The Collective London reviews

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

This place is fabulous. The location is great, and members of staff are so friendly, especially Abdo Dada, who is so supportive. He explains everything well, always ready to answer any questions promptly, and would do anything to help. I highly recommend this place.

Julnar · 12 June 2022

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

I haven't moved into my place yet but so far my interaction with Abdo has been very positive! He is always super responsive and goes out his way to help with any requests I have. His help has made this process seamless so far.

Sabrina · 12 June 2022

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Just moved in here. Everything seems good and the staff are very helpful and friendly. I wanna say a big thank you to Abdo Dada who was very patient and professional answering all my questions and helping me setting up everything and moving in so quickly which can’t be done in other places. Everyone has been so welcoming and didn’t have any issues so far.

Ritaje · 12 June 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Very very disappointed with the financial department very very unprofessional during my stay was told I owed money when I provided evidence that it was paied they apologised, was messaged again saying I’ve missed rent while it was obvious a note was left on my account and was agreed on a specific payment day, but they don’t check their notes , I have now left and I have been tossed up and down in regards to receiving my full deposit , the other day I was asked for my bank account I provided it again no communication, I have sent numerous emails at a complete wast of my time , their is also no phone number for that department I had such a bad ending in comparison to my amazing check in , well obviously they care more about taking your money but not giving it back Very bad treatment

Gerald · 12 June 2023

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Poor communication, bad management

Ok I wasn't going to write a review but there are small things that are driving me mad. I'm staying here for a couple of months. 1) It took me over a week to just sign the contract and get access to the app for booking communal spaces. I had to go to the reception 5 times. To ask. For my. CONTRACT. No one could find it and the teams don't communicate with each other apparently. 2) Again, it took me a few visits to the reception to fix our window and blinds. 3) There is an annoying sound in the room (very high, almost like ultrasound) coming from the electrical equipment box above the door. After a few complaints, an engineer came to me and said that it can't be fixed because it's just poor quality equipment, how do you like that?? The maintenance team eventually put 2 layers of soundproofing material inside that box (which is technically against all rules because there's holes for a reason, it needs to be ventilated or it could burn up. 4) It's 9pm right now but I still need to finish some work. I went to the 'communal spaces', so heavily promoted online. It felt very stuffy, the AC wasn't working. I went downstairs and they told me that only the maintenance team can turn on the AC because they have some sort of security code. WHAT? Your 'communal spaces' have no windows and no ventilation, and your AC turns off and only the freaking maintenance team can turn it back on, so when the maintenance team goes home, the communal spaces are unusable??? Very poor quality, teams are inefficient, nothing happens here until you go to the reception 5 times and waste hours of your life.

Luma · 25 June 2021

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

I live on a house boat and own a butcher shop so the canal trust let me leave my boat close to work just near the collective old oak. I think Michael is the bar manager what a lovely person.There are a lot of bad news from the virus but these sort good stories should be shared. I was amazed how the kitchen kept working supplying residents with food I would say at a loss keeping everyone safe. But for me most businesses don't like boat people but not this place.I would finished a long day working in isolation by myself no one ever complained about leaving my motorcycle out the front instead as i walked past,Michael would always give me a wave and a smile it made my day. Just a simple smile. I don't think there would be another place like the collective old oak in london. It seems like just not somewhere to live but a home. Timothy English.

Tim · 12 June 2021

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

My contract was from September to May but had to leave in March due to COVID-19. I asked if I could speak to anyone about my situation in regard to being let go from my contract but was told from my letting agency that they couldn't do anything about it and to contact The Collective. The Collective said the exact same thing. From my perspective it was exasperating. I wasn't being given any answers. In the end the manager of The Collective Ajit rang me, belittling and laughing at me on the phone as to why I would even consider that I would be entitled to a partial refund or any compensation even though the gym (which I had paid for) had been shut down, the events had temporary halted, wasn't contributing to any of the utility fees and availing of their biweekly cleaning services. To make matters worse my letting agency refuse to give me my deposit back as they said that their employee had made a mistake in their accounting. I paid £3000 for a vacant room. In the end I came to find that they gave deals for certain tenants and let them leave their contract. I guess they got to pick and choose. There was also miscommunication on their part when I moved in. My belongings had arrived on Saturday evening. I was awakened by furious knocking on the Monday morning and met with an employee accusing me of being inconsiderate of people as their flat mate had wanted to move in on Saturday but 'couldn't' as all my things were blocking the kitchenette and how my dirty dishes were occupying the sink - there was one plate, one fork and a knife in there. I was quite upset by this as I was quite new to London and was excited about living there. They hadn't even notified me that someone was due to move in. Any subsequent interactions (eg asking for the mail key) with this employee I was always met with hostility. The cleaners had taken my pillow case when cleaning my room which was an honest mistake. I told them about it and they said that they would look into it and that reception would contact me about it. Two weeks later and no reply I emailed them myself. They said that they would replace it for me. Another two weeks go by and I went down to reception and asked them again. Another two weeks go by and nothing happens. The ground floor is quite clean but I did witness a rat/mouse in one of the common spaces and in the restaurant too. I would be wary of eating there. Overall, if you are a working professional hoping to make friends in this city, willing to pay £1000 for a tiny room and live an area that is not the safest then by all means consider this place. In my opinion, I do not think all the inconveniences that I experienced of less than seven months of living there on top of the steep rent, unsafe area and lack of amenities (construction work and industrial shops) worth it. I do not recommend.

