A guide to living in Greater Manchester

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

The James Manchester is situated in a great area with lots to do around you. Sometimes making parking a bit tricky as to the location being so central. Traffic noise can be quiet a lot on busier periods in the city but overall great place to stay.

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

With care and Camz although we haven’t had many issues

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

The congestion that can happen within the city centre surrounding the building

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

Living in this area is excellent, as it sits right where Ancoats and the Northern Quarter meet. When it comes to places to eat and drink, it is hard to beat this location in Manchester. Both Ancoats and the Northern Quarter offer some of the city’s best bars and restaurants, with a particularly vibrant evening and nightlife scene in the Northern Quarter. It is also only a short walk to a wide range of shops, including Aldi, Co-op, Tesco, and the Arndale, which offers many more options. Transport links are very convenient, with Manchester Victoria only an eight-minute walk away, a bus station almost directly across the road, and a nearby tram stop. There is also a multi-storey car park available across the road, providing parking options. The street itself is a busy main road with regular traffic; however, this is not an issue when living on the higher floors.

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

Building management are very responsive and deal with any issues raised promptly and efficiently. Communication is clear, and problems are addressed in a timely manner, which gives real confidence that the building is well managed.

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

One thing we wish we had known before moving in is that the furniture provided by the development is permanent and cannot be stored for you. This means you are responsible for arranging secure storage yourself. This has been a bit of a hindrance, as my partner and I both work from home and needed our own desks in the spare bedroom. As a result, we have had to store the king-size bed and other furniture elsewhere. The internet is very fast and reliable once you are connected; however, the setup process is not particularly straightforward. The development only allows one internet provider, ASK4, which means there is no choice and the prices are relatively high. In addition, connecting devices can be inconvenient, as you must manually register each device by collecting its MAC address and adding it to your account before it can connect. This makes setting up devices without screens, such as Sonos speakers or Wi-Fi light bulbs, especially frustrating. The radiator controls could also be improved. The current app is quite basic and only allows radiators to be turned on or off and the temperature to be set. A more well-designed app with better scheduling options would be a welcome improvement.

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

Great area to live in your 5 minutes away from the city centre (if that) also very quiet at night too which is a massive bonus.

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

Yes, within 12 hours usually, it's fantastic how seriously they take issues and are keen to resolve ASAP.

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

I didn't realise how many amazing pubs/restaurants there were within a 10 minute walk down towards Salford Crescent, theres a great Tapas place which is worth a visit!

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

Absolutely love this place. The restaurants are amazing. Walking distance to deansgate which has so may restaurants. Love love love it. I get to walk everywhere and save on transport.

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

Yes they always respond immediately. Absolutely fantastic.

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

Nothing really. The place is absolutely amazing. Maybe the room size but it’s cool.

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

Living in The Residences couldn’t be more convenient! There’s a general store downstairs, a tram stop 6 mins walk away, lots of restaurants in walking distance and not to mention the gorgeous facilities in The Residences! Honestly couldn’t ask for a better or more convenient location.

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

Issues are resolved extremely quickly - usually in the same day.

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

Honestly nothing! We moved from South Africa, having never been to Manchester and we felt that we had all the information needed!