Peerfields, DL17

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

Area is well kept, clean, and safe to live in. However Chilton is one road in and one road out. This means there is not much to do within walking distance. This may change as developments keep popping up between Chilton and Ferryhill.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Initial snags, perfectly. The garden turf issue - they just ignore us (contractors not Avant Homes). Going to speak to Citizens Advice probably as this has gone on for months.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

Nothing - we love our home, only disappointment with is all is the garden issue mentioned above.

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

The location of this site is brilliant! Very close on to the motorway but not close enough you can hear it. The local village is great with a small Sainsburys, a pub, hairdressers, doctors and dentists. Everything you need is within walking distance. The site has good parking as all houses have double drives and it can be very quiet.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Issues were resolved but this did take a lot of reminding and chasing which was a bit of a hassle.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

Write all the snags down and email them so you have a written record. Also be very detailed as to what the snags are.

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

There are no pubs within walking distance except on that is pretty exclusively locals only and one hotel which always looks closed. There is a sainsburies, 24hr petrol station and another shop (nisa maybe), Chinese, fish and chips pizza etc all within 2-5 minute drive, 5-10 min walk. The path to walk to these is safe and wide enough all the way now since this estate was built. There is a bus stop just outside of the estate which I don’t use. Generally there is enough off street parking to keep the street 80% clear of cars on paths.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

The full development layout. There is a pond which I don’t think will ever be filled in. It’s nice to walk round and we’ll fenced off for safety and dog walking. I would have chosen an end plot closer if I’d known

Please share one thing (or more) which you would change about your development:

Driveway side by side parking not one behind the other

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

We moved to Peerfields two years ago and we have met lovely neighbours and seen no crime (touch wood). Its a lovely little area with pockets of new build estates popping up in Chilton which improves the area. We love living here.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

All snags raised were resolved by the management team very quickly and efficiently. We now have zero snags. I honestly cannot fault the building management.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

The show homes sold it for us. It is very difficult to pick out a kitchen style etc from colour boards. Seeing a show home sold it for us. Also I wish we knew about Peerfields years before as would have saved us buying our previous house and part exchanging it!

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

When we first moved in the site managers was excellent and sorted a few minor problems out very quickly and was always available to help. The customer service were good too although some of the sublet companies they used weren’t as helpful which made Avant look bad. Our biggest concern was that we are located next door to the social/affordable housing. We were told that tenants were highly screened and vetted but this was not the case. The girl next door to us was awful and left her property in such a mess that we saw rats in the garden. Karbon Homes were very slow to a action our complaints. When the tenant finally left, the house was uninhabitable. The location of the estate puts us nicely just outside of Chilton which has a reputation of having some unsavoury characters. But also easy walking distance to the local chemist, Sainsbury and takeaway. We are also on a main arterial route for the region where the A167 crosses the A689 which gives us direct access to a lot of places. Due to COVID we are still waiting for the paths and roads to be finished, we have been here for coming up three years. It would be nice to know when this would be complete. On the whole, my wife and I are very pleased with our new home.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

That the social housing companies who bought from Avant don’t vet the tenants as thoroughly as we were lead to believe.

Please share one thing (or more) which you would change about your development:

It would be nice not to have the social housing next door.