A guide to living in Borough of Waltham Forest

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

Blackhorse Road itself is quite nice. The reservoir is lovely. The local area is still pretty desolate though - as evidenced by the "people" who live in Tansy House.

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

The property managers, if indeed they exist, are pathetic. There's also no parking.

What is the best feature of your home:

At least we rent. I pity anyone who's bought here. What a disgrace.

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

The area is great, with convenient local shops, a gym nearby, and easy access to the Wetlands. Having Blackhorse road station nearby is definitely a plus.

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

What makes this even worse is their complete lack of communication. They do not answer phone calls, nor do they respond to emails, it is beyond ridiculous.

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

I wish I had known how poorly Equipment Works handles financial matters and communication. While the area is great with local shops, a gym, and easy access to the Wetlands, dealing with their management has been frustrating. They overcharge, delay deposit refunds, and are impossible to reach by phone or email. Had I known this beforehand, I would have looked elsewhere to avoid the hassle.

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

Great transport links, however, only chains like Starbucks, Gregs and Tesco are right around the corner. There are three coffee shops by the station, and that is it. For any further restaurants, roper cafes etc you will have to walk a long time or travel. Nothing in the immediate vicinity to do unfortunately. The selling point is the tube station.

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

Poorly. Across a big number of tenants that together have approached the management company, they have basically ignored any pleas for meeting with them to discuss improvements and promising repairs that never happen.

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

How little they care about their tenants. They plaster community all over the website, but once you live here, they could not care less about you.

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

It's great that the area and development are nice, but it's concerning that customer service is lacking. The lack of replies to emails in 99% of cases is unacceptable, and frequent lift breakdowns are a significant inconvenience. Improving these aspects is crucial to ensure a better living experience for residents. It might be worth addressing these issues with the management to seek improvements in customer service and lift maintenance.

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

No, not at all. It's a magic silence from the front offices.

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

Very poor management, very poor communication. The standard answer is always "these things happen".

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

Location is a bit out of London on the Victoria line but great transport links, with closest tube station 1-2 mins walk. The complex has everything you need or within short distance. We’re in a little bubble out of central - we love it. Similar apartment buildings one side, and large green space with wetlands other side.

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

The management and front of house are great! Super friendly, relaxed and pleasant whilst still professional. The team create a very welcoming atmosphere which really makes a difference to the living environment. The team follow up on all our requests, from maintenance to booking systems. Special thanks to Toye (FOH) who is super helpful and attentive to our requests, and always a pleasure to speak to - we really appreciate it, thank you. The security team also make us feel safe.

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

We really can’t think of much. Maybe the WhatsApp group chats would’ve been good to know about so we could have asked any small questions that were better suited to current tenants