Aster Group Avis 

Even the staff say the company is now a shambles! Problem after problem since moving into our house just over a year ago. Lost count of the missed appointments, and poor quality repairs.
Staff that we speak to are decent enough but clearly stressed and overworked. Finally managed to speak to our Housing Officer, clearly frustrated with management. Has worked there for 10 years and said in last few years it’s gone backward, no one seems to care. Heard same from most people we speak to. Leaders out of touch, saying it’s the same for all housing providers, (blames customer expectations) but we know Abri and Home Group tenants and they are happy with their homes. Judging by the other reviews aster is heading in the wrong direction. Someone needs to get a grip and sort things out before someone dies through their neglect!

We recently went through the process of buying a shared ownership property with Aster Group and were left extremely disappointed by how things were handled. After expressing interest in a home, we completed the initial affordability assessment and were told we were eligible to proceed. Aster even set us up with their recommended mortgage advisers to move the process forward.

However, without any warning, we were later informed that the property had already been taken off the market because someone else had registered interest. This was despite the fact that Aster’s own policy states that properties are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis to eligible customers who have passed the affordability assessment.

At no point were we told that the property was still open to other buyers or that it hadn’t been reserved for us. We were actively progressing through their process, under the impression that the home was available and that we were next in line. The lack of transparency and communication was incredibly frustrating and felt careless.

If properties are still open to other buyers even after passing the affordability check, that should be made absolutely clear from the outset. Setting up the process without confirming availability feels misleading and unprofessional. We expected better from an organisation that claims to support first-time buyers.

Aster housing only care about taking your money and not helping there tenants.rang to ask about a shed today and got spoken to like I was a piece of rubbish by one of the bosses called Alex .even the housing officer speaks to people like dirt .no need to treat people like it .very poor in antisocial behaviour as well .

Genuinely an awful housing association. I live in an aster property with my mum. And if it wasn’t for me, she’d get no jobs done because they’re always after trying to save as many pennies as humanly possible. They’ll come out to do jobs, arrive, and then say they can’t do it for whatever reason and rebook it. It’s a waste of my mum’s time and a waste of Aster’s time. We’ve had a damp cupboard that’s progressively got worse over the course of 12 years. Yes 12 years. Only now have they just found the leak. Which is coming from the sh*t pipe. We’ve told them for years it’s leaking, we’ve had over half a dozen workmen out, and they’ve all been useless. Except the one called Dean which has found the problem and sorting it out.
We’ve had numerous jobs booked in to which they arrive and knowing what the problem is, but don’t sort it and force a rebook. It’s genuinely embarrassing. From all the housing associations we know of in our area, Aster are by far the worst and have the worst reputation/reviews.
We even had to pay privately to get rid of a humongous bush/tree in our shared rear garden that was there when we moved in because they refused and said it was our responsibility. The bush is gone and now there is no separation between our garden and next doors garden. We don’t have hopes for them to come and do that either. I don’t care who reads this and I don’t care if Aster reply, the way they treat their tenants is horrendous.

I was put in a bungalow in Verwood 17/12/2014 because my now ex wife was on deaths door. The bungalow was so run down now after 10 years there’s still outstanding jobs that were on the list since March 2015. Rain water coming through the ceilings, roof leaking 3 times to repair and 5 years,, damp “NOT CONDENSATION” rain water travelling into the cavities instead of the gutters. Neighbours told me that was doing that 5 years before we moved in. More rats than Birmingham massive tree limbs ready to kill you flat out in the rear garden etc etc etc.. The result… metal breakdown, suicide attempt and now divorced the wife and moving on.. Thank you Aster so much!!!

