £X, if you don’t pay it, we will evict you.’

Equally, they refuse to let tenants use rolling contracts after their fixed term ends, giving zero flexibility for anyone who had circumstances that would require one. I was witness to one example where a tenant informed PF they were in the process of a house purchase so couldn’t commit to a new fixed term, to which PF allegedly stated the tenant would either need to sign the new contract, or be given their one month notice for eviction!

Our neighbours moved out with a small stain in the carpet of *one* room with picture evidence. Having offered to source and pay for the carpet repair themselves, Place First refused and tried to claim the ENTIRE deposit to replace the carpet.

Messaging from Place First is equally woeful. They regularly run competitions for tenants, including ‘Neighbourhood in Bloom’ where tenants are encouraged to ‘decorate your indoor/outdoor area with lots of plants and greenery - the more colour the better!’ The same week this competition was running, they employed contractors to remove things like bird feeders from communal gardens, with their contracted gardeners regularly mowing over any plants that had been planted. When questioned over this, the response from the Resident Services Manager was a literal shrug and ‘this is what we’re being told by the higher-ups.’

For a company that owns and rents over 1000+ properties across the country, it is quite clear their corporate offices, sales teams and directors see tenants as nothing more than revenue generation, with no care nor sympathy for the people living in their houses.

To her credit, the customer service was friendly and relatively helpful when speaking to Sue in-person (Resident Services Manager), I do believe she tried to help tenants when they asked her directly. By no means is she to blame for what is clearly corporate numbskullery and greed.

My advice if you’re thinking of renting in the area? Rent a Plus Dane home in the Welsh Streets neighbourhood, or a private rental nearby. They’re cheaper, and still part of the nice community that is in the area.

My partner and I have been with Placefirst for the 3rd year now and have seen our rent increasing twice to an obscene amount. We understand that rent can increase with inflation, and that the general guideline is cpi +1%, however ours was over 15% in one year and 25% across 2 years.
This feels unjustified, especially considering the quality of the house. Indeed, we had to call 4 times to get rid of the mould in our bathroom, and all they do is repaint over it. Placefirst do we need to remind you the risk of mould to health and your obligation as a landlord to deal with this?
2 stars purely for the area/neighbourhood, the community is lovely, otherwise it would be a 1-star review.
To avoid. You can find cheaper in the area and therefore not be stuck with a greedy landlord.

Placefirst are not a good landlord.
Whilst I love the sense of community and my neighbours in the Welsh Streets, Placefirst are not a good landlord.

We have not lived here long enough yet to have experienced some of the things our neighbours have. But we can say that whilst everything looks nice at first glance, everything is done cheaply and maintenance takes a long time to be sorted (including heating issues in winter) - even though they are charging exorbitant rent prices and claiming that it is because the services and houses are superior.

We are scared to report any faults as we know people are being charged extortionate prices for repairs that are not their fault or are general wear and tear, We are bracing ourselves for the unreasonable rent increase that we know is coming, but we are scared to move out if they increase our rent as we know they are prone to keeping deposits and charging extra (also for general wear and tear issues).

Despite being sold on a dream of a wonderful LONG TERM home and community experience, place first is a temporary housing group unless you are happy with a 30% increase year on year! Lovely neighbours and great community but avoid as the place is riddled with rats/mice, repairs are slow with PF and rents are extortionate, well over priced for the area (L8 Toxteth).

Straightforward process from applying, viewing and being accepted after referencing. Whole process has been quick and easy and Mia has been a great help with anything I needed in the meantime. 1 Month free rent as well which is good

Houses are riddled with mice! You get rid of them then they come back again. Found this was due to shoddy fixtures and fittings, they have left gaping holes between the floorboards and kitchen fittings meaning mice will keep appearing if not fixed correctly.

When asking place first to address this they say it’s a council problem and to fill the gaps yourself. Though after reviewing this it’s actually a legal obligation by the landlord to address any pest issues and to make sure all houses are free from pests. This is not the case with place first.

Infact I’m Surprised that they haven’t charged the mice rent yet seeing any they are greedy corporate money grabbers!

It’s a serious health hazard they will not take responsibility For.

We were sold a lie. No unexpected rent increases, stay as long as you like and make it your home they said.

THESE ARE NOT HOMES THEY ARE COMMODITIES.

Since moving in 2020 our rent has increased a total yearly amount of £3,400. Myself and my partner work full time in the community and now fear we are caught in a rent trap due to the chaotic rent increases and unaffordable exit fees. Past tenants have shared fines of around £4,500 placefirst charging £90 for toilet seats. We are stuck and fearful. How can we leave if we can’t afford to pay the fines, next homes rent in advance and moving costs and how can we get out if they force us to sign 12 month tenancies every year? Don’t put yourself in the position us residents are trapped in.

