A guide to living in East London

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

The neighborhood is beautiful, but it's gotten pretty insecure with time. On May 2025 an 87 year old got robbed and murdered. And phone theft is pretty recurring. There's plenty of stores around, and a gym, which is nice. The buildings have spaces for businesses that haven't been occupied for years.

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

The management agency will go all the way to get more money out of you. And there's nothing short of legal measures that you can do to prevent it, because you cannot change the managing agency or some services' supplier.

What is the best feature of your home:

The nature in the area is beatiful. There's the reservoir, and the gardens are all well maintained.

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

Great location. Close to Canary Wharf + chrisp street market. Park is amazing. Bin collection happens everyday which is great. Only problem with the location is people blocking the car park + we can’t move when there’s an emergency. People do gas + balloons at midnight/early morning. Maybe a camera to give ticket would help people blocking it.

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

Any issues we put on the resident portal gets solved within a day or two or even on the day at times. Recently we had Paul to who to fix an issue. He communicated and updated us and was very friendly and solved our problem very quickly.

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

Pet friendly and great parking. Issue again is the underground parking gets blocked all the time. And in the night there are people going gas and balloons.

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

Good aspect - consistent maintenance of clean surroundings and amenities Bad aspect - there are pickpockets around

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

Mark and Damion - They are so kind and quick to attend to our requests

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

We didn’t know that the surroundings can be so relaxing especially in summer

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

Living in Barking has been a great experience, especially at APO. The area is developing rapidly, with more shops, cafes, and restaurants popping up all the time. There’s a good mix of big-name supermarkets and local convenience stores nearby, and you’re close to lovely open spaces like Barking Park and the riverside walks. Transport links are excellent – Barking Station is just a short walk away and gives quick access to the District and Hammersmith & City lines, as well as Overground and c2c trains into central London. The area feels safe and welcoming, and the community is diverse and vibrant. Parking can be limited in certain spots, but the building offers bike storage and good local transport makes having a car optional. Bin collections are reliable, and the street is generally quiet with minimal noise or disturbance.

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

The building management has been responsive and professional, always addressing issues quickly and keeping residents informed throughout.

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

One thing I wish I’d known is how active and social the APO community is—there are regular events and communal spaces that make it easy to meet people, which is a great bonus. Also, the train noise from Barking Station can be noticeable in some apartments, so it’s worth checking the flat’s orientation if you’re sensitive to sound.

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

Living here is just perfect, convenient and luxury! There’s everything at your doorstep (you literally have the WestField mall) 10 steps away from your home (How convenient) and it’s very close to Olympic park which is great if you have a dog, so many things to do around and last but not the least, the TUBE is also right next to you! Love it!! :)

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

The building management is great and very quick to solve any problems/ issues!

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

The live fitness sessions, if I would’ve known before, wouldn’t consider anything else for a second!