A guide to living in Borough of Barnet

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

Living at The Watermint by Berkeley in NW9 offers a modern residential environment with good access to local amenities and transport links. One of the main advantages is the convenience of having shops, supermarkets, parks and other everyday facilities within a reasonable distance. The area also benefits from connections to central London, making it suitable for commuters. The development itself offers contemporary apartments and a pleasant residential atmosphere.

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

The building management has been helpful, responsive and professional in addressing any questions or concerns raised. They have made an effort to ensure that residents feel comfortable and supported in their homes. I would especially like to thank Chante for her outstanding support and assistance in helping us settle into the apartment and making sure we felt welcomed and comfortable from the beginning. Her friendly attitude, patience and willingness to help made the move-in experience much smoother and more enjoyable. We really appreciate the effort she has put into making us feel at home. Overall, the management team has made a positive impression, and Chante deserves special recognition for her excellent service and warm welcome.

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

I wish we had known about council tax details before moving in but that’s okay we have been made aware of it

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

The development is slowly but surely coming along. Feels like a construction site as there is constant noise and vibration around. The number of times I felt I was in an earthquake are many too count. The locals need to be kept out of the local development....very dodgy people around, would work alot better if it was a gated community, especially the big park. Gangs walking the streets and parks make it unsafe for single women walking around. Would not reccomend the area overall.

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

Management is incompetent when it comes to solving issues. They appear to listen to a fringe minority when they need to take decisive actions about ring fencing facilities rather than calling them out and shutting them down. We have become over run by children, families, and people that have never worked out in their life setting the standards. In the pool, at the events, everywhere. I've never seen such lack of control over behaviour in shared spaces and online gym app platforms. The development is outright hostile to single people or those that are child free and just want to make a home they can enjoy here.

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

How completely unhinged some residents in this development are. People here seem to have never lived in a communcal set up before, and it is becoming very frustrating and grating as they almot need to be educated on how to behave around other people.

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

Brent Cross Town is still relatively quiet, bars and restaurants are limited at the moment. Nearest restaurants are in Brent Cross Shopping Mall, but mostly fast food. Personally enjoy the variations of grocery shopping option - having Waitrose, M&S, big Tesco, Coop just downstairs, honesty pantry in the lobby, and local grocer within 1 minute is incredible. There’s Claremont Park nearby, good for short morning walks. Not so enjoyable in a nice afternoon and especially weekends, as there are too many people and it can be loud and crowded in the summer, given the size of the park and playground in the centre. Alternatively there’s Clitterhouse Playfield, which currently is undergoing refurbishment. Found it hard to find green running routes other than those two. Nearest station is Thameslink that connects to King’s Cross, up to St Albans or Sutton on the other side - as people know it often gets disrupted but I never had any major problems, as buses or Underground can be a back up. Never notice any problem with bin collections, as it’s fully handled by the building management. There are a couple of anti-social behaviour instances I witnessed from teenagers (playing ball games in pavement or catcalling runners) but security is always around to report it to. Noise is realistically expected since it’s near train station, ongoing constuctrions though more temporary, and major roads.

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

My problems and issues are typical maintenance like hot water filter or washing machine’s dryer not working properly - always been handled promptly.

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

Availabilities of running and long walking routes. The type of neighbours who will be sharing facilities - to know whether it will align with my preferences, such as quiet or lively.

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

We’ve just moved in but so far everything has been quite good! The proximity to buses and trains is very handy

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

No issues have arisen so far, but queries we have asked that the team weren’t immediately aware of were followed up and handled promptly.

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

Nothing so far, quite happy with everything! The location is great - furnishings are good but perhaps slightly limited cupboard/drawer space if anything.

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

I love the sainsbury that is just downstairs! Makes it easy to get groceries or everyday needs at any time. Love the asian foodcourt and market as well just one bus ride away

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

They respond relative quickly to any issues, especially during our first few weeks of settling in.

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

Wish the gym timings were a bit more clear. We were told the gym was 24/7 when it actually is a 6am to 10pm open time daily.