Silkworks, SE13

The development is pretty, and for the money you get a very good-looking new build that positively contrasts with the rest of the neighbourhood. Flats have a good amount of storage space, the heating is cheap and so is the rent. However, once you've settled in, the issues and flaws of the place become apparent: - the building is infested with silverfish and it has been for years. The biggest I've seen was on the staircase wall and it must have been an inch long. They are mostly small though, come out at night in the bathroom and reception areas neighbouring the flat door, so you might not even notice and you can definitely get used to it - everyone else here seemingly has - there is loud, dusty and at times smoky (from the exhaust) construction going on just under your window for the next ~1.5 years, so you'll want to keep the windows shut - the walls are thin, especially between the floors, hearing your neighbours shagging is quite normal here - the horizontal fridge-freezers in flats that have them under the kitchen table are actually tiny and not particularly ergonomic - for the size of the development, there is barely any underground parking - a tiny lot under Baquba/Chenla buildings is all there is - the gym hours were limited even before the lockdown, but now it's a complete joke - it's a fitness gym for moms, don't expect to find barbells or a decent free weights section there - the day concierge who shall not be named lets out a demonstrative sigh at you every time you come to pick up a parcel, poor guy must hate his job - you can't pick up a parcel unless they've entered it into the system, which can sometimes take them an entire day. What's the point in having the concierge receive parcels if he only causes delays? - the concierge office in general has become much less effective since the departure of Emile and his team - the elevators break down frequently - the DLR noise means you have to keep your windows shut in flats facing the DLR - why is the communal garden on the DLR side of the development? Naturally, it doesn't get used or taken care of there... - with the amount of Covid-pets in the building, the barking outside has become another big noise source - the local chavs hang out on development's grounds and the management doesn't care - the residents regularly leave their dogs' crap on the grass and the management doesn't care - hot water and heating outages are frequent and can last overnight like it's the 1980s - the development layout is rather silly: the outer-facing flats face the DLR and the inner-facing flats face a concrete barrel with opera house acoustics - the "whole house extract" actually only extracts the air from your bathroom and there is no ventilation in the other rooms. Remember, you pretty much can't open the windows here due to noise and construction. - your internet connection options are limited to BT and their resellers. It's stable, but slow.

Great service from the concierge, especially during Covid-19. Thank you very much. The building outside needs a good refurbishment, especially the paint and the sliding doors for the balconies. Refuse: there is no garbage for green/compost whilst down the road they can have this, that's why a lot of the garbage has a lot of liquid and compost waste. There should be more bins for recycling than general waste. The recycling bins get very full quickly. Please work with the council to have a compost waste and more recycling bins and do something about the smell, especially when it gets warmer.

No complaints overalls! It's a lovely place to live. My flat is great, well designed and in a lovely area. It is always nice and warm, all through the year - it is very well insulated! Also means that it's peaceful inside the flat, can't really hear anything coming from the outside.

I live by myself, so appreciate the developments privacy and views. The living room/kitchen is the nicest room, it's so well designed and have plenty of space (more than other flats I've seen in London). One thing I would like to see improved is the response to maintenance issues... while I haven't had many, repairs can take a while to sort.

The building itself is good but slowly getting a bit dilapidated... It has a great management team with good customers services Wish there were smart meters installed in the flats, and the recycling facilities really need to be improved.