Even while just living here they rinse you. Our electric glass hob cracked and I reported it. I was charged £180 otherwise I’d have no way to cook my food. When the repair man came he informed me the crack was due to the hob not being installed correctly. When I raised it to placefirst they told me it didn’t have a crack on it when I signed up so it must be me.

Emotionally, I’m sick of seeing my neighbours go from being happy and settled to tearful and broken. A neighbour who is nurse informed me her rent increase was so high she is now working 7 days a week and skipping lunch at work.

They are breaking our souls working class people cannot afford it here. We have been pleading to placefirst to lower the increases but so far it’s fallen on death ears. We are agreeing to them we just want what they originally offered us CPI+1%. Looking back it feels like it was a set up to lock us in.

This is the second time I have wrote this review placefirst are actively deleting reviews. We are being silenced and they refuse to meet The Welsh streets tenants together.

As another tenant has said -
PF: Meet with ACORN and that residents group.
Respond to our demands.
Halt the rent increases.

PlaceFirst need to be held accountable for the distress they are causing all of the residents in the Welsh Streets Liverpool.

We the residents have been bullied and intimidated long enough and are now standing up to this corporate machine of greed and lack of empathy for hard working families.

They promote a longterm alternative to renting, however they continually increase rent at an inflated above market rate increase year on year - they cannot justify this in the slightest. No house rental price should increase upto and over £300 pcm

They say you can stay as long as you love, this means provided you agree on their terms and signed fixed in agreements on their terms. Try to negotiate? Basically you will be told to move out if you cannot afford their rent increase. As far cry from one they preach.

Building communities - Again, the main topic when speaking to fellow residents is how upset they are and distressed, worrying about their next rent increase and how long they can realistically afford to live in a place they call home. People have come here from all over, miss sold the dream, setup roots, enrolled their children in the local schools, built ties with fellow residents. PlaceFirst destroys communities, like they destroyed the original community of L8 when they first built these houses and priced out the existing local residents. Now, they are even pricing out their new residents and don’t care as they believe they will just get new residents paying a higher rate of rent.

If you do choose to leave, you will be met with a difficult move out process. Not only will they con you out of your deposit, they will go as far as to add more fee’s on top to replace carpets, fixtures and fittings (which are cheap I might add) when these should fall under wear and tear. They want the houses immaculate, despite being made for families and animals!

PlaceFirst are still refusing to meet with residents collectively and are still trying to only deal with each resident one on one, threatening with debt collectors if they are refusing the rent increase (which is a legal right of all tenants)

We see the distress they are causing to us, our neighbours and our community and for this reason with have had no choice to come together with ACORN Union to tackle them.

PlaceFirst need to realise and be under no illusion that this issue will simply go away.

We have amassed the residents from nearly 300 houses to take action and ACORN have branches all around the country and we have the ability to make our voices heard and a situation PlaceFirst will not recover from.

We will not be silenced, for us, our families and our community.

Dear Mr. David Mawson (CEO of PlaceFirst),

We write on behalf of the tenants at the Welsh Streets, L8, who are collectively represented by ACORN, and who have drawn to our attention the following:
Annual rent increases, exceeding 20% in many instances
Annual inspections, where repairs issues are raised, often to be ignored
Call-out charges for repairs, billed to tenants, including emergency repairs
Excessive fees to deposits and moving out charges to tenants
Threats of eviction to long-term tenants, if they refuse contract renewal

We are seeking the following:
Rent increases:
Immediate halt to rent increases from 1st April 2025
New rent increases to be capped at CPI + 1%
Repairs:
Standardised timeline for repairs published
Fully costed breakdown of inventory, repairs and insurance policy to be distributed to all tenants
Weekly drop-ins to the office on High Park Street for tenants to speak directly with the property manager, raising concerns and issues.
Publish standardised lifespan for replaceable items in the property subject to reasonable wear and tear (e.g. carpets)
Inspections:
24-hour notices for repairs and inspections to be abided by and agreed by both parties
Annual and 6-month inspections to publish reports and inventory checkouts signed off and agreed by both parties
Fees and charges:
Abolition of fees to rent appliances
Removal of direct debit clause for rental payments

We hope that this letter clarifies the situation and that we can come to a positive resolution for all parties. We are open to meeting with you with representatives from the Welsh Streets Residents Tenants’ Association to draw this issue to a close.

Despite being sold on a dream of a wonderful home and community experience, place first on many occasions made us feel unwelcome in our own home. Our cat ended up severely injured after they conducted viewings in our house. Four of us were living in the house as friends which they agreed to, then a year and a half into our contract made attempts to kick us out of the property, on top of many many more awful and stressful circumstances. 2/5 would not recommend at all, if it wasn’t for the lovely neighbours it would have been a hell of a lot worse.

