Category Scores
Ocean, developed by Barratt homes, is located close to Aberdeen city centre. The development comprises of a range of 2-bed apartments. In addition, residents benefit from secure parking and frequent public transport links nearby.
Reviews
Write a ReviewUpload PhotosGood, but requires better upkeep.
The development is generally nice to live in, with everything you actually need and then some. The communal areas are finished to a high standard as would be expected. Each property has a designated space and while some aren’t keen on using them, there are ample visitor spaces available.
However, it is evident that the look of the development took priority over the practicality of the layout in several cases. The best example of this is the car park, where most residents have a significant walk from their communal door to their designated space. Not desirable at the best of times but less so if you’re carrying heavy shopping or if it’s raining. The lack of visitor spaces near the barrier has been a real problem, and as a result disabled spaces see frequent use from fully abled residents. Cars are often “parked” out-with designated spaces. This is at best a nuisance, and at worst a restriction to emergency service vehicles gaining access. There have been hints and half promises of this being resolved by the Property Management Company (PMC), but nothing has been done to date.
The communal bins are located in locked outbuildings, which initially seems like a great idea and adds to the general look of the development. The problem arises where a small minority make/leave a mess, and the rest of us are left wondering who the culprit is. The out-building closest to the development entrance is nothing short of disgusting, and has been that way for over 12 months. I have yet to work out why the property management company haven’t arranged for this to be thoroughly cleaned. Indoor communal areas are vacuum cleaned somewhat regularly, but the walls and handrails do not seem to be cleaned by the contractor.
PMC are generally good to deal with, and I have received a quick response on both occasions when I have contacted them. There are some lingering issues as I’ve outlined, but overall these are fairly minor and do not ruin the overall experience as a resident, even if the factor payment is poor value.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
The area is nice for the most part, with plenty of shops, transport links and leisure in close proximity, and in most cases walking distance. Some of the nearby properties are a bit rundown, but that is likely true for any development in a central location. The proximity to the beach is probably what I like most about the area.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
I would have wanted to know the state of communal areas over a prolonged period, which was not possible at the time of viewing.
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
I have not raised any of my concerns specifically, as the newsletters sent to the residents imply these are under review or being acted on. The PMC are easy to contact when required however.
Ocean Apartments
The development has around 170 apartments which are mostly different styles of apartments/layouts. Each block has it’s own courtyard, which is great in nice weather to sit outside – something that is missed in a lot of city centre flats.
The carpark has a barrier so is secure and each apartments has an allocated parking space which I would say is a design flaw as some people need to walk ages to get to their parking space. Each block has allocated disabled parking spaces outside and there are visitor spaces at the back of the car park.
Most of the apartments have lifts so each for people to access their property. Lots of friendly people who all have access to joint facebook page which is up to date with news and happenings. Pet friendly and family friendly.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
Great location with lots of amenities. Lots of local shops, close the beach retail park and close to the city centre. Great for transport links with King Street just up the road, Union street a 10 minute walk away and a bus stop right outside.
Great being so close to the beach for walks, the cafes and restaurants.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
One thing I wish I took more time to think about is how close our windows are to the door that people access the building to. Most of the time this doesn’t bother us but sometimes I wish we were further away as it would be quieter.
What is the best feature of your home:
The best feature for me is the size of the apartment, guests are shocked when they come in and see how large it is and how open plan and bright.
Overall, a lovely development to live in.
I like the development as unlike many rental properties in the city of Aberdeen, it offers spacious outdoor grass area where you can lounge in the summer months, it also offers a car park with visitor spaces which is gated. The building design is clean and modern looking which attracted me the property. I dislike that the door within my rented property don’t seem to fit in the frame properly as the hinges used don’t aren’t strong enough to hold the doors in place. I also think that for the price of rent (£650 per month for one bedroom) is pretty expensive considering the flat is particularly small and could do with more storage space. I also wish the car parks were gritted during the Icey months as it is a safety hazard to the hundreds who live here. The interior design is attractive and clean and can be decorated in many ways to reflect the habitants own decorative wishes. The bin and bike shed facilities are of a high standard, secured. The biggest issue I have is the size of the flat, area for price is high.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
I like the development as unlike many rental properties in the city of Aberdeen, it offers spacious outdoor grass area where you can lounge in the summer months, it also offers a car park with visitor spaces which is gated. The building design is clean and modern looking which attracted me the property. The location is great as it walking distance from the beach and city centre. It is also quiet enough to avoid the noisy city night life. There are multiple grocery shops and restaurants near by along with sport facilities. There is also a bus stop right outside the development. I dislike that a lot of the other properties in the area aren’t kept to the same standard as this property making parts of the area seem unkept and neglected.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
I wish I had know if the difficulties you encounter when trying to order a parcel to your property, delivery drivers can never get in and have nowhere to leave a note of where to collect. I now get things delivered to alternative pick up collection to avoid confusion and lost orders. This could be an issue for someone with motility issues who can’t travel as well someone in good health.
