BNS Property Services Avis 164

BNS was contracted to manage the communal areas of this urbanization on January 1, 2019. they appear on the Companies House website as having been incorporated in March 2024. The former management company resigned due to increasing difficulty in managing this development. They did not cite names.

There is an history of emails with BNS asking that they carry out remedial works and maintain the communal gardens, ignored - mostly. A lengthy gap of three months - Spring 2024 - communal halls and stairs not cleaned. The porches and bin store are never cleaned and one resident has taken the responsibility of clearing the bin store of fly tipping, etc., and cleaning the porch. BNS uses agency staff, incurring further cost.

BNS take instruction from Staverton Marina Management Co. Ltd. (SMMC). There is, at the present time, just one remaining director, who refers to me as "it" as in "it" has raised it ugly head...." This director denied that a leak originating from the en suite of the flat above, causing a cascade of water through the light fixture in my hall existed and refused to act. I am reliably advised that there is a considerable build up of mildew in the shower cubicle that would uphold my notification that the leak arose from that flat. The position that the director took in this matter is unacceptable and may be unrealistically biased against me in favor of the other party. (Doc.)

At the present time, this 18 year old development is in a very run down condition. Guttering that was damaged by a fall of coping mortar in 2016 was brought to the attention of management and ignored. The guttering is still awaiting replacement and repair to the stained brickwork. Two further falls in 2018 at the front and rear of the property could have caused severe injury or a fatality. BNS was not on board at this time.

The communal gardens urgently require remedial attention. Trees and shrubs, at the front and rear are diseased, dead or dying. Only the grass is mowed twice a month by a private person, operating from the trunk of his car. Several maple trees have appeared in the middle of a Red Robin shrub. Advice of their presence - ignored. The far end of the property is consistently ignored and this is where most of the problems are located. A prunus that management had cut back to form into a bush is diseased and almost dead. A three foot high temporary wire fence was removed and replaced by a wood fence, leaving a large area unsecured.

The windows have not be cleaned this year. The guttering and roof requires clearance of moss and debris.

Guttering above the entryway canopy is not aligned with the brickwork leaving a gap where rainwater cascades down into the mailboxes soaking residents' mail. Ignored. AGM 2018 - Chairman advised that the mailboxes are demised to the individual apartments. Emails asking how we were expected to maintain them - ignored.

The intercom system push buttons do not show apartment numbers. I created a color coded list showing which push button related to which apartment. An SMMC director, in the process of removing furniture prior to completion took the notice down twice. It showed that their flat did not have a working doorbell. The new buyer has advised that they were not made aware of this omission.

All emails dating from August 28 to October 5, 2024 have disappeared despite sophisticated encryption and security. Among those missing is an email thread from BNS who wrote confronting this reviewer using the reviewer's personal email address regarding the negative reviews. BNS followed up and issued an email alleging "Unreasonable Behaviour" and quoting an unrealistically high number of emails that they claim I had generated following up requests for essential works and maintenance to be carried out that had been ignored. This may be age discrimination as BNS do not recognize that my age group - 80+ were educated differently.

NOTE: BNS appear to regard "Follow Up" as "persistent" and "Unreasonable Behaviour!" The email, from Customer Service was sent anonymously! Why?

Had works and maintenance been carried out within a reasonable time period, there would be no need for follow up.

There has been a considerable turn over of personnel and a change of ownership. Inquiries into the structure within BNS were met with the statement "you are told what you need to know." This is completely unacceptable. The background of any contractor would be checked before contract and changes queried!

BNS, appear to believe that they have the right to reprimand, challenge and give instruction to the shareholders who pay their salaries. Absurd, but common practice. They believe that they are "the boss." I think not. No contract = no salary!

The right of shareholders to a "voice" appears to be in jeopardy.

