Alma Estate, EN3

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

After a couple of years of living in the area I’d say overall it’s getting better. The selection of shops aren’t brilliant on the High Road but I can imagine now that the new builds are reaching their final phase, the interest for more quality shops will be on the rise. The local park is a little neglected, which is a shame as it makes up most of the green space in the area. Hoping the council can do something about that? Transport is brilliant. Lots of bus stops and the train takes you directly to Liverpool Street or Stansted airport in 20 mins. The area is very safe. Even walking at night, there’s no issues. No noise from the traffic either really and you can barely hear the train if at all, great soundproofing for the flats I must say.

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

Pretty much instantly and sent out people for repairs and fixes very quickly.

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

I wish I had known how much the Help to Buy loan repayments would cost. You have to actually pay them admin fees of £200, get a solicitor involved and a surveyor before you can make a payment, which roughly amounts to £800-900. That’s all before making your actual repayment. Shocking actually.

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

NO PARKING SPACE OFFERED TO PURCHASE! At the beginning, the Sales Team was amazing, the property was and is good. But for many residents, we were refused a Parking Space under the FAKE clame that all were sold out. Later on, after half year or so, in order for Countryside to sell the remaining flats, Car Parking Spaces were magically found and offered for free with last remaining flats, despite the last buyers openly tolled Countryside that they didn't need one, don't have a car and are not drivers. Now, some of these residents, ask £250/month parking renting fee... Living in my area, mandatorily needing and having a car but not having a Parking Space, is insane! At the time of the flat purchase, it was promised that later on, a Parking Space will be offered, but after almost 4 years now, all our correspondence goes without ANY replies from Countryside. It looks like they just DON'T CARE anymore... We are VERY DISAPOINTED in Countryside now. We were promised many facilities, but so far there are very few or none!

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

Up and down. At the beginning, most of our issues were sorted fairly quick. During the pandemic time, it was a nightmare. While now, it's taking long time, but most issues are relatively solved. For spare parts etc., are used the MOST BASIC/CHEAP elements. As a result, the problems tend to come back again and again. It is a good machine to squeeze money from residents as many problems need to be solved repeatedly!

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

I wished I knew that a Car Parking Space will actually never be offered to me to purchase and that now, I should find a parking space somewhere very far away from my property. This adds to my family insecurity and willingness to sell and move away from this property. :(

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

Love how close it is to the station! Makes for great commute timings. It’s very quiet which is also brilliant. Not the liveliest area, which I suppose is good for noise pollution, low crime, etc. Not so good if you want a coffee, or pop to the local Tesco, Sainsbury’s… have to catch a bud for those.

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

Countryside have been amazing from start to finish - and even the little touch ups after purchase. Very quick to respond to my needs and couldn’t be happier with result.

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

Make sure you know everything there is to know about Help to Buy, if you’re using them. Ask as many questions as you can to the developer. Make sure you get them to fix as many of your issues with the flat before purchase as you can. Will make the move in process smoother for you. There will always be snags and chips of paint here and there, but they do look after you and will sort it quickly. Find out if you have a communal boiler. It’s a con. My only regret from the entire purchase was not knowing enough about that. You pay £1 per day standing charge on top of your regular usage. That’s extortion.

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

A great aspect of the location of the development is that it is right next to the train station, plenty of schools nearby and also easy to do shopping. However, the area doesn't have the best reputation and level of safety.

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

For any minor issues the building management have been very quick to respond and correct the issues.

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

I wish I would not of undestimated the need to purchase a parking spot, even if you don't currently own a car.

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

The traffic and construction noise can be a little disturbing mainly because we are working from home.

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

They were very efficient and fixed the issues that were pointed out.

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

Currently nothing, we were well Informed by the developers.