16th June update Still waiting for the door ringer still no sound reduced.
on Friday The alarm system for emergency calls stopped working, so if you a fall and cannot move the system did not work, There is one big problem with anything they install.
This is a Sheltered Housing Scheme where this should be prioritised but isn't.
Update 12th June still nothing done, I telephoned today at 13.27, I was on the phone for 8 and half minutes saying another job is being raised, and was informed this will be done in the next couple of days, we will see as this is now the 4th time this has been raised a routine repair according to their website policy for repairs where they are supposed to be completed in 20 working days. which is now 20 days, also they are supposed to prioritise vulnerable customers, where this is not happening,
Does this company know what customer service or prioritise means, with the stupid replies from Aster same number and answer, when you are repeating yourself each time you contact them.
Update 9th June
I was informed on Wednesday 4th June the residents at the back door are also complaining. This is a further update where I contacted Aster again, and was put on hold 3 times by two people I was told this job had been raised twice, about the door ringer outside the whole conversation took over 23 minutes
Aster Housing group what a nightmare they truly are
I contacted C&C about this 2nd June, at 9.17 and explained about the door ringer and what effect it is having on me, the person I spoke to was helpful, but then I received a call at 12.24 and was told that it depended on one individual, who was there at the demonstration, and she heard what that person said about reducing the sound of the outside ringer, I know what her name is and if this is not done I will take further action as This company does not listen to the tenants and does not care about the welfare of the tenants, as you can see from further reviews, more bad than good. C&Cecil integrated with Aster both are as useless as each other. You report a repair and then find out nothing has been reported. A new video door entrance has been installed, on the 15th May when they had a demonstration on the tablet instructions, I mentioned how loud the speaker outside is I heard it go off 10 times before someone answered, today the 1st June, the sound of the ringer is like when you are waiting for someone to answer a phone, I was told on that day that someone was coming, nobody has, when I contacted Aster, they gave me no information as to when anyone was coming to lower the sound I live directly over the door entrance and have been woken up twice, over 2 days 31st May and the 1st June, this is not the first time I have had sleep disturbances, I am very tired,
Very very bad customer service.

November I first reported mould issues (for many years running) and a leak from the roof. It took until January for anyone to do any form of prevention of further damage to the house. We are now in May on a Stage 2 complaint which the manager who was supposed to respond by April 24th but then later changed to 29th April is no longer working there. The complaints Officer appointed a new manager then left herself, so now no complaint officer and the new complaint manager is going to wait until the new deadline (29th may) to respond assuming he will...meanwhile Aster have tasked some cowboys to come in and do bodge jobs of the things picked up that needed to be sorted, although a list of jobs still remain outstanding... Today we finally got the mould clean done! Although it is still mouldy one room is still completely black but I am told it is now sanitized 😆 great job we can all sleep better knowing its sanatised and the walls are all marble effect since the clean. They would not clean the ceilings because of asbestos and they could not fit the bathroom fan either because they didn't want to disturb the asbestos...the windows are still full of water, nothing is planned to resolve this from the stage 1 complaint. The sopping wet insulation is still sat waiting to be removed since November. Every contractor that's been have caused huge mess and left me to clean it afterwards. After 6 months of hell and nearly 17 years of mould issues and the constant strain of replacing everything we own, we have had enough! You have failed us time and time again.

Aster housing are a joke they don't do repairs properly they were asking to repair fences and basically bodged it . And have multiple problems with parking and there not interested waste of time.

Moving my 84 yr old Mum from Essex to Dorset was daunting and scary. She had lived in her 2 bed flat for 40 yrs, and in her senior years, we decided that we wanted to be closer in the event she need help with her health.
From the moment I heard from Aster's Letting Coordinator regarding the flat, to finally moving in, and meeting the Housing Officer and various Repairs People, we have received outstanding service and communication. People are quick to complain, but are usually slow to compliment.... so credit where credit's due.... AMAZING SERVICE. THANK YOU.

I lived in a rented aster property for almost 4 years and I can’t really fault them as a landlord. Repairs were always done in a timely manner. I needed to relocate due to my son being disabled and a lack of special schools in my area, the housing officer bent over backwards to try and help me. Sadly the housing association I moved to are the worst I’ve ever experienced in 25 years of living in social housing.

This company’s customer service is completely unacceptable. I purchased a property from Aster in 2021—while the property itself was great, the same cannot be said for their customer service or administrative support. Communication has been non-existent; calls and emails go unanswered time and time again.

Now in 2025, we’ve gone through the process of selling the property. Despite finding the buyer myself and the home never even hitting the market, Aster still charged us over £2,000—a percentage fee outlined in the contract, so we accepted that. However, they now owe me money for rent overpaid in the month we moved out, and I’ve been chasing them ever since with no success. Not a single response, let alone a resolution.

