London City Island, E14

As many others have already commented, Ballymore’s LCI service is extremely bad and throughout the years there is absolutely no improvement. This is despite every few months they claim there are improvements from their end. I can literally write pages and pages to document why they are so bad, but a few highlights are:

1. things go bad e.g. no hot water for whole buildings and there is zero communication to acknowledge the issues, instead whenever someone calls they try to blame the individual and that they need to spend to get someone to look into it.
2. Aftercare doesn’t care, when issues arise they try to hide behind the 2-year warranty even for reported issues are known issues. Even after pressure, they decide to do something, the fix will only happen after many more chasers and weeks and weeks of waiting.
3. Door entry systems have issues for day 1, residents point out and they refuse to do anything about it. Due to their negligence the doors break, they only fix them months after and they charge owners through their service charge despite their mistake. Oh and after the door fix, the door entry system still malfunctions which will lead to future door breakdowns
4. They have installed inappropriate, inefficient, against building regulations and manufacturer instructions cooker hoods. For years they have been failing to act and after extreme pressure, they have replaced a small selection of cooker hoods with an even worse model and deemed the case as closed. Absolutely discussing that residents are unable to cook as the flat is filled with smoke leading to breathing difficulties and Ballymore simply doesn’t care.
5. The accounts are always late and always go up, they are not transparent which is evidence of their mismanagement and overcharging. At one point they admitted that from the money they overcharged us they will pay for maintenance of other Ballymore development e.g. cladding replacement
6. Facilities break down very often, e.g. pools and spas are ‘always’ out of order or under maintenance
7. They fail to listen to feedback and refuse to improve. The Resident’s Association Committee’s approach has been not to confront Ballymore so that they work together but that resulted in Ballymore simply ignoring the committee’s questions, requests, suggestions etc.

In summary:
– People are p***** off with Ballymore.
– Ballymore does whatever they think and gives zero care about residents and what is good for them.
– When people report problems, Ballymore doesn’t admit them, doesn’t communicate, doesn’t fix and simply tries to hide them under the carpet…

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

Ballymore has failed to attract local shops, restaurants etc. Other than a Sainsbury’s and 2 bars pretty much there is nothing here.

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

Although seems modern buildings, Ballymore has used cheap materials, poor workmanship, ineffective electrical devices installed etc.
More importantly, that Ballymore doesn’t care.
Oh, and there are no local shops which effectively Ballymore’s vision and promises have not been materialised.

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

My private landlord is good, that can’t be said for Ballymore who manages the development. I have been in contact with the concierge, aftercare, *name removed* and others many times (*name removed* didn’t bother to respond). As mentioned before, it seems that Ballymore’s LCI staff hands are tight and even though I have seen their willingness to help, they are constrained in what they can do from Ballymore HQ.

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

Some of the designated spaces for shops have been vacant for a while. Would be nice to see them being used by local shops.

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

That Johns&Co are crooks. They are legitimately the only landlord I ever had a bad situation with. Also parking is not great.

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

They are super slow to respond and things like noise complaints are handled too slowly.

Lyle Street is far from the thriving thoroughfare presented in the slick marketing brochures. It is bleak and sterile and most shops have not taken the lead shown by the Gallery and Dress Shop with their inviting window displays. The Kent Lounge is supposed to be a social space but screen junkies impart withering glances at anyone who disturbs their workspace by daring to have a social meet-up. The Grocer in the Kent building has been a shambles since IlBianco sadly departed.

There are far too many off leash dogs running rampart, too many inconsiderate fast food drivers and no-one seems to consider that the speed limit is there for a reason. Ballymore needs to up their game and take a long hard look at how things might be enlivened and upgraded and residents need more than a little encouragement to stop their littering, dismal attempts at recycling and cannabis use. Promoted as a “resort” it is more Benidorm then Biarritz.

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

Lately there has been some improvement in local shops and restaurants with new openings in the Hallsville Quarter and a new cocktail bar on City Island. Transport links are generally good but Canningtown Station is under stress already and the new development directly next door will exacerbate this situation.

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

Read the above. Spend an afternoon/evening here before deciding to move in or buy.

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

I would recommend my private landlord but not Ballymore as a landlord. Management seems to have a default position of it’s not their problem. Reluctant to take responsibility. Ballymore focuses too much on trivial and vanity projects and needs to reasses the basics such as a reliable supply of hot water.

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

Sainsbury and Morrisons are close by. Lots of restaurants in the area, and regular food/farmers markets also. No traffic noise, plenty of parking space and no issues with bin collection.

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

The network in the area is not the best – would have been useful to know ahead of time.

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

They provided good advice on who to contact but were unable to assist themselves.

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

The good aspects include safety timely bin collections, no traffic noise.
Key improvement includes No access through the station at night making it unsafe for women to get home late.

