FURIOUS homeowners who paid £300,000 to buy their dream apartment with panoramic city views say they are living a nightmare.
Residents living in Northill Apartments, the tallest apartment block in Salford Quays, Manchester, is home to BBC and ITV studios.
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People who purchased a place in the 27-storey building over the last 12 months claim they are trapped in a nightmare, with renters also unable to move out without losing a hefty deposit.
Residents have complained of loud parties from apartments rented out on Airbnb, vandalism, postal theft and internal fire escapes blocked by rubbish.
Some also claim the building has suffered burst soil pipes with raw sewage seeping into apartments.
And further complaints have been raised over soaring annual maintenance charges between £1,600 and £2,000 for services – including window cleaning – which they claim are not being provided by management company Xenia Estates.
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Casey Black, 22, an office administrator and nursery practitioner Morgan Hanmer, also 22, pay £1,000 a month for a one-bedroom apartment.
They say they were originally given a tour of a a show apartment, which they described as “really nice”, but didn’t see their actual property until they picked up the keys.
The pair say the reality of their actual apartment was somewhat different and they were told they were not allowed to put anything on the walls.
“The balcony is tiny, there is an Airbnb two doors down and it always smells of weed,” they complained.
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“The people are nice but they all have the same problems – it’s not a place you want to live and it’s not a place for families.
“At 11pm at night people are banging on the walls and partying.”
They say people drop items from the balconies onto parked cars below, rubbish has mounted up and they “don’t feel safe” at night.
“There is no footpath and only small lights. We have been here four months and so we have eight more to go, or we would lose our deposit.”
Another resident Luke, 23, pays £725 a month for a one-bed studio apartment.
He says he is troubled by the noise of the tram thundering past and post going missing.
“Parcels are being nicked”, he says, “and nobody is managing it. We were promised a concierge and a gym, but it is not happening.
“The rent isn’t too bad but it isn’t exactly a dream and I won’t be staying.”
Resident Lynn Song, 40, adds: “The surroundings look very unsafe, I park my car in the parking place and then I have to walk in the dark to the apartment, it looks terrible.
“The management is not looking after the apartments – it is not well looked after. I hardly see anybody from the management.
“There is no security, nobody on the front desk and I hear parcels get lost very easily, as they are just left on the floor.
“There is a group chat for residents and I have heard cars are being damaged by people throwing things from the top floors.”
But guests staying at the apartment through air bnb are a lot happier than residents.
Jake Kitcher, 24, Chloe Collins, 22, Kezia Wells, 23 and Sam Farquhar are all from South Windsor and are staying for the weekend.
The two couples say: “The apartments are nice and relatively quiet. They are a good size, nice interior and a lovely view.”
Meanwhile, newcomer Jake Burns, 24, who works in recruitment, is just moving in and is being helped with the move by his NHS worker girlfriend Jennifer Blenkarn.
He is paying £600 a month for a two-bedroom apartment and says he is unaware of any problems and is hopeful it will be an enjoyable time.
“It’s exciting,” he says. “I am not aware of any issues and I hope it will be great living here.”
A spokesperson for Xenia Estates said: “While Xenia Estates are the managing agent on behalf of Northill Apartments, we are not responsible for the overall development build.
“We are however liaising with the developer to come to an amicable agreement with the aim of ensuring the finish of the development is suitable for all.
“We are pleased to confirm after a consultation with leaseholders on their desired level of onsite presence, a 24-hour security/concierge is now in place at Northill Apartments.
“In addition to having a point of contact onsite at all times, the concierge contributes to easing any concerns over vandalism, anti-social behaviour or risk of theft which may have been present in the past.
The statement continued: “Residential apartments being used for short term lets via channels such as Airbnb is a recurring theme we are seeing throughout the sector in all blocks in Manchester City Centre.
“Xenia Estates are currently taking steps to identify the offending properties and as per the terms of the lease agreement, manage these properties accordingly.
“Residents and leaseholders are encouraged to report any suspected Airbnb / short term lets to Xenia Estates so the appropriate action can be taken.
“Regarding comments in relation to the sewage problem, Xenia Estates can confirm that this issue occurred in February 2023 and was as a result of a faulty pipe.
“The on-site caretaker, the property manager and a contracted plumber were on site until 11pm the same day to ensure the fault was taken care of and to assist with the clean-up. The pipework was repaired promptly and there have been no further issues since.
“Xenia Estates acknowledges historic issues with the bins which has now been remedied. Any delays in regular collections were as a result of access being blocked by cars being parked improperly. The newly installed ANPR parking cameras should mitigate any delays in the future, in addition to any vandalism onsite / to cars in synergy with the new 24/7 onsite presence.
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“Unfortunately, Xenia Estates has no control of the level of noise from the trams. A certain amount of noise is to be expected within the city centre and we expect residents and leaseholders to have made an informed decision, taking such external factors into account, in regards to the location of the property before purchasing or residing in an apartment at Northill.
“Finally, should any residents have any queries or concerns, we urge them to get in touch with a member of the team who will be happy to help address any matter.”
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