It’s very difficult to give an overall rating, as there are good and bad points about the development.
I think the development is well-designed. Yes, it’s next to the North Circular, but most of the flats are arranged so that the bedrooms are on the opposite side of the building from the main road, so shielded from a lot of the noise. This also means that the balconies tend to face south/east and get sunshine for the afternoon and evening. I think all of the flats have good sized balconies and large windows so you really get the benefit of the aspect.
The flats themselves seem spacious, have reasonable storage and also have plenty of electrical sockets. Sound insulation is superb – we heard nothing from our upstairs neighbour’s party. Having said that, the walls separating flats on the same floor do not have the same level of soundproofing, but it’s still acceptable.
The communal heating system works well and each flat has an active ventilation system.
The flats seem to be well built. We’ve only had a few minor problems since we moved in 3 years ago – a small leak under the kitchen sink, a faulty light switch, a sagging bathroom cabinet etc. Nothing serious. The builders were exceptionally good at fixing problems while they still had people on site working on the rest of the development.
Of a more serious concern is recent correspondence we have received from the management company hinting that the building may need significant remedial work to bring it up to fire safety standards. We are waiting for surveys to take place but if true, it’s unacceptable in such a new development and may mean extra costs for leaseholders.
Building management isn’t too bad. Problems seem to be fixed relatively quickly and although the management company seems a bit disorganised on occasion, it does feel like they’re trying to do their job properly. Getting a service charge refund was far more difficult than it should have been. I think other parts of the estate have suffered more problems, judging from email newsletters, but we don’t know about any of that from experience.
The Help to Buy process was painful and drawn-out, and the ground rent is quite frankly a rip-off.
Building work continues across the development, which can be noisy. It’s normally not a problem, as it’s during working hours, but of course now working from home is more common, the works can be distracting.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
The transport links to Central London are very good – there is a railway station 5 minutes walk away, and a tube station less than 10 minutes walk away. You can be at Moorgate or Oxford Circus in as little as 30 minutes, and of course the development is next to the North Circular.
That said, the traffic can be pretty noisy, but the value of the flats reflect that.
Not all flats in the development have parking. Whilst there is free on-street parking on some surrounding roads, space is limited and this is only going to get worse – the local authority plan seems to be to redevelop the area with a lot of housing without dedicated parking to encourage people to use public transport.
There’s some anti-social behaviour, but nothing too serious.
Although Arnos Grove isn’t particularly buzzing, there are some good local shops, pubs and restaurants. Friern Barnet retail park is a 15 minute walk away, and there is a large Tesco close by, too. Wood Green is 10 minutes away by bus.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
Don’t just rely on the company they recommend to fit blinds and curtains – shop around.
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
Generally, fairly well. We haven’t had too many problems or issues to deal with.