Vida House, SE8

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

Everything good…… The local area boasts a rich variety of shops, restaurants, and bars, offering an excellent range of options for dining and socializing. The presence of well-maintained open spaces, including parks, adds to the quality of life, providing beautiful spots for relaxation and outdoor activities. Transport links are conveniently available, making it easy to navigate to and from the area without significant issues. Living on our street is a pleasant experience, characterized by the ease of finding parking and regular, efficient bin collections. The neighborhood is peaceful, with minimal anti-social behavior and traffic noise, contributing to a serene living environment. The proximity to both supermarkets and parks enhances the convenience and enjoyment of living here, ensuring that essentials are easily accessible while also offering green spaces for leisure and relaxation.

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

Efficient and effective, they maximize productivity and results while minimizing wasted effort and resources. This approach ensures goals are achieved quickly and with high quality, optimizing both the process and the outcome.

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

Utilities and Services: Offering details about reliable internet providers, the best local services (e.g., plumbers, electricians), and tips for dealing with utility companies can save new neighbors time and hassle.…………………

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

We absolutely loved living in the Surrey Quays / Deptford area for the last 4 years and felt like we had many things at our fingertips. For food shopping, Lidl is a 2 minute walk, if that, from Vida House - super convenient. Not much further, there's a Tesco Extra along with Surrey Quays Shopping Centre which offers a small amount of high street shops and food chains but most notably, a large The Range which was always very handy for bits and bobs. For more independent shops, you're not far from Greenwich, a short bus ride, where you also find Greenwich Market on the weekends. Great for gifts and amazing for food! Being so close to Greenwich was a real treat and we loved visiting the park and walking up to the Observatory where you can enjoy a fabulous view of Canary Wharf. There're some really lovely outdoor spaces close to Vida House. It's situated just a short walk from Deptford Park or, approximately 10 minutes to Southwark Park which is much bigger and has facilities such as a cafe and boat lake. We also really enjoyed being so close to the Thames, being able to walk along the river and again, being spoilt with more lovely views! There are some hidden gems for eating out /takeaways around the area and so much variety on offer. For drinks, there are some nice local pubs, especially around Rotherhithe with some fantastic riverside views. Bars, not so many in the immediate area, but transport links are really good so you can get most places pretty quickly. In terms of transport, Vida House has a bus stop right outside which will take you to Canada Water one way or Lewisham via New Cross the other. Surrey Quays Overground station is approximately a 7 minute walk from Vida House and Canada Water Underground Station is around 15-20 minutes on foot. You can easily be in Central London within 20-30 minutes on a good day. Traffic can build up on Trundleys Road outside Vida House, particularly at weekends, but the windows are very effective at blocking out the sounds so this never really bothered us much but could be a little annoying in the summertime when we had the windows open more frequently. We didn't have a car but whenever we had visitors, they were usually able to find a decent spot outside Vida House on Trundleys Road and at the time of writing the street parking is free.

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

We've personally found the building management team to be very responsive and accommodating. During any development works there was plenty of communication about what to expect and the anticipated time frames. The maintenance team were always very friendly and resolved issues efficiently. We had no complaints.

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

If you're on Facebook, I recommend you join the 'Vida House Residents' Facebook group. The group is useful for buying and selling within the building and also being notified of any issues, and general goings on!

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

The area is good I would say. There is a Lidl just around the corner where you can do some quick shopping. There is the Surrey Quays shopping center with Tesco Extra, my favorite! The Greenland dock is just nearby, great place for a walk. Staying in Vida House which facing the road, traffic noise yes and dusty, but with a great view of Canary Wharf. 10 mins walk to the nearest station.

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

Rebecca and Sam, the great property management team on site has been very helpful, as they are very responsive, any issues are dealt with quickly. Thank you Rebecca & Sam! 5- star Team!

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

Invest a fan for the summer. Noisy street, even at night. You have to close the windows to sleep at night. I wish they could have a dishwasher too :)

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

The property is a minute away from Lidl and 10 minutes away from Tesco. It is accessible via Surrey Quays and Canda Water. It is also close to all kinds of restaurants and takeaway. There is a weekend market too Vida house is between the overground and a busy street, but haven't really been bothered by it.

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

2021-2022 was pretty bad. Days / weeks without water supply. Random blackouts. Non-working sink and washer and toilet for weeks, to the point where we almost moved to an airbnb temporarily. 2022-2023 with the new admin was pretty smooth sailing. Problems and inquiries are addressed in a timely manner, and there seems to be no systemwide problems in the building at all.

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

It doesn't really matter if you pick rear facing or front facing. You are faced with a choice of living beside the overground rail, or trundley's road traffic. It isn't that noisy really (especially with windows closed). But the overground side seems calmer.

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

I lived on the railway side of the building so no car noise and fumes. There is very easy access in and out of the street .

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

Always hands on with any issues. They also respond within a reasonable time frame.

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

I haven't got any observations to make on this aspect.