A Guide to Living in Essex

Essex is a county in the East of England and is one of the most populous counties in the country. It has a population of 1.4 million people, making it an attractive place for prospective home buyers to invest their money and enjoy all that Essex has to offer. Below we’ll take a look at what you should know about Essex before deciding where to put down roots!

4.57

Average Location Score

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65%

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Average

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Best places to live in Essex

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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Where is Essex?

The county of Essex is located to the East of London. It borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire in the South West, Hertfordshire in the North West and Kent along its Northern border.

Areas in Essex

The county contains many different types of areas – some are large towns while others are smaller villages or rural communities that offer peace and quiet away from city life.

Some popular places include:

Chelmsford – The county’s largest town and its administrative centre, Chelmsford is a vibrant and growing community with excellent schools, shopping and leisure facilities.

Basildon – Located in the East of Essex, Basildon is one of the county’s fastest-growing towns thanks to its convenient location and modern amenities. With transport links to London and the coastal resorts, Basildon is a great place for commuters to live.

Southend-on-Sea – With its beautiful seafront location on the Thames Estuary, Southend is popular with Londoners looking to move out of city life but still want quick access via train or road.

Colchester – Situated in the North of Essex, Colchester is a historic town with plenty to see and do. With two universities and an abundance of shops, bars and restaurants, it’s no wonder Colchester is one of the county’s most popular places to live.

Clacton-on-Sea – A seaside resort on the coast, Clacton is a popular choice for holidaymakers and those looking to retire because of the proximity to the coast and countryside.

Universities in Essex

Essex is home to a few universities which draw students from all over the country – these include:

The University of Essex – With over 13,000 students and nearly 600 international ones, the University of Essex is a popular choice for those looking to study in an informal environment and specialises in social sciences.

The University of Essex is located on the outskirts of Colchester which has a vibrant social scene with plenty to do for students.

Writtle University College – Located in Chelmsford, Writtle is the only agricultural university in Essex and offers courses such as land management, forestry and agriculture.

The Colchester Institute – a popular choice for students looking to study in the creative industry, the Colchester Institute offers courses in fashion, design, marketing and more.

Top Schools in Essex

There are many good schools in Essex catering for children of all ages. In addition to state schools, there are also many prestigious private schools located throughout the county.

Some of the standout institutions include:

King Edward VI Grammar School for Boys – a top independent school that is part of a network of more than 30 King Edwards throughout the country, this grammar school has been established since 1551

The Thurstable School – recognised by The Good Schools Guide as one of the best state schools in England, this selective boys’ school is less than 8 miles south of Colchester.

Colchester County High School for Girls – Another top state school, this selective girls’ grammar boasts high academic standards and impressive examination results.

Population of Essex

The population of Essex was estimated at just under two million people as of 2016. This number is expected to grow steadily over the next few years making now a great time for prospective homeowners to consider buying property in the area.

Reviews in Essex

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A Quality Living Environment

Verified Resident

Review Date Aug 2022

The development is well situated for infrastructure being a 10 minute walk from the Chelmsford City centre and all that has to offer, a 5 minute walk heading north a small parade shops which adds to the infrastructure support for those last minute items. The planning of the parking facilities are woefully inadequate and obviously a last minute thought.

Please review your development:

The buildings are nicely designed and provide a comfortable living environment in a superior location with the proximity of the canal and river enhancing the rural well being, whilst only being 10 minutes from a city centre.

The key to the success of this development is the management team under the gentle management skills of Karl, Susan and Lauren (Administration) Lee, Tracy and Andrew ( maintenance), a warm and ready smile and a friendly chat is always there to greet you.

This enhances the wellbeing and living experience of living in this development.

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

I’m happy you would know if I wasn’t.

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

a highly professional team is place, never any issues

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Manager Response

Hi Paul, thanks for taking the time to submit a review, we’re delighted to hear you’re enjoying your new apartment and living in this area of Chelmsford!

An honest review for L&Q to learn from

Verified Resident

Review Date Jun 2022

Our home is beautiful and located in a lovely area of Chelmsford, shops are great and very modern

The main negative is L&Q, they have the worst customer service I have ever experienced and do no care about its customers, service charges are always wrong and the ground maintenance of the area is pretty poor, I have lived here over 3 years and although an amazing place to live there are a lot of negatives

Please review your development:

Everything is fantastic besides the property management, too many managers that take no responsibility for the poor customer service and resolving issues customer may have, you only need to view local Facebook groups to see everyone has the same views

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

Never buy a property from L&Q they are totally unorganised and do not fix problems.

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

They frankly do not respond or they take months, tell you lies and never know what’s actually going on, they are a shambles

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Manager Response

We are very sorry to hear you have had problems with the property management. Please contact us at lqdirect@lqgroup.org.uk (with Homeviews in the subject line) and a dedicated agent will do their best to assist.

Enjoying It!

Review Date Jun 2022

I love where the development is, close enough to the city centre (about 10 min walk) for convenience, while being a perfect distance for some peace and quiet and views of fields and the river. There’s a really nice scenic walk into the centre which is just 10 mins away where there’s a great selection of different supermarkets & shops, often see a little swan family on the way that make it all the more pleasant! 🙂

Please review your development:

The apartment itself is lovely, light and bright with a neutral palette that makes it easy to move in and add your own touches. My apartment came furnished and while the furnishings look quite nice, the sofa isn’t very comfortable and the dining set seems to be very cheap and pretty much leaves marks from just looking at it, sort of to be expected in rental properties though. I also find the insulation between floors is lacking, it’s quite noticeable when somebody upstairs is stomping around or worse, slams a door, it felt like my entire bedroom shook when this happened. Thankfully, doesn’t happen often!

It’s great to have a mail room which is handy for when you’re out, though in cases where the delivery person is trying to deliver direct to your apartment, it can sometimes be a pain for them to find the apartment as my building has two separate entrances that use different lifts, even when I specify the entrance on the delivery address. Some also seem to be confused over the fact that they have to call the intercom again to use the lift once they’re inside the building, would be handy if little things like these could be made clearer.

Aside from little things like these, I’ve really enjoyed living here so far, the included internet with the rent has been speedy and reliable which is a great bonus for those like me working from home, shower is nice and powerful, comfortable beds and a peaceful, laidback location with most of what you need on your doorstep.

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

Lack of insulation between floors considering “high quality soundproofing” was used on the apartment’s Rightmove listing.

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

Haven’t had to encounter management many times but always seem very nice and helpful.

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Perfect way to get on ladder on shared ownership

Verified Resident

Review Date Jun 2022

Brilliant location access to shops and transport is very convenient with bus stops near by. No issues regarding anti social behaviour, nice friendly neighbourhood

Please review your development:

I had few issues within the property regarding the design, have report these to Lq and waiting to resolve the issue regarding my thermostat being fitted right about Radiator. Other than this issue their has been no major faults

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

Ensure the property has no minor or major faults, ensure Lq has gone over the finer details of the property

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

Waiting to resolve the issue but have been in contact

Facilities

Design

Location

Value

Management

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Manager Response

We are very sorry to hear you had issues with the design of the property. Please contact us at lqdirect@lqgroup.org.uk (with Homeviews in the subject line) and a dedicated agent will do their best to assist.