I could sit here here for hours and hours and write about things that are absolutely terrible about Placefirst. The bully tactics they use being one of my favourite or the time I had no lights in my bathroom for weeks and they told me to get an extension lead and plug a lamp in and rest it on the side of the bath or is it the rats, rats bigger than Splinter just casually living amongst us … But No, it’s definitely the rent increases! My rent has gone up over £300 a month and when I asked to go on a rolling contract whilst I look for somewhere else they said I couldn’t and had to sign a 12 month contract or be out in a month, to then find they do offer some residents a rolling contract! But listen, if I could give you any advice it would be to stay well clear of Placefirst!

I had an online viewing for a 4-bedroom property and loved it at face value. I immediately confirmed my wish to proceed, pay a deposit, and sign contracts—only to receive documents for a completely different property. It turned out I had been shown around a different house without being informed. The property I originally thought I was viewing had already been taken, and PlaceFirst then told me the rent for the one I had seen was £1400 (an additional £150 per month). After a stressful back-and-forth, I was able to secure the rent at £1250, as originally advertised.

We love living in the Welsh Streets—the location is excellent for access to the city center, schools, work, and university. The gated communal garden with CCTV is a brilliant space for children, and the neighborhood has a great mix of families, professionals, and couples. On-street parking is available but no guarantees getting outside your house. It's first come first served, and you have to pray other people before you have parked considerately.

Unfortunately, PlaceFirst’s communication and approach to maintenance have been poor. On move-in, the property was in substandard condition—worn carpets, patchy paintwork, cracks down some walls, and a strong smell of cigarette smoke (a serious concern due to my daughter’s asthma). My concerns were dismissed, and my offer to review the inventory together was declined. I documented everything with photos.

There is an online portal for maintenance issues, which is useful, but the responsiveness varies. I had a heating issue during winter that took too long to resolve. I’ve also had an ongoing issue with water leaking from the shower tray. It’s been patched up a few times, but the problem persists. I went weeks without proper use of the ensuite shower while fixing and sealing was addressed. The sealing was not the best, so here I am about to log another maintenance request.

There appears to be no long-term upkeep plan in place. Even tenants of six years report no repainting or carpet replacements. Despite this, a document uploaded to the portal (with no notification) states that tenants are expected to repaint to a high standard when moving out. It is not good practice or reasonable to expect a property to be left in a higher standard or condition than on arrival. What happened to wear and tear?

Rent increases are inconsistent and lack transparency. Some tenants have seen monthly rises of £100–£300 without clear explanation. There’s no recognition of reliable or long-term tenants. In the current economy, many simply can’t afford an extra £3600 per year. While the CEO has previously stated PlaceFirst rents are aligned with Local Housing Authority (LHA) rates, the rents in the Welsh Streets far exceed the LHA rate for the L8 Liverpool area. We’re told the Welsh Street's increases are based on “market rates,” but no evidence or explanation is provided. The fact that PlaceFirst own 296 rental homes in The Welsh Streets of Liverpool L8 means they have a monopoly. As such there's no real market competition, and a distorted market rate. Tenants are facing risks in terms of long term affordability, in spite of their slogan "stay as long as you like".

There have also been legal concerns. PlaceFirst insisted I sign a new tenancy agreement at the end of my 12-month fixed term, contradicting both the original contract and Housing Act 1998. After tenants sought legal advice and raised the issue collectively, the company appeared to reverse this stance. However, some residents felt pressured with “sign it or leave” tactics—completely unacceptable. It is clear now that PlaceFirst have removed or amended the contracts, without being open and honest. They are capitalizing on resident's trusting they are following rules and laws, or on people's busy lives not allowing them time to fully compare old and new contracts. These practices are not what one might expect.

I was shocked to receive a debt collection letter claiming I was in arrears and had breached my contract—despite having paid the full year’s rent in advance. I was later sent a rent increase letter for April, even though my contract states the review is due in July.

If you choose to rent with PlaceFirst, read your contract thoroughly, keep written records, photos and question anything that seems off. The community and location are fantastic, but sadly, PlaceFirst’s poor management and lack of transparency create stress where there should be peace. If they can address staff training needs, contractual issues, maintenance quality issues and make rents affordable, it will be a great place to live.

