A Guide to Living in Brentford

Please review your development:

When we first moved in the property was in tatters and there was miscommunication internally within the building with contractors and management however once these issues were sorted it, it felt like home. The properties are designed with thought however there are differences within the flats that are not addressed prior to moving in which proved to be disappointing. Some properties at the same prices will have more storage and amenities but won’t be listed. However all around with some effort and communication with management proves to be a lovely development.

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

View the properties and note the differences as although they appear the same, not every apartment is.

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

We were ignored by property managers and had to go through several email conversations to get a satisfactory response and felt a little neglected however once issues were brought to attention, management helped us as much as they could.

Please review your development:

Facilities are very good. Accessible gym. Fancy playroom in the mezzanine and as well as the working areas/study areas. I hope they will be able to fix the front door because it could be open by anyone else and it would pose a risk for everyone living here.

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

Very spacious, loads of storage areas. Concierge should be manned by someone who knows well about the rules/policies

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

The building manager responds in a timely manner and is able to address concerns/queries.

Please review your development:

They are slowly improving but building management has been pretty bad since moving in. Building in poor condition and feel like they are adding amenities to drive rental price up. Awful at communicating in regards to repairs, maintenance and renewals.

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

Poor management and maintenance and very poor communication

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

Takes months for issues to be resolved after many failed attempts to communicate

Please review your development:

Requests fall on deaf ears, our communal bin area is not used properly by other tenants and I’ve asked multiple times for Vonder to request more bins from to council to help with the issue but got nothing.

The lift in Piedmont court has been broken for YEARS, the last time I remember using it was I think 2021 – so anyone with accessibility issues will not be able to live here or even visit.

The fire exit door at the back of Piedmont court has also been broken for the last 8 months – so if a fire broke out, that is not an exit that’s possible to use – instead of fixing it there’s a sign on the door that says ‘Please do not use’. This gives you a good idea of how the building is managed.

We’ve got a washer/dryer included in the white appliances in the flat – one day it started to smoke caused by a build up of lint in the heating element chamber. I raised this to Vonder as a possible worry that other washer / dryers in the building may need maintenance after 1-2 years to stop any potential fires breaking out – I got no response to that email.

We’ve now got no access to check our own meter readings for water and electricity, despite both these bills no longer being included in our rent. This use to not be an issue as we could take our own meter readings but they’ve since locked the door to that area. This means we have to rely on Vonder to send us our meter readings on a monthly basis which very often gets forgotten.

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

Like I said this is a corporate run landlord so don’t expect much in terms or sympathy / understanding / actual care for tenants – they just want your money.

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

They’ve not done anything – as mentioned above I’ve tried to get Vonder to request more recycling bins for the communal areas behind Piedmont court (which is a known issue) but it’s never been done.