Essential Living

Number of Developments

4

Ratings

4.61 Rating

Rating (based on 605 reviews)

Excellent

70.74%

Very Good

24.63%

Average

3.31%

Disappointing

0.83%

Very Poor

0.50%

Essential Living is a Build to Rent property developer based in London. Its hallmarks are premium apartments in well-connected locations.

Essential Living developments

There are many Essential Living developments on HomeViews: Berkshire House in Maidenhead, Vantage Point in Archway, Islington, and Dressage Court in Bethnal Green. In addition, Union Wharf, Essential Living’s newest development is a collection of 249 apartments spread over two towers, set on the banks of peaceful Deptford Creek.

Essential Living reviews

The building is absolutely stunning. The apartments are tastefully done and very spacious. The resident team is always so helpful. The building organises many events throughout the year so that the residents feel lik they are a part of a community. Absolutely love living here!” – Nilofer R, verified resident at Dressage Court

Vantage Point is in such a good location above Archway tube. The place is always clean and tidy and it’s great to have the opportunity to meet new people. The residents team make living here so easy, they are always on hand to answer questions or help with any problems.” – Anabelle D, verified resident at Vantage Point

You can read more reviews from Essential Living residents by clicking on the developments below. Do you live in an Essential Living property? Click here to submit your review.

Award winner

Residents have rated this company an award winner! Select a development below to see which awards it has won.

Developments

Showing all 4 developments

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Essential Living reviews

Reviews

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Showing 605 reviews

Affordable, Luxury, Pet-friendly Location: What more?

Review Date Aug 2020

Union Wharf itself is really something special and is greatly appreciated by its residents. My partner and I had spent significant time looking for a place that ticked a lot of our boxes. The development is brand new, the furniture is sleek and the facilities offer some of the best resident facilities I would argue in London. Typically in new developments they will try to squeeze as many flats into the space as possible, but here the flats feel spacious and very well done. The facilities are one of the most attractive parts of the building, you have a communal chill out area on the 22nd floor is where you can read, socialise and play pool. There is a private room to host your own private parties and functions at a reasonable rate and gym.THE VIEW, the view from the rooftop you honestly would have to pay quite a lot of money to get access to these views in London.

Most importantly to us was finding somewhere that was pet friendly and welcoming. Our pooch has made many friends in the building (as have we) and it’s makes it quite special that having pets are welcomed (especially in the fabulous location of Greenwich). The concierge are really hard working and great people and always very friendly. I think you can tell that the employees really enjoy working here and often stop for a chat during the day.

If anyone is considering or looking to live somewhere that is pet friendly, luxury (but affordable), amazing location and access to the city, I would really recommend taking a look. Moving here has really made us fall in love with Greenwich and I don’t think we will be planning on moving for a very long time!

Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:

The area of Union Wharf speaks for itself. You are a stones throw from Greenwich with the buzzing restaurants, bars and independent shops. You have access to one of the best parks in London, Greenwich park a 10 minute walk away and direct access to London Bridge and the city in 10 minutes.

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

I didn’t actually realise how great of a commute it was into the city. I definitely recommend walking To Greenwich station and getting the train to London Bridge. My commute in total takes me 20 minutes which is crazy good!

What is the best feature of your home:

The View.. we can see Canary Wharf, a wide view of the Thames and all of the city of London. We even watched the fireworks from our apartment on new year.

5
Facilities
5
Design
5
Location
5
Value
5
Management
User submitted image of  Union Wharf, SE8
User submitted image of  Union Wharf, SE8
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Manager Response

Thank you for all the 5 *’s, and for sharing these great photos with us. It’s wonderful to have feedback about all elements of life at Union Wharf ?

Mixed experience. Great building but lacking in customer service.

The building is aesthetically lovely and the shared spaces are great for hosting events, working or hanging out. The flats themselves are good, though the water pressure is inconsistent between the various faucets and the washing machine/dryer combo leaves something to be desired. Overall, the building itself is as you’d hope.

