Orbit Reviews 

I spoke today with Jordan I have two queries and he was very quick with both responses and very helpful

Me and my partner bought our first home with orbit and now feel we were lied to and coerced into purchasing a property out of our means.
We own 70% and rent the rest. For this, aswell as orbits poor reputation, we are struggling to sell and have been for over a year.
In our 2nd year of ownership (we'll ignore the lethal has leak on our first Christmas that almost blew us up) we checked our direct debits to find they had decided to back charge us almost £1000 for works the previous years due to a miscalculation. Suffice to say I contacted my bank and put a stop to that knowing full well I had recently recieved a letter telling me the local property mangers where changing as works handt been done - so why would I pay for this?
As part of this ridiculous situation we requested a breakdown of charges and after many months recieved one showing we were being charged for communal parking on my privet drive. The one only I can use as its under my house , not the car park opposite the flats use... which i cannot. We also spotted we are listed as being an apartment.
I live in a emi detached coach house. The hint is in the name.
So this started a still ongoing dispute where at one point we were told all parking charges would be refunded we would be reclassified/the service charges altered and offered compensation. This was roughly March 2024. It took them till November to credit us and the money came from the amount we owed them so no real compensation what so ever. By this point our humor for the situation hd long left the room and having fathered twins in the time it had taken we elected to stop paying them anything to elicit a response. Still no correction of parking charges refund or even communication since June. But they have happily taken my partners universal credit and contacted the mortage company threatening us.
Surfice to say a long time ago we insisted on having everything in writing, be it letters or email, as constantly repeating your self becomes tiresome when they swap service advisors monthly. My guess would be seeing them in cour next explaining that its actually our fault they've been extorting us and struggling to blur the lines between the definitions of communal, designted and owned. We've even offered to sell them back the property but they'd rather see our family homeless.

Had to contact Housing Association by live chat as they were not responding to my emails. Had very efficient person who went to chase up my query. Was much impressed by turnaround speed of service. Thank you.

Helpful advisor

I missed any appointment for my gas test ... I told him I would arrange an appointment. Still turned up and of course I was not there .
The third appointment i was there and had my boiler etc inspected.
He happened to say that he was told to turn of my gas if i was not there.
As he is contracted out from orbit i should think it came from them .
This was on a Friday.
The following Monday another engineer turned up to do a inspection.
I was not there...so orbit got there wish and had my gas turned off for several days. That's why I don t trust a word that they say .

Casey was extremely helpful and gave a quick comprehensive response to all my questions. Managed to also raise repair enquiries and get a date for repair then and there . Great customer service thankyou

Here we have a paragraph from the Orbit Newsletter. Signed by your CEO. "You’ve told us that you want a more local service from us, so we’re making changes to do just that. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be introducing new Neighbourhood Managers – a friendly face who’ll be there to look after you and your area. They’ll be a dedicated person you can turn to for anything about your home, tenancy, or community, and this role will replace Property Managers and Tenancy Services Officers. We’ll introduce you to your Neighbourhood Manager in the next few weeks".

Notice the last sentence? Next few weeks.

This was dated on the 6th of August.

I raised my concerns at the time, knowing full well that Orbit are indeed, an absolute shambles of a company. Having dealt with them regularly for the last 14 years. There weak handling of anti social behaviour I believe is the sole reason for my mother's dementia. They are and have always been cess pit of incompetence, rotten to it's very core.

So of course, it comes as no surprise whatsoever that their rollout of the Neighborhood Manager scheme has been a disaster.

Having been reassured on previous complaints and emails that it was just a matter of time before our new and 'dedicated' neighbourhood manager would be in contact.

Now I've been told that there's a backlog of emails, and that might be causing the delay.

It's been 5 weeks!!!!

Now, if there is a backlog of emails so big that it takes over a month to reply, I'd hazard a guess tha Orbit are doing an even worse job than I ever imagined.

Plus there was only a weeks notice from this nonsense being announced to it being put in place... So tell me? Where does the 5 weeks worth of email backlog come from? That implies that the person before, Megan was doing a bad job, does it not? But wait, she actually replied to emails. So that can't be right.

Let's be honest here. It's a lie. There isn't a backlog of emails at all. You're just running out of excuses as to why after 5 weeks of promises, we have still had no contact from our alleged neighbourhood manager. No contact details for them. Nothing.

