A guide to living in North London

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

Great local area and vibe. Good selection of shops and retailers. Good good options too. The area is also clean.

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

Always quickly. They understand if something needs to be prioritised.

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

That there was 3 terraces! Also about the even nights.

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

Enfield is a diverse and multicultural area with a variety of shops and restaurants easily accessible. Local parks like Trent Park and Forty Hall offer great open spaces for relaxation. Public transport, including trains and buses, is good, although traffic can be heavy at times. My street is quiet with ample parking, timely bin collections, and minimal antisocial behavior.

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

The building management is generally responsive, but sometimes there is a slight delay in addressing issues.

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

Before moving in, I wished to live in a place where management consults all residents and where everyone can openly discuss building matters together. Paying attention to this would be especially beneficial for newcomers and those who are not fluent in the language.

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

Overall, it's a nice and quiet area with clean streets and a generally peaceful atmosphere. There are plenty of department stores (Lidl, Tesco, Asda, etc) nearby to suit all tastes, and a small park within walking distance that's great for casual strolls. Bin collections are regular and efficient, and the streets are always kept clean. On the downside, if your windows face the main road, be prepared for constant noise and a surprising amount of dust coming into the flat. In terms of transport, the area is served by the Victoria Line and Greater Anglia. The Victoria Line is generally reliable, but during peak hours it can be nearly impossible to board a train coming from central London—at times like these, the Greater Anglia service from Liverpool Street is a lifesaver. However, if you're commuting in from outside London, be aware that Greater Anglia can be quite unreliable, and you might end up needing to reroute via King's Cross.

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

The building management responds quickly and efficiently to any issues. You can easily reach out for help either at the reception or through the app.

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

One thing to be aware of is the amount of fine black dust that regularly appears on the balcony—it’s easy to assume it hasn’t been cleaned, but it’s most likely coming from the nearby road and tends to build up quickly. Also, make sure to carefully review your Check-In report. In our case, almost no defects were listed initially, so we had to document everything ourselves. We even discovered more issues during the first month. That said, to be fair, anything that could be fixed (like a broken chair or some mould in bath) was sorted out within the first week, and the rest was added to the report without any problems.

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

The area is well served by the Victoria line and the National Railway, and you can reach central London in 20 minutes. Having both options avoids being stranded in the event of strikes or technical problems. It's also well connected to Stansted Airport. The open spaces are fantastic. There's Walthamstow Wetlands, where you can walk and relax, and Down Lane Park with tennis courts and a small football pitch. There aren't many restaurants yet, but the area is developing rapidly.

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

The building management was always available. We didn't have any major problems, but they were available even for small things, like fixing a light bulb that started flickering.

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

I wish I had known that I would have stayed for 3.5 years. There was a good offer for long stays. Unfortunately I signed a 1 year contract that went from around 1,700 to 2,000 in 3 years.

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

The location of the flat is very ideal, with the train station a 7 minute walk away that takes you straight into London, bus that takes you into the town. A shop just around the corner for all your little essentials. The parking is terrible as it’s yellow lines and to park in the car park at the back of the flats is very expensive. I believe this should be free with the amount we pay for rent. The main road is very loud so that can sometimes keep us up at night as we have the window open. The bins I don’t feel are collected enough as they are always overflowing even with 5-6 bins

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

Everytime the lift breaks it tends to be fixed fairly quickly. Unless it’s a weekend as we can’t get through to out of hours. I have reported the doors not locking and they can take ages to get fixed. I have reported the fire alarm to be replaced or fixed and that hasn’t been done. That has been about 8 months. The door handle came off November last year and has only just been put back on.

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

How much rent would go up. If I knew the lift would break all the time I wouldn’t be on the 2nd floor.