A guide to living in Acton

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

There are local supermarkets right next door. For food there's a couple of pizza joints, a Subway, a local chicken shop and a couple of food trucks within a couple mins walk. As far as commute goes, the Central line underground is literally downstairs and buses are easily available within walking distance. Parking is an issue, bin collection is satisfactory and anti-social behavior is quite rare. Traffic noise is normal given there's HS2 works happening right around the corner.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Apartment specific issues have usually been resolved promptly however some general issues have persisted for long periods of time

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

Sunlight availability in apartment due to close proximity of high rise buildings

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

live in Rehearsal Rooms in North Acton, which has a good range of local shops, supermarkets, cafés and takeaways, as well as nearby open spaces like North Acton Playing Fields. Transport links are one of the main positives, with North Acton station (Central Line) and several bus routes providing reliable and convenient travel. The building and surrounding area feel safe with minimal anti-social behaviour, though parking is limited and the main road can get busy at peak times. Bin collections are regular, and overall the area is practical and well connected.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

The building management’s response to issues has been fairly average. They do address problems, but it can sometimes take longer than expected, and communication isn’t always consistent. Overall, the service is adequate but could be more reliable and proactive.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

I wish I had known that nighttime security in the building is quite limited. While the area generally feels safe, there is minimal on-site supervision after hours, so new neighbours should be aware and take precautions, especially regarding building access and personal belongings.

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

I wish there were more shops close to the building but at the moment there is only Sainsburys and Tesco and they are small and don’t have a big variety of food. The Asian market is nice tho but yeah the area doesn’t have a lot of amenities

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

It has responded very quickly and they offered support for all of my needs

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

I wish I learned about the existence of this building before!

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

Living in Acton has been pretty good for day-to-day life. There are plenty of grocers nearby, including Asian marts like Tian Tian, plus Tesco, and Lidl is only a short cycle away, which makes bigger shops easy. The restaurant options aren’t as varied as what you’d find in Central London, but the places here are solid and the food quality is generally really good. The station being so close is one of the biggest positives, and the buses connect well too. The local park is something I really appreciate and it’s a nice open space to walk through, and the tennis courts get used a lot.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Building management has been generally responsive. There are people on the concierge Monday to Saturday until 6PM, and also 24 hour emergency management services. Once on a Sunday a few residents had issues entering the flat, an engineer came immediately to resolve this.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

One thing I wish I’d known before moving in is how the heating system works. The development uses a heat network managed by Insite Energy (from the Perfume Factory setup), which I hadn’t come across in previous rentals. I was used to just paying standard electricity and gas bills, so I didn’t expect an additional heating bill with its own standing charge. Even if you don’t use much heating, the standing charge still applies, and it can add up more than you’d think. It’s not a huge issue day-to-day, but it’s definitely something that would have been good to know upfront so you can budget for it properly.

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

Good: Great location in terms of closeness to station and distance to central London, proximity to supermarkets and few local cafes. Bad: Constant construction noise from HS2 during the day and night time and tube causing mild shaking of the building occasionally.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Dependent on the severity of the issues, hot water disruptions are managed as quick as possible. Lift, intercom and main doors take time to be repaired, and when repaired often fall back to disrepair.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

Noise from the construction site is ongoing and may affect how one wishes to use the balconies. Most of the time too noisy to enjoy being out on the balcony.