A guide to living in County Durham

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

I love where my house is! It’s on a beautiful park and I can see lovely trees and wildlife out of my window. A calm area where neighbours get along nicely. I’ve lived in a Place house houses for about eight years now. I wouldn’t live anywhere else but in a place, Placefirst.

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

If there is any problems, I just enter them on the website and they come out at the next convenable space for me

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

The rent goes up every year. Which could possibly push people out. As people don’t tend to stay in these houses long.

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

The area is very quiet and feels safe, which makes it a pleasant place to live. There is a bus stop nearby with frequent services, and it only takes a short time to reach Durham city centre, making commuting very convenient. I have not experienced any anti-social behaviour, and traffic noise is generally low. The only downside is the public EV charging point within the development. At around 60p per kWh, it is much more expensive than many other public chargers in the area and does not offer good value for residents with electric vehicles. It would be great if the charging price could be reduced in the future.

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

Whenever I have reported an issue or had a question, the management team has been helpful and professional. They responded within a reasonable time and kept me informed throughout the process. The issues I raised were resolved satisfactorily, and communication has generally been clear and efficient.

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

I wish I had known that the on-site EV charging point costs around 60p per kWh, which is more expensive than many other public chargers in the area. If you own an electric vehicle, it is worth comparing charging options before relying on the charger within the development. Apart from that, I have found The Oaks to be a quiet, safe and enjoyable place to live.

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

The area is quiet, clean, and close to shops, supermarkets, and public transport. It's convenient for daily living. Parking is generally good, although it can be busy at times. Overall, it feels like a safe and pleasant place to live.

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

Whenever I have reported an issue, the management team has responded promptly and kept me informed. The problems were handled professionally and resolved within a reasonable time.

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

I wish I'd known how convenient the location is, with shops and transport links nearby. Overall, it's been a pleasant place to live, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a modern, well-managed home.

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

In short distance to local shops, takeaways etc. I drive so don’t use any transport links. Our street is quiet despite the surrounding areas. The parking is sometimes a nightmare because the people in 1/2 beds still have up to 2 cars between them. The houses adjacent to the back of ours are awful and we’re constantly having issues with the state of the back alleys due to them(they’re not Placefirst)

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

In the 6 years I’ve been here, they’ve gotten a lot better and they respond to issues a lot quicker than they used to

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

What experience I’d have with the neighbours out the back and that we weren’t able to use the loft space as storage

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

Lovely local area, close to shops, restaurants and pubs. The green is fantastic and really well maintained.

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

Really quick response via phone or email, quick to visit and get things sorted.

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

could do with more storage space - there’s nowhere to put anything in a one bedroom!