About Scarborough Group International

The concierge and security teams are excellent. They take good care of us, the buildings, and the grounds.

We quite like our two bed, two bath flat overlooking the sky garden (that’s a nice word to say piece of greenery above the car park). It’s an open plan design where the kitchen, living room, dining room is all in one. The master bedroom is quite large with an en-suite bathroom. The second bedroom is a little bit small though. The balcony is covered and quite roomy.

My only pet peeve with the building is a massive design flaw of the edge of the roof whereby rain water drops on you while walking along. There’s also no shelter at the entrance of the building so better get your keys ready beforehand!

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

Right by the New Islington tram stop so very convenient. We love the green spaces and the canal. Just a five/ten minute walk to the marina (Cotton field).

Lack of shops in the area. Bit dodgy around the canal at night.

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

Positive: the concierge staff are amazing.
Negative: the windows don’t open very wide.

What is the best feature of your home:

We really like the kitchen, the cabinets are so sleek, there’s enough counter space, etc. We did replace the small integrated fridge and freezer for a full-size one and got more storage space in the cupboards.

3

Facilities

4

Design

5

Location

4

Value

5

Management

Unfortunately there are a few downsides to Middlewood Locks.
There is no concierge which is annoying as parcels tend to go missing or end up being misplaced in other buildings. I think this is something residents would like and would be happy to pay for in an increased service charge.
Parking is an issue too – understandable given that it’s based so close to town but it would be good to install a pay and display based system for visitors.
I’ve also noticed a difference in how the ‘renters’ and the ‘buyers’ are treated. I’ve bought the flat but have friends who rent in Middlewood Locks and they’re invited to and made aware of more events, there are more socials and also experience more interaction with property managers.

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

There are lots of restaurants and shops local to Middlewood Locks and plenty of green spaces nearby. It’s a great location and it’s close enough to walk to the city centre but near enough the edge of town that it’s easy to drive out. Unfortunately over the last few months there have been more reports of anti-social behaviour. There’s been issues with theft and having phones snatched out of their hands by people riding past on bikes. Whilst it’s close enough to town to walk, it can be a little scary walking home but I imagine this problem is common with anywhere within walking distance to the centre.

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

Be aware that the construction (ongoing and plans for future phases) will impact your view from the flat so if you’ve bought for the view you’ve seen during your flat viewing, be mindful that this may change as the later phases may block this.

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

The only issue we’ve had with property management is that when we moved in, the service charge and ground had been paid up until the following month as part of legal negotiations during the conveyancing period. When I’ve emailed since to follow up on how I will pay this moving forward and setting up an account, I haven’t heard anything back and I’ve followed up several times with no response and I’m concerned about any additional fees I may incur.

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

Good – Lovely location by the locks, Seven Brothers Beerhouse on site is amazing and Co-Op for when you need stuff day to day. Great links to walk into Manchester and close to Salford Central and Salford Crescent stations. Great Broadband speeds via Hyperoptic
Bad – Still missing a Coffee Shop and Gym. Too many bike thefts and some security concerns, nowhere for visitors to park for longer than 2 hours.

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

Didn’t expect customer services to be so slow and poor at responding to issues. Also wish the flats weren’t so hot and had better ventilation system. My previous rental flat had air being brought in via the extraction system as well as being taken out. Flats far too hot in summer but great in summer as never need heating on, but a balance would be preferrable.

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

We do have residents meetings, but slow to action anything hence why still awaiting a parcel collection area and Bike cages to stop thefts.

3

Facilities

4

Design

5

Location

3

Value

2

Management

Facilities are good with concierge/also double up as security for the development.

Property management is terrible and trying to charge neighbouring property leaseholders for fire safeguarding that should have been done when the property was built.

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

We desperately need a local retail store as the nearest one is an Aldi and it’s 15 mins walk away. Supermarkets in this area are very poor. No restaurants. Transport links are excellent!

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

I wish I had known how annoying it would be not to have a shop close by!!

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

All issues have been resolved on my property. All issues resolved quickly