Cala Homes www.cala.co.uk

I moved into my Cala home recently at Farendon Fields and am amazed by the house and my experience with Cala. When I give a review or state an opinion I have to give details so be warned this is a long detailed review. Other detailed reviews helped me with my decision so I hope it well help others!

Firstly - the presales experience was so effortless, the sales team - kept ontop of every stage and moved things along for me with my solicitor so we were able to complete super fast without my needing to do much. Cala offered incentives and a part exchange and the whole process was honest, transparent and super quick. The sales team literally glided us through it all - so easy ! Another thing I love about this team - they promise and over-deliver every time (I've since learnt its the cala way). I've worked with developers who promise everything and then dissappear or require lots of chasing.

Since we have been here they check in regularly and nothing is ever too much for them when you ask for help - super thoughtful! (Even offered to hold the baby whilst we unloaded boxes).

The site teams after sales care is incredible. The deputy site manager is so quick to respond to any questions (and I've asked so many silly things). Nothing is ever a silly question according to him and he is there literally in 10 min of sending a message to help. Annoyingly most of my queries have been user errors rather than anything being wrong and not once has he pointed it out : always a smile and making your question feel super important. This site team is one of the best I've ever experienced - they know their trade so well and are very hands on. (I've been on 2 previous new build sites too).

I had to make this move with my husband in another city and with 2 kids I was so nervous. The site team and sales team have settled us in so well - I can't believe I was able to pull it off alone with the kids. They settled us in like family - couldn't be more grateful to them.

I had a minor issue and the head of Customer Care assembled a small team including the site manager who all showed up to our home on their day off to help us. It wasn't urgent to me but super urgent to them to resolve. They went above and beyond to make sure we were "cala comfortable". So impressed- it doesn't get better than this!

Now for the house - I have experience with other developers and really noticed some big things. Given I was torn between cala and another developer I had to scrutinise everything for a comparison:

1. Cala's basic spec home is every other developers upgraded premium home (with bells on). In other words - every house produced is kitted out and included within the price (quality appliances / boiler / water tank etc) By the time you've paid for upgrades with another developer you've wasted money. So Cala was definitely worth the money !! There's true value in their offers.

2. Cala's known for very good quality homes BUT their luxury feel is not just the materials used to build the homes, its also the details (stunning skirting boards, door frames, really strong quality doors, extra high ceilings, invisible fixtures and fittings). The "instragammable" luxury is in all these details and what I love is the style is backed up by quality workmanship and materials.

3. They are an honest developer in the PX process- they aren't looking to make money on your trade in property like other developers. The sales team are just focused on getting you into your new home and keeping it all simple and transparent!

In summary - you aren't a plot number or a sales figure - you're people to them and here at Farendon Fields they aren't just building homes - they're building communities and helping families with their next chapter.

I am definitely a cala customer for life now...hubby and I are looking at our next onward purchase in the next few years and only lookung at homes built by Cala and now considering looking at different locations that only this particular cala team will be overseeing as there is so much trust in this team's ability and service!

I recently embarked on the journey of finding my dream property, and it led me to Cala Homes. The experience I had with this company, particularly with the assistance of a representative, was truly exceptional.

I encountered a few challenges on the way, primarily related to my mortgage and the need to sell my existing property to make my dream home a reality. Given the state of the market, selling my property in a short amount of time was proving to be a significant challenge. In my desperation, I reached out to Cala Homes, hoping that they might consider my property for part exchange.

To my disappointment, representative from Cala Homes informed me that my property couldn't be considered for part exchange, as the property I desired to purchase was itself a part-exchanged property. However, her response went far beyond just a mere rejection. She assured me that Cala Homes was committed to making people happy, not just selling homes, and she vowed to do everything in her power to assist me.

True to her word, she demonstrated unwavering dedication to my cause. She assured me that as long as I was making progress on my end, they would prioritize my offer over any others that might come their way. Remarkably, Cala Homes remained true to this promise throughout the entire process. Even when other estate agents presented more favorable offers, Cala Homes stood by my side and patiently waited for me to secure my mortgage.

Throughout the journey, her support and attentiveness were truly remarkable. Her commitment to my selling progress and her determination to make me a happy homeowner were evident in every interaction we had. She went above and beyond, ensuring that my dream home would become a reality, despite the challenges we encountered.

In conclusion, my experience with Cala Homes and, in particular, this amazing girl, was a testament to their unwavering dedication to customer satisfaction. They live by the principle of making people happy, not just selling houses, and they backed this commitment with actions. If you are in search of a property and value exceptional customer support and dedication, I wholeheartedly recommend Cala Homes. They turned my dream into a reality, and for that, I am immensely grateful.

I own a 3-year old Cala property in the North of Scotland. I can honestly say that the standard of their customer service is appallingly bad. They show minimal levels of interest, willingness to show their duty of care and desire to provide a quality service. In summary they do not care about their customers! All they're interested in is maximising their profits by sacrificing the quality of their customer service.

I could list loads of detailed examples of this inadequate service, however I don't think this texting box is big enough to accommodate them all.

I am already looking forward to the paper thin / wishy-washy response I receive to this exceptionally negative review. Will they reach out to me and offer to help, absolutely not don't be stupid. They do not care!!