Chitung · 12 June 2021

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

A great place to live and work. The team solves everything very quickly and they are very helpful. If you wish live in a service apartment, this is the right place for you. There are many communal areas to spend time. There are two tube lines and two over ground lines are just 6-min walk away. The internet is fibre optic and you have the same speed inside the whole building. The area is really safe. Whether you wish to relax or focus on your projects, you will have a place to do it here. Interior design of the rooms are very smart, every single part of the room is utilised very cleverly. During the Pandemic, I would like to thank Yolanda, Lucy, Kristine, Hydie, Vesa, Anita and Sarah.

Uygar · 12 June 2021

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

I lived at The Collective Old Oak for six months and the COVID-19 lockdowns started a few weeks after I moved in. The contract said "this document is not intended to create a landlord and tenant relationship" even though it clearly was a tenancy agreement. Upon investigating this due to some issues that arose I discovered that the agreement is most likely an Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreement (I'm not a legal expert but I was considering taking legal advice). The studio flat itself is tiny. The bathroom in particular was frustrating. Showering was difficult as there's no space to move around. When sitting on the toilet I was also right up to the sink. The communal facilities are the selling point of this accommodation but due to COVID-19 I didn't get to experience this to its potential. There were regular and diverse events which they continued to provide remotely. On two different occasions throughout the lockdown maintenance contractors were sent for non-essential work. I asked repeatedly why this was essential and got no response. On the second occasion the dates didn't work well for me so I asked to find a more suitable time. The response was slow and I was panicking the maintenance contractors would come whilst I'm in the middle of an important meeting. We did just about manage to agree a more suitable time but that message wasn't passed on to the contractors who let themselves into my home whilst I was in the middle of an appointment with my doctor. They should not have entered my home without my permission -- this is illegal. The Collective did give me a kind of apology. I moved out 14 days ago and still haven't received my deposit (they responded to my email today and said I'll have the money back next week).

Rosie · 12 June 2021

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Daniella is very welcoming, patient and listens to concerns of her client. She was remarkably fantastic on my first day of arrival, as she took me around and gave me orientation of the floors. And she is always ready to help.

Simonson · 12 June 2022

★★★★★ 4/5

Google

Great place to live. Everyone there has been super helpful and welcoming. Wanna say a big shout out to Abdo who did my initial tour and has been the port of call to set up moving into The Collective. He has been super helpful and friendly, answering all my questions and concerns making my transition to moving to London so much easier.

India · 12 June 2023

★★★★★ 4/5

Trustpilot

I have lived here since January 2020

I have lived here since January 2020. The place is great and the staff is very helpful and very kind. The problem that everyone is facing this year is of course connected with Covid-19, which imposes a lot of restrictions on shared spaces, one of the assets of The Collective in normal times. However, one has to bear in mind that this is an exceptional situation and, hopefully, it will change in some time from now. That is why I decided to renovate my contract for another year. My only complaint is about other members that did not respect the simple social-distancing rules and made the Covid experience even harder. However, the management has started to take action on this minority and things are getting better.

