After recently visiting Melbourne, a vibrant, cosmopolitan city based around the river Yarra with…read morebar and restaurant lined pedestrian walkways, I began to wonder why Glasgow doesn't make the most of the Clyde. Glasgow has a lot in common with Melbourne. Both the best city but not most famous city in their country. Sydney has the Opera House and Edinburgh has the castle but what Melbourne and Glasgow both have is style, a vibrant social scene and substance. Now, after many years of dereliction caused by the decline of shipbuilding, the Clyde is to being redeveloped Yarra style, mirroring the Docklands scheme in London. The earliest development was the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) in 1985. The 1990s brought the Science Centre, Glasgow Tower and the new headquarters for BBC Scotland and STV forming a new "media village". Further west, Glasgow Harbour has been one of the most controversial property developments in the city. It has been criticised by local residents who claim the Clydeside luxury flats do not contribute anything to the community of Partick due to their isolated location at the other side of the A814. A recent BBC documentary suggested the flats have a life span of 50 years, incredible when you consider the price of the properties. There is no doubt the complex is impressive to look at. I visited one of the apartments a few years ago and was bowled over by its floor to ceiling windows with stunning views of the Clyde and the Govan shipyards, without a doubt the flat's best feature. Only time will tell if Glasgow Harbour was the first step in revitalising the city or a short sighted decision that will make our grandchildren curse us for being a bunch of fools who ruined their river.

This company is downright awful. Paid a £100 deposit when I…read moremoved into my property in March 2016, which is due to be refunded when I moved out. The maintenance within the area was of a reasonable standard, but Speirs Gumley are interested in one thing MONEY. Listen they have no interest in you, though they might claim they will !! I moved out in July 2024, but the £100 deposit has been swallowed up by invoice charges. I have asked what invoice charges cover, but they won't answer this......or they can't. PLEASE STAY WELL CLEAR. Luckily I will never use these ( can't print what I want to call them) again.

Speirs Gumley are quite possibly the most incompetent company I have ever dealt with. They charge…read morethrough the teeth for managing the property and then fail to do so, not including commissions they are paid through insurance products. We have issues with our property, namely the roof, and they simply don't care, it has been ongoing for years and they are yet to resolve it. They take days to respond to any emails and when they do they just repeat the same nonsense.

Not so much a village, but instead a man made development of modern apartments on a corner of…read moreDennistoun. This development sticks out like a sore thumb, amongst the old fashioned tenement buildings on the streets of Dennistoun. These apartments are bright and modern, with video entry, an on-site gym and landscaped gardens. These apartments are ideal for young professionals looking for functional, modern, sleek and stylish apartments; however, not for those looking for a place with a bit of character and history to it.

Similar to the soulless, IKEA filled behemoths that young professionals flock to at Glasgow…read moreHarbour, but without the extortionate prices, places like this pop up in Dennistoun all the time now as the area becomes more fashionable to live in. It's good to see the East End undergo a bit of gentrification, as the delis and bars springing up will testify, but in all honesty I still think I just wouldn't want to live around here, as despite all the improvements it still seems to lack atmosphere and character, and the amenities aren't quite up to the standards of the South Side just yet. If you don't drive you're also stuck with the dreaded buses. I expect all this will change in a few years however, especially as millions is being spent on the area for the Commonwealth Games.

Previously owned by Unite I stayed here for my first year of Uni and as halls go these are pretty…read moresweet especially in comparison to Murano, all rooms are en suite, the internet connection never broke the whole time I was there and it's about a 15 minute walk from the university. The staff under Unite were very helpful in assisting with any problems. When I stayed here there was a lot of international students amongst a mix of age and diversity. It wasn't the party atmosphere I was looking for but the halls were very nice. What wasn't so great was the cost which I think had been increased by Glasgow University, although that price pays for gas, electricity and internet. The walk to Uni is all up hill which is a real bummer if your in a hurry. Whilst I stayed here it didn't really feel that studenty. The halls are quite secluded, theres not a supermarket near by so local amenities aren't spectacular but it is close to town.

