About Vita Living

The quality of the apartments is excellent, really nice designer furniture, great (brand new) mattress, big fitted ceiling height wardrobes, high quality kitchen and bathroom. The quality of the finish is excellent, I had a few very minor snags when I moved in which have been noted on the inventory or fixed quickly. Theres an easy online system to get stuff like manuals, report any issues, find rent due dates etc which is super convenient.

The shared kitchens, meeting rooms and lounge areas make this place so special. All my friends and family have been blown away with the facilities here, its such a pleasure to show it off to people. I viewed West Tower and they’re spaces didn’t meet the quality or usability of Vita. The little touches like phone chargers on communal desks, variety of comfy seating and views of the city make this place the best.

The staff make this place. The reception is always staffed, with the same faces, who care about the residents (usually Ive found these places have agency staff who couldn’t care less, but this place is different, the staff are great). When I moved in they couldn’t have helped more, let me park my car right outside the door, lent trolleys, gave me a special key to keep the lift just for me, and event offered to help me unpack the car. They let you just text or WhatsApp the reception phone if I need something and they can help. Parcels are easy, they even have trolleys to borrow when I over order on Amazon.

A few things that pleasantly suprised me about Vita:
– The free coffee is really nice, I gone from buying a few coffees a day to not having to leave the building.
– The other residents are so friendly, people say good morning in the lifts, hi in at the coffee machine and it feels homely.
– Theres free dog treats at reception. All the dogs here are cute and friendly, and my dog has been made to feel so welcome its such a relief.
– Ive walked out of my apartment to the corridor being cleaned which is nice to see. They are looking after the place.
– I was asked to move my boots from outside the apartment door by staff when they did a fire walk. Its a tiny thing, and could have been an annoyance, but they are so friendly and explained about keeping corridors free of obstacles etc. If they take the the small stuff seriously, they’ll take the bigger stuff seriously. It’s reassuring.
– The place feels safe, especially at night, reception is staffed, external lighting is on, there’s security around the site.
– The external areas are constantly being cleaned or looked after, makes it feel like it’ll look this good in a few years.

To address the other reviews on here which did put me off. In 6 weeks Ive not seen it:
1. The waste chutes are convenient and haven’t broken since Ive been here, and big cardboard can just be left at reception and they’ll sort it out rather than tearing it up.
2. People hang out in the park, its a city centre, this will happen. I take the dog out there every night and have seen then maybe 2 nights a week. They are just kids talking, there’s nothing bad going on. The lighting is good, the place is kept clean and I’ve seen security move people on which is reassuring.
3. There are students in the building, again, its a city centre in uni district. They aren’t your classic students, its mostly international. Its not a problem. Sometimes the communal desks are full but that’s probably more a capacity and space planning thing vs students being here.
4. The wifi is excellent. Its a faff to get Alexa to work, but not hard. The speeds are excellent for work calls etc.

Summary: move in.

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

Good:
Tesco, Spar, Sainsburys all within 2-min walk.
Starbucks 30 seconds (although there’s free coffee here so why bother)
Post Office 30 seconds across the road. Easy for Amazon returns.
Greggs, Subway, KFC 30 seconds.
Amazon same/next day.
Getir/Zapp all delivery groceries within 15 mins.
Obviously lots of bars, restaurants and things to do in the city centre.

Bad:
A good long dog walk in a drive away, as nowhere in the city is really safe or appropriate to take her off the lead.

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

The exact cost of the energy. Sales staff told me it’d be £60-80, buts its more like £120/month. To be fair, I have a two bed, and prices have gone up. It also feels like the landlord get a kickback from the energy company tbh, and Im unable to move supplier so there’s no price competition.

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

Reception are always on hand to help with even minor issues, by either popping down, email, text, whatsapp or raising a ticket. All my snags were minor and have been fixed or are in progress with other suppliers. Couldnt ask for more.

The dining spaces are so popular and everyone uses them most days for work and most evenings for entertaining or a change of scenery. It’s so easy to book them though and compared to other places I went to view before, you don’t have to pay. They even set the table for you if you need crockery which is mad.

The gym is in the new building which opens soon, it was delayed due to Covid I believe but everyone is excited for this launch. Having a gym within the buildings is ideal really and saves monthly membership fees.

There are monthly events too, which I wasn’t expecting. They host food and drink events but have also done some wellness events too which are lovely. Sometimes there are drinks put up in the fridges on the 15th floor ‘just because’ as well which is a nice touch.

The staff within the buildings can’t do enough for you. They’re so friendly and always greet you with a smile. It’s really nice after a long day at work! They take in all your deliveries and if there are any issues in the apartments, they’re on hand to help or log on your app with you. If they ever step away from the desk, there is a number you can call so you’re never without support. You gain access with a fob or with your phone and you can invite your friends and family too so you don’t need to go down to let them in which is nice. It feels more secure than most apartment blocks where you just buzz anyone in.

Overall, happy here so far and have really enjoyed my experience.

