Bermondsey Spa, SE16

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

This location is wonderfully central, just a 10-minute walk to Bermondsey station and 15 minutes to London Bridge. While the immediate street is purely residential, a short 5-10 minute stroll takes you to Rope Street Market and Bermondsey Street, offering a good selection of shops, restaurants, and cafes. A few important things to note for prospective tenants: First, this is a 'car-free' development. We (and our landlord) were unaware of this until moving in, which means residents are not eligible for on-street parking permits—a crucial detail if you own a vehicle! Second, while the area feels quiet at first glance, expect some urban background noise, specifically from the nearby Sainsbury’s loading area and some persistent commercial HVAC systems. Lastly, it is a diverse, mixed-residential neighbourhood, which does mean some anti-social behaviour, at times (e.g. a 10 year old riding an electric motorcycle crazy fast on pavements and streets in the area). As with many dense urban areas, street cleanliness can be a bit inconsistent, and rubbish does occasionally build up in the smaller service alleys between buildings.

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

The noise from Sainsbury's loading area (the metal carts clanking once or twice a day, every day).

What is the best feature of your home:

Size of apartment and how quiet the neighbours are. Our Landlords are wonderful too.

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

Great local area which keeps on expanding in the arches. Very close to London Bridge and Bermondsey tube station which are very well connected for tube and trains. Tower bridge is 15 mins walk away.

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

Slowly. Lack of actions and understanding of impact. No short term temporary fix while longer solutions are being sourced.

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

How warm the flats get in the summer, it’s very well insulated.

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

The local area is very nice. Very convenient regarding transport, bus stops all around, tube station at 10min walk. Regarding local shops it’s perfect! Coop & Sainsbury local in the same street. Along the rail service there’s a bunch of local shops (i.e. vegetables stand, Bakery, brewery) and are all very high quality. Further but still very close (15-25min walk) you’ll find an Iceland, pound land, tesco, ASDA, Lidl.

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

I wish I knew that there wasn’t direct sunlight coming inside the flat.

Please share one thing (or more) which you would change about your development:

I would love to have a balcony! Although the flats are efficiently made, it would have been to have more opening with the outside, as there’s only one side of flat that has windows.

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

Good aspects are proximity to core amenities like grocery shopping and public transit links into the City of London. Poor aspects are also proximity to council housing, which at times attracts loiterers at all hours of the day (sometimes playing loud music at night)

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

Building management is responsive to requests for service, but at times is slow to fulfill

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

spend a day walking around the neighborhood to get a feel for the neighbors and amenities to ensure compatibility

Please tell us about the good and bad aspects of living in your local area:

Local shops are excellent and close-by. Bars (while not open right now) are close enough to walk to and far enough away to not have to worry about noise. Tube & bus stations are a short walk away. Traffic noise is minimal bar the occasional train, however that is hard to hear from within the building.

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

As far as I recall, we have only had one problem with the dishwasher, which was quickly sorted and replaced entirely.

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

The condensation on the windows is rather a lot, especially in winter. We have to regularly wipe windowsills and windowframes.