Chorus Homes - Huntingdon

Play S.

Been in my flat 9 years and nvr been told on a leap year all rent gets added to ur rent account and puts u in debt, got told it today so they want extra money on top of wat we have been given by uc to pay rent 1st time hearing it since all companies that taken over each other now since luminus

Sebastian W.

I was so paintiant with the repair I needed in our house, a leak under the water tank that is showing on the kitchens sealing. It's been over a year and it still hasn't been resolved, I call, they send someone, they look and it's the same story every time, the person who comes calls someone else. I asked for friday appointments as that's my day off, but they will always set it so it's during my work days. And if I call to reschedule I will be said it will be done but the I get and email few days before the visit that it's on Tuesday. Unbelievable.
Really feel like I don't want to talk to them about it anymore as there is no point.

Sally M.

The workman who came out was lovely. However he couldn't fix the problem, as I told them on the phone it was blown window. So they send someone out just to say, yes it is blown! Now have to book another day off work for the bloody repair, which will be another company! This is why I don't call them! What do we pay our rent for? The stars are for the workman not p4p

Simon P. S.

Great service from the emergency repairs department. A few weeks ago we had an electrical emergency with our cable. An electrician was out within the hour and replaced a burnt cable. Tonight our back door handle broke and we were unable to lock the door. It was repaired in under two hours.

Cailean H.

Awful service and don't bother with repairs of older homes.

Had multiple repairs jobs raised for a disabled family member, it's been almost 2 years and nothing has been done. Chased multiple times, whilst receiving no responses from anybody.

Broken built-in oven, broken hob, mould issues in multiple rooms, rotting door frames and continuous boiler issues with pressure that has been going on for over 3 years, no engineer can seem to fix it..

David K.

2023 Update: Chorus has been merged into the much bigger Places for People housing association. Since this was made official standards have collapsed. Reporting issues has become pointless with agents dishonestly claiming to have attended when they have not. Community wardens have disappeared, fly tipping has increased, everything looks shabby and run down. Formal complaints are closed without any action. A repair has been ongoing for years now and there are real issues with record keeping and communication. I'm still very grateful for my home but things aren't what they were at all.

Original review:

Chorus Homes is a housing association who have been my landlord since 2018.

The previous name of Luminus was tarnished by the evangelical Chan Abraham who enjoyed imposing his beliefs on staff and tenants alike with penalties for those who refused to conform. Ultimately he was forced out and his weird cult dismantled. Luminus was first taken under the Places for People umbrella then renamed as Chorus Homes before being fully subsumed by Places for People in 2022.

The changes included a move to assured tenancies for all and the company seems more streamlined and efficient. It has reduced the amount it is taken advantage of by outside contractors by keeping more in house.

It is a large organisation and I had a number of problems with poor advice and misdiagnosis of faults earlier in my tenancy. After filing a formal complaint however an excellent manager took ownership of the case and all issues were resolved within a reasonable time frame.

I have never had an issue with any of the staff who have attended the property, they are universally friendly and professional even when they have failed to remedy a situation.

The property was in need of decoration and it's a shame the (new) carpets were ripped out but I understand the reason this is done. I had to do a lot of prepping, filling and painting but nothing abnormal for a social rent.

My immediate neighbours (block of four) are great. There was a problem with noise from a neighbouring property where a tenant was blasting music at full volume from open windows but this was dealt with quickly and efficiently by the neighbourhood team without any suggestion I should confront the aggressive and clearly unwell individual directly as other landlords in the past have demanded. There has never been a problem since.

Communal areas and especially the shared garden space can be poorly maintained and work such as painting slapdash - when the front door was repainted blue gloss was left all over the floor and still there now which is unfortunate. It is noticeable that only properties visible from the street are kept looking nice and those set further back appear run down.

What else? The bathroom is ancient but well built and functional. Kitchen is very well done though also getting on a bit. Low energy lighting has been fitted in both areas and mains smoke/heat alarms provided. A new boiler system was put in recently and this is far better than its (very) old predecessor in terms of efficiency and reliability. Everything has been well insulated and I only need to use heating for a couple of hours a day in the colder months.

It is very affordable, well under half the increasingly inflated 'market rent' charged for private rentals here in the south east. Of greater importance to me is the security offered by knowing I will not be thrown out with two months notice by a private landlord then faced with ridiculous fees and costs to secure another home (or hit with a revenge eviction for daring to raise issues). It is a scandal that so little social housing stock is available these days and I am more than aware how fortunate I am but that's another discussion.

In summary I would absolutely recommend Chorus Homes as a landlord. Any outstanding issues are minor and I work hard to maintain and improve the property as do my neighbours.

Jess R.

Just had a new boiler fitted and the Luminus team where absolutely fantastic with dealing with the problem.The engineers what were sent round to my house were well mannered and fitted the new boiler efficiently and professionally.The job itself was a huge job to do,I was not aware of how huge the job was and the engineers did a brilliant job fixing it.They were very considerate of my family and keeping me up to date with what was going on with the job. I want to thank luminous for fixing the boiler and their customer service was brilliant , I would definitely recommend them to a family or friend.

Brian A.

Disgusting service charges for the most poorest families hence they in council housing rising over 500% . I had one family in tears stating what with energy prices and fuel prices they now been hit with 230 pound rise in their service charges . Chorus homes don't want to carry out repairs only quick fixes

According to Chorus homes this block just cleaned they done skirting boards ..there is none they washed floors they didn't they wiped down brick walls . Swept 3, flight of stairs according to them took one hour 15 minutes actual time 14minutes then charging over 60 for the visit . Clearly not the best homes and inadequate services . Cleaning service started by director of Luminus now Chorus homes something don't smell right .
Update to tenants please check your ground maintenance charges as recently found out that you are being charged for other streets grass cutting .

Second update ..block cleaning now being charged £25 a month each so 6 in a block £150 a month Chorus homes quoting that they have increased cleaning to four times a month but your charge for this service up by 8 times the a month the cleaner getting minimal wages hence huge profits being made as cleaning time one hour allocated. If unhappy with services make stage one complaint this will get no where make stage two complaint to follow procedures . Mediation followed by omnibusman compensation payouts as Chorus found to make profits on service charges . Hope this helps the less fortunate tenants .