ISH Flats, Blain House

“Updated fixtures. Much less mold.”

“I’d like to plan more activities with different families, so I can really get a feel for the community. I would also update the bed and mattress. The bed doesn’t have a headboard, and the mattress is pretty worn out, so you can actually feel the springs. On top of that, I’d improve the wall insulation so the place stays warmer in the winter and you do not feel the cold as much. Lastly, I’d like to make the payment process for the communal dryer better. Right now it only works with one-pound coins, but I’m going to try to figure out a way to set it up for contactless payments too.”

“Our complaints don’t seem to get taken seriously. When we moved in, the place was in a disgusting condition, with loads of pen and paint marks all over our furniture. The flat just wasn’t cleaned up or maintained well enough for new tenants to move into. And when we report maintenance issues, they’re often left for weeks, even when it’s urgent. It’s such a shame because the area and the flat itself are lovely, but the overall upkeep of the building and the flat is really poor.”

“This feels like a permanent fix for the shower. The main issue was that it was really hard to keep the water hot for very long. I had to keep adjusting it constantly, and sometimes the shower would just stop giving hot water altogether.”

“The mattress quality was good. Also, the water pressure in the bathroom at the Blane House was pretty weak. When I was at GPS on the 5th floor earlier, the rooms felt smaller than the ones on the lower floors, and the ceiling height was much lower too. I honestly wished I had booked a lower floor because of that.”

“I’d set up a shared indoor area where residents can meet and chat.”

“The shared areas feel used in a better way. It also creates more chances to meet and chat with the other residents.”

“The fridge feels way too small for a family, so it really needs to be replaced with a bigger one.”

“Yeah, some of the shelves start to sag even when I haven’t put anything on them. The mattress feels like it should be sturdier.”

“I’m going to switch how I pay for the dryer, using prepaid cards instead of one-pound coins.”