Essence Properties - Surrey, British Columbia

Seychelles 0.

I'm very disappointed so far. I purchased my new build home about 6 months ago and the finishing and the workmanship is very poor. This is not my first new build however this is the first time I am experiencing so many issues. The paint jobs are terrible and need to be re-done, fixtures are coming lose already, the AC didn't work when I tried it for the first time. The repair guys stood me up when Essence sent them in. The driveway is stained from construction vehicles and all i got was shrugged shoulders. I have a long list of issues that will hopefully be dealt with at the 12 month mark, but I hate to imagine what may fall apart after that. A huge issue is that while the service team are responsive to help book trades workers in to do repairs, it is a Monday to Friday business and I have already had to take a lot of time away from work to be home in the middle of the afternoon to let them in. There is no compensation for that or even acknowledgement of that hardship.

The house was not really clean when I took possession, and there was builders dust everywhere as well as dried paint drops on kitchen counters and window frames. It is like the developer really didn't care about the finish.
A really exciting moment for myself and my family has turned into a pretty big disappointment.

2 year update! Buyer beware! It's been 2 years and my home has failed a furnace inspection called for by Technical Safety BC (never a good sign) and failed a fire inspection too. Buy an Essence property if you like to be told to stay home on a Saturday from 8am-4am to wait for furnace inspectors or 9am - 1pm on a Monday (forget going to work) to wait for fire inspectors (or face rescheduling fees).

MM

Update:
In response to the reply from Essence Properties:
The walkthrough was limited to deficiencies that are "noticeable from a normal viewing position under normal daylight".

The vent shaft issue wasn't identified because it was HIDDEN by a plastic panel.

The door scratch wasn't there during the walkthrough. On the day we received our keys, it was there and Amanda took a photo of it on her ipad. My realtor Mariko Baerg (she's amazing!) was there as a witness.

The damaged wood on the front exterior was mentioned during the walkthrough but we were told to bring it up to Strata for any exterior issues.

The recirculation pump not being installed was not mentioned to us. We found out from our neighbours about it recently (who will be sharing their experience too, future homebuyers need to know).

The shower door water leak was not identified since the walkthrough only allowed for cosmetic and physical deficiencies that are noticeable. We didn't even have enough time as we rushed the inspection of the main floor, supposedly another homeowner is waiting for theirs right after ours. I can tell you that 1-hour is NOT enough to inspect the unit. Our neighbour also felt rushed and they didn't have time to inspect their garage.

According to the email about the walkthrough, if you miss something during the inspection, "As per the requirements set by Residential Construction Performance Guide, any physical deficiency reported after the Pre-Delivery Inspection will be judged to be not covered as a defect."

How convenient for them. Leaving us to deal with the warranty provider for reporting deficiencies which don't get fixed until after 90-days.

Please don't insult me by saying that I already did the walkthrough and implied that I failed to report these deficiencies at the time.

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Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Essence Properties, a builder with (I quote) "an in-house construction team, which means we can control quality at every step".

Ignore this review from an unlucky homeowner with 2 young kids. Some of the neighbours had similar experience but we are just unlucky. Yours will not be like this.

Your floor vents (for clean air) won't look like a kindergarten school art project by a kid with scissors and garbage left in the passageway so rest assured that your kids will be breathing only clean air, no need to worry about the fine wood dust and whatever contaminants, you will be allergy free.
Your brand new front door won't be scratched.
Your brand new bathtubs won't be chipped nor will it have plastic garbage under the plug. And they will look brand new, not used. Not at all.
The recirculation pump for your water heater will already be pre-installed when you moved in.
Your shower door will be properly installed so no worries with water mess after showering.
You won't have mud and dirt splashed EVERYWHERE on your home's exterior walls from incomplete/ongoing landscaping work.
Your completion date won't be rushed until your home is ready.
You won't have a myriad of other issues.

Don't worry. Your move-in will be a pleasant experience. This builder supposedly has been in business for 18-years. And you can trust many of their 5-star reviews. They're not 3rd party vendors who had a working relationship with this builder.

The next time you see a development being offered by Essence Properties, trust me and my neighbours, you won't regret buying a home for your young family from them.

Radwa

Using the cheapest material in everything.. selling overpriced units with the promise of having a swimming pool, a hot tub, and an amenity room, fancy right? Well, everything is either not working or working poorly, even the AC units they installed isn't of good quality... everything, literally everything is cheap and not worth the money we paid.
I won't even start on the excuses they make to get away from fixing the issues we report.
One last thing, they only care or fix something when they get a 1 star review and ask people to delete their review (so they can sell their cheap overpriced units to others 😉

Abigail C.

We had an issue with the installation of our central AC from construction that led to water damage under our floorboards after what we assume was 2 years of leaks. We reported as soon as we discovered the issue, and Essence was incredibly quick to respond, sending a couple guys to check it out within the day (they were nearby). Even though we were out of warranty, given that the issue was there from the start they went ahead and replaced the floor boards completely and helped treat the mold that had built up under the baseboards. It was a multi-step process that would have been a painful and costly experience for us to have fixed on our own, but not only did they cover everything, they were very responsive and quick, particularly Sanaz who managed everything for us.

Besides that, in 3 years we hadn't had any major issues with our home that we bought from pre-sale. I know experiences with builders are always a mixed bag, but at least for us, Essence has been great.

Freya R. P.

While Essence presents a facade of quality and service, the reality falls short. Homeowners experience numerous disappointments, from a rush job on new homes with glaring deficiencies to unresponsiveness to urgent requests. Service staff, while claiming expertise, take shortcuts and deny issues. The gap between promised repairs and actual action further compounds the dissatisfaction. A stark contrast to the initial impression, Essence's performance leaves much to be desired in both craftsmanship and customer service.

This includes:
> The quality of the finished new home had an unbelievable amount of deficiencies - most things were a rush job - no care for the details.
> Unresponsive to urgent requests, delay in responding to emails
> Service staff that are sent for repairs are unfriendly, they take shortcuts and tell you there is no issue. Also, they seem to be master of all trades. The same person will come as an electrician as well as everything else.
> Finding multiple issues with items, being told they will be fixed, and then when it comes to it, they deny having to do any repairs.

Seriously reconsider buying from them - they will do everything to get you in, and then, they do not care. Highly disappointed in this company and builder.

Man L.

The e-portal is quite convenient and makes managing appointments and services easy. However, the booking times tend to be quite long, which can be challenging when trying to schedule care. Additionally, some defects were only noticeable after moving in for a while, and unfortunately, these issues were not covered by the service. Overall, while there are some areas for improvement, the care and support provided have been appreciated.

Julie H.

I have moved to a townhouse that essence property built and I have to say their customer service is one of the best out there. Sale team has been very patient and accommodating to our requests, quality of our new home is great, and the service team is amazing. Sanaz from the home care team has been extremely helpful. Not only she’s friendly since the first time meeting at walk through, she’s always friendly and supportive with smile on her face. Unlike other developers customer care team, Sanaz replies to emails and get things done immediately.

Gurdeep K.

I purchased a unit from Essence at their Tribute townhouse complex. I am very happy with with the place I call home. My kids love the playground and we have had nothing but good experience with the customer service team.

Customer service team have been very helpful with all the questions we had and all the warranty issues we brought up.

I was so happy with Essence that I also bought a unit at their Eastin Condo. I cannot wait to see my condo unit once it is ready.

I highly recommend Essence as a developer.