“Rubbish service, I've been waiting since December for a simple change of ownership certificate. No response from emails or phone calls - any ideas as to how I can get a response?”
“Shocking lack of service. No one responds, answers the phone and the website is not working with respect to payments. Am also waitying for the management pack in respct of a sale. They charge so much and deliver so little.”
“Ridiculously inefficient. I would never recommend them . Property management an utter disgrace . Awaiting the pack for nearly a month with inability to locate the payment inspite of providing a receipt.”
“Possibly the most inefficient firm I've ever had the displeasure of dealing with. Despite my query being 'escalated' and 'prioritised' I am still awaiting a response to an email which has been holding up the completion of a property sale for over 6 weeks. Nobody is ever available who could action anything. Pathetic.”
“We had been charged twice the same management fees because they are unable to locate the payment. We have provided copies of our bank instructions, copies of swift payments and finally bank statements to show the funds had been deducted from our account..... Still not able to find them, they reply between one week to 10 days after each email, they only take calls until 4.30pm. They are a disgrace of a company with zero customer service or any interest in serving their clients. Stay away from them!!!”
“I had the misfortune again to have to try and deal with First Port after they had changed the key on the main block front door for the flat I own. I rent the flat out so my tenants did receive one key but as the owner of the flat I was not sent a new key at my home address despite this supposedly being the process that First Port have.
The locks were changed late last year so this is the second time it has happened in six months and both times now a key has not been sent out. When you do contact the company and they eventually answer you get caught in a vicious circle of nobody wanting to take accountability for the fact that the owner of the flat has not been sent a key and despite countless phone calls and emails sent to Property managers and their management you get absolutely zero response! I can confidently say they are the worst company I have ever had to deal with in my life. Every time a situation occurs that means I have to contact them in some way I despair as I know it is not going to get resolved. And yet year in year out they charge me management fees and increase them for a supposedly better service! What a joke! It would be interesting to see if anybody from First Port would ever contact me after reading this review – I doubt it! Good luck to anybody trying to get something sorted by them.”
“My mum lived in Chapel court friendly place ,the manager Jeanette was on hand for any problems ,large or small she would help sort it out ,we where kept in formed about anything going on in the building .had lovely afternoon before Xmas with singing group with coffee mince pies ,this was all done in accordance with covid guide lines .”
“Had a leak in the roof since Jan 2019.
We are now 2022, with multiple failed attempts by cowboys to fix the problem I am now living in my front room, my bedroom has water comin from the walls that have blown and a ceiling which is the same.
Mould and damp everywhere on ceiling and water coming through when it rains.
Been this bad for week and half and still no contact from FIRST PORT.
I call them and get nothing about nothing.
Even a few days ago, some polite employee told me that there isn’t anyone to deal with your situation and if I could call back Tomo.
Of course, I’ll just keep changing buckets of water till your ready to help
Disgraceful customer service”
“Charging us for re-decorations that haven’t even taken place
Not being able to set up direct depbits monthly to pay service charge
Lost my job due to covid and insist on me paying 500 a month to clear my balance - not possible !
Extremely inflexible
No empathy whatsoever post covid”
“Atrocious services, service charge keeps being raised but no services are forthcoming.
Property Manager is a joke.
Cowboy contractors, suspect someone taking backhanders.”
“I've been trying to claim my refund for overpaid service charge to Firstport for over 2 months. Endless loop of them claiming payments have been made, then apologising and saying they haven't and they'll have to look into it. Endless phone calls, none of the staff seem to care and the service is extremely poor. At this point holding money which they agree they owe me, is nothing short of theft by this awful company
It became clear that there were some huge GDPR data breaches going on which I reported and submitted a Subject Access Request to which they tell me they can't locate the recordings of the 12+ hours I've spent on the phone to them trying to resolve this issue, which in itself is a GDPR breach.
If you ever have a choice stay away from living anywhere that this company manages, they charge extortionate fees, the actual services provided are poorly done, the staff don't seem to know what day of the week it is, and they'll do everything they can to keep hold of any money they get their dirty hands on despite them agreeing it's not theirs.”
“Would give it zero stars if it was possible. The most unresponsive, abysmal property managers.
I'm still awaiting an answer on queries that are 9 months old.”
