The design of the flat is well thought out on the whole. Good use of space, good quality fittings etc. Fibre broadband is already provisioned to all flats (though it took BT a month to get it up and running for me).

My impression of the developer aftercare and building management company has been pretty neutral – certainly haven’t gone above or beyond in any capacity – but also have not disappointed in any way either (yet).

There is a central hot water and heating supplier, billed through a pre-pay/topup meter, who have recently raised their prices significantly. This is related to the national issue of the huge rise in wholesale gas prices – but the disproportional cost increase to residents has still not been adequately explained.

Signage on the building (specifically the flat numbers accessible from the main entrance) need updating as people get lost when reading the signs and assuming they can’t enter via the main door.

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

Proximity to the overground station is as good as you can get, with a connection to Stratford within minutes. However, the trains have a habit of not running on Sundays! There’s a number of local cafes, bars, small shops and venues as well as a handy Sainsburys one-minute from the development. The ground floor of the development is still unoccupied and will presumably have a mix of new businesses in that will serve the local population.

Noise from the late night venues that are in close proximity is not as bad as I had expected – the venues themselves are well soundproofed and the noise is really just from people entering/leaving throughout the night and I wouldn’t say is excessive. Personally, as not a particularly light sleeper, this hasn’t affected me at all.

The roads around the site (being a dead-end) are very quiet with very infrequent traffic. There are extremely limited car parking spaces on the public road.

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

A number of flats are still unfinished, meaning there are still works happening on site which was not expected (as I was informed my block was the last to be completed).

The internal security doors on each floor can not be opened through the intercom – meaning guests get trapped by the lifts.

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

The developer has acknowledged the issues and resolved a few of them already. However, have provided no timescale to resolve the rest.

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

Vibe is located in the centre of Hackney, in Dalston. It’s a quick walk to the closest overground and is well connected with two nearby overground stations and several bus stops. There’s a lot of good restaurants and shops (including almost every kind of grocery store, from Ridley Road market to the latest amazon fresh). Hackney Council collects recycling, rubbish and compost. The building is located on top of a school, which is sometimes noisy if one needs the windows open in summer. There are several lovely parks within 10-minute walking range (London Fields, which includes a lido, stonebridge gardens).

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

The balconies on this building are not rain-proof, though they might seem to be so on first glance. If you’re furnishing it, make sure you get weather-proof furniture.

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

Yes, when we first moved in we needed assistance to set up utilities as some essential hardware had accidentally been removed by the previous tenant. Management was quick to contact utilities to sort out the issue and direct us to the appropriate people to follow up with.

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

Like – Quiet area which makes it peaceful.
Dislike – Neighbours can be snobby which is annoying.

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

We had to switch broadbands from talk talk to BT which was annoying as we didn’t know.

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

Being close to the Stratford bus and train station, and the Westfield shopping centre and Olympic Park, the development has very good access to open space, transportation, super markets, shops and restaurants. The surrounding public area is well maintained, generally no anti-social behaviour issue and the traffic noise is at an acceptable level.

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

The inconvenience of and consequent problem and high cost of having a car lift for access to the basement car park. The 24/7 concierge service is not always present especially over weekends and overnight. Security of the building is of concern.

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

The building management has not addressed my concern about (1) the regular car lift break down issue such as investigating the reasons of the regular breakdowns and steps to prevent frequent breaking down), (2) the high car parking space owner service charge, (3) to improve security to check people access into the building, (4) to check and stop owner improper use of the flats for AirBnB business