The Mercian, B15

The facilities can be described as 'modern,' 'stylish,' and 'luxurious.' Particularly noteworthy is its 200-meter synthetic running track, a unique feature in Birmingham. The management team is incredibly responsive to maintenance requests. They always make sure issues are addressed promptly, even during busy periods.

The building opened new in 2022, I have been here since then. The quality of facilities is dwindling. Things are not being fixed such as one of the lifts being out of service for more than a year. Doors not fixed especially the back door that has been closed since the beginning of the year. Based on the rent that is paid I wouldn’t expect this level of facilities and the degradation occurring.

I've decided to renew, after a 12 months lease, so obviously this is going to be a largely positive review. First major benefit is the staff, both for initial onboarding and general day to day interactions. Concierge team Zain, Rosa, Andra, Elliot, Moses & Peter all do a great job dealing with lots of difficult tenants and visitors. When we had a council inspection I did note that this would be the rare instance I'd blanket side with landlord over tenants. The management team all do a wonderful job; special shouts to Charlotte but Rob, Molly and Tayla have all been great at various points over the last 12 months. Russ & Joe in maintenance get a shout for having to fix stuff and arrange appliance repairs (that washer/drier is the bane of your and our lives I suspect). The cleaning staff are largely very friendly, especially given my morning ritual of repeatedly wandering over whatever area they've either just started or finishing mopping. Props to Pauline, Liliona and Carmen. As for the rest of the building; it's great when everything is firing on full cylinders. The refurb was clearly necessary and due to externally inflicted damage, so there's no point moaning about that. Also it's done to a great standard; and indeed the extra effort put in just afterwards over the Xmas period was appreciated. The gym is well equipped and maintained, the small niggle there being that if the machines were properly setup to wifi/date then people could use health trackers. I use the yoga room for roomscale VR, because of course I do. The cinema room seems fine, but I took one look at the projector and non blackout blinds and never went back in again. I'd recommend getting a decent large 24/25 OLED with stand (you can't wall mount, and want to know that before you move in) if you want to view anything properly. Ensure that it is low reflectivity for all day use. Love the running track, and may even use it one day ;). I spend a lot of time in the hideout playing table tennis, badly, which is bizarre as before moving in I'd have laid serious odds on spending most time on pool/shuffleboard. BBQ pits and balcony are spectacular, and the private dining room is great. The hot water situation alluded to in prior reviews is currently not an issue, and a permanent fix appears to be in play for the immediate future, so I wouldn't hesitate to become resident based on that. The Tennant Street entrance not being open is a genuine disaster for deliveries, in every sense, so it's good to know that is also about to be fixed. I also feel the appliances are about one level below optimal (oven not having pyrolytic cleaning, I miss having a cutlery tray with alarming intensity although the dishwasher is incredibly effective and used daily, the washer/drier is known to suck small items into the filter which has happened three times in 12 months and I don't even have children). Whoever decided at head Moda HQ to not fit blackout blinds but send out constant messages about sleep hygiene genuinely needs some sort of intervention. Petty grievances, by and large, but they're there. Despite a recent short outage, the broadband is great. Protip: Don't bother with the upgrade package Glide offer; the wifi repeaters in the building don't benefit. Crucially, you don't need that upgrade anyway as if you connect via ethernet you get symmetric gigabit by default. *If* you have realistic expectations, and the ability to behave reasonably to both staff and fellow residents, I would say wholeheartedly you'll love living here!

The building is nicely designed, very modern and homely. I love the facilities, especially the Hideout with the table tennis table, the BBQ pits on the terrace, and gym. The gym is equipped with very nice machines, the only downside is that they aren't connected to the WiFi, so it is impossible to sync your fitness tracker to them. This is a real shame and I hope that this problem will be addressed. I really like that they offer yoga classes and other health-related workshops. It would be nice if they could assign a specific lift for people who are carrying bin bags to the Bin Store. Residents are constantly leaving smelly bin juice and rubbish in the lifts, which is cleaned up as quickly as possible by the cleaning staff, but it's impossible for them to keep up with it. The concierge staff are outstanding. Zain, Rosa, Andra, Elliott, Moses and Peter are always very helpful when you need help with anything. I don't often deal with management, but whenever I have, Molly, Charlottle, Tayla and Rob have been friendly and accommodating. The maintenance and cleaning staff are great, thanks to Russ/Joe, Pauline/Liliona/Carmen.

Amazing views, looking out over Edgbaston and to the Clents - loved the full length windows, minimalist design, high quality fittings - just brilliant. Everything just works. Gym is good, and the shared spaces are really nice - although I mainly just used my flat.