Regent Court, Bradfield Road

[steelblade 10]

Going to look round a flat on Regents Court this weekend, I'm looking to buy somewhere and seeing as the house prices are sky high I am thinking my only way onto the property market might be to start really low down with a flat and try and work my way up.

 

Has anyone lived in them? Are they trouble free, ie. no yobs or anti social w@ankers for neighbours?

 

Any info greatly appreciated.

[Lickszz 10]

I've just driven past Regents court flats and I couldn't help notice how tatty they looked from the outside. I've been told that the flats aren't bad inside but nevertheless it doesn't detract from what an eyesore the flats looks from the outside. I think a total overhaul and refurbishment is required.

[Smiler 10]

Where are they?

[Lickszz 10]

Bradfield road, Hillsborough.

[H.P 10]

The company who owns flats and grounds have been saying for years that they will be overhauling the building.. I left the flats over 6 years ago and they dont look any different, they charged a service charge of around a thousand pounds a year then, not sure what it is now bet they are coining it in though.. dont miss living there one bit although the laundry downstairs came in handy now and again

[FairyNormal 10]

I grew up on Regent Court Flats and some of them are real dumps. We lived in a rented three bedroom flat from me being aged 1 and a half. My mum left about 6 yeras ago. The landlords are cowboys and wouldn't do any repairs. The damp in the kitchen was so bad that most of the walls were down to the brick as plaster wouldn't adhere to it because of the mould etc. Most of the window panes wre cracked as the old metal frames were useless. We still had some three pin round plug sockets as it was never re-wired. Two bedrooms had no electric because of the wiring. It still had the original, cracked pot farmhouse sink in the kitchen with the taps coming out of the windowsill..... just bare pipes coming from the sill!!

 

The landlords charge the earth and do nothing for the money. As soon as my mum moved out, they did the minimum repairs and let it out again. There have been a few court cases if I remember rightly and there was a big discussion about the landords at one time, a company called Tripnile (or something like that) There were a few dodgy deals going on I think.

 

When they were built (in the 1920's I think) they were luxury accommodation with tennis courts and room service etc.

 

Something definately needs doing with tem as they look a real eyesore now.

[Plain Talker 11]

I think that a lot of the problem of lack of investment in regents court is that it is in lots of different private hands, and there isn't any sense of the investors/owners/ tenants being able "to pull all in the same direction". the bigwigs have the money to invest, but won't invest, and the smaller folk have the will, and desire to invest and improve, but haven't got the funds behind them.

 

As I understand it, regent's court even had its own swimming pool in the "quadrangle "/ communal gardens in the central square that the buildings surround.

 

They are of a similar age and style/ layout to the old tenements that were built around Netherthorpe/ Shalesmoor (for example, Edward street, and Shalesmoor, which still exists, and Garden street & Lambert street -now gone).

 

There were also tenements on bard street, old street and (I think it was called) Crown place, between Park Hill flats and Hyde Park flats. There were two very large blocks, now demolished, and a lot of the smaller blocks were refurbished.

 

(there are also tenements in the city centre, on snig hill, and near the town hall, but a lot of them were converted into office accommodation, some of which is being returned to housing)

 

I cannot understand why the regents Court flats were not invested in properly. Over 20 yrs ago, when I lived nearby to them, there was talk of how badly deteriorated the fabric of the building was, and there seems to have been little done since.

 

I was told, even then, that it was nigh on impossible to get mortgages on properties within the block.

You could buy "for cash", (IIRC,) the properties were going for what was probably less than half the value of a similar property elsewhere (and I don't mean London)

 

you can see properties on there which the owners/ residents have tried to spruce up.

 

it is sad, as the building is classic art deco styling. we see, in other areas these style of buildings being restored to their 1920's /30's glory.

 

PT

[Tony 10]

It is a fabulous building, but sadly neglected

 

There are steps that the residents can take to impose upgrading, especially if they have such antiquated features as has been suggested. A service charge of £1,000 pa seems high though.

[Rich 12]

Originally posted by Tony

It is a fabulous building, but sadly neglected

 

There are steps that the residents can take to impose upgrading, especially if they have such antiquated features as has been suggested. A service charge of £1,000 pa seems high though.

 

A GRAND service charge?! WTF?!

 

Even the Council wouldn't charge that...

[discodown 11]

bomb them they're crap.

 

service charge is exhorbitant and if you live on the ground floor you get rats.

[Moon Maiden 10]

I have never understood the desire to live in a block of flats. The ex's family are from Glasgow and it is the norm there.

 

Perhaps it is just me being stuck up?

 

Moon

[pontious 10]

Some of us have to live here, as theres no where else to go!!

 

The flats have 3 or 4 caretakers who do a fantastic job everyday making sure the lifts are clean, rubbish collected etc. The huge back garden area is well maintained and although my flat aint a penthouse, its warm and cosy and generally sound throughout.

 

I've had no problems while living here and found the residents and staff most friendly. I apologise to all you architectural snobs for the general 'shabby' appearance of the outside of the building and could the 'tool' who wants to bomb the place please let me know when, so I can make sure me and my 3yr old daughter are out of the building.....and if my guitar gets damaged, I will hunt you down!