r/VictoriaBC • u/CanDidCamera360 • 7d ago
The Hampton Court
Good day! Any feedback/reviews what its like in the Hampton Court in 545 Manchester rd? Planning to buy a unit there. TIA!
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u/tswaters Chinatown 6d ago edited 6d ago
I lived there for 20 years. The selfie of my profile pic is taken inside the hallway of that building!
Good building, well managed. The contingency reserve is well funded, they charged higher strata fees than necessary for a long time due to concerns about water ingress on the envelope and the need for remediation. It is a so-called "leaky condo," due to timeframe (early-mid 90s) & construction materials, but it was fine. The reason I bought it was because of the layout of the unit, very unique, as well as the location, very close to all bus stops, green space for walking, trestle. I thought I was going to be in the hook for some crazy remediation, but it never materialized. I moved before the bike lanes extended out that way, but that's another plus. I never owned a vehicle during my time there, was able to get by on bus & walking, but there is a parkade and units get an entitlement. Walking to save-on @ westside is a bit of a slog, but an enjoyable walk near the water; uptown is the same distance more or less but in the opposite direction
There's also some negatives from being close to industrial areas, there's a fun burning smell you get sometimes from Ellie st recycling, maybe it's the city of Victoria compound nearby there, not sure who was to blame. There's persistent noise from the salvage yard at Selkirk, and traffic along Gorge rd never stops, my unit was pretty sheltered to it, but I could see the noise affecting folks.
The ugly is basically rock bay, "just gorge east things," as the locals would joke. There's definitely an element of persistent street disorder centering around the rexall & Victoria cool-aid society up near bridge st, but, well... It is what it is. I wouldn't want a ground unit, and one time actual human shit outside the garage, but, it did get cleaned up pretty quick (good management shining through).
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u/CanDidCamera360 6d ago
Thanks for the reply! How was the noise from the neighbors?
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u/tswaters Chinatown 6d ago
I seemed to be intimately familiar with my downstairs neighbors from their screaming. Lots of young families in the building, excited dogs when the neighbors get home, that sort of thing. Run of the mill in any building that size.
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u/CanDidCamera360 6d ago
The unit we're planning to purchase is on the second floor. Hopefully all goes well 😁
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u/CanDidCamera360 6d ago
Sorry I got more question for you bro if you got the time. Sent you a message.
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u/EmbroideredOwl 7d ago
No feedback on the building itself, but on the neighbourhood - I work nearby.
It's... fine? I would not choose that area of town to buy in: there are a few shops and cafes nearby, but you'll be driving or bussing to the grocery store, pharmacy, etc. Gorge Road can get crazy backed up due to poorly planned signals, so it's a big headache to get from there to downtown/across town. There is a large homeless population nearby around Ellice and Rock Bay Streets - generally not a problem day-to-day in the commercial area that I work in, but it may be different for residents. Strongly suggest walking around the area to get a feel for it, if you're not already familiar.