The staff at Place First (particularly Darren at Lunts Heath and Isabelle at the Lettings Team) have been brilliant to deal with - they are responsive and have made us feel really welcome. As a com... See more
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Placefirst is an award winning and experienced built-to-rent developer with a growing portfolio of over 1,500 homes throughout the UK. We are committed to building and developing neighbourhoods with high-quality, well-maintained homes, built specifically for rent. We have neighbourhoods across the UK that are created with the community in mind. At Placefirst, we design, develop, let and manage the neighbourhoods we create, and we have specialist in-house teams to handle every step of our residents’ journey. We stay for the long term. Our in-house teams stay on site to manage our neighbourhoods. Placefirst makes renting stress-free so you can get more joy from your homelife.
Suite 7.1, 8 Exchange Quay, M5 3EJ, Salford, United Kingdom
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Dave is amazing, nice personality and all around good guy. He is very knowlegable when it comes to property management. I do think he needs a bit of help because he has alot on his plate which sometimes delays his response time. All and all Dave is spot on.
My experience with placefirst has been an amazing one especially, Jonny, the resident manager. Jonny comes across as a competent, resilient and a patient leader. Though I delayed for my scheduled time on my move in date due to vehicular traffic, Jonny showed a master stroke of professionalism when I arrived. My moving process was very quick and supportive. Shout out to the whole team as they exhibited high competence.

Reply from Placefirst
Asked a question via email as they had pictures of the same property, same layout and size for 3 different prices on their website . I asked for a response via email yet they tried to call me ( wrong number given ) to make an appointment to view , which I did not request. Then emailed me with the same proposal. I responded via email asking them to answer the query .. still waiting !

Reply from Placefirst
Amazing communication from the staff, Dave especially made everything very clear and easy to understand and follow, really nice and helpful. We felt really looked after during the whole process and handing the keys today was very smooth and easy. Overall we are very happy 😊

Reply from Placefirst
Placefirst are the epitome of modern day build for renters companies. They don’t care about their resident or the quality and just want their buildings filled. I suppose it is part of the parcel in this day and age but it is disappointing to live through it.
The thing is they’re not horrendous but they’re not great either. They are unashamedly average but with extreme double standards.
Having lived in two properties provided by them, we were punished for various small issues upon moving out. That’s fine, we accepted this but when moving into another one of their properties we were assured it would be “as new”.
Upon moving in the carpets weren’t fitted on the stairs, hallway and bedroom. This took over a week to fix. Additionally one of the other bedrooms had gum in the carpet and somehow was not replaced - when I complained about it, they said no it’s not gum it’s a burn and we won’t fix it. The carpets are also stained and they didn’t even try to fix it.
Not to mention there were no cupboard doors when we moved in either and they’re all missing stoppers which they said they would replace but have not yet.
Furthermore the dishwasher was fitted on the wonk and the glass hob is chipped and damaged.
Basically they don’t care once you’re in. The houses are fine but the finish is poor; as with most new builds the workmanship is sub par. But I guess this is fine, we’re all British and we will just get on with it.
At least our local housing manager is nice. But that’s about it.
They will increase rent every year and quote national statistics despite being a market maker (They have 23 housing neighbourhoods across England), skewing the national statistics up one neighbourhood at a time. Additionally they quote that it is to match similar houses, but they put the rent up of neighbours who move out so it's again fabricated by their own sly, dirty, below the belt actions.
They also claim premium services yet they buy the cheapest lock to the bin stores they can find which has broken 4 times in the past year and take weeks to replace or even attempt to fix it. Then blame residents for leaving trash out, get a grip.

Reply from Placefirst
Absolute first class and personal service from all members within The Team always there to help at anytime with no fuss just total personal support regardless from initial viewing of my property all the way through with easy guidance in setting up my online application, all properties are of high standard modern and spacious and with great locations within my area.
Colin Duckworth

Reply from Placefirst
I met Mark from Placefirst today for a viewing at Lunt Heath, and he is honestly the best agent I’ve ever met. Mark is professional, knowledgeable, patient, and truly client-oriented. He took the time to explain everything clearly and made the whole experience feel relaxed and stress-free.
What really stood out is his passion for his work — it’s obvious that he genuinely enjoys what he does and believes in the company he represents. He was friendly, approachable, and never pushy, which made a huge difference.
I’m very impressed and grateful for his service. Placefirst is very lucky to have such a fantastic employee.
Stella

Reply from Placefirst
Can't speak highly enough about the team at Placefirst Liverpool, especially Mark and Darren in the Resident Services team, they've both made me feel extremely welcome and helped me out a lot when I was viewing and applying for the flat.
Everyone I've spoken to in the lettings team was also lovely.

Reply from Placefirst
The staff at Place First (particularly Darren at Lunts Heath and Isabelle at the Lettings Team) have been brilliant to deal with - they are responsive and have made us feel really welcome. As a company Place First have been really flexible in agreeing to a short term 6 month lease whilst we are between properties, and helped move things along at pace (despite it being the Christmas period!) to ensure we could move in to our new home asap. We were immediately put at ease when meeting Darren for the first time and he continues to be incredibly helpful. The Lunts Heath development is lovely with a great mix of properties available and great commuting links.
The 4 star rating doesn't reflect staff at Lunts Heath but instead sub contractors and build quality of a new build - we've reported a few snags (which I would expect for a new build) and whilst Place First have coordinated sub contractors to complete works they haven't attended for scheduled appointments. This is slightly frustrating as those sub contractors are on site regularly as Miller homes are continuing to build at Lunts Heath. The online maintenance portal means we can log these calls quickly so hoping things will be sorted soon and we find that any calls logged are responded to via email or calls from the Place First team to let us know they are trying to sort.