Cristiano · 4 February 2021

★★★★★ 1/5

Trustpilot

Tiny flat, social aspect has potential, bad experience with The Collective management

I lived at The Collective Old Oak for six months and the COVID-19 lockdowns started a few weeks after I moved in.The contract said "this document is not intended to create a landlord and tenant relationship" even though it clearly was a tenancy agreement. Upon investigating this due to some issues that arose I discovered that the agreement is most likely an Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreement (I'm not a legal expert but I was considering taking legal advice).The studio flat itself is tiny. The bathroom in particular was frustrating. Showering was difficult as there's no space to move around. When sitting on the toilet I was also right up to the sink.The communal facilities are the selling point of this accommodation but due to COVID-19 I didn't get to experience this to its potential. There were regular and diverse events which they continued to provide remotely.On two different occasions throughout the lockdown maintenance contractors were sent for non-essential work. I asked repeatedly why this was essential and got no response. On the second occasion the dates didn't work well for me so I asked to find a more suitable time. The response was slow and I was panicking the maintenance contractors would come whilst I'm in the middle of an important meeting. We did just about manage to agree a more suitable time but that message wasn't passed on to the contractors who let themselves into my home whilst I was in the middle of an appointment with my doctor. They should not have entered my home without my permission -- this is illegal. The Collective did give me a kind of apology.I moved out 14 days ago and still haven't received my deposit (they responded to my email today and said I'll have the money back next week).

Rosie · 11 September 2020

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

Abdo was super patient while me and my fiancé were looking for a place to live here in London. Once we decided on the Old Oak he made the process super easy and got us moved in quickly.

Katherine · 12 June 2022

★★★★★ 3/5

Google

I was a resident for a year. Pros - Amazing first step when moving to the City - Majority of people and staff are lovely - Easy way to make friends - Good Tube connections - Restaurant food tastes very good - Bi-weekly cleaning is nice Cons - Management is chaotic and disorganised. - There is a rubbish processing plant which has a license to operate 24/7/365 and is about 100ft from the building. As a result, I had 5am wake ups when they would start work. It took multiple emails over many months to be offered a room change. - They make policy changes without consulting the residents and also backtrack changes without telling anyone. - A team can ask you the same question, multiple times. It seems they don’t communicate with each other. - They modify events without consulting the residents. For example, they commercialised the free Friday drinks by moving them from the community venue to their restaurant. While you still had an hour of free drinks, it felt like a move to make money, and the mood went from social to a networking event. - On two occasions I’ve reported mice in the restaurant lounge. - While in-room maintenance is performed quickly, building maintenance doesn’t appear a priority. For example, if the lift breaks, we may have to wait days for an engineer to visit. Also, the faulty lighting sensor in the ground floor toilets has never been fixed, despite people raising it in the Facebook group. - The incentivised ambassadors cancelled the weekend free brunch as they no longer wished to run it without volunteers. After significant backlash, they reintroduced it. - You’re encouraged to volunteer for a company that charges you upwards of £1,100 a month on rent. For example, asking for open day volunteers, people to help run brunch or drinks evenings, while ignoring that paid staff are employed, and ambassadors are given financial incentives to work there. - The door to your rooms isn’t well soundproofed, so I could hear my neighbour making breakfast at 6am. - HS2 creates a lot of dust and your rooms can get dirty only a few days after cleaning.

Jake · 12 June 2020

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

I had a good experience here. particularly with the booking/renewal process. Abdo was really helpful in particular and the reception staff are always so friendly and present. I'm really grateful for the key worker support they put in for the NHS workers, without it i wouldn't have been able to live here.

Rainy · 24 November 2023

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

My friend lives here and whenever I visit I'm always impressed. The accommodation is really modern, has a chic vibe and the facilities are great. There's a games room, a free brunch from 12pm offered at the weekend, a gym, a library and nightime classes and a bar/nightclub. I don't even think that's all the facilities! Each time I visit my friens shows me something new, there's also an open balcony for all guests which is good for the summer months and hosting a bbq. The only downside I think is the location, but transport links are fairly good. Wilsden Junction is about 9 minutes walk and North Acton station on the central line is about 13 minutes walk!

Lola · 12 January 2020

★★★★★ 4/5

Google

Great place to live. Everyone there has been super helpful and welcoming. Wanna say a big shout out to Abdo who did my initial tour and has been the port of call to set up moving into The Collective. He has been super helpful and friendly, answering all my questions and concerns making my transition to moving to London so much easier.