Where VP lets you down is the customer service. There are a few members of the Residents’ Team that are stellar, helpful and they really know their stuff. However, there are also members of the Team who are rude and go out of their way to be unhelpful. As a whole, on the one hand, the Team tries to foster a community atmosphere when hosting events but, on the other, building-wide emails tend to be frustrated and unprofessional. Instead of taking building-wide issues to management and implementing a fix, they shut off facilities (i.e. trash chute) for all residents. Complaints often go unanswered and my guests have reported rudeness upon entering the building on more than one occasion. The customer service really lets the building down and makes you feel like it’s not a friendly place to come home to.

Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:

Convenient tube links, lots of nearby shops and amenities.

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

That amenities and services can be shut off for the whole building on a whim.

2
Facilities
4
Design
4
Location
2
Value
2
Management
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The whole experience has been fantastic

I needed a short rental (around 6 months) in Maidenhead, To reduce my commute after a period of recovery from a difficult period of ill health. I opted for `Berkshire House and Essential Living, and the whole experience has been fantastic. The building itself is excellent, with well-appointed apartments and a great communal area on the top floor, and it ideally situated in the centre of town. However what made everything special is the staff – although my rental was only short term, I was made to feel part of the family, and nothing was too much trouble for Andy, Monika and Oxanna.

A great experience, and restored my faith in the benefits of renting.

Thank you, Essential Living

5
Facilities
5
Design
4
Location
4
Value
5
Management
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A really wonderful place to live

Vantage Point is a beautiful building with excellent facilities. You can tell a lot of thought has gone into making sure that it is not only designed to look modern and welcoming, but also has a lot of very useful and practical elements.

Everything within the apartments themselves is high quality, from the kitchen with it’s fantastic use of utilising space to little touches here and there that make you realise how much thought has gone into the development.

The really great thing about Vantage Point is that there is so much to enjoy outside of your apartment too, with two beautiful community balconies, a library/office space, a lounge area, dinning room with fully fitted kitchen, gym and games room.

Location wise, you are practically on top of Archway tube station and there is an abundance of supermarkets, coffee shops and restaurants on your door step.

The residence team also make Vantage Point a great place to live. They are on reception 24/7 and are always there to greet you, take parcels and help with anything you need. They are a friendly bunch and having them there really helps you feel secure in the building.

Overall, I can’t fault this place!

Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:

Great choice of supermarkets, coffee shops and restaurants. Pick a direction and you’ll no doubt find a little hidden gem. Practically on top of Archway tube station (Northern Line) and within walking distance to Upper Holloway (London Overground). Plenty of bus stops nearby too, as well as a number of Zip Cars if you need to rent a car.

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

Quite a few dogs here. I think it’s great, but if you have a serious dog problem, phobia or something it may bother you. However, they are not allowed in communal areas so you will only pass them in the lifts and at reception.

5
Facilities
5
Design
5
Location
5
Value
5
Management
User submitted image of  Vantage Point, N19
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First Impressions from a newbie.

It’s been 8 months since we moved into Berkshire House and it has been a pleasant change to the usual rented accommodation.
Whilst the property has a high price on rent, it does reflect the quality of the services and building with the exception of a couple of things.
A big let down, especially for our side of the building, is the lack of air conditioning. The underfloor heating was a great benefit during the winter months when we moved in but it’s a shame to see no AC in the unit whilst the public areas do boast the facility.
It would have also been helpful to have manuals for the appliances readily available for residents to have as I still don’t know what some functions of our white goods are.

The team at Essential Living provide great support and assistance, however, it would be nice to be involved when there are changes being made to the building which affects our daily lives.
An example of this would be the increased security within the building, adding additional locks that can only be opened manually meaning if you have visitors, you can’t simply ‘buzz’ them up but now instead have to go down and let them in. This might not sound too bad but it would be incredible annoying when you’re living on the top floor.
By consulting with the residents we could have aided them in finding a solution that could both increase security but also ensure the residents can go about their daily routine without being inconvenienced.

Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:

Maidenhead is very much up and coming, with great access into London.
For the area, Berkshire House is a beautiful building that people want to live in.
The shops are a short walk away with great access to leisure facilities and with the M4 just 5 minutes away, you’re totally free to get around.

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

Probably linking to my previous comments, moving in during winter the underfloor heating was great but now in summer the heat is unbearable and with no air conditioning you can’t cool the place down.

4
Facilities
5
Design
5
Location
3
Value
5
Management
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These reviews are the subjective opinion of a HomeViews member and not of HomeViews

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