Avoid these guys like the plague.
Ultimately they issued a section 24 notice to install gates and a perimeter fence. Which were never provided and the money was never accounted for.
NO accounts were submitted by them for the last few years! FORCING US directors to submit non trading accounts so putting us directors in breach of our duties.
WHEN WE FINALLY LEFT, BNS charged for work not done AND it took over a year to get MOST of the money back they owed us. NO "hand over" accounts were submitted.
THE NEW management company is collecting the same monies, but we can actually see work being done - unlike BNS. AVOID BNS like the plague.

Dreadful company. Ignore all issues in your building but keep putting fees up for a drop in service. If you see BNS as the management company of your property, run a mile!

Expensive and do not respond to queries. It is almost impossible to speak to anyone in the company.

Thank you for your reply albeit I am very surprised you had the time and a member of staff to reply.

One question for the fella from the circus ( Simmons ) why is it you seem to have a different accounts manager each and every time I call, only to be met with the same ( oh so and so has left the company) speaks volumes of this car crash of a company.

I have on numerous occasions requested a meeting with the head clown as named above but he is spineless and hides behind the staff as I have previously mentioned in a previous review hence he can’t keep his staff.

Man up and grow a set Simmons and Agree to a meeting,

worst company I've ever dealt with in my life! no one takes responsibility, the account managers are changing all the time, no one picks up when you call them - absolutely terrible!

Going to ombudsman about them .
2 properties were managed ( haha)
By them ,not anymore

Useless , they fitted a new communal door to block of flats , didn’t fit security lock until a week after . 5x phone calls , now 3 weeks later flats are getting no letters as they didn’t fit a letter box , keep phoning and keep getting fobbed off so no letters for three weeks , how hard is it to fit a letter box , lock and letter box should have been fitted when door was fitted, reading the reviews I can see this is a bad company that are not professional

Repair work to guttering damaged by a fall of two chunks of coping mortar, now dating back to 2016. Persistent requests for repair ignored.

Email from BNS:

"....your requests for repair will be reviewed and I'll advise once a decision has been made..."

A further fall of coping mortar front and rear of the property that could have caused life changing injury or fatality was reported in 2018, with more coping mortar overhanging populated areas, ready to fall. (Doc.) Remedial work carried out but that did not include repair to the guttering, the subject of the 2016 report! (Doc.) Still under consideration....?

Routine maintenance is not carried out. Is whether or not routine maintenance is carried out also the subject of much "pondering" by the two BODs of Staverton Marina Management Co. Ltd., (SMMC?)

Communal gardens and landscaping - out of control - and works and planting that were promised as far back as 2018 - we still wait with interest and concern. In one case, landscaping and maintenance work has been so neglected that a ground floor window is completely obscured by overgrown shrubbery, etc. Still being "pondered upon - possibly?

A temporary wire fence was removed in 2022 with no replacement and a spike of wire dangerously protruding from a fence post has still not been clipped back after constant reminders. Constant alerts regarding the total lack of security at the rear of the property. A three foot high fence affords no security whatsoever.

Why did SMMC recommend BNS to the shareholders? Is it possible that SMMC either do not have confidence in BNS, or are they reluctant to spend our management fees on routine repair and maintenance? Are our management fees gathering dust or interest?

Nil pointe!

2 July, 2024 - two man gardening crew sent out to clear shrubbery that was very evident and in clear view when driving down the cul de sac. It was totally out of control, obstructing a ground floor window, and immediately adjacent to council land. Comment by team leader that they were leaving the shrubbery that bordered a high boundary brick wall (about 10') higher against the wall so that "the little s----s do not jump over it")! The same ethos, apparently, does not apply to the rear of the property - a three foot high fence and no security anywhere. CCTV prohibited! Constant vandalism and theft. (Doc.)

Management claim that they did not know that this area was their responsibility to maintain. Surely, SMMC knew this! There is an architectural plan that was in the possession of the original salesman, and should be in the possession of BNS/SMMC. Despite my repeated alerts, this too, was ignored. I produced a copy of the plan several years ago when additional planting was being put in. Laughed at and ignored. SMMC chairman refers to me as "it" as in "it has raised its ugly head..." Response to a leak from floor above. (Doc.)

