Frankly, I couldn’t in good faith suggest anyone move here. I got this apartment because it was a new build, and I thought I’d be paying for excellent customer service and convenience. Also, the other Fizzy developments have excellent reviews. It turns out, you’re just paying too much and not getting a whole lot in return (fun fact: the construction company used for this building is different to their other ones aka cheaper). To start, the referencing process was an absolute nightmare (I was moving to the UK from the USA and didn’t get my final confirmation until 3 days before my flight on my apartment on a process I started over 6 weeks prior), and I was lucky to get responses to my emails and calls half the time. I chalked it up to being international and some teething problems. Fine, it sucked, but I made it.
Then there’s the general malaise and disdain that management gave me in trying to help resolve my problems. I didn’t have internet for nearly a week (management was supposed to set it up), and the solution provided was that I fix the problem myself, except the issue was they never registered my apartment. My bathroom door lock was broken and wasn’t fixed for about 2.5 months, when the repairman showed up, completely unannounced, to take a look. The building is in the 1 year warranty period, where a 3rd party is responsible for all repairs, and I interpret that as a hand-washing of any responsibility to get issues fixed. My balcony door was also unable to lock for about 2 months, and no one particularly cared about fixing it. With all the break-ins and thievery of packages in the building (we were promised a concierge we never got until recently, after a spat of robberies in the building), it didn’t inspire a lot of confidence that they were fine to keep my balcony door unchecked. I actually think I’ve been fairly lucky to not have any packages stolen as many other residents have complained about having theirs taken.
On top of this, I was shown an apartment on a higher floor and promised the train noises wouldn’t be a problem. Spoiler alert – it’s a huge issue, and if it weren’t for the two month free rent, I would have left here as soon as my lease allowed me to. It’s a consistent theme where the sales people promise you ease and simplicity, but you find out what you were promised and what was delivered are very different. When I brought up these issues, they were ignored for weeks, and I asked to be escalated to the manager of multiple properties. Even getting a call back from her took about 3 weeks, with a possible resolution of moving me to another unit in the new building that was opening. Lo and behold, the sales agents claimed they were never told of this and leased up most of the building before I even got a chance to look at any units (the manager claims she told them, so someone was lying to me). Also, I found out that if I moved too much higher I’d be charged higher rent, even though I was originally shown an apartment on a higher floor. The apartments are significantly overpriced for basically no amenities, mediocre build quality, and horrible management.
I found out they’ve started implementing some positive changes (hiring security, getting rid of the rats near the bins), but that’s only because the tenants literally formed a union to force some positive change.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
The bad:
The train noise is incessant and becomes like a bad nightmare after a while. I bought a white noise machine, which helps, and thankfully, the tube usually stops around 1 am, but it starts right back up around 530. Don’t expect to sleep in much.
The trash bins/recycling are frequently not picked up which is frustrating, but I’m not sure who’s at fault on that one. Traffic noise is ok, but there is a lot of construction going on which can be distracting and close streets nearby.
The good:
You have good accessibility to the Canning Town station, so it isn’t too bad to get into central London (the Jubilee and DLR are relatively well connected). There is a nice Morrison’s and some decent cafes/restaurants around (nothing major yet but there is definitely some investment on this going on). Green space is lacking, but City Island is a nice walk and there’s a small park nearby there.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
That there would be multiple burglaries, the concierge promised wouldn’t exist, the furniture in the apartments is quite mediocre, and that management would do as close to nothing as possible to resolve the issues.
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
Most of my issues have taken at least 5 follow-ups and never gotten a quick resolution. I’d say my average time between raising an issue and getting it resolved is somewhere between 1-3 months.
