A guide to living in Manchester

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

Living at The James has been a great experience overall. The range and quality of local shops, restaurants and bars nearby is excellent, with Ancoats offering loads of great food spots and places to socialise, all within easy walking distance. There are also good open spaces close by, which is a nice balance for city living. Transport links are excellent too — it’s easy to get around Manchester with buses, trams and the city centre all very accessible, and I’ve never had issues getting where I need to go. The street itself is on a main road and next to a bar, so there is traffic and some noise, but that’s exactly what you expect living in central Manchester. It’s lively, convenient and part of the appeal of the area.

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

Building management have been extremely responsive whenever I’ve raised any issues. They’ve dealt with things quickly and professionally, and have always been friendly and approachable. When I moved in they even helped me carry boxes.

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

One thing I wish I’d known beforehand is to ask a few more questions about storage space. The flat is beautifully designed and laid out, but like a lot of city apartments, storage can be a bit limited, so it’s worth planning for that early on. Other than that, everything has lived up to expectations.

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

This area is in the heart of Manchester, so there's a variety of shops, restaurants, and outdoor spaces. It's very close to Victoria train station and bus stops. However, because it's so close to bars, it gets very noisy at night, which is disturbing.

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

They quickly resolved all the issues I experienced. We can report any kind of problem through the app.

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

I didn't know the building was so cold. I'm having a really hard time heating my flat. At least if the building were warmer, it would be easier to heat the flats.

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

Broadside is located in a walkable distance to the town centre, ancoats and northern quarter. Whilst I don’t normally find I have to use public transport as so much is in walking distance, there are also tram stops, bus stations and train stations nearby. The selection of restaurants, bars and coffee shops on the streets nearby is huge, however rarely any noise from these.

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

The concierge and maintenance team are very useful and normally quick to help with issues. We had an issue with our door handle which was seen to within half an hour and replaced with a new one.

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

The location is something I didn’t realise would be as great as it is- being able to walk everywhere .

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

There be are plenty of local shops around for easy grocery shopping. Amazing independent restaurants and shops, bars and the area is quiet and minimally disruptive. Ancoats is a lovely area with a lot of character and independent charm.

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

Yes and they have done so promptly often time within hours of notifying them of the issue always asking permission to enter the property.

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

The road outside can get a little bit loud at times due to traffic so if you’re a light sleeper some earbuds are a good idea.

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

Next to scrap yard is all encompassing. Loud and major environmental hazard. Bad chemical smell leaks into building. Always tailgating into the building.

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

Fixed the dishwasher in a few days of reporting the issue.

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

The scrap yard would be so impactful on everyday life. They conveniently made us view a flat overlooking the other side of the building so the scrap yard was not viewable during the viewing.