Sovereign Housing Association Arvostelua 

We have had a recurring maggot infestation due to the summer heat. We have live maggots crawling on the corridor floors on the ground floor and moving into the lifts. We have contacted SNG to solve the problem by suggesting they put pu fly zappers down and cleaning the place thoroughly. We keep being told they will come in 3-5 working days. Completely ignoring a health risk and it's disgusting to live in such a condition. I wonder if they would like to work with live maggots crawling on their office floors? We have resorted to contacting the local council and Environmental Health for advice.

It has been 16 weeks since the scaffolding went up around the building and no sign of any work happening. Sovereign don't care about residents as they couldn't even tell us the work was happening and they have no idea 112 days later when the work will be completed. Yes I really did say that and yes it's completely true!!! How can this chaotic mess of an organisation still be allowed to continue running? After two complaints they really can't see what all the fuss is nor accept any responsibilty about the problem and they imply I AM THE PROBLEM! They don't feel we are important enough to tell us what is going on. To Sovereign this is another day at the office to anyone ekse this is the sign of utter contempt they feel for residents. They are THE WORST COMPANY I HAVE EVER HAD THE MISFORTUNE to have experienced! I am sure they must be a scam? No one can be this incompetent and uncaring?? Surely???

The worst company I've ever had the misfortune of dealing with.
Bad companies should not be allowed to grow. Don't touch with a bar pole anywhere along the process.

Service has always been disappointing, even before the merger, but since becoming SNG, things have only gone downhill. Communication is terrible, it’s near impossible to speak to someone consistent, and you constantly get vague or conflicting responses.

I did once get a call back from the complaints team after raising concerns, which I appreciated at the time. But when I explained the issue of poor communication and feeling disregarded, the staff member brought up her own landlord issues as if that somehow made it okay — and even implied that I should just be grateful to have a roof over my head. I am grateful, and I told her that, but it was a completely unprofessional thing to say in that context.

That kind of response says everything about how SNG handles complaints — deflective, dismissive, and lacking any real accountability. It’s not about helping tenants; it’s about shutting the conversation down.

Repairs take too long, there’s no proper contact with housing officers anymore, and it feels like everything is run from a faceless call centre. For an organisation that calls itself a charity, it operates with all the care and efficiency of a stretched-out business.

SNG needs serious improvement — tenants deserve to be listened to, not brushed off.

If I could give these bunch of cowboys a 0 I would. They promise to do repairs, the guys they have doing repairs aren't even qualified. They just come in ya home demand a cuppa tea and then bodge the work. Im registered as disabled as well as my daughter, I was hospitalised due to mould in the home. Then took a further 2 years for them to take notice. They have broken so many laws when it comes to housing regulations its unreal when you complain they say someone will be in contact with you but never do.

In April 2024 i had a stairlift installed by a company called Liftech by the hands of east hands council for my mom who is disabled since then it has had nothing but issues after 1 year the warranty ran out so it would be transferred to Sovereign housing association in may 2025 it broke down leaving my mum trapped upstairs without food and medication for 4 days sovereign housing association sent a company called Jackson's lift group out on Friday evening to fix it however he was a lift engineer not a stairlift engineer so didn't have a clue how to fix it Sovereign Housing Association then organised a fire and safety engineer who knew even less about stairlifts and be guided over the phone by someone from Liftech during which I heard Aaron say if you don't put that back in correctly it will slide off the tracks very dangerous behaviour that would fall under manslaughter and company neglect if something had happened. Jackson's lift group had then returned on Monday at which point I had it fix but one month later it broke down again with the exact same issue leaving my mum trapped upstairs again without food and medication and sovereign housing association sent Jackson's lift group out again who sent out a guy who was polite but a lift engineer so didn't know how to fix it and was looking on his phone at what the codes meant. The following day another engineer showed up who was very rude and unfortunately this time my oldest cat passed away in a very undignified way because nobody could take her to the vet. After this I decided I don't trust the stairlift sovereign housing association or any company they send to repair it so it's still broken and I instead installed the old handrail back which combined with the other handrail just about works. I was told by several members of staff at sovereign housing association that I would be compensated only to be stabbed in the back by this absolutely atrocious company and accused of lying. So let me make this very damn clear. I WILL REFUSE ANY SOVEREIGN ENGINEERS INTO MY HOUSE AND IF SOVEREIGN SAY IT'S ILLEGAL TO DO THAT THEN I WILL REPLY SO IS LEAVING SOMEONE TRAPPED UPSTAIRS TO DIE WITHOUT ACCESS TO FOOD AND MEDICATION.

