A guide to living in South East England

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

I live in the Arbour area of Milton Keynes. Overall it’s a fairly convenient place to live. There are several local shops and supermarkets a short walk or drive away, and central Milton Keynes with its big shopping centre and wider choice of restaurants, cafés and bars is not too far by car or bus. Takeaway options are decent, even if you sometimes need to go a little further for more varied or higher end restaurants. There are also plenty of green spaces and parks nearby, which makes walks and outdoor time quite easy. Transport links are generally good, with buses into central Milton Keynes and towards the train station, and it’s straightforward to get onto the main roads for commuting. However, buses can be a bit infrequent in the evenings and at weekends, and traffic can build up at peak times on some of the main routes. Cycling is helped by the redway paths, but some routes feel a bit poorly lit at night. Living on my street is mostly quiet and residential. Parking is usually available, though it can get a bit tight when more people have visitors or multiple cars. Bin collections are regular and generally reliable. There is the occasional bit of noise from cars and neighbours, but serious anti social behaviour is rare and it feels like a relatively safe, family friendly area overall.

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

When I’ve reported problems, building management has generally responded in a reasonable time. Routine issues in communal areas are usually dealt with, though smaller repairs and follow up communication can sometimes be slower than I would like.

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

I wish I had known a bit more about how parking and noise work in practice. At a viewing, the street and bays can seem very quiet, but in reality parking can get quite tight in the evenings when most neighbours are home or have visitors. I’d also have liked to know how much you can hear between flats and houses, as some sounds like doors closing, footsteps or cars late at night are more noticeable than you might expect. A useful tip for a new neighbour would be to check the bin collection routine and any shared bin store rules early on, as that makes life easier and helps avoid missed collections. It’s also worth asking existing residents about how responsive building or property management really is, so you have realistic expectations about how quickly repairs and communal issues will be handled.

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

the aspects of living here are all good, transport links are good as a 24h bus is only a 5 min walk from me into town and gatwick airport. the parking is great and i’ve never had any issues with my allocated spot and everyone seems to respect this too.

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

they’ve always responded very fast with clear solutions/ answers and have come when needed

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

to take more advantage of facilities more to your advantage and to keep an eye out for best times to go to the gym, typically afternoon time as the facilities in the gym are limited

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

Absolutely love living in this part of the laines. The college opposite is quiet on weekends, and the vicinity of coffee shops and lovely food places is unbeatable!

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

Well and swiftly - we have always been helped with anything needed!

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

Good or bad, any insights which you couldn't get from a typical viewing or tips you would share with a new neighbour are highly valued by our community.

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

The location is very nice and really close. You have everything you need. However, parking availability is really low and hard but other than that it’s really good.

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

They try to take immediate action as much as they can.

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

More information about the council tax and parking

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

Located next to slough high street, nandos close by and other shops. Close proximity to slough train station for London commute. Quiet area.

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

They responded same day to issues i have raised so i have no complaints.

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

That the number of flats that were available as I may have looked at a different one to move into.