Bale & Anchor, Apartment 701 Bale House, Conington Road, London, SE13

Showing 5 most recent reviews

• Bale & Anchor, SE13

  L (Tenant)

  Verified resident

  HomeViews has verified the reviewer as a resident of this development.

  Mar 2025

  Not worth it

  The design of the building is nice, but that is the only positive aspect I found. I was the first tenant to live in this building, and there were many mistakes along with a notable lack of management. Since Anchor House was completed first and Bale House was finished later, I had to wait six months to access all the facilities. In winter, the apartment was extremely cold because of the tiny radiator, which they only replaced after the season ended. With the radiator on, the temperature inside the flat was only 60°F, and I eventually stopped using it after realizing it was ineffective. Despite not using the heater and spending most of my time outside, I had to pay £350.00 monthly to Homebox for utilities, even during periods when I was not in the UK for a few months. This was for a one-bedroom flat, turned off everything, which remains a mystery to me. I emailed them several times but have not received a proper response. Unfortunately, you do not have the option to switch to another utility company. Before I signed the contract, the person I spoke to said I would need to pay less than £100.00 for the bills because it is a newly built apartment. And honestly, I feel scammed. Additionally, you must go to Bale House to collect your parcels. As a rental apartment, it is clear that the building was designed for renters, not for selling. The quality of the paint and furniture is lacking, and there was a water leak on the floor I was living on (I’m not sure if it has been fixed now). Overall, I was not happy living in this building and believe I could find a better place for the same price.

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

  The location is right next to the DLR, so it can be a bit noisy, but you will likely get used to it. (very stressful at first) There is a large Tesco store situated right next to the building, which is convenient. Additionally, DLR, train, bus, and taxi stops are all less than five minutes away.

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

  There is a website/app for the residents and if you need anything you can write there. I raised a few problems in my flat and had to wait a long time to get fixed. (Or even get no reply)

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

  Consider avoiding new apartments because there might be a possibility that the system is not organised yet.

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  Manager's response

  Good afternoon, Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. Firstly i would like to apologise you felt the on-site team were not as responsive to sort out any queries you had raised as quickly as you'd expect. We use all feedback as a tool to improve on our service, and i will certainly share this with the team. Regarding your comments on the heating, there was an issue across a number of homes, where it was identified that the hearers initially installed required to be replaced. Due to lead times and home access, this was completed as quickly as possible whilst trying to cause as minimal impact as possible to all of our residents. I apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused you. We're currently working closely with Homebox to investigate any homes which have reported an unusual amount of energy usage within their home and any reasons there may be for this. I am sorry you felt disappointed with the wait for the amenities in Bale House to be available, Anchor house opened in Sep 2023 with Bale opening as expected Spring 2024. Bale house was certainly a great addition with the warm welcome of some truly amazing amenities available to our residents. Lastly, we installed a digital parcel room in Bale House for the safety and convenience of a accessible store, available 24 hours a day to couriers and residents, this is available to all residents of Bale and Anchor. This was to eliminate the chances of failed delivery attempts from companies to residents, overall with the intention to be an added positive to our residents. We hope we might get the opportunity to show Bale and Anchor in it's full potential light in the near future. Kindest regards, Luke

  Posted by:

  Luke Ellis, General Manager

  Apr 2025

  1
• Bale & Anchor, SE13

  CG (Tenant)

  Verified resident

  HomeViews has verified the reviewer as a resident of this development.

  Dec 2024

  Bale House has a nice aesthetic

  Bale House has a nice aesthetic, with consistent decor making all the communal areas of the building look stylish. The management team have generally been very helpful and the facilities are well-maintained. Occasionally there are community events for residents to attend, and it's been nice getting to know our neighbours this way.

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

  Bale House is right next to Lewisham Station, so the trains, DLR, buses and taxis are all within easy reach. There is a large Tesco next door and various cafés around the Lewisham town centre.

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

  Any queries relating to the flat have been addressed swiftly. They're a little slower responding to enquiries about the communal spaces however (e.g gym, dining rooms).

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

  - The views from the upper floors are excellent; worth getting a city-facing flat. - The private dining rooms cost £80 to book on weekends.

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  Manager's response

  Dear resident, Happy New Year! Thank you for taking the time to write the review and all your kind words. The whole team at Bale & Anchor are absolutely delighted and very much grateful to you for the positive experience you attest to have received at Bale and Anchor. This truly reflects the service standards and high-level experiences we all at Bale & Anchor work and strive to deliver everyday to ensure our community receive the greatest residential experiences in the market, and that those are delivered in professionally and differentiated manner. It is our great pleasure to have you at Bale & Anchor! Kind regards

  Posted by:

  Eduardo J. Meias, Community & Operations Manager

  Jan 2025

  5
• Bale & Anchor, SE13

  Emily (Tenant)

  Verified resident

  HomeViews has verified the reviewer as a resident of this development.