It’s an appalling way to do business—quick to take your money, but entirely unwilling to meet their own obligations or offer even basic customer service.

I am an ASTER Homes' shared owner, too. I have my own problems... which I will add later.

In the meantime I have prepared this résumé of how shared-owners feel about their ASTER Homes. It's not good reading!
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Summary of tenants' sentiments towards Aster Homes (based on other one-star Trustpilot comments):

The overall sentiment among tenants is overwhelmingly negative. Multiple residents report serious dissatisfaction with Aster Homes across several key areas:

Poor Customer Service & Communication: Tenants consistently describe Aster as unresponsive, dismissive, and very unhelpful, especially when dealing with complaints or maintenance issues.

Construction Quality Issues: There are multiple complaints about poor building standards, including leaks, damp, faulty electrics and heating problems—some of which remain unresolved for years.

Lack of Support with Anti-social Behaviour: A major concern is Aster’s failure to address anti-social behaviour from neighbouring tenants. Residents mention threats, harassment, noise disturbances and wilful vandalism, with Aster allegedly refusing to intervene or offering only generic responses.

Negative Shared Ownership Experiences: Several tenants feel misled by Aster’s shared-ownership scheme. Issues mentioned include misleading sales tactics, skyrocketing service charges, and long-term regret over their purchase.

Mental and Emotional Impact: Some tenants report that living in Aster-managed properties has significantly affected their mental health, largely due to unresolved issues and feeling ignored by the housing provider.

The bottom line is that residents describe Aster Homes as untrustworthy and unaccountable, with serious concerns about both the quality of their homes and management’s responsiveness. Many urge others to avoid Aster entirely.

So, caveat emptor!

A year has passed since I bought my shared ownership property through Aster and I would not want for anybody to go through what I did. I bought my home off plan and could not view it until months after I had given my nonrefundable deposit. Upon viewing, I dared point out some errors in the building work and was greeted by 'then I suggest you don't go forward with the purchase' from the Aster representative, which waw fine for her to say after I had already parted with money. After that, I faced poor communication, an incorrect completion date and a housing association that will not tackle antisocial tenants within the estate. It's diabolical and if possible, I would implore others to find a shared ownership through another association.

If you’re considering Aster Housing, think twice. They completely ignore anti-social behavior from tenants that makes life miserable for others. I’ve raised multiple concerns about loud noise, threats, and harassment – and every time, it’s brushed under the carpet or met with generic responses that lead nowhere.

What’s worse is the total lack of compassion. The stress and anxiety caused by this environment has seriously impacted my mental health, and the staff couldn’t care less. No support, no follow-up, just indifference. It feels like the only thing they care about is rent money – not the wellbeing or safety of the people living in their properties.

Extremely disappointed and let down. Aster Housing needs to be held accountable for the way they treat people.

In shared ownership property generally all fine but I can never get hold of anyone ... Emails never returned, calls never answered, then passed from pillar to post when or if finally get through to someone.. on the rare occasion.
Unless it is regarding a sale nobody can answer any enquiries?

Appalling support & services provided from this housing association. I have suffered countless ongoing repairs in what is supposed to be a ‘HOME’ and a safe place to live and be provided a service.

Repairs carried out on numerous occasions with the contractors not following health & safety requirements, lack of respect while attending & jobs that do finally get booked are done automatically by a system when it’s not convenient (even on plenty of occasions I have stated the availability however they do not care. Surveys carried out on behalf of other companies but then due to a lack of communication between them & staff always on leave (holidays) this prevents a service & a safe liveable building for families. Constant replacements of items / furnishings when which leaves myself out of pocket & in financial difficulty & this has been a reoccurring thing.

The disruption & impact it has on lives is so sad not to mention incidents of Anti social behaviour & not feeling safe in your own home.
Which leads to more ongoing stress on top of dealing with trying to build a home for ourselves because this is not achieved by ASTER themselves. Prior to renting their properties which leads myself & other tenants to pick up the pieces & live a NIGHTMARE!

I have actually been left with no choice but to refuse any further works / repairs which pay rent for (for a service) due to it attracting another resident on the day trying to get the housing officers number & have had incidents with this person with I have had to report to the police for mine & my sons safety.

