Highview on High St - A Balcony Haven in Northcote

Location was excellent for us. Good view.

It was west facing.

The appartments was well located, close to shopping centre, tram stop and other shops. Also walking distance from family that I was visiting. The apartment was well stocked with kitchen utensils, cooking pots & pans, crockery etc. The bathroom was also well stocked with shampoo etc. The rooms were spacious and comfortable, and the air conditioning worked well. There was also plenty of storage space. It was nice to have a balcony with a view.

There were only 2 glass tumblers, but the host was very responsive to my message, and offered to deliver more promptly. I didn’t bother, as leaving next day. The only other issue was the very small sized T.V. which had low volume unless nearby it.

Located near family so good. Trams outside and trains a short walk. Cafe under building had excellent food and were extremely friendly and helpful. 4th floor but had a lift. View from back of the building was good. Communication with owner was good. Secure building entry. Air con in living area.

No fan or aircon in bedroom. Smell emanated from the bathroom drains! Shower curtain was not clean. Kitchen tap was completely loose from the sink and needed two hands to safely turn on. A heavy wooden coat type rack jutted into the corridor which I hit my head on twice just opening the apartment door to go out. 2 pieces of large heavy furniture where bedside tables should have been! These items were storage and completely unnecessary for a small one bedroom studio apartment. On the small balcony was a large old bbq table with two bench seats. It was weather worn, damaged and useless. Again for two people a couple of chairs and coffee table would have been more appropriate. Tiny tiny tv. Dining table for 4 in middle of living space. So not set up well for a couple and missing a bit of love and presentation as a holiday rental. Key delivered by a key rental company of some kind so would be easy to be left standing outside waiting. Luckily our person arrived just a few minutes behind us.

The property is in a brilliant location, close to High Street and public transport.

The property was not clean, one of the kitchen cupboards was full of date expired food including mouldy fruit and spilt honey. The kitchen tap was broken. The smoke alarm was beeping when I arrived because the batteries were put in the wrong way round. When I contacted the owner I was told they were on holiday but asked to send photos, which I did. I was given two alternative contacts, but there was no reply from these and nothing was done to remedy any of the problems. The property is very run down and hasn't had any maintenance done for a long time.