"Professionalism and Expertise"

We have had great dealings with ACORN and are more than happy with their professionalism and expertise.

"Great experience!"

I invested some of my SSAS pension into a Loan Note Agreement with Acorn. It was a 4 year agreement and has just matured and been fully returned to my SSAS account with the agreed yearly accrued interest. It has been a great experience for me dealing with Acorn. I had regular updates during the entire 4 year period re where my money was being invested. Big thanks to Eilidh who sorted out the seamless return of my investment.

"Concerns About Review Transparency"

I am posting this review to highlight concerns regarding the transparency of Acorn Property Group’s Trustpilot reviews. A recent five-star review, posted on 21 October 2024 by Patty Pereira Taylor, raises questions about a potential conflict of interest. Ms. Taylor is an employee of Caesarstone, a company that supplies materials for Acorn’s developments, including Bucklands Place in Nailsea. Despite this business relationship, the review was presented without disclosure, potentially breaching Trustpilot’s guidelines on review authenticity.

This is not an isolated incident. On 11 May 2023, Acorn's own Group Financial Controller, Yonatan Ayele, left a five-star review while appearing to be an independent customer. When questioned, Acorn confirmed Ayele was an employee but also a purchaser. However, this relationship was not clearly disclosed upfront, which raises concerns about the integrity of their reviews.

A broader review of Acorn Property Group’s Trustpilot ratings reveals a striking pattern: an unusually high number of five-star and one-star reviews. This imbalance suggests the possibility of selective review moderation, where negative feedback may be discouraged or removed while positive reviews from internal or affiliated individuals remain visible. Transparency is essential for consumer trust, and review platforms should ensure that all reviews - whether positive or negative - are treated equally.

I have personally had a negative experience with Acorn Property Group, and their approach to customer engagement and transparency has significantly eroded my trust in their business.


A Word of Caution to Potential Buyers, Investors, and Landowners.

Anyone considering buying a property from Acorn Property Group, investing in one of their unregulated investment schemes, or entering a joint venture as a landowner should proceed with extreme caution.

Buyers: Ensure you conduct thorough due diligence on the build quality, completion timelines, and contractual obligations before committing to a purchase.

Investors: Acorn offers investment opportunities that are unregulated, meaning they do not fall under the protection of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). This means investors have little to no recourse in the event of financial losses or disputes.

Landowners: Those considering joint ventures with Acorn should seek independent legal and financial advice before signing agreements. Ensure all contractual terms are clear, fair, and enforceable, as disputes over land agreements can be complex and costly.

Trust and integrity are vital in the property sector, and I urge Acorn Property Group to take steps to ensure all reviews on this platform reflect genuine customer experiences without undisclosed affiliations.

Trustpilot has confirmed that the above review meets its guidelines and will remain published on its platform. (Ticket #31728934)

"Brilliant and tidy resolution of…"

Brilliant and tidy resolution of snagging. Thanks

"Cross Farm Green.Wedmore"

Thankyou very much Vincent for your due diligence and commitment to putting problems right.Without your perseverance and ability we surely would had had bigger issues.
Hopefully Acorn will listen to your recommendations and act accordingly in the future.
Regards Dave and Terri Mitchell

"All faith now gone from Acorn"

Being a valued client over last 4 years its all gone downhill last year having 3 investments inc 2 isa leaving me being taxed at source and losing over £2800 which i was never told about. As you can imagine im pretty pissed off as the total lack of communication and help has led me to invest elsewhere. Management awful and only help i recieved at the end was communication from Harry. Beware before you invest and find out about any small print to be on the safe side.

"Residents threatened with debt recovery…"

This relates to my previous review where I complained that Modbury, the new property management company for the Courtyard at Duporth, have made application for payment on the 6th Jan 2025 declaring it to be overdue if not paid by 1st Jan 2025! The hugely increased service charge being unsubstantiated. Following multiple complaints/questions from residents they issued a general response but with still no proof or justification for the increased/added costs and some important questions ignored altogether.

They cited TP1 obligations of the residents in order to encourage immediate payment. But the TP1 works both ways - they have to supply actual spend accounts for the previous year, to say that they have not received actual spend accounts from the previous property manager (Penina) is not an acceptable excuse. Surely Penina are obliged to hand the accounts over? Did Acorn (the landlord) not facilitate the handover?
Penina have never supplied clear actual spend accounts so residents have never been able to see exactly how much of and on what their money was spent. I am still owed reimbursement for terrorism insurance that was erroneously placed on the estate insurance last year.
Now the residents are being threatened with debt recovery:
‘Owners who choose to withhold payments will unfortunately need to be referred to the arrears recovery process. This is not our preferred approach, but it ensures fairness for all owners and protects the development as a whole’.
According to the TP1 until actual spend accounts are available and issued to residents the property manager only has the right to ask for half the estimated payment for the forthcoming year. So Modbury need to reissue their application for payment and return half the payment to those who have already paid the full amount. Then get to work on those actual spend accounts.

Also Modbury/Acorn still need to address the unanswered questions raised by myself and other residents. The most important being about shared costs between the estate and block where the split is apportioned, which a leaseholder has apparently influenced - initially Modbury admitted that a leaseholder had kindly helped with the invoices but they are not saying that now. This shows bias. Acorn/Modbury must be 100% sure that costs have not been unfairly skewed in the leaseholders favour (causing estate contributors to pay more than they should). Whilst costs are shared we can never trust them. How can the estate insurance possibly cost £2577.65? We have a g2 listed Clocktower in the ‘private’ grounds nevertheless it shouldn’t cost anywhere near this amount. Estate and block should have separate insurance policies. Separate everything, ne’er the twain shall meet. How difficult can that possibly be to achieve? I have requested insurance policy details and a copy of all the invoices but they are not forthcoming.

I have tried raising all of the above and more with Modbury and AcornPG and Acornblue but got no response, not even an acknowledgement, from any of them, so I am forced to put it in a Trustpilot review.

I was initially very happy with my Courtyard property but what with its lack of insulation, it’s dodgy heating and the property management mess, also I have to pay two estate service charges - yes two, I now regret my purchase.
Update 29/1/25: Modbury are not in direct contact, despite numerous requests from me by email and on their online system - no response. And no actual spend accounts either.

"The Acorn horror show continues "

Acorn property will give their email address in these reviews, however Acorn do not respond if you email them. I had to call the police the other day because of the sales team at St Leonard’s Quarter (Exeter) harassing me outside my own home, this was very distressing. Acorn will reply here on the reviews, however that’s where it stops when it comes to getting anything sorted.

"Caveat Emptor ! …"

We’ve been at Acorn Duporth for nearly 3 years and at first we’re pleased but the management has really gone downhill since. We would not have bought here had we known
Caveat Emptor

"Acorn Property Group mis-sold a property "

Acorn Property Group mis-sold a property to a family member at St Leonard’s Quarter. Be very aware of the sales team. They now deny lying. This issue still hasn’t been resolved despite Acorn Property having had numerous opportunities to do so. They probably won’t respond to this review.