A Guide to Living in East London

Perhaps the capital’s biggest oxymoron, East London is a place where traditional meets contemporary and all walks of life collide. And there lies its draw, as many of its millions of occupants will attest to. Read on to discover developments that are the best places to live in East London. In addition, read reviews from residents who own or rent in East London.

4.36

Average Location Score

Excellent

53%

Very Good

33%

Average

11%

Disappointing

Very Poor

Best places to live in East London

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

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East London regeneration

On the one hand, this portion of the capital has seen lots of renovation and innovation. In the past decade, East London has been heavily invested in – from Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and its neighbouring new-build residential developments, to Hackney’s cutting-edge arts and music scene. And the highly anticipated arrival of Crossrail will revolutionise the area further.

On the other hand, East London seeps history; characterised by its 19^th-century docks, Victorian townhouses and tales of Jack the Ripper. Whitechapel walking tours that chart the stories of yesteryear and take in age-old pubs come highly recommended.

Tower Hamlets’ creative hubs

The Tower Hamlets borough is home to sought-after neighbourhoods like Shoreditch, Hoxton and Bethnal Green. Where traditional boozers and pie and mash shops share space with exhibitions and galleries. These districts are a favourite for creative professionals; who frequent the artisan coffee shops by day and the live music venues by night. To the north of these so-called ‘hipster hotspots’ you’ll find Mile End. Which offers the same East End spirit with a side-order of canalside walks and a family-friendly park.

Tower Hamlets is arguably the best borough in the capital for shopping; there’s everything from vintage clothes stores to treasure-trove antique dens. As for markets, you’re spoilt for choice, thanks to big-hitters like Old Spitalfields, Brick Lane and the Columbia Road Flower Market.

Canary Wharf

London’s most famous skyline, Canary Wharf’s residential developments are quadrupling, and the area is no longer just a Monday to Friday destination. Here, five supersize malls and a myriad of Thames-facing restaurants and bars sit alongside the high-spec high rises. And transport links here are among the finest in East London. The Jubilee line and the DLR offer fast and reliable connections for commuters, plus Thames Clipper riverbus services are an option if you’d rather get to work along the water. Canary Wharf isn’t just a hive for city slickers these days, though. A handful of good schools and some surprising green swathes have captured the attention of families, as well.

East London’s pockets of calm

Head out to the likes of Havering, Newham and Barking & Dagenham, and there’s sweeping parkland and wide, leafy streets lined with grandiose houses. It results in a less urban feel than most other East London postcodes, but these are no wallflowers – the club and cocktail scenes in places like Chingford and Plaistow rival the traditionally trendier playgrounds. In E17’s Walthamstow, residents are treated to a charming village centre and a sprinkling of gastropubs in the shadow of sprawling Epping Forest.

Diverse, vibrant and with its finger well and truly on the pulse, the East End is the Selfridges of London’s geography, in that it truly offers something for everyone. Art lover? Foodie? Fitness fanatic? Come right in, because you’ll be welcomed with open arms…

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

Featured developments in East London

Reviews in East London

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ALL GOOD

Review Date Nov 2022

I feel like i live on my own flat. APO Barking is very near to shopping area and a quite place to live.

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APO team members are really very quick with their response. I enjoyed all the facilities(Food Disco, Terrace, Party Hall, Playing area and GYM) with in APO. I did not face any issue at all during my stay so i would like APO flats are very nice to spend your quality time.

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I feel like i live on my own flat. APO Barking is very near to shopping area and a quite place to live.

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

I did not face any issue at all during my stay in APO

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Lots of drug users in this building, please do not stay!

Review Date Nov 2022

Lots of people smoking weed in the apartments, stinks throughout especially since all units have balconies.

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There was once where there was no hot water for a couple of days – this was during autumn so was poor timing. It was fixed after a while though. Building design is bad as weed stench can float from one balcony to another and there are a lot of weed users in this building

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Lots of inconsiderate neighbours doing weed which stinks up the flat and other communal areas.

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

Building management does not care about weed users.

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Regretting move in

Review Date Nov 2022

1. The building moves during wind and the worst part is one will hear cracking sound that prevent them from falling asleep.
2. The lift is horrible. 1/4 always in maintenance. There’s a long line to wait. No separation from lower and higher floor.
3. The entrance smells trash all the time.
4. There’s no swimming pool or cinema room. It’s not pet friendly or party friendly.
5. The management team doesn’t care about to solve any present issues. The residents meeting is pretentious.

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Multiple accidents have happened in the lift. Some people got stuck for an hour at midnight, some fall on the ground and got injured when the lift lost control and raced up and down 58 floors in several second, etc. But the management never responds to complain emails leaving along solving them.

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The cracking sound of the building during wind can be scary and many people cannot fall asleep.

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

They don’t care and discriminate against certain groups of residents.

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Manager Response

Dear Jocelyn,

Thank you for taking the time to leave a review and we are sorry to hear you feel you have had a negative experience with Vertus. We will address each of your points below but please do reach out to our Building Manager Graeme who will be more than happy to talk with you.

On your point raised regarding the wind-induced noise recently experienced in the building, as per the communication recently posted on our Resident App, all tall buildings are designed to move in response to variation in wind loads. In recognition of the inconvenience this causes to our residents, particularly during adverse weather, Vertus are undertaking works to mitigate the noise which we hope to have completed by the end of this year.

The lifts at Newfoundland are undergoing an intensive maintenance programme, the timing of which we have tried wherever possible to keep to out of hours to avoid disruption. We have taken active steps to improve communication between Vertus and our residents on the status of these lift works and want to assure you the lifts are safe.

With reference to your point on hygiene / unpleasant smells, we have implemented an increased cleaning regime in the space and intend on improving and increasing the fragrancing of this area also.

The amenity offering at Newfoundland does not include a swimming pool however the Snug is a screening room which is available for residents to book out for hosting movie nights etc. with their friends. The bookable spaces within Club Vertus are there for our residents to use and enjoy however limitations around the types of events are in place to ensure the enjoyment of the space for all residents.

We would like to assure you Team Vertus value our resident’s feedback and aim to give superlative customer service to all residents, thank you for your feedback and your points have all been taken on board.

Team Vertus

WORST OF THE WORST

Verified Resident

Review Date Nov 2022

Absolutely terrible, and the worst company that I’ve ever had to engage with in my whole life. Customer Service is non-existent.

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Absolutely terrible, and the worst company that I’ve ever had to engage with in my whole life. Customer Service is non-existent, I’ve had to report them to the NHBC, to the Property Ombudsman and had to service Section 21 and Section 22 because these people simply don’t work. They do not and refuse to help and permanently fix issues that shouldn’t even exist in a new build apartment.

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VISTRY PARTNERSHIPS are COWBOYS, they take your money through expensive service charges and do nothing

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

They ignore all your messages until you’re exhausted, they promise to call back and never do.

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A Guide to Living in East London

Best places to live in East London

East London regeneration

Tower Hamlets’ creative hubs

Canary Wharf

East London’s pockets of calm

Featured developments in East London

Sailmakers, E14

Unex Tower, E15

Ten Park Drive, E14

The Liberty Building, E14

The City Mills, E8

Pan Peninsula, E14

London City Island, E14

Lincoln Plaza, E14

Hoola, E16

Fizzy Poplar, E14

Fizzy Stepney Green, E1

Fizzy Canning Town, E16

East Village, E20

East City Point, E16

Dressage Court, E2

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

Please review your development:

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

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

Please review your development:

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

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