Residents reveal what life is like living in Croydon’s tallest building

By Tara O’Connor, local democracy reporter

Residents living in two huge black towers opposite East Croydon Station have told what life is like just six months after they opened to tenants.

Known as Ten Degrees, Croydon’s tallest building started welcoming renters in April this year.

It stood empty for nearly a year due to a a delay in getting planning regulations signed off but now nearly half of the 546 flats are occupied.

Nuno Poeira, 32, moved into a one-bedroom flat in July from a house share in West Croydon.

He said: “So far it has been a great experience. I chose it because of the transport to Gatwick where I work.”

Overlooking the station is a big pull for residents wanting an easy commute and one bedroom flats are on offer from £1,450 a month.

The building is made up of two towers of 44 and 38 storeys and includes a gym, outdoor rooftop space and co-working areas.

James Lakin moved in a couple of weeks ago from Cambridge.

The 18-year-old said: “My brother found it online and we liked the building and the facilities.

“We come down and work here and there is plenty of things to do. The apartment is a good size, it’s comfortable.”

While most of the residents are young professionals, there are a few families living at Ten Degrees.

This includes Jesse Jones, 33, who has a five-year-old daughter.

He said: “We are on the 35th floor and she loves the view.

“She loves the garden and being able to run around, she treats the yoga studio as her second bedroom.”

Jesse already lived in Croydon and says his new home is convenient for getting to work at Gatwick Airport.

Property manager Carmine D’Orazio says the first few months have been “intense” with more people moving in each week.

He said: “We have a lot of young professionals, mainly in IT and finance but about 10 per cent of the flats are occupied by families.

“This building is unique for Croydon, there’s nothing like it with all the amenities, you could easily see this in Canary Wharf. You get the vibe as soon as you walk in.

“One of the biggest attractions is how accessible it is, if you work in the city the location plays an important role.”

While the reception from residents has generally been positive, some have faced issues when moving in.

One woman who rents a one-bedroom London Living Rent flat for £970 a month says the height of the building creates a wind-tunnel effect meaning there is a whistling sound at her window – she says the roof terrace and mezzanine garden are also very windy.

The resident, who asked not to be named said: “The gym is far too small for the number of prospective occupants.

“We’re not at full capacity and are already finding it hard to go to the gym when it’s not too busy, even if we try during lunch hour.”

Carmine admits that there have been some issues as the new building is in the “defect period” where you pick up on anything that needs to be fixed after people move in.

He said: “There isn’t much to change as it is a new building, we had some issues with the doors and windows which were promptly fixed.

“We have good interaction with the residents so things are sorted and addressed extremely quickly.”

Greystar which manages Ten Degrees has been contacted for comment.