India · 11 January 2023

★★★★★ 2/5

Google

On a dark smelly canalway, smoggy wind in my hair Warm smell of refuse, rising up through the air Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim I had to stop for the night. There she stood in the doorway; I heard the fire bell And I was thinking to myself 'This could be heaven or this could be Halls' Then she picked up a keycard and she showed me the way There were voices down the corridor, I thought I heard them say Welcome to the Hotel Collectifornia Such a lovely place (such a lovely place) Such a lovely face. Tiny rooms at Hotel Collectifornia When semester ends (when semester ends) you can find them here Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Yoga bends She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys, that she calls friends How they dance in the exchange, sweet summer sweat Some dance to remember, some drink to forget So I called up the Common, 'Please bring me my Pizza' He said, 'we haven't had working ovens since nineteen sixty-nine' And still those voices are calling from outside your doorway, Wake you up in the middle of the night Just to hear them say" Welcome to the Hotel Collectifornia Such a lovely place (such a lovely place) Such a lovely face. They pisin' in the cinema at the Hotel Collectifornia What a nice surprise (what a nice surprise), bring your alibis Mirrors on the ceiling, The pink smoothies on ice And she said, 'we are all just prisoners here, of our own device' And in the master's chambers, They gathered for the brunch They grab it with their clammy hands, But they just can't fill the beast Last thing I remember, I was Running for the door I had to find the passage back to the place I was before 'Relax' said the night man, 'We are programmed with glee. You can check out any time you like, But you have to pay a fee!'

Bendy · 13 June 2019

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

My friend lives here and whenever I visit I'm always impressed. The accommodation is really modern, has a chic vibe and the facilities are great. There's a games room, a free brunch from 12pm offered at the weekend, a gym, a library and nightime classes and a bar/nightclub. I don't even think that's all the facilities! Each time I visit my friens shows me something new, there's also an open balcony for all guests which is good for the summer months and hosting a bbq. The only downside I think is the location, but transport links are fairly good. Wilsden Junction is about 9 minutes walk and North Acton station on the central line is about 13 minutes walk!

O · 13 June 2019

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

I’ve lived here just around nine months and loved every minute, I’ve had some incredible experiences and met some of the most amazing people, yes the rooms are on the small side but where else can you say you have a bar, restaurant, gym, sauna, cinema, games room and a library at home? There’s a full team of friendly staff who go above and beyond to look after us, whether that’s replacing an uncomfortable mattress two hours after reporting it or throwing huge summer rooftop parties for the buildings birthday! There is always something going on, for example Friday night drinks, weekly brunch or make your own skincare product workshops. Whether you’re new to London or just looking for something a bit different; welcome home!

Lee · 13 June 2019

★★★★★ 2/5

Google

My girlfriend used to live here, and i would visit her often. The building feels more like a budget hotel than a home. Average occupant age range is from 20 to mid 30s. Inhabitants are friendly and social on the whole, there's a lot of social events going on every week. The shared living spaces are nice, though don't expect other residents to be as mindful or considerate as you are to others, or tidy for that matter. Majority of the accommodation rooms are very small with micro en suites. Much like a ship cabin. Not ideal for the claustrophobic. There is no air conditioning in the rooms so they do get very hot when its warm or muggy. There is a lot of noise outside (all night and day) due to the surrounding area being redeveloped, so if you want the window open, that is the compromise. The local area is generally rough and dangerous at night with a high rate of knife crime and very little in the way of cafes, bars, shops, unless you jump on a tube. Do not walk along the canal path at night by yourself. Personally, I feel the living costs for these rooms are massively over-priced. One of the few good things about this building is its proximity to Willesden Junction and North Action (Bakerloo, Overground and Central lines).

John · 13 June 2019

★★★★★ 1/5

Google

Very dangerous area!! Had my phone stolen just outside!! Be careful, they incentivise 5* reviews! Not a nice place to live, terribly understaffed and constantly filled with contractors, therefore any real queries can take weeks to resolve as emails go unanswered. If I’d known better I would’ve avoided this place.

George · 13 October 2025

★★★★★ 5/5

Google

I stayed at the Collective for 13 months and loved the place. There were a few teething problems in the first 6 month (generally related to lifts not working, fire alarm issues and delays with the opening of the gym and shop) however residents were compensated for these and the final 7 month were relatively hassle free. The staff are awesome, really helpful and kind and are willing to take on board feedback and ideas for improving the place, infact they actively encourage it! It makes a big difference coming back after a day at work and seeing friendly faces to chat to. The weekly events are a really good and there's generally a good mix to suit different people. The communal spaces are really good and well cleaned and maintained. The kitchens are good spaces to get to know your neighbours. If I hadn't been leaving London I would have happily renewed here as I think it offers really good value for London and if you're sociable and willing to interact then you'll get the most out of the experience. If you're not willing to socialise then it may not be for you.

Gregory · 13 June 2018