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

– Location is ideal, can’t get much more city centre. Can walk everywhere and there are so many amenities around including places like Yes, Hatch, Salut then stores like Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Aldi on Market Street is walking distance.
– Transport links are so close by with trams all over Greater Manchester only 5 minutes walk. Piccadilly is only 10 minutes walk away. There are always Ubers around too.
– The new park area is a nice touch being a dog owner, usually there isn’t much space around apartment blocks so it’s great from that point of view. It’s only a mile down the road from Whitworth Park too.
– The area is a brand new development so there is some construction being finalised currently but most of Manchester has some level of building works being done. The windows are very soundproofed and I think you expect some element of noise living in a thriving city.
– There are 2 NCP secure car parks a minute away, I’ve parked my car there since moving and it’s very convenient. You also get a corporate discount passed on from Vita Living if you pay for a year (quarterly).
– It’s actually fairly quiet in the evenings as it’s set back from Oxford Road. I’ve only now noticed more activity in the evenings but as mentioned, the windows are very insulated so when closed, noise is minimal.

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

It was a pretty standard move-in process. The sales team were helpful and nothing was a surprise.

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

They’ve always been pretty quick in getting things sorted. We had a leaky sink and some plug sockets that were a little stiff behind the TV when we moved in and we were shown how to report on the app and the issues were resolved within 24 hours.

Immature residents running down corridors shouting all hours of the night, urinating on the sofa, and defecating on toilet seats in communal areas are just some of the issues that have happened in recent weeks. Management has turned their backs on the ethos of what Vita Living should be, to fill apartments with STUDENTS to satisfy shareholders and hit their own KPI targets. Ultimately, the building has become an extension of Vita Student across the road.

Bin chutes clogged, windows filthy and dust due to construction are frequent occurrences.

Tied to specific utility providers (ASK4 for Wifi which frequently lags, Community Utilities which has barbaric rates with bills sent often summed incorrectly). Council tax extortionate being in the M1 region.

Reception does not alert you when you have a parcel. Witnessed a tenant being sent flowers by their friends/family as a surprise to discover they have been killed off in the mailroom.

On a more positive note, the apartments themselves have been well-designed, providing an incredible amount of storage space. The roof terraces are lovely, however, hours are restricted which we were not told at inception.

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

Bad:
– Extremely noisy from shouting, chanting derived from Oxford Road & Charles Street;
– Anti-social behavior is now a frequent occurrence on ‘Symphony Park’ and a new hotspot for Weed smokers and doggers;
– Lack of car parking, multiple cars have been broken into on ‘Nobel Way’; and
– Circle Square is a construction site and extremely loud.

Good:
– Tesco/Sainsbury’s a stone’s throw away;
– Close links to Public transport including, Bus, Train and Trams;
– Great location for Takeaway’s, bars, & clubs;
– Car Club nearby as an alternative to owning your own vehicle; and
– Symphony Park on the doorstep provides some green space compared to other residential areas in Central Manchester.

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

The ratio of students to actual professionals.
Amenities on offer are not ‘free’ they are marked up in the cost of your rent.

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

Snagging list provided, no response provided to date.

There does not appear to be a clear or transparent structure for the pricing of rent and availability of apartments, which seem to be estimated in a very illogical way, and not consistently applied. I know that for example various sales inducements were offered to other residents who moved in at the same time as me, and none of these were mentioned to me which is not fair or transparent in itself. I was also allocated an apartment on the basis that there was limited offering in this area, and took those words on trust and proceeded to sign on that basis. In reality there were several of that type still available and probably the opportunity to choose one of a lower price band – a choice I was not afforded – I was given one option and one price. I would therefore recommend to incoming tenants to ask the sales team for a full structure of pricing of apartments (both those occupied and unoccupied) so they can make an informed decision before signing. Moreover, the building is sold on the basis of it being a space for professionals and families, but the reality is that the building has many more student residents than was outlined to me in the initial sales conversation. I did not want to move into a student halls, but the influx of student tenants has now risen and the living environment is starting to have that feeling. I am totally supportive of students having their university experience and getting the most of it, but I do not want to be in a building where there is late night partying and noise at this point in my life.

On a final note, the locking in of specific providers for internet and energy/utilities is an issue. Both have functional issues, and the utilities company is very incompetent and issues have been raised by several people about mistakes in the charges they are allocating. Again, there is a lack of transparency which leads to a feeling of helplessness, as Vita seem unable to intervene or manage the issue with the company.

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

Good: Convenient location to be close to city centre and its shops and restaurants, universities/colleges, and various offices and businesses. There are good transport links (Oxford Rd Station, Piccadilly, Trams from St Peter’s Square). The concierge team and building manager are helpful and friendly, and do their best to help you.

Bad: Living in the city centre is naturally noisy, and Symphony Park and the Square attract noise at night from non-residents and skateboarders who come to use the open spaces. My main issues are with the lack of transparency by Vita Group during the selling and on-boarding process, such as the tenant composition, communicating the real progress of the development, issues with providers of energy and internet, and also the pricing structure of the apartments. Issues in truth and transparency are common.

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

Clarity and transparency on the pricing structure of apartments, and the composition of the resident population.

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

The concierge team and residence manager are helpful and try to resolve issues. Where an issue is complex and requires someone higher in the group to deal with it, I am not convinced issues are given the attention they require, with the broader directorate management structures seemingly more interested in filling occupancy and meeting their targets rather than ensuring current residents’ issues are adequately addressed.