A guide to living in East London

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

Living in this area has been a really positive experience. There are plenty of useful amenities nearby, including supermarkets, cafés, restaurants, and shops, making everyday life very convenient. The transport connections are also a big advantage, with easy access to buses and stations that make getting around London simple. The street itself feels calm and safe, with regular bin collections and no major issues with noise or traffic.

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

The building management team has been very helpful and responsive whenever we have raised any questions or concerns. They communicate clearly and work quickly to find solutions, which has made the experience much easier.

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

One thing I wish I had known before moving in is how convenient the location would be. The transport links, nearby shops, and overall atmosphere of the area make daily life very easy. I would also recommend new neighbours getting familiar with the building facilities and management team, as they are very supportive.

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

The location itself is convenient, with good transport connections and easy access to central London. However, the area can feel very busy and noisy, and the overall experience depends heavily on the quality of the accommodation itself.

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

The reception staff have always been polite, friendly, and professional. However, the response to serious room-related issues and requests for flexibility has been disappointing. Several problems were reported, but some were not properly resolved. For example, issues such as noise from the fuse box, mattress quality, and room differences were dismissed as being standard, despite later moving to another room where these problems did not exist. When we raised concerns about the temperature making the room extremely difficult to live in, we requested a reasonable solution, such as changing to a shorter membership period or finding a replacement tenant. Unfortunately, no flexible solution was offered.

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

I wish I had known that this was a membership agreement rather than a standard tenancy agreement, and that there would be very limited flexibility once signed. I would also have wanted to know more about room conditions, especially temperature control during hot weather. The room became extremely hot at night, making it impossible to sleep comfortably for months. I would strongly recommend future residents carefully check the contract terms, understand the exit conditions, and view the exact room before committing.

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

Canning Town is more than meets the eye. City Island, Victoria Dock, the people, history and transport links all mean it's a desirable place to live. I found the GP surgeries awful so I registered with GP at Hand. I love the transport links (Tube, DLR and bus) and the local dog community is amazing. There are some great restaurants (Saltanat, Pepenero and MyMy). I loved being by the water and North Greenwich. You can walk to the Elizabeth Line at Custom House. Traffic and construction noise has been fine for a long time now. Back in 2024 it was deafening and constant so now is a good time to move here.

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

Brilliantly. They are very nice to deal with and efficient too.

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

When I moved in it was very unstable team wise. There was no community spirit and I didn't like the attitude of residents who were allowed to do what they wanted. The building works in the area were loud and 24/7. Communal areas had works going on. The first year or so was actually challenging in places. I also am grateful I face the road because I know some people had a lot to contend with, noise wise, where they were facing the Tube or nearer the station end. Right now though I wouldn't say there is anything bad to be aware of. The conditions were strict before though but now the law has changed people have more rights in any case.

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

Coppermaker Square is in a very convenient area, with good access to Stratford’s shops, restaurants, bars and open spaces, as well as excellent transport links nearby. Day-to-day living around the area feels practical and well connected. The main downside is that some of the wider building services and systems have been unreliable, which has affected the overall experience.

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

Building management has generally responded well to maintenance issues, with requests usually being picked up quickly and handled without too much hassle. The main frustration has been the process itself, rather than the actual response times. They use a fairly clunky maintenance app with limited drop-down options, which can make it awkward to log an issue in the right category, but in practice requests still seem to be routed correctly. The only issue we had where the process felt slow was when we first moved in and the WiFi didn’t reach all the way into the bedroom. The WiFi provider responded quickly and offered possible solutions, such as moving the router or installing another one, but said this required sign-off from building management. Despite chasing it repeatedly, the approval did not come through for quite some time, so we ended up finding our own workaround. Interestingly, management eventually approved the request months later, by which point we had already sorted it ourselves and told them not to proceed.

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

One thing I wish we had known before moving in is more about the district energy system, especially the high standing charges and how unreliable the cooling can be in hot weather. I also wish we had better understood the quality of the materials and finishes, as they feel less premium than we expected for the price. On the positive side, the pool and spa facilities are genuinely excellent and a real benefit that you don’t often find in this sort of development.

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

The location is one of the biggest advantages of living here. There are plenty of supermarkets, restaurants, cafés and other everyday amenities within walking distance. Public transport is excellent, with convenient access to the Tube and bus services, making commuting across London very easy. There are also parks and green spaces nearby, along with GP services and pharmacies. Overall, it's a well-connected and convenient area to live in.

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

Whenever I've reported an issue, the building management has responded promptly and professionally. Communication has always been clear, and any maintenance or household-related concerns have been handled efficiently with minimal hassle. The reception and concierge team are approachable and genuinely willing to help.

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

Honestly, there weren't any major surprises after moving in.