“Having sold a property managed by first port back in December 2021 I am still receiving almost daily demands for 2022 management charges.I and my soliciter have sent emails plus numerous phone calls to stop this constant harrasment without success.Considering I am registered disabled and firstport are fully aware of this fact I find it a disgrace that I am being treated this way. Their customer service is a waste of time and I suggest you avoid this company at all costs”
“I'm only give these buffoons one star because I cannot give zero or negative stars. Their service is shocking and as a senior property manager who worked in the field for 20 years, I cannot even understand how they could be soooo bad. Stay away for your own safety.”
“Dear prospective homeowner. So... you're excited about a home you like, you've finally hit the big time, and managed to secure a very nice, cosy property for your family.. your troubles are over, or are they?
Welcome to the world of UK Property Law, a veritable minefield where the instant you go for a nice lane walk from your new home, tramping on an anti-personnel explosive device would just ruin your whole day.
That is what you have to deal with here with individual such as Firstport. They take advantage of your eager purchase and lock you into some purely dreadful contractual pay obligations. Builders develop a portion of land through an S106 agreement with a local authority and highways.
When complete, both freehold & leaseholders will in their deed of sale be liable for, rightfully, a service / rent / estate / management charge along with their usual mortgage / rent, both.
What happens is an exploitation using a loophole in UK property law. From the sale you'll hear that the Local authority and highways WILL adopt the commonland and highways "at some point" .. you're not advised, even by unwitting property solicitors, to carefully consider these vague statements.
A read over the S106 agreement also doesn't provide security because: "hey, things change, deal with it." What's usually deliberately omitted from agent sales pitch & legal letters is this important piece of information.
You sign your deed and they, companies such as Chamonix and Firstport (now amalgamated into just one terrifying monster rather than two) ALWAYS attach to your sales deed a Part Title at HM Land Registry.
They own part of your freehold! This is NO LONGER a freehold by definition. By they won't tell you that, until it's too late. When people act like this, you know what to expect, what is coming. You'll do well not to trust them, but it's too late.
The local and highways authority seldom adopt and you're stuck paying indefinitely into a contract you cannot get out of. As such, the law protects these individuals through it's feudal obsolence. It's not been updated. Read about it.
If you attempt to defend or not pay, for almost certain no services and mismanagement, because Firstport and others similar do not keep to their contractual agreements, (they don't have to, they're protected remember), they simply win tribunal cases through default and if they lose, appeal to Supreme Court which guarantees to protect them there.
It is called FLEECEHOLD.
There is a national movement gathering against this misconduct and extortion in the defence of FLEECEHOLDERS for UK Property Law reform and redress from developers and companies such as Firstport, but GOV.UK for 4-6 years have dragged their feet.
Research Homeownersrights on Facebook.. the HorNet Group. Hornets at homeownersrights dot net.. the public need to be made aware.
Fleeceholders have regularly, repeatedly submitted their cases to GBNEWS, Andrew Marr, Lord Stephen Greenhalgh and Best, our local MP's, The Guardian, The Competition and Markets Authority.. and Rip-Off Britain. Some listen, CMA, GOV.UK, HOUSE OF LORDS, ANDREW MARR.. others don't, BBC , RIP-OFF BRITAIN et al.
Dear consumer, I hope the humble attempt at humour kept you reading, but this is with all intent and purpose a very real sober warning. Be very careful. Avoid companies like Firstport, they're crafty and pure evil.
When you buy, before you do, INSIST from solicitors and builders alike, THAT THE LOCAL AND HIGHWAYS AUTHORITY WILL ADOPT THE ENTIRE ESTATE COMMONLAND AND HIGHWAYS, WITH A FIXED DATE WHEN THIS TAKES PLACE.
If you don't receive this, WALK AWAY & DO NOT BUY. If you don't believe, ask fleeceholders & research.”
“First Port are so disappointing. I report an issue, in my case the lift often doesn’t work and it’s very unlikely that I would even receive an acknowledgment.
Quite appalling for a so called management company. In fact do they really exist?I guess they must do in name only!
But rest assured you will always receive there fees on time. This isn’t just me btw, a lot of residents in Sussex Wharf have expressed the same.
Residents in Sussex Wharf will have a meeting to discuss any further dealings with this company should be cancelled.”
