Area image of South West England

A guide to living in South West England

Excellent

66.0

Very Good

25.6

Average

6.6

Disappointing

0.9

Very poor

0.8

Best places to live in South West England

How is ranking calculated?

HomeViews Top Rated Development ranking takes into account the Star Rating and the amount of verified reviews over the past 12 months.

Viewing 1-5 out of 138

Development image of The Gorge, EX1
Rental Only
Award Winner 2024

The Gorge, EX1

By Fresh

Award winner 2024

4.8

4.80

(38 reviews)

Studios

The Gorge is a Co-Living development situated in Exeter, perfect for professionals and keyworkers. Close to the city centre, The Gorge benefits from transport links and proximity to Exeter's hospitals and the university. Residents benefit from spacious and fully furnished co-living studios, a friendly Residents’ Team, social spaces and events, all included in your monthly rent. Additionally, electric and water bills are also included in the rent. Join us for Friday cocktails, book clubs, mindfulness classes and headline parties, and so much more.
1st

Ranked 1st out of 78 in South West England

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Development image of Spring Wharf, BA2
Rental Only
Award Winner 2025

Spring Wharf, BA2

By Legal & General, urbanbubble

Award winner 2025

4.65

4.65

(272 reviews)

£1,190-£1,800 pcm

1, 2 beds

Spring Wharf is a Build to Rent development, located in Bath. It offers a mix of one and two-bedroom apartments. The development is pet friendly and residents have access to a wide range of amenities, including a residents' deck with a BBQ area and a gym, as well as an on-site concierge team. The development is only a 6-minute walk away from Oldfield Park station. This has links to GWR and South Western Railway services.
2nd

Ranked 2nd out of 78 in South West England

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Development image of Box Makers Yard, BS2
Rental Only
Award Winner 2025

Box Makers Yard, BS2

By Legal & General, urbanbubble

Award winner 2025

4.62

4.62

(316 reviews)

£1,350-£2,775 pcm

Studios, 1, 2, 3 beds

Box Makers Yard is a rental only development, managed by Urbanbubble. It offers a range of 1, 2 and 3-bed apartments on offer with a variety of furnished and unfurnished options. These come with courtyard or city views, extra storage and private balconies or terraces. In addition, there are a range of flexible tenancy lengths up to 5 years. Additional facilities include a resident lounge with a games area, an air-conditioned gym with weekly fitness classes as well as a private rooftop dining suite with an outdoor terrace. Box Makers Yard is only a 12-minute walk away from the city centre and is only moments away from Temple Meads Station, Castle Park and Hannah Moore Primary School. Temple Gardens, Kings Street and the Harbourside are also within walking distance.
3rd

Ranked 3rd out of 78 in South West England

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Development image of Millwrights Place, BS1
Rental Only

Millwrights Place, BS1

By Grainger

4.39

4.39

(36 reviews)

Our second development in Finzels Reach, in the heart of Bristol city centre. Beautifully designed light and contemporary apartments with incredible social spaces, gym, roof terrace with amazing views and we are pet friendly, what’s not to love! We have a selection of studio, 1 & 2 bedroom homes to rent with a variety of lay-out options.
4th

Ranked 4th out of 78 in South West England

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Development image of The Helm, BH8
Rental Only

The Helm, BH8

By Savills

3.86

3.86

(40 reviews)

The Helm offers studio, 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments in Bournemouth. The apartments feature high spec fittings and offer the nest of modern living. The building also gives you exclusive access to amenity spaces and residents social events.
5th

Ranked 5th out of 78 in South West England

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Featured developments in South West England

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Latest Reviews in South West England

2129 total reviews

Viewing 1-5 out of 2129

Suzy (Tenant)

Verified Resident

Box Makers Yard, BS2

Jul 2025

5
5
This is rated 5.00 out of 5.00.
5

The building design is the main reason I chose to live here

Suzy (Tenant)

Verified Resident

Box Makers Yard, BS2

Jul 2025

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

Box Makers Yard is 3 min from Temple Meads, which makes it really convenient to travel between cities. It’s 7 min walk from Old Market where a lot of local restaurants are at.

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

They are really responsive for maintenance requirements (if it’s changing light bulbs they’ll be there in a day) and for other issues within a week.

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

I think I knew everything before moving in so can’t think of anything

Manager response

Thank you, Suzy! We're so glad you like the design and location , and it's great to hear you've felt comfortable and supported over the past two years. We'll be sure to pass on your kind words to Vilius!

Posted by

Alexa, Community and Operations Manager

Jul 2025


HomeViews

E (Tenant)

Verified Resident

Paintworks Apartments, BS4

Jul 2025

3
3
This is rated 3.00 out of 5.00.
3

Modern Living in a Convenient Location, Undermined by Noise and Security Issues

E (Tenant)

Verified Resident

Paintworks Apartments, BS4

Jul 2025

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

The area has good amenities, including a large Sainsbury's, corner shop, barber shop, takeaway options, and several small businesses within walking distance. There are four frequent bus lines with stops nearby, and it’s about a 15-minute ride to the city centre, depending on traffic. The property overlooks the river and is close to parks, a cemetery, and the main road. Indoor parking spaces are designated within the lot. The local area is generally clean and feels safe. It offers fairly central living without the usual downsides of being directly in the city centre. However, there are significant noise issues. Bin collections are extremely loud and happen very early. Despite being by the riverside, the area is far from peaceful. Daily disturbances include ongoing construction works, drilling, pressure washing, industrial vehicles, and shouting. The nearest footbridge, which provides access to the park, large shops, restaurants, and cinema, has been closed for months and is expected to remain closed for the foreseeable future. During the day, it’s difficult to find any quiet outdoors due to constant construction noise, distant traffic noise, smashing, banging, and vehicle beeping.