Sng housing association in Basingstoke need to be investigated don't take someone with anxiety and depression seriously , anti social with neighbour got videos of it all and all get is dismissed discugusting , staff at Basingstoke are useless ,not good with there work on anti social behaviour or never see allocation officer is never get hold of her ,anti social officer remark on we get that when we get that she than anxiety and depression I found that rather upsetting and no empthany need training

We've been trying for months to get sovereign to fix my 90-year-old mother's upstairs doors, which had handles coming off and would not close. My mother is housebound with limited eyesight and mobility, with early memory issues. She has a cat that will go upstairs, and because her mother knows the doors don't shut, she worries that her cat will get stuck up there, so she tries to go up the stairs. Twice they have been out and still not done the job properly, with the doors still not able to shut, and know they won't come out again until October. This is an accident waiting to happen, but it's not urgent in their eyes

"What went wrong this time?"
This time, every time.
Begging for repairs, contractors hash up jobs & complaints aren't even acknowledged.
Every fixture & fitting will be the cheapest..
I once had a 6 foot hole in the roof due to high winds lifting tiles-nothing between our upstairs ceiling & the sky - there's not even roofing felt in the loft. My son ( with a fractured spine) had to climb up into the loft & stick bubble wrap over the hole, plus up & down with buckets & towels to try & mitigate the rain & continuing high winds.I came close to a nervous breakdown.
They're happy to leave tenants with no hot water even in winter. We spent 2 weeks carrying saucepans, kettles of water up the stairs to wash-despite them knowing that I have a terrible neurovascular disease and epilepsy and one of my sons has severe M.E.
We're having works done ( tick box carbon reducing crap) So far we've had 2 extractor fans replaced with ones that come on as & when they choose, door "undercuts" which consisted of someone sanding the bottoms of doors to "increase airflow" to prevent mould....yeah, all it does is create drafts! Then there was a "mould wash" that consisted of a guy going round the house who said there's no mould in the house-he didn't even look properly so didn't notice the mould on a bedroom wall. We're supposed to be getting solar panels, but the scaffold surveyors have hashed up the design needed to construct it round the house, so the 1st scaffold visit they didn't bring the right planks, 2nd time they assured me they did, put up less than half then disappeared, 3rd time didn't turn up. Solar panel's had to be cancelled each time, & you never even get a visit to talk about the process of installation, the contractor just expects you to be in whenever they choose-and they turn up without appt! Ok-these aren't directly SNG but they're examples of the shoddy services provided by cheapo contractors to tenants, & even if I did try & speak to SNG about it they wouldn't do anything. Now back to SNG & repairs-we once (the same time as the roof leak) had 7 plumber visits to fix ONE leak under the bath! They either failed to fix, or made it worse. I had to take photos to show the hole in the downstairs toilet ceiling caused by the leak-why should we have to take photos? Why no surveyors? I know why-save money. My front & back doors fit so badly that you can see daylight round the frame, no action.
Oh-it's hit & miss with the call handlers - when they're rude they're very rude, & make judgements about the urgency of repairs ( hence the no hot water for 2 wks) Each failure to resolve an issue has to be "raised as a new repair" meaning no continuity, and no accountability. Good luck ever being able to speak to anyone in middle management-they'll be "unavailable" These are just a few examples of the abysmal behaviour tenants can-do-expect.
In order for this report to be addressed they ask for the date of the issue & someone will probably email me to ask for specifics - there is no fixed date, they've been utterly rubbish for years.

Sovereign SNG do not keep intouch with residents, 9 weeks to sort a complaint out, 3 months before someone comes out to measure a window for replacement glass.
Things were meant to improve with the takeover of this company but from a resident point of view things have got so much worse.
The call centre on the mainland staff rude unhelpful to residents.
If all the residents don’t pay our rents none of you have jobs just remember that and respect tenants more and give us feedback back sheets to complete after every job.

The worse housing association ever!!! They are a scam!!! Service charge scandal!!! AVOID

Sovereign has to be the most incompetent organisation in the UK. They have a congenital capacity for making their tenants life a misery which seems unprecedented in the homes provision market. Their communications I'd terrible and the organisation should never have been allowed to have become so big.

For over 10 years, I have endured serious and systemic negligence under Sovereign Housing. My health was disregarded while animals (a dog and later a cat) were allowed to live in the property, causing me long-term physical reactions and emotional distress. Despite years of complaints, they ignored my pleas for help—choosing instead to protect tenants with pets over my wellbeing.

Things escalated further when my Housing Officer, Michael Odutoye, falsely accused my neighbour of being racist. That neighbour—who is white and has mixed-race children—later confronted me, visibly upset, and asked if what she overheard was true. I was left in an extremely vulnerable and alarming position, not of my own making, but due to the misconduct of Sovereign’s staff. When I reported this, I was dismissed again. No accountability. No support.

Sovereign even manipulated my rent account—falsifying arrears and telling me I couldn’t move unless I paid. They blamed DWP, denied any wrongdoing, and used the threat of homelessness to push me into compliance. This kind of financial coercion is abuse, plain and simple.

After nearly a decade of abuse and neglect, and being made out to be the dishonest person fabricating facts, I finally plucked up the courage to seek justice and take them to civil court—only to see that the system is designed to protect them.

My last resort was to hold them accountable by taking them to court, where the manipulation continued. I presented my evidence and shared the truth of my experiences, only to be met with further attempts to discredit me. Despite overwhelming evidence, the establishment sided with the very entity responsible for my suffering. The courts, too, failed me. This deepened my understanding that the system itself is set up to protect these corporations and allow them to continue their harmful practices.

