About Manchester Life

Kitchen – The low cupboards directly over the sink cause discomfort when washing up as you can’t really get close enough to the sink. The oven and the fridge are right next to each other which I suspect is causing a lot of inefficiency in terms of energy usage.

Bathrooms – The shower trays have all been installed the wrong way round so they drain towards the centre of the room rather than towards the wall, this results in getting water on the bathroom floor pretty regularly. Management also refuse to admit that they installed them the wrong way round even though on the manufacturers website all of the drains are close to the wall rather than close to the room side. They try to fix this by putting a small blob of sealant on the room side which does very little and looks terrible.

Paint – the paint on all surfaces flakes off very easily (you can touch it and it’ll come off on your hand) so expect to be cleaning paint off the floor on the regular, I suspect they neglected to use primer before painting.

Windows – the windows are of poor build quality, the mechanism that locks them is pretty flimsy, we have had them replaced twice in the last two years once the window gets stuck shut.

Facilities:
Gym – The gym is well kitted out for a residential gym with weight machines, treadmills, cross trainers, rowing machines, medicine balls and mats. Only complaint here is many residents don’t wipe down equipment after use.

Communal Area – Nice looking communal space with free tea and coffee.

Concierge – The concierge team are great, always friendly and happy to help out.

Management:
Management of the building is generally poor. The maintenance system is not well suited to busy professionals – they won’t give you a specific time when they will come to your flat to perform maintenance which makes it very difficult to schedule work meetings around so that you are available. I would rather they came in multiple specific time blocks rather than trying to get everything done at once.

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

The area is great in terms of amenities such as restaurants and shops etc. Recently there have been issues with crime in the area since lockdown and it has taken a while for the police to do anything about it.

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

Switch your energy provider as soon as you can, they put you on Ecotricity to start with which are expensive and have terrible customer service – just look at their trustpilot page and you’ll see what I mean.

What is the best feature of your home:

The best feature of my home is the fact that it was unfurnished – if they furnished it I am sure that it would be as un-ergonomic as the rest of the flat.

The communal spaces in the building are very good and are one of its USPs.

The concierge service is also very convenient and all members of the front desk team are very pleasant and helpful. A real credit to the building.

However, while the design quality is good, the build quality is lacking and seems to have been rushed/ corners cut. Lack of soundproofing within apartments (though between apartments it is good), floors warping, walls cracking, some window frames misaligned etc

Only noticeable if you really look (I suppose you would if you live here)

Otherwise CFW is a pleasant place to live and offers a higher than average experience.

Thanks

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

So close to the city centre but really nice and quiet. Feels like a neighbourhood. Could have more retail and general merchandise stores.

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

Lack of parking. Oversubscribed.

Windows don’t open very far. Can feel claustrophobic if you don’t have a balcony

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

Building management always respond in a timely manner and are helpful. They do a really good job, please pass on my thanks to the maintenance team

The apartments themselves are well designed: spacious, airy, appropriately allocated spaces and plenty of power sockets, switches, etc. There are plenty of windows and lots of light, which is essential to a happy home.

This is a new build and there are a number of minor snags which are being ironed out or are not of major concern. Some of these are being dealt with as part of the review process. Some of the materials used in the construction of the apartments may be questionable or not to everyone’s taste: the bathroom surfaces appear cheap and clumsily constructed for instance.

Building management are pleasant and responsive. Any issues we have actually raised have been dealt with quickly, or at least when considered with the restrictions of the lockdown in mind. We have no complaints here. The building maintenance staff are pleasant and, again, responsive. The front-of-house staff are friendly, accommodating, and good company; it’s important to have a genuine welcome when you return to your building.

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

We are close to the waterways and the city without being too close.
Properties in the area are attractive and there is plenty of greenery to be seen.
We can access the station, the city, or the Village easily within ten minutes.
There are great amenities within five minutes walk, such as Aldi, Pure Gym, Co-op, restaurants and bars.

News of unsavoury events in this locale are not uncommon on resident and local online portals. There seems to be an increasing amount of crime; i.e. robberies and antisocial behaviour. There is no shortage of homeless activity and drug use evidence along the canals and we have stopped running near the canals now as a result of this.

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

We don’t drive, but there is a fair amount of noise about space squatters in the car park.

What is the best feature of your home:

The best feature of our home is the natural light we receive from our large, south-facing windows.

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

The area could be lovely with the canal outside and the green area opposite however it is over run by the homeless and people from the council estate that is just around the corner which turns the area into an unwelcoming place to be! Constant screaming at night.. fights.. robberies.. police being called you name it!
The only good thing about the area is it’s closeness to the city centre and the two shops underneath the apartments.

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

That it is not a safe building to live in.. the concierges and security measures are not up to standard. The area is not a nice place to live

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

When raising noise complaints the concierges just past the buck around to each other and nothing gets done!
However in terms of maintenance for the most part things have been fixed in a relatively timely manner.