City of London

If you’re after a home with bags of character in a peaceful neighbourhood, look away now. The City of London or, ‘Square Mile’, made for those who want to work and play hard. The streets given over to glossy high-rise buildings and very little green space; in order to pack in as many offices and luxury apartments as geographically possible. Read on to discover developments that are the best places to live in the City of London. In addition, read reviews from residents who own or rent in the City of London.

4.57
Average Location Score

Excellent

67%

Very Good

30%

Average

4%

Disappointing

0%

Very Poor

0%

Best places to live in City of London

HomeViews Top Rated Development ranking takes into account the Star Rating and HomeViews Transparency Rating of every development in the area

Cyclist in the city

Property & construction in the City of London

Unsurprisingly, the City’s potential attracts developers far and wide. Barts Square is a popular new-build development from Helical. A purpose-built quarter. It brags a central setting on Bartholomew Close, 200-plus apartments and a combination of retail and dining outlets.

Despite its central location, Barts Square offers somewhat of an escape from city life. The swish residents’ lounge opens out onto a peaceful courtyard garden, and there’s a second landscaped offering between two of the other buildings. A 24-hour concierge service makes for easy living, plus there’s a beautifully done out cinema room that residents can book for private events.” – HomeViews Property Pro

Currently in construction are Galliard’s The Stage and The Denizen by Taylor Wimpey Central London. These luxury apartment blocks set to complete in 2021 and 2020. They will offer locations right in the thick of it with first-class amenities.

Another development to watch is One Crown Place. An Alloy (MED) Jersey property, estimated for completion some time between Q4 2020 and Q1 2021. Set to be one of the best places to live in the City of London.

The units themselves are set to be luxurious through and through, with neutral colour palettes and solid wood and natural stone finishes. Bathrooms will be beautifully tiled spaces, while kitchens will come with state-of-the-art integrated appliances.” – HomeViews Property Pro on One Crown Place

Millennium bridge

City of London’s financial heart

This is the epicentre of Europe’s finance and trade industry, rivalling New York’s Wall Street. As such, it’s a hive of activity, with stylish coffee shops and grandiose brasseries providing a backdrop to chattering commuters and brokers closing deals over lunch. Come 5pm, there’s plenty of places for professionals to loosen their ties and let their hair down, with most heading to the wine bars and pubs of Monument and Liverpool Street.

Designer shopping

As you’d expect, the retail scene is designed for a bank balance that’s greater than average. Architectural gem, The Royal Exchange, is packed with designer names including Hermes, Jo Malone, Boodles and also Tiffany & Co. For sharp suits, gents should explore New Street Square to the west of The City. And One New Change, right by St Paul’s, pairs luxe labels like L.K. Bennett with laid-back restaurants and a Manhattan-inspired rooftop bar.

Skyline of the city

Culture in the City

Despite all that high life-living, this is an area that offers plenty in the way of history as well as culture. On the edge of ancient Roman capital, Londinium, the area showcases the years gone by, such as wall remnants near the Tower of London. For a great day out, the Temple of Mithras. A reconstruction of a Roman sanctuary discovered back in the Fifties, which transports visitors back to AD240. Arts lover? The Barbican Centre is fantastic for exhibitions, and all things film, theatre and dance.

You can find out more about living in the City of London by reading reviews from residents. Click on the developments below to find out more about residents’ experiences and discover great places to rent in the City of London. Moreover, If there’s a City of London property that you can’t see on HomeViews,  you can add a new listing and leave your review here

Reviews in City of London

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Happy with the new build

Review Date Oct 2021

Very convenient if you work in the city and very well connected but can get slightly quiet on the weekends

Please review your development:

Brand new building with modern appliances and amenities. Well maintained and kept quite clean. Concierge service is usually on top of things – only problem is they do not accept any food deliveries even if only for a little while. Management has been fairly responsive so far.

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

The concierge sits in a different building which can confuse some of the delivery people

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

Not raised too many issues but the ones raised at the beginning were sorted out quite quickly

5
Facilities
5
Design
5
Location
4
Value
5
Management
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Don’t be fooled by the appearance! Avoid!

Review Date Oct 2021

The apartment is at a very good location. However there are limited useful shops around the area.

It can be noisy sometime if your flat is facing the entrance especially if you are close to the refuse & delivery area as well as the pub nearby. Parking is very limited.

It is a safe area to live in. Good transport link.

Please review your development:

The facilities of the apartment are limited. Private bar, dining room and cinema are not really useful. There is no swimming pool and with very limited parking.

The quality of the apartment is bad. We had to move out temporary because the developer forgot to lay the water proofing for bathroom floor. And we were relocated to somewhere really awful. Tried to argue and at the end didn’t really provide like for like. Heating and cooling system constantly breakdown and leak. Apparently the developer didn’t lay the cooling pipe properly and cause the leak. The quality of the finishing in the apartment isn’t great as well. First impression looks expensive but eventually you will realise the quality is like China made. Some of the design of the apartment is quite stupid where it’s clear that the architect or designer didn’t think from the user aspect. Limited power sockets in the apartment.

Worst thing, our toilet was overflow due the back flow of discharge from the other unit/outside. And we were blame it was our fault but engineer and plumber have agreed that the fault must be in the communal pipe. No apology or follow up from the building management, and we have to clean it up ourself.

If you are a tenant here in the development, you will be guarantee to be treated like a second class citizen.

Don’t be fooled by their appearance. Avoid!

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

The hidden charges of utility bills. Beware that you will need to pay standing charge for cooling and heating even when you are not using.

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

If you are a landlord with lots of money, then yes, they treat you very nicely. If you are a tenant, be prepared to like a second class citizen. Bad.

2
Facilities
2
Design
4
Location
1
Value
2
Management
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Modern, quiet development for professionals

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Oct 2021

The street is great, very quiet and clean. Small supermarkets are not too far and the transport links are good, close to barbican and st Paul’s as well as city thameslink. Restaurants nearby could be a bit better/more of them.

Please review your development:

The design of the building is very modern, though it would be useful to have two lifts in the building. The cinema room is a nice feature, although a gym instead might have been more useful for most – though I recognise that there are plenty quite near. The concierge is helpful and friendly, but the property management (for my flat its Savill’s) has been a bit slow. So long as they fix the issues they say they are going to, then I would have given more stars.

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

The property manager at Savill’s seems to be progressing the issues, so even though they should have been fixed in advance, they will be sorted soon. The building is very warm, no need to use any heating system, and the windows are insulated against any noise. There are lots of switches in the cupboard involved with the heating system – it would have been good to have an explanation of these, so I know what they all do, as such I am still confused.

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

There were existing problems when I moved in recently, which I would have expected to be fixed in advance, so this was very disappointing. This is the property manager’s fault rather than than landlord, as the landlord isn’t involved.

4
Facilities
4
Design
4
Location
4
Value
2
Management
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Overall good experience staying at barts square

Review Date Oct 2021

It’s a very quiet area, located in a nice location. Nice range of food options. The transportation is very convenient, walking distance to stations.

Please review your development:

The design is simple and classy. Minimalist style which is what I prefer. There is a cinema and lounge for the facilities at barts square; however I would prefer a gym or swimming pool. The building management is quite decent, however it doesn’t feel like they can help with personal requests which is the down side of it.

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

Nice and quiet apartment with very convenient transportation nearby and good range of food options.

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

They are quite responsive; however when there’s an issue about the apartment, it took them weeks to send construction worker to fix it.

3
Facilities
4
Design
5
Location
4
Value
3
Management
User submitted image of  Barts Square, EC1
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