I have been told that I will be in breach of my tenancy (however under circumstances like myself & previous experiences i have endured unless it is a legal requirement (A GAS or ELECTRIC check you are within your right to refuse)!!!!

Lack of support provided and descent homes for people to live normal happy lives.

Just don’t do it , run a mile don’t buy a persimmons home my whole roof is leaking for a long time been getting small jobs done for 2 years . I know Blackmore vale give guys marsh prisoners jobs in the community they should have skilled workman building houses . The whole insulation is wet / damp mouldy . You report to aster no one ever available . No flu in the heating system for months all the condensation went into the unit ..this was when first moved in . 😂

My experience is not much dissimilar from the person below, is she/he living in the same development!

I moved into my property with high hopes, but my experience with Aster Group has been nothing short of disappointing and distressing. Since I moved in at the end of November, I’ve been dealing with an upstairs neighbour whose behaviour has included excessive noise, as well as one occasion of aggression and threats, which I was forced to report to the police. Despite this, the housing association has been unresponsive and ineffective in resolving the situation.

I’ve contacted my housing officer multiple times, but on the last occasion, he didn’t even remember who I was or the details of my case. The lack of support or follow-through has left me feeling unsupported and helpless.

The block itself is full of young families with children, and while I understand that children can be noisy, the level of disruption caused by my upstairs neighbour is beyond reasonable. As a middle-aged woman, I feel increasingly uncomfortable in this environment.

I’ve also been passed back and forth between the housing association and the local council, with neither offering any concrete help or solutions. My mental health is suffering as a result, and my depression, which I had been managing, is resurfacing. Even more concerning is the impact this is having on my son, who is mildly autistic. He is now terrified to leave the house and is becoming increasingly upset by the ongoing situation.

I feel trapped and helpless, and after just a few months, I am desperately requesting to be moved to a safer and more supportive environment which they just will not allow. This has been an incredibly difficult experience for both me and my child, and I strongly advise others to consider all options before renting from this housing association.

They are an awful housing association to rent from as they only care about money and not tenants at all. What's the point in having tenancy agreements and rules if people clearly don't have to follow them and get away with it as Aster doesn't investigate or even attempt to look into anything. We got neighbours who haven't got underlay with carpet above us that stomp around and slam doors, making so much noise late at night despite everyone being told underlay and carpet was not an option and must be put down. They put things up on the wall despite us all being told it's a new build and we couldn't for the first year. These neighbours above us have caused us issues for months with verbal abuse at our front door, blaming us for things we didn't do at out door or via messages, making false police reports of child abuse which is malicious and wasting police time. They have fly tipped baby stuff in the bike shed and tires outside the building which was photographed in a letter sent to all neighbours. They park their car in whatever spot they like despite all neighbours having a numbered specific spot to park. They have lied about us to other neighbours to make them hate us and generally made us feel unwelcome, unwanted and unsafe in our building. We reported the issues to the police and they said they would try to help but wouldn't be able to much but said that Aster should be doing more to help us and investigate them. We love out place but hate living here because of issues with neighbours that Aster doesn't care to help with or resolve. We gave evidence to Aster to prove some of the behaviour towards us and it still wasn't enough so we get treated poorly by neighbours that have a personal disliking towards us even though we have been nothing but nice and helpful and we have done nothing to deserve the issues we receive. Aster just doesn't care and does nothing about poorly behaving tenants that treat other tenants badly and can't follow their tenancy agreement or rules set in and around the building. If we had the money to just move we would but we don't so now we feel trapped in our building and home. We have to avoid the neighbours causing us issues and hope they will leave us alone as Aster couldn't care less. Shame on Aster!!!

Hi.just left my 94yr old mother who was in distress because her hot kitchen lever tap would not stop trickling water even tho it was in the off position.as she cant stand for too long off her walker she cant stand too long at the sink.i was concerned that if she uses the hot water and has an accident.she could scolding herself.i got it touch with aster and was told they could not get anyone out till the 20th of jan.disgusting and disgraceful aster.you ought to be ashamed of yourselfs treating a 94yr like this.2 wk wait.if theres any damaged to your property.then thats on you.