Survey of Cliff Edge owners completed in 2024
What are the three most concerning things in regards to your experience in buying a Stephens and Stephens property so far?
16 responses
Lack of transparency. Non existent communication. Failure to acknowledge or deal with defects to building or apartment.
The maintenance fees doubled The non stop leaks in the basement look like they have caused serious damage and Stephens and Stephens don't care I have been lied to over and over and over again by customer care, Paul Stephens and the sales agents
Poor quality fixtures and fittings. General dishonesty from the developer. Poor infrastructure ie untidy grounds, waterlogged garage
Dishonest, disappointing, unfinished
There have been leaks throughout the building since day one that the developers have attempted to cover up and play down. The apartment isn't what we bought based on the plans we bought from. That our service charges have been double the amount than what was advertised but very little maintenance has been witnessed.
Being told lies, more lies and lies again
Communication, honesty, false promises
The flat leaks, the basement leaks, the flooring.
Highly misleading communication or refusal to communicate; Many snags (including rainwater ingress to flat) still not fixed after 2 years; Lack of building maintenance despite huge uplift in service costs
Building not complying with fire and building regulations, major structural and waterproofing defects, unethical practices, conflict of interest
Lack of customer care Poor quality build Don’t communicate and don’t answer when contacted
Dishonesty, I was unaware that this building will be joint with a future development. Paul Stephen’s is a bully.
Lying to us Build quality Disregard of snagging
The snagging issues outstanding in other flats in the block, the leaks all around the site, possible issues from building phase 2
Water leaks in the underground car park; S&S's refusal to do anything about it for more than two years; S&S's abject post-acquisition communication
State of car park , total lack of communication & customer care
What advice would you give to someone considering buying a property from Stephens and Stephens?
17 responses
Run a mile unless you have money to burn!
Don't buy one
Get it crystal clear and legally binding every detail of the spec before you sign. Or just don’t purchase at all.
DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES
On the surface, Stephens + Stephens spend a lot of effort on their brand and design, which we completely fell in love with, but sadly it's a facade for a company that simply lacks care, takes shortcuts and leaves a trail of destruction. If you do decide to buy from them, withhold 10% of your final payment to cover the cost of things you'll inevitably end up paying for.
No way
Tread carefully
I would advise them not to! There is a huge discrepancy it appears between build quality and you cannot guarantee your issues will be resolved
Think twice.
You will regret it
Do not make this mistake as you will end up with unsafe and worthless property. This decision will make your life a misery and you will have a lot of sleepless nights.
Don’t do it!
Do not buy from this developer. Poor quality and lots of defects that are still unresolved after 2 years. They do not respect customer right to a properly completed property.
Don’t, but if you do, get the snagging contractually written into the sale
Make sure all issues are resolved before you commit yourself
Don't do it, or think very carefully if you are considering it
Do your research very carefully , speak to residents. read reviews
Do you have any further comments to add about Stephens and Stephens?
16 responses
We wish we’d never heard of Stephens & Stephens as we now have a apartment that is virtually worthless!
I highly regret ever dealing with Stephens and Stephens
They are a dishonest and mannerless mob
S&S hold their customers to ransom - Helen and Paul know their customers don’t want to go public with issues because their customers apartments will be un- sellable. Everyday I wish I could back in time and never have brought an apartment from them!
If this were a brand new car that we'd purchased, we would have taken it back for a refund a long time ago.
Avoid at your cost
The 80/20% rule does not apply to building. They need to learn to complete a project 100% before moving on to the next and giving false promises to their customers.
Need to finish properties properly before building the next.
We have bought several new properties and expect them always to have a few problems, but the S&S experience has been the worst by an order of magnitude. They just don't seem to care about their customers.
Mr Paul Stephens has major conflict of interest. Him and his wife are registers under numerous company names. They both refuse to speak with buyers or residents once they have their money. Mr Paul Stephens refuses to pay staff and sub-contractors for their services and work carried out. This led to many companies refusing to work for S&S. Moreover, that means that in order to complete construction works, S&S are employing not qualified or competent staff and cut corners wherever they can. S&S construction practices are unsafe and put workers, residents and public at risk. Mr Paul Stephens thinks that he can threaten and bully people in order to get what he wants. He attended meetings with Cliff Edge residents at which he kept repeating that he owns the building and we just live in it. Suggesting that he can do whatever he wishes. Mr Paul Stephens is scamming people. He is a very dishonest and greedy individual who is using his wealth and position to influence people. S&S is refusing to provide copy of documentation that we are legally obliged to obtain. That includes fire safety certificates, building insurance, inspection reports, invoices for service charges, etc.
Paul Stephens hasn’t honoured what he said he would do after last November’s meeting with him. The company has tried to pull the wool over our eyes regarding putting right all the problems they have inflicted on us.
I am very disappointed with defects and dishonesty from the developer. It has caused me a lot of issues and additional cost and challenges
Remove the management
Our personal experience has been nowhere near as bad as other purchasers. All our snagging was completed to our satisfaction quickly and we are enjoying our flat. We are appalled by the breakdown in trust and communication between S&S and other leaseholders.
It really didn't have to be like this
Stephens & Stephens have taken the joy out of buying a new luxury apartment & replaced it with never ending stress .