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Ranked 9th out of 32 in Birmingham
By Touchstone
4.47
The Forum features a range of studio, one and two-bedroom apartments to rent in the heart of Birmingham's Southside district. There are a variety of resident facilities available on site, which include a gym, rooftop terrace, communal lounge and landscaped terrace with a pizza oven and BBQ facilities, together with a dedicated on-site concierge team to cater to your needs. The Bullring, Selfridges and Grand Central are only a short stroll away and Birmingham's New Street station is a 5-minute walk away.
Facilities
24hr onsite management
Balcony
Bike storage
Communal gardens
Concierge
Coworking spaces
Gated community
Gym
Lounge
Onsite cafe
Onsite maintenance
Parcel storage
Parking
Pet friendly
Play area
Private dining
Resident events
Roof terrace
Security features
24hr onsite management
Balcony
Bike storage
Communal gardens
Concierge
Awards
Excellence Award: 2023, 2022
Design Award: 2023, 2022
Facilities Award: 2023, 2022
Location Award: 2023, 2022
Value Award: 2023, 2022
Management Award: 2022
The Forum, B5
Ranked 9th out of 32 in Birmingham
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109 total reviews
Kieran D (Tenant)
Verified Resident
Feb 2023
Kieran D (Tenant)
Verified Resident
Feb 2023
Building layout is nice, there is a courtyard section in the middle with tables and chairs, rentable barbeques and pizza ovens. The apartments are sizeable and good value. Had a few issues when we moved in but staff made arrangements and the maintenance team quickly sorted them out. Management are very friendly and are willing to socialise and help out with any issues. The community at the forum is great too - I have made many friends since moving in, mostly down to the events that management put on! Seems like any reason they have, management throws a party. Christmas, Chinese new year, valentine's, Easter, Halloween, etc. Lovely initiatives. Lots of gated parking spaces available at a charge (around £100pcm, standard for city centre but still pricey!)
Saaz S (Tenant)
Verified Resident
Apr 2024
Saaz S (Tenant)
Verified Resident
Apr 2024
The development is great. Everything is really clean and well organized. The team is very kind, supportive and helpful. The facilities are very good - the gym has everything you need. Building is also very aesthetic and there are many places to work.
Sonya (Tenant)
Verified Resident
Mar 2024
Sonya (Tenant)
Verified Resident
Mar 2024
Special thank you to Jodie who has been so helpful and we really feel she's gone above and beyond to make us feel welcome. We've gotten used to the layout of the facilities now and there's a good flow to the building. No problems so far and hopefully that'll be the case going forward.
Manager response
Thank you for the review Sonya! I'll pass your nice words onto the team. Any problems let us know, hope to see you at some of our events soon. All the best, Matt
Posted by
Matthew Todd, Community Manager
Apr 2024
Chirag S (Tenant)
Mar 2024
Chirag S (Tenant)
Mar 2024
The Building is no more than 5-6 years old, its still brand new and seriously innovative. The plan of the building has been thought out and the facilities are great! The rooftop during summer, the daily gym visits, the ground floor indoor and outdoor lounge areas suitable for all social events just make you want to stay here. The property has in house maintenance who are available to rectify any small or big issues that may arise. The management is great, they hold your deliveries, create fun events, keep us up to date on information that is of importance to us and always are warm and welcoming every day!
Manager response
Thank you so much for the fantastic feedback! Glad you are settling in, any issues don't hesitate to let the team know. :) All the best, Matt
Posted by
Matthew Todd, Community Manager
Apr 2024
Kieran D (Tenant)
Verified Resident
Mar 2024
Kieran D (Tenant)
Verified Resident
Mar 2024
In recent months, dating back to a year, the development has faced a serious decline in every aspect. Facilities are worn down and management seem to value the incorrect things and believe this will improve tenant satisfaction. This includes replacing all cardio equipment in the gym, replacing two broken treadmills and a number of perfectly functioning gym equipment with new technology that will rarely be used, cluttering a once usable studio space with 9 exercise bikes despite there never being that many people in the gym at once. Meanwhile, bin stores are constantly littered with rubbish because there are too few recycling bins. A tenant frequently occupies a communal space with his and his child's things, even when they are not present, rendering the space unusable. This makes a mess of the area and the parents do not seem to care. Management have recently been so detached from the tenants that they have no appreciation for the issues raised. At 5:23 this morning, we had a blaring fire alarm failure which woke up a large number of residents as we have had "new" and "more accurate" smoke alarms installed in the kitchen, the living room, the bedroom and the hallway. For a one bed flat, four new alarms in addition the the three existing alarms is excessive. This is the third false alarm in 5 days. Irresponsible dog owners are not cautioned to clean up after their pets. Dogs are free to defecate on the roof and they please, where some unsuspecting resident will trample it into the synthetic grass that is never cleaned. Lounge facilities on the roof are becoming mossy and mouldy as there is no cover to store them, so the fabric is soaked through and left out in the cold every day and every night. A once vibrant and warm community has now become sparse and cold due to hiked rental rates in an apartment complex that isn't currently competitive with lower cost alternatives in the vicinity. Management have forced out reliable tenants in favour of high turnover at a higher cost of living to the tenants. It's no exaggeration to say dissatisfaction is rife through the community. These complaints above are voiced by many tenants across the building, many of whom are long-term tenants who are disappointed and tired of the countless issues we have faced over the last year and the minimal response and engagement from management. We don't need focus groups to solve this issue, where we are encouraged to raise issues in a discussion with management to temporarily subdue our noise as we believe something will finally change. We simply need management to listen to what we are saying in daily conversation and via emails, devise a plan, then enact it. As you can gather, unless things make a drastic turn in the next few months, I won't be renewing my contract this year. I cannot recommend The Forum as a place to live as it currently stands. Don't be swayed by the gym and the communal areas, or the fun events management hold. This is your living space, prioritise what really matters and look elsewhere before making a choice.
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These reviews are the subjective opinion of a HomeViews member and not of HomeViews