  Dec 2024

  Happy

  - nice building and layout - great amenities (gym, garden room etc) - they host fun and free activities -helpful concierge - some parts of the home building design faulty/ not properly done eg wardrobe and some areas in the kitchen - lifts were out for a day ish

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

  -fab location, near railway and DLR stations. Quick to get around london. - nice restaurants around - massive tesco right next door and lewisham shopping station nearby - free parking availability limited for long periods

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

  They fix problems quickly, they’re polite and welcoming

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

  Wish we knew about the parking situation. Cant get a parking permit as we live on “private” land and the private parking is expensive.

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  Manager's response

  Dear resident, Thank you for taking the time to write the review and all your kind words. The whole team at Bale & Anchor are absolutely delighted and very much grateful to you for the positive experience you attest to have received at Bale and Anchor. It is our great pleasure to have you at Bale & Anchor! Kind regards

  Posted by:

  Eduardo J. Meias, Community & Operations Manager

  Jan 2025

  4
• Bale & Anchor, SE13

  Anchor House tenant (Tenant)

  Verified resident

  HomeViews has verified the reviewer as a resident of this development.

  Nov 2024

  Great location

  - the heating in the flat is terrible, the flat is very cold most of the time (18.5 degrees in April/May mornings) - the electric heaters are located in very odd places and do not heat the flat properly - the flat loses the heat very quickly (18 degrees in Spring months) as well and gets hot very easily in the summer (29 degrees with all blinds down in the summer) - the furniture is not great, but can't complain - pretty secure building, keyfobs very convenient to move around the buildings - The post room in Bale House is very convenient, however, you barely get notified if your parcel is waiting for you to be collected - the gym is okay - most of the time is empty as well as the library on the 34th floor - since I moved in there was a period when contractors were coming to the flat to fix the floor, windows, etc for a few weeks - I was home most of the time but it was very inconvenient being woken up early in the morning and having strangers around - can't say much about the management as I haven't been in touch (apart from my 2 queries that were ignored)

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

  - great location, 2 mins walking from Tesco, 5 mins from Lewisham Shopping Centre - if your flat is facing the rails, you can hear the trains 5 am- 1 am no matter what floor you're on (some flats have balconies, but I would not use them during summer because of the train noise - the area around the building seems safe, but I wouldn't feel safe walking anywhere further at night - the building is located between Lewisham and Elverson Road stations - super convenient to travel to central London

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

  The Front Of The House (concierge) is responsive (if not on WhatsApp you can ask at the reception), but building management is not really

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

  I wish i knew the train noise is very bad if you keep your windows open. Also, the fact that the flat is very cold in the spring, autumn and winter (very inefficient heating system).

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  Manager's response

  Dear tenant, Thank you for taking the time to write the review. Please be assured that the addressed points of concern have been duly noted and the whole team at Bale & Anchor will keep working diligently to achieve any required improvements to consistently deliver high standard services and differentiated residential experiences to our residential communities. We also took note of your concern regards current service delivery perception on related inconveniences caused by occasional required access for contractors, and we would kindly clarify that this is currently due to the fact that Bale & Anchor is a fantastic new build development still within the main builder's defect and warranties period, and hence why access for contractors on occasion is still required, and of course that management has to rely on main contractors' delivery capability to ensure quicker timelines for action during new build's defect period. But again, please be assured that management will keep assessing efficiency output on operating deliverables as mobilisation proceedings draw to an end very soon to ensure that our residential community is not inconvenienced during this process. Thank you.

  Posted by:

  Eduardo J. Meias, Community & Operations Manager

  Dec 2024

  3
• Bale & Anchor, SE13

  Olga (Tenant)

  Oct 2024

  Good, but it could have been great

  Pluses: + the amenities are good + the building and flats are lovely decorated + pet friendly + concierge being helpful overall, although when called or messaged on whatsapp they often don't answer. Unless they are chasing for the meter readings Minuses: - the quality of some of the appliances is very poor. Flooring starting to peel after a few months - the internal policies keep changing with no notice. I've been told I can always leave my key for a petsitter with the reception, then surprise surprise they no longer take the keys. We've been given no notice. - there used to be a mailroom in Anchor House, then they moved it to Bale House, and they codes they send on the email to access the room often don't work. Not very convenient - had a ticket raised on the portal for an issue, it took about 4 weeks to have a reply. - very high energy bills, and we are forced to stay with Homebox which is the company they use.

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

  The flat looks good, is testfully decorated and everything was new when I moved in. The location is very convenient as well, right between two stations.

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

  They respond, but sometimes slow. Had a ticket raised for an issue and it took weeks to get an answer.

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

  That the policies are keep changeing and no notice is being given. Like the rules about the keys being left with reception when away.

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  Manager's response

  Dear Olga, Thank you for taking the time to write the review, your kind words and experience rating. And please be assured that all points of your review have been noted and will certainly contribute to our continual, and everyday endeavour to deliver the greatest residential experiences in the market, and that those are delivered in professionally and differentiated manner. Kind regards,

  Posted by:

  Eduardo J. Meias, Community & Operations Manager

  Oct 2024

  4