Orbit as a whole are not fit for purpose. Your CEO has failed. This new scheme has failed. And I suggest highly that you review my service charge. What am I paying for? You do nothing for me. Nothing.

One particular contractor always makes the jobs fantastic. Mega tall, long dark dreadlocks, cool sunglasses. Hes like the Terminator of Fortem lol but very well spoken...You ask him anything and he can fix it straight away. He's brilliant. Yesterday though he was joined by 2 other guys...all the team were respectful of my home, kept me informed as to what was happening, were quick to excute the job of fitting a shower in n Stratford (I was quoted 4 hours and these guys finished in 2) so we're done by lunchtime. Zero mess left either. Well done lads!

I hear the noise of gardening machinery and saw that they were shearing my tree again despite my being told that it was mine along with the grass alongside my home. I saw two Orbit representatives and approached them and asked the male if he was the person that I'd been in contact with (name not put on here though I do obvipously have it). He said no though did say that he knew of him. I told them that this person had said that the tree and the grass were mine yet someone keeps coming to do them although I'd like to do it myself. Halfway through trying to converse with them and before I could ask them to contact this person and find out exactly what was going on, they moved away and continued their conversation. I thought this was rather rude and dismissive and showed Orbit's general disinterest in their tenants.

Mojo was very helpful and dealt with my enquiry efficiently and provided the information I needed, and has also been very supportive and referred me to the Better Days program. I am very happy with how this chat went.

It was helpful to talk to someone and try to explain the situation and get help without endless time on the phone.
It was helpful they were able to raise the problem with the correct people and hopefully get the issue sorted.
However after already explaining the job - door issue to Orbit they waisted not only my time but Orbit time sending out a maintenance person-Sam that didn’t fix or paint the issue not of my fault. But to then be told by a supervisor that it was my job to fix it. Which was not helpful.

Kaine was excellent ,helpful and efficeint well done

Advised Orbit of problem with security at a property at 17.44hrs 13/08. By 18.04 13/08 their representative, Ryan Shaw had solved the problem and reinstated security. WOW!!

I have just had my grand daughter in tears. She has recently exchanged a property in Chelmsford to lower Belvedere. So far the maisonette is flooded with water, electrics therefore unsafe and have had to be isolated. The children’s bedrooms and stuff all ruined. One repair man after another sent but none of them able to remedy the problem. Some days dont turn up. At the moment the place is flooded. She does not know which way to turn. The water on the floor in puddles the ceiling teaming. An old antiquated boiler and pipes that no repair man has been able to fix seems to be the problem. The family (children aged 9&3 nowhere dry to sleep) I have emailed our local MP on behalf of my grand daughter after she sent me videos and pictures of the state she is living in. Again no hot water for 2 days. My next stop the Ombudsman. This cannot continue. A good housing association you may ask? I think not. Come on Orbit. Prove me wrong. I am worried sick for my grand daughter and her children’s safety. They are petrified that the ceiling will cave in. To isolate the electric must surely be a dangerous situation. Water and electricity an explosive danger!!!!!

Was asked to fill in diary sheets about antisocial behaviour and when I tried to email them to the tenancy management triage it came back with this email is not monitored so I contacted orbit and was given the info at orbit email and was told to send them there and asked for that be forwarded to the tenancy triage people. I then got an email back saying they had passed it on to the property manager, what is going on and still heard nothing back from the triage people

Joseph tried hard to help with my query, but in the end as he could not contact the heating team, gave me the phone number and said to ask to be transferred to the heating team.

Second time iv had to write a review on this disgusting company. Absolute con artists at every turn. Charge you extremely high service charges for thing they just make up. Paid a full year for window cleaning that never happened. Charge you extra for anything they can find but wont help. Our intercom system has now broken which is causing all the flats in our block to miss multiple deliveries. I had medicine for my 2 year old son that has now been sent back to the sender as we missed it twice. Orbit have said they will get it fixed in THREE WEEKS! For the extortionate charges they are already making us pay as well as whatever they make us pay to get this fixed and they are taking three weeks to get it fixed. They also sent out letters a few years ago 2 weeks before Christmas saying they undercharged on service charge and demanding £500 from each resident within 2 weeks or they would have debt collectors at our doors. I questioned the extra charges as I am an estate agent and realised it didnt add up and they very quickly backed down and said it was a mis calculation and it was only £40. Would of taken that money if not questioned. Absolute scum of a company.