A Guide to Living in Liverpool

Please review your development:

The decor in the building and the rooms are five star. The James has state of the art facilities, which include a fully equipped gym and a communal lounge area. However, it isn’t the location and the facilities that makes the James the best living space in Liverpool. It is the management team at the James – they are the properties greatest asset. The team at the James are always willing to assist you and they have done a superb job at creating a community within the building through the number of social events that are held.

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

I was surprised with how quiet the area is at night, which is good. As that was a concern of mine when moving into Liverpool. I really don’t think there is many location as central as The James, that are as quiet.

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

To be honest I have had very few issues whilst staying at The James. Any problems raised have been handled quickly and very professionally.

Please review your development:

I’ve been at The James for a month now, and Ellie & Jennifer have been so welcoming and made my move in simply amazing. The apartments are stunning with designer fittings and finishes. The facilities are just amazing and you can always bring someone over without hesitation. It’s got a cute little gym with all the essential machines, which makes it so easy to work out in the mornings. They’ve also got yoga and a personal trainer , I couldn’t really ask for more. The place is so well maintained, even the bin area is clean!

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

Nothing really. I’m very happy here. The apartments look exactly like they do in the photos which is very rare

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

I’ve not had any problems or issues so far. All my requirements have been met.

Bad points: area is quite rough, not much within walking distance bar train station. No bus stops nearby. The flats are heated by electricity only. Water is okay, but due to poor insulation, the heat leaves the building so quickly. Bills for two people are easy £250 per month in winter, and even then you feel cold. The windows leak both water and cold air. The building owners don’t care and do nothing to fix it.

Please review your development:

The flats were built with one thing in mind and one thing only – be cheap for investors. After 15 years, it shows. The lifts often break down and can take months to fix. This is annoying if you live on the top floor and have limited mobility as I do.

There has been a leak of sewage into the car park for several weeks (see the image for a car covered in sewage).

The main door and front gate have both been left faulty/broken for months on end. This allows kids to come into the development and cause trouble (eg stealing mail, setting off fire alarms). Several apartments and cars have been broken into recently which is scary. Some of the people who live here do not care for the place, and leave rubbish around, let their animals excrete on the floor and don’t pick it up. Parcels/mail often get stolen. Management company don’t care for the place / look after it.

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

Really poor insulation, so the flats cost a lot to heat.

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

Problems go months without being fixed. For example, the front gate has been open for months and cars regularly get broken into. The lift was broken for about 6 months. The management company say they don’t have enough money to fix these problems.

Bad: can be loud, but overall good.

Please review your development:

Facilities are okay, especially roof terrace, security, bike storage. Gym could be improved significantly, missing a lot in terms of weights, and is sometimes dirty.

Design is good, makes it a nice place to be in communal areas. Some strange design choices in flats, including bathrooms way too big; bedrooms a bit too small.

Property management, could be improved, feels understaffed so response times are slow. Coupled with the Airbnb aspect of the building, means that resident requests go to the back of the queue vs Airbnb

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

Lack of storage space in flats, the amount of airbnbs

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

Haven’t had to use yet, seem to be well intentioned and available.