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

The property is heavily affected by surrounding construction work and the constant noise from the nearby main road. Despite appearing quiet at first glance, the area is consistently noisy. If sound levels are a concern, this location is best avoided.

What is the best feature of your home:

The property features a modern design and well-planned layout. The kitchen includes a new dishwasher, oven, extractor fan, and fridge. While the bathroom and bedroom both follow a clean, contemporary style. The integrated closet in the bedroom is a practical and appealing addition.


HomeViews

LiudmylaX (Tenant)

Verified Resident

Millwrights Place, BS1

Jul 2025

4
4
This is rated 4.00 out of 5.00.
4

A clean, well-located building with great communal design, but let down by constant gull noise.

LiudmylaX (Tenant)

Verified Resident

Millwrights Place, BS1

Jul 2025

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

Great location, I love walking around, very close to parks and shops, the river is nearby which is cool to walk along too. There is no lack of coffee shops and cafes, quaint pubs are writhing 10 min walk

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

It is ok, concierges are lovely, especially Olivia and Rayan. They are friendly and create good atmosphere.

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

For people new to the city, this type of building is honestly one of the best options. It’s very close to public transport and shops, which makes daily life easier. While there has been a noticeable increase in people struggling with addiction in the city centre, the area around the building still feels relatively safe.


HomeViews

Harry (Tenant)

Verified Resident

Box Makers Yard, BS2

Jun 2025

5
5
This is rated 5.00 out of 5.00.
5

Highly recommend; a lovely new home in Bristol

Harry (Tenant)

Verified Resident

Box Makers Yard, BS2

Jun 2025

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

The area is well maintained and shows to be an exciting new addition to Bristol, with multiple outlets now appearing in the area such as breweries, bakeries and shops

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

Maintenance teams have responded to enquiries within 24hours, and have offered additional help when needed

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

There is a level of street noise amplified by the concentration of buildings in the area, which has been a surprise, however the windows block this noise out when closed.

Manager response

Hi Harry, Thank you for your positive review. We're really pleased to hear you’ve enjoyed the events, shared spaces, and local amenities. It's great to know our maintenance team has been responsive and helpful. We appreciate your note on street noise and are glad the windows have helped mitigate it. Thanks again for your feedback!

Posted by

Alexa, Community and Operations Manager

Jul 2025


HomeViews

Jake O (Tenant)

Verified Resident

Box Makers Yard, BS2

Jun 2025

2
2
This is rated 2.00 out of 5.00.
2

New/modern flat, but disappointing rent increases & property management.

Jake O (Tenant)

Verified Resident

Box Makers Yard, BS2

Jun 2025

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

I find it dissatisfying that such large apartments homing 1000’s of people like this are built without any investment from councils or from the huge profit made by Legal and General every year. Crime and homelessness was very high and took place frequently directly outside of the flat, making many residents including myself feel very unsafe majority of my time there. Box Makers did very little to remedy this, and security for the building was very poor. This resulted in security being breached multiple times resulting in many incidences of burglary, theft, property damage and threatening behaviour. Being next to the central train station was excellent, but there was a lack of supermarket/food options nearby , as the sainsburies local decided to cater only for office workers and increase their prices.

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

Yes, but sometimes the emails that we sent weren’t often read properly, and quite often didn’t result in a response that offered us support, compensation or solutions to the many issues.

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

Rent increases cannot exceed 5% in a contract is a lie , they can be increased by significantly more than this due to local CPI. I’d like to have known that the fobs frequently break meaning always lock your door and be vigilant.

Manager response

Dear Jake, Thank you for your feedback. We’re glad you appreciated the modern design, pet-friendly policy, and communal spaces. We’re sorry to hear about your concerns and wish you had raised them during your tenancy, as we could have provided updates and support. There are some valid concerns you’ve raised, for which we sincerely apologise. However, it is important to provide context on a few key points: There was a breakdown in the access control system, during this period, we stationed an additional security guard at Dovetail to help reassure residents while the problem was being resolved. The hotwater outage was due to an issue from our supplier, Hemiko. While the situation was regrettable, residents were compensated accordingly, and we worked closely with the provider to ensure services were restored as quickly as possible. We took the matter of safety within our local community seriously. The management team worked with local police and submitted impact statements to the local authority, which directly contributed to the closure of a nearby 'problem property'. This collaborative action was part of our commitment to improving the surrounding area’s safety. We acknowledge your frustrations and are actively working to improve resident communication, building security, and overall support. Your comments on reinvestment are noted and appreciated. Wishing you all the best, Box Makers Yard Management

Posted by

Alexa, Community and Operations Manager

Jul 2025


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