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
The carpark gate was broken for a short while that took weeks to get fixed. Other tenants have problems with dampness which I believe they have struggled to get help with
Great place to live but the details can be a let down
Apartments are quite well designed however the vents for the windows are quite poor. Even when closed they struggle with the wind. The rooms also don’t tend to retain their heat very well and windows must constantly be monitored due to moisture. The extractor fan in the kitchen makes very little difference when cooking and quite often we have to open all windows of the living area to prevent lingering smells or the smoke alarm being triggered as it is incredibly sensitive.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
Perfectly placed near the beach which hosts a range of shops and restaurants as well as cinema and various other forms of entertainment.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
As mentioned above, things such as the extractor fan in the kitchen and the heat retention of rooms can be off putting for some
Ocean Apartments 2021
Design – Kitchen/Living Area is excellent as is having 2 bathrooms. Bedrooms are a little bit on the small side as by the time furniture has been added they can feel slightly cramped. Kitchen and Bathrooms are very modern with excellent utilities.
Facilities – Allocated parking is good but the car park could be better laid out. Bin stores have improved recently due to addition of pincode locks. Bike stores are available but have not used. Excellent Fibre to the Premises (Ultrafast) wi-fi.
Building and Property Management – All performed by one company. Property Manager is responsive to emails with complaints but can be slow to action remedies.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
Pros – Close to city centre and beach + retail park nearby
Cons – football stadium nearby, surrounding area does not live up to standard of the development.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
That there is a great community Facebook page that is used to discuss any issues/queries from other residents, it’s very helpful.
If there is one thing you would change about your flat or property what would it be:
I wish that there were more storage areas in the flat.
Lovely central location for young couple.
The flat design is great but more storage would be more beneficial in the property. I feel the building is clean and appealing on the eye. The green spaces are nice however as a dog owner, dog waste bins would be beneficial for us. I feel that parking can be an issue due to most properties having 2 cars and there not being enough visitors spaces. The location is perfect and we have a lovely view from our property. We can see ourselves settled here for a while.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
Local to city centre shops and restaurants. Good access to the beach and green spaces. Lovely views of the beach. Very central location for work and socialising.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
I thought that there was adequate storage however now we live here it would be useful to have another cupboard for storage.
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
The building management usually get back to us in a promptly manner however there has been times when they have taken longer to respond.
Barrats Ocean
Overall everything is good. However, there is parking problem, people park all over the development. Even blocking fire excess. PMC (factor) is charging over 8000£ a month from all the flats. However, its a nightmare to get anyone on phone or get anything sorted in a timely. In the given, amount the development can have two full-time employees on site and still have money to spare.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
Area is generally very goo, 5 minutes to the beach 10 minutes walk to the city centre and Aberdeen university and 20 minutes to the airport.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
Good: some residents, location, customer service
Bad:PMC, some residents, parking
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
PMC is worst their focus is to maximize profits and least service. Barrats is very helpful
Great location and property
great design , i have been here 3 years and still love the property, the location is perfect with the beach right on my doorstep. Its walking distance to the shops and city centre.
Typically quiet location . Great views of the city
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
superb location with beach on doorstep and walking distance to city centre
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
not enough parking
What is the best feature of your home:
i have a balcony which has amazing views of the city
A great place to live in Aberdeen
The design of the flats is very modern and smart because the space is very well distributed thanks to open plan kitchen/living rooms and many large windows.
There are good facilities. The staircases are of good quality and bins are stored in small sheds separated from the residence buildings. There are bike sheds with locked doors.
The property management is good although expensive for the service provided.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
The development is very well located. The city centre and the beach are within walking distance (less that 15 minutes away). The beach area has a wide variety of coffee shops and restaurants. Several large supermarkets are within walking distance as well. The area is generally quiet. There are important facilities/ amenities nearby: a gym/pool and a large grass area by the beach and a GP practice 5 minutes away walking.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
We wish we had known that the roof might leak although the developer fixed that problem recently.
If there is one thing you would change about your flat or property what would it be:
We would put wooden flooring because it is preferable to the carpet provided.
Ocean Apartments
A nice, modern new build development in a very good location of the city. Decent sized rooms with large mirrored wardrobes and huge open plan living/kitchen area. We have not yet had any problems within the flat. Parking layout isn’t great with some flats having their spaces at the other side of the development, many issues with other people parking in allocated spaces. Sometimes issues can take a while to fix by the factor (secure entry barrier at front took weeks to fix).
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
Good location in walking distance to the city centre and beach, where there is a retail park and many cafes/restaurants. Good bus links are nearby. Extremely close to the football stadium and within walking distance of the university.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
That there’d be an initial large lump sum to the factor, a ‘float’. This was not mentioned before moving in.
If there is one thing you would change about your flat or property what would it be:
Within the flat, nothing. Our allocated parking space is a bit of an issue as it is right next to a wall making it quite difficult to get in and out. It would be good to be able to control the entry barrier from within the flat if you have visitors,
Resident photos