First of all: if you've got feasible alternatives to Maclay Residences, stay away at all cost!…read more Prices are comparable to other student halls here in Glasgow, but unlike in private halls, the standard at Maclay's is much much lower. The rooms are relatively outdated (expect a late 1990s youth hostel standard) and the ensuites tiny - you can barely turn around. In general, furniture in the rooms is at the lowest possible standard: mattresses are pretty uncomfortable and you might find it saggy after a few months. Same applies to office chairs, so not exactly ideal if you prefer to study at home. Apart from that, you should not expect to have many rights as a resident. There'll be a multitude of inspections, checks and maintenance works during your residence period. These will not necessarily be announced, which means that a bunch of contractors will just go into your room without previously telling you. In my case, I found the room in a mess several times with the carpets dirty and personal items moved after works had taken place. As a person who'd just like to live peacefully, I found this treatment pretty invasive (in my opinion, it should be common sense to let your tenants know if you're going in!) Staff try to be helpful, but the past experience has not left a very positive impression. Given that Maclay's is as expensive as some of the private (better) halls and that tenants have to adhere to quite a lot of rules, you should consider other places if you've got a choice. I cannot recommend any student to stay here.

I have have been with this unethical company for a few years now…read more I have come to realise a few things about them, for starters they absolutely do not have their clients at heart and if in any way possible will try and unfortunately succeed in extorting their "clients" as we the bill payers have no choice but to abide by their way of playing since the complaints procedure is non existent on their behalf nor do they care, The work carried out is shoddy and can take up to and over a year for problems to be fixed if they are even fixed. From the moment I moved into my property I knew this so called factoring company was no good as the front door of the apartment block was getting vandalised on a near monthly basis which lasted approx 6/7 month, The door would get smashed and then come the H&P to "save the day" and of course the residents would have to pay for the fix each time, not only could they have done something to prevent this from happening, but no they do not prevent which would save themselves time and the residents money which would be the honest thing to do, they are more than happy to overcharge for a door to be fix, then there are the fact that the door handle smashes into the wall when opening which leaves a dent which again will need to be fixed and charged at a rate that I am starting to think the numbers are just made up between them and their maintenance guys, again could easily be prevented by adding a doorstop costing a fraction of the price of plastering the wall over and over again, but no this would be too beneficial for the clients saving them money is not the priority for them. Of course I find it difficult to part with what little money I make as it is when they cannot do their jobs competently and charge excessively for things of which I do not even understand sometimes, then come the letters the "admin" letters which are charged at x amount,the court letters which are charged at £200+ (different for different people from what I can see) then come the letter stating that the property will be blacklisted another £200+ baring in mind they charge each time a letter is sent out, that is nearly more than my actual mortgage! yet they seem to get away with this time and time again - if 99% of the people are calling you a crook then more than likely you ARE a crook, there has been evidence of this company bribing people to leave them 5 star reviews. When speaking to people in the relevant department mainly dealing with Heather, she was dismissive short and unwilling to help in anyway - for instance I spoke to her who advised me that if I get in touch within one month we can sort out a plan which i agreed to only to receive another letter 2 weeks after said call which stated that court proceedings will commence unless a payment plan is set up, I am starting to think these court letters are somewhat of a extra income for these guys now. Another strange turn is when I asked Heather to email me in writing about the plan in which we spoke about she was adamant that she did not need to, that a "note" would be left on the system - My response was "I have little faith in your company and find your company to be incompetent so could you please put it in writing?" To which she was adamant that she did not need to do. The Irony of this situation is that a plan was set in motion for the whole amount to be paid off within three weeks of receiving this letter so my question is what did they want me to do set up a DD for the full amount of which we spoke about paying off anyway? I just don't understand their logic, maybe she is just on some sort of power trip and maybe has had such an unfulfilling life that she has to get her kicks by messing around with other peoples lives? when the maintenance issues were brought to her attention her response was "This is not my problem, nor is it my department" this is the level of customer service you should come to expect. I am currently suffering from covid and do not have the energy or the income for them to be threatening me so I have grudgingly paid for the sake of my health.

One should appreciate that factoring is not an easy job. Getting money out of people who have got…read moreother priorities is difficult and if a factor instructs work they are liable to pay the contractor. Having said that few firms make a worse job of it than H&P. My advice is try your local housing association. They won't steer work to the guys they play golf with

I chose to work with Chris at Chalmers Properties because of his knowledge of the area, strict…read moretenant vetting procedures and his overall attentiveness to me as an overseas landlord. More importantly, the house being let is my family home, which I renovated extensively prior to leaving for Hong Kong. I wanted someone who I felt had a genuine interest and accountability in its upkeep. To date I have been duly impressed by the service and support received, and I trust Chris & Chalmers Properties implicitly in the ongoing management of my home. They have efficiently dealt with all issues that have arisen which is hugely reassuring.

From the owner: Letting, Property Management, Rental, Buy To Let, Investmentread more