Avoid!

I got a house through the part exchange from cala,they did not do a survey even though they advertise they do and when I found out I had a issue with flooding in the crawl space from the house they sold me, they said they don't have to listen to complaints and only deal with solicitors, I never thought a company as big as cala would be happy for a family with a problem, to be told to go away unless you have a solicitor,absolutely disgusting customer service, should be ashamed of there self's!!! Would give no stars if possible.

Avoid CALA Homes! We bought a house in 2012 from CALA Homes (previously Banner Homes) and have had numerous issues with no land registry approval for the house until 2021 - over 9 years! We have spent hours of time chasing CALA Homes, hundreds of calls and emails, accommodating numerous site visits and also being subjected to stress from neighbours when their house fell through due to the lack of land registry approval. No apology or action taken by CALA Homes despite promises from their Customer service for a goodwill gesture.

The homes look lovely but have many issues - many of which are hidden (eg faulty stopcock that burst, loo that was incorrectly plumbed meaning a leak all over floors, carpets). The process for fixing problems is woefully inadequate meaning that sometimes the same problem has to be attended to 6 times before it gets fixed.

The reason for the one star review is that Cala Homes tried to cover up rather than apologising and accepting responsibility for their mistake. We are taking the matter further with our solicitors but this is a warning for those who want to buy a Cala Home: Make sure you get a copy of the handover file. They will ask you to sign the last page but then if they've made a mistake they will switch the paperwork after you've signed it, so it looks as if you were aware of something that was not the case.

Cala Homes are not to be trusted, despite their slick and glossy sales presentation.

I visited a 2-bed Cala's show home at Kings Barton, Winchester.

My first and foremost concern was its SIZE i.e.: the insufficient space. It felt like this was designed for a young person/couple with few possessions to use as a pied à terre rather than a permanent home.

Here are some aspects I found disproportionate:

The tiny kitchen with the huge fridge/freezer and a big dishwasher

occupying one cupboard and not enough cupboard/worktop space. For me

personally a fridge with a freezer compartment would suffice, but for

the sake of accommodating any potential buyer, it might be better to leave a space for it and customise it later.

Now, the kitchen is a woman's food processing workshop. Similarly as

in a man's workshop, you need space for storing stuff: cutlery, crockery, microwave, various utensils and appliances, food processors, foods, etc...

There wasn't enough space there to accommodate a quarter of my kitchen

contents. There was a washer dryer in a cupboard outside the kitchen. It would be preferable to have a washing machine in the kitchen and a rotary washing line in the small garden attached to the house.

The 2 bedrooms should be at least twice as big. My intention was to use the second b-room as an office, which is a growing trend nowadays. You need space to set up a desk with a computer workstation, printer, bookshelves, cupboards, filing cabinets, etc. Again, that was completely inadequate. There was a bathroom and a separate shower cubicle. They could be combined to release some valuable space and a separate toilet downstairs would be useful.

Also, I would like to see bigger windows to let more light in. This is just my first impression without getting into a more detailed inspection e.g.: checking up on a boiler, heating system, a thermal and acoustic insulation, etc.

And all this for over £400K? Those prices are out of all proportions. I wish there were more female architectural designers to help design homes which after all, are mainly used by women. Although with the huge demand for new homes, they will sell no matter what, but construction of inadequate homes is perpetuating the problem of housing shortages.

November 2019

I recently read an article where customer experience manager at CALA Homes (North) said: “The customer journey is of the upmost importance, from start to finish."

Well, let me tell you about my experience with purchasing a property from CALA. We were misled from day one: extremely poor quality of workmanship, dishonesty about future developments plans and the quality of the sound insulation. During the past 2.5 years I've had around 62 visits from CALA and wrote around 180 emails. The whole flooring was redone, major work with pipes, all windows and a patio door had to be changed due to damage during their installation and later on had to be re-sealed because of leakage. My bath panel was re-installed 2 weeks ago after 20 months - I had to write to the Managing Director because the Customer Service Manager wouldn't organise it. After living in my property for 2 and a half years, neither the communal lights nor the fire alarm system is working properly. This isn't an experience I would wish on anyone. I'm not the only one at this development who feels this way and our "customer journey" has been a been a very stressful one.

We have a Cala home which is now 2 years and 4 months old and we are still awaiting snags that were reported to them in the first 6 months to be repaired.

We have had 2 major issues, one of which is not only a structural issue but also a health and safety issue which they’ve known about since January 2018 and still not rectified. Another large and expensive issue which they got a contractor to “redo” and the repair work was completely shoddy and caused subsequent problems. Cala denied all liability for this, every reason given by Cala for why they were not liable was in our opinion disproved and we are now at arbitration with a view to legal action backed by 2 independent contractors reports on the poor workmanship and NHBC intervention.

Absolutely shocking customer service and excuse after excuse, not what you’d expect from a so called “premium home builder” when you spend half a million pounds!

I apart from all the stories we were told at the reservation stage, I was bullied into signing off my snagging list in order for them to complete handover of the building. I was promised this is normal procedure and that work would be completed within a few weeks. I have been in the property over 12 months now and I am still chasing them to try and resolve. Avoid this company at all costs.