Leaf Living at Pippins Place, ME19

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

Pippins Place is in a prime location for us for our everyday life. The house is exactly what we need and is located on the A20, the main road running between Maidstone and West Malling with numerous supermarkets, schools and key roads very close by. Maidstone is a 15 minute drive away with two main stations that access London and Ashford and dozens of various restaurants and eateries. Maidstone also has Mote Park which is an amazing place to enjoy the outdoors. Nearby to Pippins Place is also Leybourne Lakes which offers a tranquil walking opportunity. The development continues to be under construction so there is still outstanding finishes to be made, but we like that we have two dedicated parking spaces with an integrated electric vehicle charging point.

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

Just moved in, so currently have nothing to report. We had a good handover with Matt on move in day who went through how to use everything and how to report issues. Said he would also arrange for the grass to be cut as we were the first people to move in to the property which was extremely helpful.

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

So far I can honestly say there is nothing to report. I would say some of the considerations are questionable - such as having a terrace of house all in one colour brick (yellow) which I think would have been nice to break up the colour with either a pattern of red bricks or adding coloured fascia to it. Also, the garden could’ve done with having a couple of extra patio slabs out from the house and there is a random gap of 6 slabs (3x2) between the patio and the patio path down the side of the garden - just didn’t make sense to me!

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

The location feels as if it’s in the middle of the countryside, yet everything you need is only 5-10 minutes away. The bus stop is just outside the entrance, with another route 5 minutes walk away. There are at least 5 supermarkets close by, with cafes, restaurants, and other shops in the vicinity too. Main routes and the motorway are very accessible. Parking is great, there are plenty of spaces for visitors. It’s super quiet here, and everyone who lives here is friendly and welcoming.

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

I needed support to get the financial side all set up and running smoothly, this was easy to obtain in a timely manner. I also raised an issue with an internal door, and again the support was there with little effort needed on my part.

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

I wish I knew what the process to rent a property would entail, I didn’t know it would take as much information and checks as purchasing does. My rookie mistake, but at least if I ever leave here and rent another home I will now be better informed!

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

Local town is about a 10/15 minute walk away, west malling station is the same in opposite direction. Traffic noise is low, but easy access to the M20 as it’s close by.

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

If you have any issues with the property itself, very quick to action and get it sorted. New build so very sporadic for issues occurring but helpful when they do

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

Chargers per property have their own app, make sure you check which supplier you’re with as there’s cheap overnight rates for charging/whole house electric. Order your bins as soon as you have a moving date as can take a couple weeks to arrive. Post code has to be registered with Royal Mail as new builds won’t show for a while sometimes