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

I wish I had known that access to the island to the station stops at 1:30 AM
I also wish the gym Prices were clear before becoming a tenant

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

Most of the time I’ve received a timely response however on the latest correspondence I haven’t not received a response for two weeks.

The concierge and some of the delivery point staff are always rude and unhelpful. The concierge keep their phone off the hook, so they can’t be reach. Security rarely answer calls about anti-social behaviour and when they do, they don’t follow it up or do anything about that. There is barely any CCTV or any proper security measures in place and things and even pets are being stolen, as well as attempted break-ins on ground floor flats. The parking garage is always disgustingly dirty, just like the staircases with phallic drawings on walls, despite landlords paying a yearly service charge.

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

Good aspects – 5-10 min walk from the tube and several bus stops.
Bad aspects – during tfl strikes and tube closed hours, almost impossible to get onto the island using public transport, as the main link is the passageway through the tube station, once that’s closed you’re almost fully cut-off. Only 3 supermarket options near, 2 of which are the small ‘local’ ones. No decent sit-in restaurants nearby, other than closer to Canary Wharf or Stratford. No bars or nice pubs near either. No clothing shops. Only one pharmacy. Also no banks or boots shops near here. Poor parking availability – there’s private paid parking on the London City Island, but it’s expensive, otherwise no space. A lot of anti-social behaviour from neighbours and passersby – stolen motorcycles, bikes, broken ground floor windows and doors, shouting, loud music late at night and a strong smell of weed almost everywhere.

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

How poorly this development is managed. How it gets cut-off from everywhere else during tfl strikes and when the tube closes. How everything keeps breaking and there’s little to no hot water in a lot of the buildings and how incredibly high the bills are for everything.

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

I have raised several complaints about things like Intercoms being broken in common areas and not being fixed for over 2 months. The complaints presumably get logged, but this is never followed up. The building management doesn’t respond to the issues. In the case, of Aftercare by Ballymore, when something in the flat is broken, they do respond very quickly, usually to tell you that it’s out of warranty and you need to sort it yourself anyway.

1

Facilities

1

Design

1

Location

1

Value

1

Management

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

From a location perspective City Island is excellent. Situated just next to Canning Town DLR/Underground that has excellent links to the rest of London and further away via Stratford that is only 2 stops away. Lots of new shops/restaurants now opening in the Canning Town area and also on the Island itself with Sainsbury’s and Lockdown Room/Homestead. Road wise it is also good for South and Central London. Canary Wharf is only 10 mins away which has most main shops and restaurants there.

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

I think the experience you get varies quite a bit from building to building – both from the location perspective i.e. view and noise etc as well as facilities and entrance areas i.e. the newer buildings have air conditioning built in to the flats.

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

Obviously the estate construction is still being finalised so that has lead to an element of issues but there have been issues with general administration from a BAML perspective being not well organised and they have been slow to fix some issues but it seems to be slowly getting there with improving this.

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

After being here for 2 years have to say what has been here and nearby always great quality but they come and go. Half the commercial plots are still empty but hopefully soon they will be open and bring a little more life to the area.

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

Probably how loud the announcements can be at Canning Town station however this has reduced since lockdown announcements have disappeared. Example 1 announcement per hour vs 60

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

They can be great however sometimes the way they reply make you feel a little expendable, as well as a non priority when it comes to communication.

4

Facilities

5

Design

5

Location

4

Value

5

Management

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

A fast growing range of local shops, including access to new restaurants and shopping are just next to Canning Town Station, which makes the experience of living on LCI well rounded!

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

There is a one off payment for the leisure centre but it’s nothing in comparison to what you’re getting. It was not a deal breaker, but I wish this had been mentioned before.

I also would’ve liked to know more about events, access to facilities like the recording studios and cinema room, and how this might work.

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

Quite promptly, I would say they were quick but in the lead up to moving in, there was a bit of miscommunication. Nothing an email couldn’t fix!

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

There are very few bars and restaurants either within the development or nearby.
One small branch of Sainsbury’s Local is on site but the stock range is limited. Two larger supermarkets are within walking distance of the development. Very few of the retail premises on site are occupied.
The Jubilee Line and DLR are nearby at Canning Town station and they are very useful, however the bus links are poor.
We have paid £30,000 for the right to park in the multi storey car park at London City Island. There is far too much unauthorised parking on the site which is extremely annoying for those who have paid so much money for the right to park.

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

We were not made aware of the drawbacks associated with the communal gas powered heating and hot water system, in particular the very frequent loss of hot water.
Also such a new development should not have been planned to include gas powered heating and hot water.

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

The management is often very slow to act to resolve issues. For example there is an ongoing problem regarding the lock on the back door of Defoe House which is contributing to a security problem.