To this day, CEO Mark Washer and Helen Evans continue to ignore the seriousness of these complaints. No investigation. No justice. No humanity. They have shown no interest in addressing this long-standing pattern of abuse, neglect, and misconduct.

When I read other reviews, I see the same thing over and over again: complaints ignored, tenants gaslit, evidence dismissed. This is a pattern—a culture of avoidance and abuse of power.

I urge everyone who has experienced similar treatment to take it beyond internal processes. Report to the Housing Ombudsman. Consider legal action. Demand accountability. The more people who step forward, the more this corrupt structure will be forced to answer for its actions.

They lied to put me into a flat where there is a problem and turns up to my door with out an appointment asking to come in covered up information request I put complaints in about my neighbours making noise they ignored that the came round mine I believe that’s Victimisation Sovereign house and I’ve got a lot to answer for I have only been with them under 4 months avoid them

It's been a good experience today with the plumber James from sovereign for the mazing repair . Thanks

Got it! So you want a professional summary or review for the situation with the contractors and housing management, right? Here’s a draft:

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"Since 2012, the contractors employed by Sovereign Network have consistently failed to uphold the standards expected of a responsible property management service. Their actions have led to extensive damage to our properties, creating an environment of frustration and distrust among residents. Despite their claims of maintaining and improving our living spaces, their work has resulted in more harm than good, with repeated disruptions and unnecessary destruction.

Residents feel that these contractors operate without accountability, leading to a deterioration in the quality of our homes. It is imperative that a thorough review of their practices be conducted, and that we, as a community, seek a management solution that prioritizes the well-being and safety of our living environment."
We feel bullied harassed and discriminated
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As a leaseholder, it's really difficult to get anywhere with Sovereign regarding repairs.

Their administration is inefficient, their staff so poorly trained that they appear rude.

Service charge is more than double that on a similar flat I own where maintenance and cleaning are visibly done on a regular basis.

Ongoing problems throughout 10 years of ownership!

Their CEO should be ashamed. Well I think he probably is because his email address is not readily available!

I moved in to A property sovereign . This is the most horrific housing association going it was and exchange they smashed the house to pieces took nothing left they made me stay there til dec from June and the only reason they move me was housing disrepair claim no lie this house the moved me to whilst doing mine is no better absolutely shocking it got to be the trashes houses uk Also you cannot get past reception. Emails not answered lies staff in peoples houses talking about me twice have the proof they’ve been told as I didn’t want them to loose their jobs petty ! I’ve got 23 illnesses disabled and they still don’t care ! Jobs they lie as well their running behind and just basically don’t turn up ! The videos will be available on tik tok soon search Sovereign (sng) my squat of a home . So now I have to wait and be lied to like none there every time I phone !!

It is great regret that as a mother I have no option but to write about the abhorrent treatment my hard working daughter and her fiance have received from SNG. They have been part owners/Tennant's since 2018 and own 40% of their property and while we are greatful for them to be able to get on the property ladder we are absolutely disgusted at how they have been treated. My daughter and her fiance have always worked hard and due to an illness, my daughter made the decision to change careers and become a childminder. This not only worked for them as a family having children of their own but offered a very valuable service to their surrounding community. Unbeknown to them somewhere in the small print of their lease 3.17 it states not to use the premises for anything other than as a private residence. Quoted on your website it clearly states businesses that are likely to be accepted are as follows: Child minding, hairdressing and beauty or using part of your home as an office.
A malicious neighbor has now reported to the SNG that my daughter is a child minder and this is where the abhorrent treatment from SNG began. They have gone through the complaints procedure and according to your office staff have exhausted all avenues of appeal. They have been threatened with all cost by your staff of legal proceedings,have been refused any face to face meetings to put their case forward and have been instructed to cease all trading. The service my daughter offers not only assists the community she lives in but the positive impact she has had on the children she cares for. She has enhanced the socialisation of the children and has watched them blossom as they grow in confidence. At no point we're your staff willing to listen to their case and just continually threatened them with legal action. Your own website states child minders are likely to be granted permission!!!
Government stance from 2023 states that housing associations should allow child minders to work from their property but yours is refusing any honest arguments from my daughter. There are many associations that do allow this including Blenham and Cottsway, so why not yours?
Your association has now forced my daughter into ceasing trading, this has not only had a serious negative impact on her health and mental health but on her childs well been as well as her fiance, but also has had a serious detrimental affect on her customers and that of their children, let alone that this decision has crucified them financially.
This needs to be addressed as your values are:
Connect
Deliver
Invent
Own
Very hypocritical when you are crucifying a hard working family trying to do their best for their family

If you're considering renting from or living near a Sovereign Housing Association property, think twice. They allow their tenants to harass neighbors, damage property, and engage in criminal activities without consequence. Even when presented with clear video evidence of misconduct, they choose to believe the tenant's word over undeniable proof.

Their , property damage, and even drug use and dealing continue unchecked. Instead of protecting law-abiding residents, Sovereign Housing Association turns a blind eye, leaving victims to suffer while problematic tenants face no repercussions.

If you want a safe and respectful neighborhood, avoid Sovereign Housing Association at all costs. Their lack of accountability and refusal to act make them a disgrace to social housing management.