So many reviews here are from people who just moved in... I moved into a Placefirst property about a year ago, looking for an affordable place for my family to live near work. At the time, the rent was above many places in the area, but we were willing to pay it for the stability and long-term security that Placefirst offered. Over the course of that year, we found some design flaws with the building, but ok, that can happen. Then comes the end of the fixed term part of our rental contract, and they tell us that if we do not sign a new fixed term, with >10% higher rent, they will find a new tenant. We have tried to talk to them, at least to understand why the huge rent increase when same-size properties in the area are still significantly cheaper, and have received only vague replies. Living here has been a harsh lesson for me.

Don't be conned - Welsh streets resident

All off these 5 star reviews are from brand new tenants who haven't lived the place first experience.

They lure you in with false promises, slogans like "live as long as you love", "stress free renting" etc. They've been very keen to get new tenants to leave reviews because they know that once they have been here for a while the illusion is going to be shattered. Very smart.

I have lived here for 3 years, every year the rent has gone up around 10%. In 2022 that might have been acceptable due to high inflation. But the last 2 years just shows the extent to which placefirst is ruled by corporate greed, not this empathy that their PR people boast about. An empathetic organisation doesn't have to tell you that it is empathetic. Take it from people who have been there for some time, not people who have just been scammed.

Maintenance and repairs take weeks or months depending on how lucky you are, and that is if they even get done at all.

They are extremely pushy if you don't agree your 6 monthly inspection straight away and will threaten to use their master key.

Residents have gotten so sick of their behavior that they are actively campaigning against the company. Check BBC news. Credit to all residents and ACORN union for standing up to placefirst.

Since the activity has started PF have resorted to sending threatening to emails to tenants telling them "if you want to stay sign your new contract" otherwise we won't know you are staying and will have to market your home.

Tenants have the right to go onto a rolling contract so I'm not sure why they are marketing a house unless either party has given notice. Unless it is simply threatening and bullying behavior to get a tenant to sign onto worse conditions.

They will also not budge on their massive and unfair rent increases. They claim it is inline with market rate, but the houses that they are comparing themselves with are just not the same. Plus PF whack extra on for being of a superior standard (which a lot of the time is just not true). A lot of PF properties have damp issues, flaking paint, cracks in doorways and bannisters. The paint they use in the kitchen is so bad it just rubs off if you wipe it.

I could honestly go on for hours about how poor this company is. Queue a template response asking me to meet individually so she can tell me how none of our lived experience is true.

PF:
Meet with ACORN and that residents group.
Respond to our demands.
Halt the rent increases.

DO NOT MOVE TO A PLACEFIRST PROPERTY.

We moved into the Welsh Streets in February 2022 and love the community that we have built. Rent was more than we’d hoped for (a small 2 bed for £825) but we thought we’d be secure and respected by Placefirst.

Placefirst advertises its homes as somewhere you can rent for long term, for “as long as you love”. However this should be “for as long as you can afford our ridiculous rent increases”.

We have been subject to rent increases with Placefirst previously. But this year, they have provided a comical rent increase of £200 (22.3% increase). Other tenants have received £300 rent increases. Placefirst attempt to justify this with “The prices of units can fluctuate depending on several factors, including supply and demand, market rent,  position of the properties, parking, and other amenities”. There are comparable properties in the area which are priced much lower. The position of my property hasn’t changed since I moved in. There’s no designated parking spaces. They also proceeded to compare our rental increase to the “market rate” of their own property listings. I even counter offered with a £100 increase (11.2% increase) but this was declined.

Placefirst have forced us onto a monthly rolling contract rather than a yearly agreement, stating this is because we didn’t sign the documents in time (this was just under two weeks until the increase was due). We received an email that threatened us to sign the documents with “in order to avoid your property being flagged for marketing”. The property wasn’t flagged for marketing. Instead they placed us on a monthly rolling contract. However, other tenants on the Welsh Streets have requested a monthly rolling contract and this has been refused by Placefirst. Placefirst make no sense and use threatening tactics to pressure tenants. In previous years they would send out a single date for inspections and threatened to use their “master key” to enter our properties if we did not reply/confirm the date.

The other week I had to unexpectedly come away from work due to unannounced work being carried out on my roof via a cherry picker. My rescue dogs were in utter distress. There are also a lot of professionals who work unsociable hours. Maintenance work needs to be communicated beforehand. When I spoke to our Resident Service Manager about this, even they were completely out the loop. Placefirst attempted to justify this by stating it was emergency work and it was only in the last hour it had been arranged. Renting a cherry picker in the middle of Liverpool within an hour? Next excuse please. Also, a simple phone call after arranging the work would have sufficed.

They also have extortionate check-out fees for general wear and tear, where almost always meaning tenants are having to fight for their deposit. This has also created worries for when the time comes to move out.

Placefirst are refusing to deal with any complaints as a community, but on a case by case basis only so they can continue to turn us away one by one.