A guide to living in City of Edinburgh

I'm really happy living here and honestly don't have any complaints. Everything is well looked after and the staff are all lovely. They're friendly, approachable and easy to have a chat with, which makes a difference when you live somewhere. Our dog is also very well known around Dockside and gets plenty of attention from the staff, which we really appreciate. It’s nice that they are so welcoming and treat pets as part of the community too. I've had no issues with the building or the way things are run. I just enjoy living here and have been very happy with it.

The building is attractively designed, but the quality and condition of the property increasingly do not justify the rents being charged. The energy arrangement is another major concern. Residents cannot opt out, are subject to a standing charge of around £60, pre electricity usage, and regularly face bills of £120–£200+ per month, with charges based on business rates. Energy is purchased by the building and effectively resold to residents, leaving tenants with no meaningful choice or ability to seek a cheaper supplier. The lack of transparency around this arrangement is upsetting given the building energy is meant to be efficient. The area means you will pay around £360 per month in council tax. The building is backed by large investment funds, yet tenants are being asked to accept escalating costs while basic maintenance isn’t completed to a high standard. AI cameras across the property also raises serious concerns about privacy and surveillance. Overall, while the design looks good on the surface, the growing gap between the premium price residents pay and the standard of service, maintenance and transparency they receive is extremely disappointing. Extremely high turn over of staff at front desk, now missing the original people who made the building special. No transparency when you join regarding the social spaces that are available, you are told these are available to use, but often fail to mention it costs hundreds of pounds to rent out spaces. Old staff members allowed it to be used if it was not booked which meant you could show off your home to others, your now policed like the stasi government and sent passive aggressive emails and will get charged if more than 4 people congregate who are not part of the building. You will pay another £200 a month in parking if you have a car. Social events increasingly feel like marketing opportunities for the building rather than genuine resident benefits, with activities always used for social media promotion. This can be particularly uncomfortable for residents who have legitimate privacy or personal safety concerns about publicly identifying where they live. Overall, the building looks impressive on the surface, but there is a growing disconnect between the premium residents pay and the service, transparency, freedom and value they actually receive. The sense of community that originally made the building special is being replaced by increasingly restrictive rules, rising costs and a strong focus on profitability and marketing.

The building is great and clearly very well taken care of, with the communal areas kept clean and well maintained throughout. The team is also excellent at organising activities for tenants, the pizza night was a particular highlight and it's clear a lot of thought goes into building a sense of community here.

I've really enjoyed living here so far. Everything feels new and clean, the building is really nice and the communal areas and facilities are well looked after. It also feels very safe, which was something I cared about when choosing somewhere to live. The team have been really welcoming since I moved in and you feel like you can actually talk to them if you need anything. Belle at reception deserves a special mention. As someone from Spain, having someone who speaks Spanish has been such a plus. Sometimes when you're dealing with something complicated or trying to explain an issue in another language, it can make things much more difficult than they need to be. Being able to speak to Belle in Spanish when I need to has made those situations so much easier. She's always lovely, patient and helpful, and I think Dockside is very lucky to have her. I've also liked the resident events and the fact that there are always people around. It's made settling in and getting to know the building much easier. So far I'm really happy with my experience here.

Modern design, great shared space and flat facilities. Occasionally parcel collections could be tricky as a collection code may not be given for every item, but staff was always helpful. One thing I have noticed is that mail sometimes would arrive to my mailbox late. Everything else is great.