Reply from Placefirst
I moved from Sydney/Australia to the UK but had such a terrible experience with the letting company I had rented my first ever property with. After only a month, I needed to urgently move houses, and Place first helped me a lot. From the time I expressed my interest in the property to the signing of the lease agreement, everything went the most smoothly way I’ve ever experienced with any letting agent. All of this was facilitated by Mark Madden, my property manager and a gentleman that every desperate applicant will want to deal meet. Today, my family and I are finally very happy to have finally found a beautiful house. We all highly recommend both Place First and Mark Madden for their amazing work.

Reply from Placefirst
Needed a place in Liverpool and the team at PlaceFirst sorted us out in a professional and friendly manner.
Mark Madden was nothing but exceptional throughout our stay in the property. Whenever we reported a maintenance issue, it was promptly sorted out and a follow up call to find out how the service was.
When we had to move, this was also handled in a smooth and professional manner.
A huge thank you to Mark and the team for taking good care of us.
Regards

Reply from Placefirst
I wouldn’t recommend this company to my worst enemy. If you value your money, your sanity, and basic honesty, look elsewhere. Here is the reality of renting with them:
• The "Leper Colony" Treatment: We lived at the Cross Heath Grove estate, and the management treats it like an afterthought. They failed to mention that the property is completely inaccessible during frequent matches at Elland Road. You’ll see events and attention given to all their other locations to make their social media look good.
• The "Communal" Ghost Town: They love to mention "communal areas" in their feedback surveys to look good on paper, but in reality, they don’t exist they are just car parks and bin stores.
• Incompetent Maintenance: Getting anything fixed is a nightmare. When we moved in we raised an issue with a broken TV aerial, and their "solution" was to send a plumber to fix it. Unsurprisingly, it was never repaired during our entire tenancy. This issue was from move in not October as their response would suggest, just proof of their incompetence. The engineer sent in October did not fix the TV aerial he cut a piece off to stop the shoddily maintained aerial banging in the wind, he was not instructed to fix the broken wiring so didn’t.
• Greedy Rent Hikes: Expect a 10% rent increase every single year like clockwork. They treat tenants like nothing more than a "cash cow" and expect you to be grateful for the privilege of overpaying.
• The Deposit Trap: After checking out, it’s clear they have no intention of maintaining their own properties. They are trying to charge us for repainting and general upkeep just to prep the unit for the next victim. They want the tenants to fund their property renovations.
Summary: This is a greedy, disorganized company that operates like a group of con artists. They offer zero support, nonexistent amenities, and predatory financial practices. Avoid at all costs

Reply from Placefirst
Awful at responding, still currently waiting on a response from weeks ago and now can’t get through to anyone still discussing!!!

Reply from Placefirst
We had an excellent experience living at Scholars View for 4 years. Not only because of the beautiful, clean, and well-maintained place, but also because of our entire experience with the excellent service from Placefirst. Especially with the attention and care from Dave Bellenger, who was with us from our application until after we moved out. He always promptly answered our questions, provided maintenance, and more. We highly recommend Scholars View to anyone looking for a quality living environment at fair prices.

Reply from Placefirst
During our stay at Scholars View, we had a very good experience. Our manager, Dev, was incredibly supportive and always ready to help. We truly appreciate his assistance and highly recommend this place.

Reply from Placefirst
Giving 5 stars purely for the amazing service from the site manager, Sarah. I moved in to one of the elevate flats in 2022 and left this year, and she has been consistently helpful going above and beyond when I've had any questions or concerns. She made the initial move feel really welcoming as I was quite nervous moving to a place on my own for the first time, but she made me feel super welcome and at ease. She has been there whenever I've needed maintenence doing, always responding really quick and explains things in a way that is easy to understand. She has gone above and beyond during my entire time living there and I am so so grateful. Placefirst, please give Sarah a raise! I cannot thank her and praise her enough for the amazing work she has done. She has always been nice to see in the communal areas and will have a laugh with you. She really is the perfect person for the job.

Reply from Placefirst
Loved a property here and paid a holding fee. We were pressured to move in within two days of our credit checks passing and told this was something we had agreed to when we said on numerous occasions that we needed three weeks to give a notice. We were offered 50% off our first month to move immediately but did not get an answer as to why we were being pressured to move so quickly. After abrupt emails stating this was what we agreed to which we refused, we were told they would honour our original agreed move in timeline. After seeing terrible reviews online with similar experiences we decided to not go ahead with renting with them. Having had a bad experience so early on we decided it was not worth the on-going stress and miscommunication. After all of this unnecessary stress we were advised they would be keeping the holding deposit with no explanation of why we were being pressured to move in immediately. Having rented for many years this is the most bizarre and uncomfortable renting experience I have had.

Reply from Placefirst
Renting the property was a great experience! The agents were incredible friendly, efficient, and always happy to help. They made everything so easy from start to finish. They have redone the whole property before we moved and it’s absolutely amazing how clean and new everything is. Mark, Niamh, Mia have been absolutely incredible with everything that I required from the start of the renting process to the moment we have received the keys. Mark is absolutely 10/10 any time we have a requirement of any kind he responds promptly and takes proactive actions at all time. Very pleased with the service and the location is incredible as well.

Reply from Placefirst
It was so smooth and swift all thanks to Mark and Niamh. Great guys and job well done. Best regards

Reply from Placefirst
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