Much needed maintenance put off until August 2024. No mention of repair to damaged guttering.

Usual generic response from BNS on this site. Interesting, that! Until just the last couple of days, my alerts have been systematically ignored, and I have addressed this with BNS. And now, suddenly, a reaction!

On new development in Wiltshire which BNS took over in April 2024, still waiting for response about grass cutting for over a month. Yet they were so quick to send an invoice. Very disappointed and improvement needed.

Have been trying to contact BNS for several MONTHS to chase documents that are holding up the sale of a property.

We have left 6 messages asking for the accounts team to call back in 2 weeks and have had absolutely no communication. This is appalling service.

Been with BNS for over 3 and half years and no matter who it is who comes through the door it’s the same story. Third email and call trying to get an explanation on a serious matter with no response. Avoid at all costs. Repeatedly failing.

A great service from BNS Property Services.
I booked a private EICR BNS and am really please I did. Electrician Liam Parry arrived promptly. He was really thorough and so polite and respectful of my home. He took the time to explain everything at the beginning and then the results at the end of the inspection. The follow up care is great too. I am and will be using BNS and Liam again.

Really impressed with the service we are getting on our site at Springdale.
Ioana Sava has been really good at sorting out the issues promptly. Hope she stays as she is much better than our previous managers.
Thanks

They don’t fix any problems that are wrong with the property. The amount of service charge they get from all the units and they can’t do anything. Our gates have been broken for a week. 1 elevator out for 2 weeks and the 2nd out for a month. Our front doors to the building have been broken for 5 months now. There is flooding and electrical problems frequently. They don’t clean the exterior of the building and they won’t fix the disability elevator for the stairs outside the main building.

The retirement village where I live has just appointed BNS Property Services to take on our village. I had difficulty logging on to my new account because of my password difficulties. I explained this on their form and a few minutes later I was then able to access my account along with my new account number.
I am very pleased with their prompt service and also their environmental policy of saving trees by offering a paper alternative. From this beginning I feel confident that I will receive a very good response should queries arise.

The good reviews are most likely contractors given work by BNS. However, if you are a client it really isn’t the same experience. I have many years as a ex facilities director but unfortunately am now at the mercy of these management companies so I can speak from experience.
The MyBNS portal is designed specifically to put distance between them and you the client. You upload your issue or complaint and it disappears into the ether. If they decide not to message on the portal then you have no idea if the issue is being dealt with and could be days or weeks before any response.
So, you try to call the office but can only leave a message for the relevant person as they don’t give direct numbers. Needless to say they don’t call back.
So you are left in limbo.
The arrogance of this company knows no bounds - unfortunately they know full well that all of these companies are the same so they don’t have to try. Overpaid middle men and arrogant to boot - BNS will do very well in this industry.

We are leaseholders of a flat in Bristol, and pay BNS Bristol for professional management of the property. We reported damp on the walls in January 2023 and have been trying for a whole year to get BNS Bristol to treat the issue with appropriate urgency. Now, March 2024, the mould on the walls and ceilings has made the flat unsafe. The windows were boarded up by contractors on 22nd January and remain boarded up, this exacerbates the mould as well as allowing very little internal light into the flat, where my daughter and her boyfriend live. There is no information as to how long this state of affairs will continue. I telephone BNS most days now asking for updates and action but they rarely return my calls. Unprofessional conduct and poor regard for customer service and tenant welfare. Formal complaint initiated.

My bathroom had water damage caused by an undetected leak from a shower.
BNS found the source of the leak and fixed it quickly with the minimum of disruption.
They also repaired all the water damage. I'm really pleased with the work. The bathroom looks brand new. They turned up as promised and left the place looking immaculate.
I would definitely use them again and would recommend them without hesitation.