A guide to living in North West London

Although concierge staff are generally very helpful and friendly, I've found that the main landlord (Quintain) to be quite the opposite. I've included some of my frustrations below: - Their staff gained unauthorised access into our flat, and when we realised the individual ran away (this has happened to other residents too). When we questioned them on this, we were constantly gaslit. To this day, I've not had an actual explanation of how and why this happened, or what mitigations are in place to ensure this doesn't happen again. - The quality of security in the area (provided by Wembley Park estates which are closely enough linked with Quintain to reference them in this review) is terrible. There is complete disregard for resident safety; I've witnessed first hand (as have many other local residents) security individuals providing access to absolutely anyone into buildings (they're usually looking down on their phones anyway), and when on patrol actively turning around when seeing any sign of anything which would require their intervention. I do not feel safe with them in charge of security. - Constant false promises and lack of accountability. We were told there would be an gym open when we moved it; it was only opened 2 years into our residency. The gym has little sound proofing (it's also tiny and windowless); you'll hear weights being dropped if you're above the gym on any of the first 7/8 floors. Separately, we had residents above us smoking and dropping ash into our balcony for over 1 year; no action was taken to resolve this and it only stopped when they finally moved out. - Quintain Living offer short term lets within their buildings and allow residents to do the same. This means that literally anyone can book to live here for even a night. Most are fine, but expect the odd chaotic flat party/messy social areas the night after (to their credit, the maintaince team do do a good job of looking after the social areas and cleaning up after messy residents). - You have zero control over utility bill rates. You cannot use a different provider or negotiate rates. Quintain Living will tell you that the rates charged are very competitive, but be aware that the domestic price cap doesn't apply to you so can be charged more than this (we certainly have been in the past). Also be aware that a commercial 24/7 gym with DJ nights will be opening on the ground floor of the Madison building. Residents will not have access to this (unless you join the gym at the standard price) but rest assured if sound proofing is inadequate (which it seems to be given I've had numerous migraines from the constant drilling) then you will be kept awake by it. As I say, junior staff at Quintain are generally really good, but from my experience it's my opinion that Quintain Living prioritise profits over everything else. Bear that in mind if deciding to move here.

The development is modern, beautifully designed and offers fantastic facilities that really enhance the overall living experience. The flats are well presented, and the amenities are a great addition especially the gym. The building team has been amazing, always responding quickly to any queries. Thank you to Chante, who has been fantastic from the very beginning and has gone above and beyond to make The Watermint feel like home!

The Watermint has great potential, but it's not quite realised yet. I think that it could be, with some more well-trained staff and attentiveness from the development, as well as once building work is completed. I'll try and take my feelings in turn. First off - the positives. There are many positives, and I'll try and be as balanced as I can. The design and interior design of the complex is lovely, and the communal areas always smell nice. The staff are lovely (when around) and the actual setup is good; there's a lot of potential that I am sure will grow as the development continues construction. The Sainsbury's downstairs is absolutely fantastic, massive and brand new. There is the Royal Mail Delivery Office across the road, and also parcel lockers too. The apartments are very nice, and the communal gardens are very well kept. The appliances in the apartments are all brand new/modern and the internal filtration/air circulation in each apartment is something I have never come across before (it's effectively a modulated air system that detects moisture/cooking and pumps in fresh air for you automatically). The apartments have heat pumps, which are very efficient, and underfloor heating, which is great. The bathrooms are beautifully done and look almost hotel-like. I cannot comment on furnishings as we're unfurnished. However, the first and main failing of the Watermint is their staff. They are often unreachable, unresponsive and the concierge is almost always unmanned. They ensure in your contract that the concierge is 'discretionary', so there's nothing you can complain about. Most of the times I go downstairs, the concierge is empty and the delivery issues this has caused are huge. As delivery companies rely on the concierge and do not bother to ring us via the intercom/make further enquiries when the concierge is empty (all the time), we always miss deliveries. It's getting really frustrating and I have raised this with management and have had no response. I am only asking for a rethink on the system we currently have, but have had nothing back as of yet. To be clear, the Watermint is the rental component/arm of the larger Silkstream development, which is owner-occupied. Watermint has access to all Silkstream amenities, including the gym and cinema room, which are really nice. The frustration with this is that the Silkstream concierge is so much better than ours and is always reliably staffed. This is a sore subject for me; why is ours so much worse? I've thought about getting deliveries to there instead. On the whole, the management is not great or particularly responsive to issues. When issues have been raised, I have sometimes been met with template responses, and sometimes not at all. The delivery issue is getting out of hand and something needs to be done about that. Even if it's just putting a permanent sign outside saying something to the effect of 'If Concierge unstaffed, please call individual apartment numbers on intercom' as the system allows us to open the door remotely, which is great. The concierge expectation was high for us, and it's not been put in practice, which has been disappointing. Also, the car park has had numerous issues with access/gates, which have resulted in difficulties despite me paying for parking. When it comes to value, I don't think the Watermint professes to be cheap or good value for money; I see it as luxury for the area. I'm not sure the price tag is reflected in the service received, but oh well. None of my gripes are enough to make me leave, I just feel it's not run as well as it could be. I would really like a more reliable concierge service or just a fix. Compared to the owners at Silkstream, we are hard done by. A big thing to bear in mind before moving is the construction. The development is set to be rather large; this is clear from the plans. However only three out of the dozen residential buildings are currently complete. You must bear this in mind before moving. The construction noise has been incessant and loud and disruptive. We sort of knew this would be the case, but it has stopped us enjoying our outside space. I can only hope it'll improve. As the complex is so new, how many of these are teething issues is impossible to say, but I think it will improve over time. It just depends how much time you're willing to give the place to get up to that level you desire.

Fell in love with it the place minute I saw it. Nice new apartments with all the amenities I was hoping for. New gym, jacuzzi, sauna, roof top terrace for BBQ, game rooms, co-working space and walking distance to covered Padel Courts. Brent Cross West also provides easy access to central London, Luton, Gatwick, and connections to Heathrow. Really couldn’t be happier.

I've had a very positive experience living at Dandi Wembley. The building has a modern, welcoming feel, and I appreciate the design, facilities and the atmosphere that makes it feel like home. A special thank you to Mohammed, Faiza, Nishaad, Ozwald, Piotr, George, Aleem and Joseph. Their friendly, approachable attitude makes a real difference to the experience of living here. It is lovely to have a team who help create such a welcoming environment, and I would happily recommend Dandi Wembley to anyone considering making it their home.