About Uncle – Realstar Living

The building:
UNCLE Southall is decorated in a gorgeous 1970s scheme with lovely earth tones and oranges. The communal facilities are modern with exciting extras like a karoake room, soundproof pods for home working and party space. Every morning and evening you are welcomed home by lovely reception staff who also look after every parcel that comes through. A true lifesaver when the world is now all deliveries! The gym is bright and spacious with lots of equipment and meditation space.

Our house:
The flat that we are in is also sleek and modern. Our bathroom is divine with a rain shower and handheld shower; both with great temperature control and pressure. The flooring in the bathroom is a faux marble and the colour scheme is a nice grey. The rest of the flat has faux wood flooring and plain walls which means you can truly make the house your home. There is ample storage. This is the first rental property where the washer dryer actually washes and dries to a high standard. The house is easily heated thanks to underfloor heating. On the rare occasion where we’ve needed maintenance not only has the team fixed the issue but, also fixed something else on their way out that we never even knew could be improved. Most recently the key got stuck in our balcony door and on the way out the maintenance man fixed our door so it would close more softly. The fact we can keep a cat in our flat is a miracle in rented properties. Block A is all pets and it means we meet so many other lovely pet owners and now have a nice network of friends come pet sitters available.

The team:
I never truly realised how let down I’ve been living in other rental places before living here. Every other landlord has taken weeks to fix major issues and been uncontactable. UNCLE Southall have on site resident managers who live in the building too so any major issues like no water or heat affect them as well – meaning they care! Usually we are notified that there was an issue and it has been fixed before we’ve even noticed. This also means the resident managers go above and beyond to make the building feel like a community. There have been so many building parties for things like Christmas, Chinese New Year and various extras. Everyone knows who you are in the building so you feel very safe and welcome. This is extra lovely in the morning when I’m trudging to work and they wish me a nice day. I have no idea how the staff manage to remember us all but they do and it makes such a difference to feeling like the building is our home.

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

Southall is a great location with easy links into central London in around half hour. Southall centre also has so many shops and markets you can truly get whatever you want. The local food is brilliant and unlike many other London areas the neighbourhood is friendly. There are a few community events such as park run and a local swim centre that are within a good distance too.

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

I wish I knew that the banquet hall across the road has dogs. They are left out all hours of the day and I have had to get used to them barking a lot.

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

They are prompt but also always let you know when they’re going to be arriving. If they have not been able to fix something immediately they explain what the next steps in the process are and then return almost always the same day to fix the issue.

Unfortunately I was drawn by their misleading advertisement and after 6 years where I lived in a flat managed with very high standard in Soho I decided to move in uncle building E&C.

It’s been 6 months now and I have to say is a terrible experience, I do regret that I moved here. started badly and not improved over time. The underfloor heating has never worked and I had to buy a Dyson heater (even though they refunded with an Amazon voucher after I complained with building management), the bath shower still has a water leak and they has never capable to resolve (basically they has one handyman who is asked to to whatever but don’t have any specialised worker ) I l’ve had countless handyman around basically almost every other days who only wasted my time, never fixed the problem, and after 6 month the manager Jam, with a provocative attitude said: these are our “high standards “ defiantly! (basically a screen bath leaking is normal and acceptable).

High standard for which I paid for, means solve the problem in a timely manner, and if not possible repair just change the faulty thing with a new one, does not mean leave the tenant with the same problem for months waiting the end of the tenancy.

Basically they really don’t value tenants who take care of the property, they are not focused on make money and don’t care at all about managing or repair, I really think that is something they the landlord should be made aware.

Not to mention the terrible noises you’ll discover in the windy days, the entire building wall, ceiling crackle all the time making really hard to sleep, and even that is “normal according to their standards).

Attached how I found the flat when I stepped in first time, even a french fries under the kitchen, the situation of the bath after 6 months, and the final mail where the supervisor claim that what you see in the pic is normal and acceptable. Pay attention and look around, you’ll find better and for a reasonable price, uncle building E&C is simply overrated, just a bait and switch

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

Nothing. Good transport connection and overall a good area to live in but
Not in uncle building if you don’t want become crazy.

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

Their are incapable to solve problem, only focusing on making money minimising cost

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

it’s just a teasing. Basically they drug the situation until you give up on that. Terrible

1

Facilities

1

Design

3

Location

1

Value

1

Management

Room for improvements: The communal area gets very dirty sometimes, which looks like it hasn’t been cleaned for weeks. The communal area most definitely needs sprucing up – a fresh coat of paint on the walls, maybe to arrange for window cleaners to clean balcony and room windows facing outside, re-painting the doors of each flat (needs it badly).

Cons:
1. The property is offered unfurnished – this is a shame because the development’s other locations such as in E&C are offered furnished. Also, the monopoly of a (VERY) expensive energy company called Evinox just frustrates us paying bills every month. Tenants should not be tied up with whatever deals developers made with any companies – there should be freedom to choose service providers since the bills are not included in the rent.
2. The rent goes up every year. Although in a prime location, it does not make sense to increase the rent every year especially so during COVID19 lockdown rental price across London were dropping according to reports by Rightmove and SpareRoom. When would they decide to cap it? It would get to a point where renters would think why would they pay nearly £2K to live in Zone2. Yes, the location is amazing but the fact remains it is still in zone2.
3. The location very unfortunately also is near a nightclub that plays load music attracting many noisy people during the weekend (somewhat bearable) and a live music venue playing heavy metal music every single day including weekdays till at least 3 am which brings MANY drunk noisy people with it (totally unbearable).

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

The best feature of this area is there are 2 stations in close proximity to each other that goes into various parts of London. The area itself if very lively with many nice looking non-sports showing pubs which attracts a nice crowd, many eateries, takeaways, nail salons, barbers, a big and small Sainsbury, Asda about 10 minutes walk away and many busses that passes through. The con would be 2 VERY noisy music venues (a club and a live music venue) which ignores all sense of logic and plays music early to the early hours in the morning even during weekdays.

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

1. Rent goes up every year
2. No way of changing Evinox
3. NOISY club and live music venue into the wee hours of the night

If there is one thing you would change about your flat or property what would it be:

More than 1 thing:
1. Put the roof terrace much higher
2. Remove Evinox as the compulsory energy provider
3. Re-paint communal area and doors
4. Clean communal areas more often

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

The development benefits from excellent transport links to central London, easy access to local amenities including libraries, health and well-being services and a vibrant social scene with great pubs and restaurants.

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

Programme your thermostat properly underfloor heating is efficient but expensive when it’s on when you are not in.

If there is one thing you would change about your flat or property what would it be:

I would change the location of light switches which are located behind the door to our en-suite bathroom and provide for a light in our airing cupboard.