Frequently Asked Questions

Hyperoptic

Most East Village buildings are connected to Hyperoptic full-fibre broadband. This is generally the fastest and most reliable option in the area.

Check hyperoptic.com to confirm your building is connected before committing to another provider. If it is, it’s usually the best choice.

Other providers

Multiple broadband providers serve East Village:

• BT/EE — available via Openreach network
• Virgin Media — available in some buildings (check postcode)
• Sky — via Openreach

Switching

If you’re moving in and the flat already has an active Hyperoptic connection, you can often take over the line without an engineer visit. Contact Hyperoptic directly to arrange a transfer.

Mobile signal

Signal within flats varies. The Olympic Park area generally has good outdoor coverage, but concrete buildings can deaden indoor signal. If indoor signal is poor, most major networks support WiFi calling — check your phone settings.

Bulky waste collection

For large items (furniture, white goods, mattresses) that won’t fit in your bins, book a bulky waste collection through Newham Council.

• Cost: approximately £20–40 per collection (prices updated periodically)
• Book online at newham.gov.uk — search “bulky waste”
• Leave items in the designated area on collection day

Don’t leave bulky items in communal areas — this is a fire safety risk and GetLiving will report it. Items left without a collection booking can result in charges.

Standard recycling

Your building will have bins for:

• Mixed recycling — paper, card, plastic bottles, cans, glass
• General waste
• Food waste (some buildings)

Check the labels on bins in your building’s bin store. Contaminated recycling (wrong items in the bin) can result in the whole bin being treated as general waste.

Electronics recycling

Electrical items cannot go in standard bins:

• Westfield Stratford City — has electronics recycling points
• Currys/PC World (Westfield) — accepts old electronics
• Newham Council has periodic collection events

Charity donations

• British Heart Foundation — furniture and clothes collection (book online)
• Oxfam/local charity shops — good condition items only

East Village Connect is the main WhatsApp community group for East Village residents, with 400+ members.

What it’s good for

• Finding out if a hot water outage or power cut is affecting just your flat or the whole building
• Getting recommendations for local tradespeople, cleaners, childminders
• Asking if anyone else has seen a suspicious incident or lost a pet
• Sharing information about local events or issues

How to join

Ask in the residents’ Facebook group (search “East Village E20 Residents”) for the current invite link — the link rotates periodically for spam prevention.

Other community spaces

Facebook groups — there are several active groups for East Village residents. Search “East Village E20” to find them.

Nextdoor — neighbourhood social network, organised by postcode area. Useful for hyperlocal posts.

Instagram — follow East Village Hub at @eastvillagehub for local updates.

Two things that catch almost every new East Village resident out.

Your door doesn’t auto-lock

East Village flat front doors do not lock automatically when you close them. You have to manually lock your door with your fob every time you leave.

This is a fire safety feature — fire doors must be openable from inside without a key. It also means you need to consciously lock up.

Key cutting

East Village flats use GL (Great Locks) keys. These are restricted keys that cannot be cut at Timpsons, Cobblers, or most high street key cutters.

If you need spare keys:

1. Contact GetLiving via the app or your building concierge
2. They’ll arrange copies — typically takes a few days and costs around £20–30 per key

Don’t try to get them cut elsewhere — it won’t work, and you’ll waste money.

Lost your key fob?

Report to GetLiving immediately — they can deactivate the lost fob so it can’t be used to access the building. You’ll need to get a replacement.

East Village uses a district heating network operated by East London Energy. Hot water and heating come from a centralised system shared across the estate — there is no gas boiler in your flat.

Key facts

• You cannot switch supplier — East London Energy is the only option
• Bills are typically higher than traditional gas, especially in winter (expect £80–150/month for a 1-bed in winter)
• Your meter tracks heat units (kWh), not gas

Getting the most from your heating

Set it to manual mode. The default auto setting can run the heating when you don’t need it. Switch to manual and set a schedule yourself.

Check your TRVs. Each radiator has a thermostatic valve. Turn them down in rooms you don’t use.

Bleed your radiators if they’re warm at the bottom but cold at the top — there may be air trapped in the system.

Problems with hot water or heating

Call East London Energy: 0800 059 9059

If 3 or more flats in your building are affected, report it as a communal issue to GetLiving — it triggers a faster response.

Hot water problems are more common than they should be in East Village.

What to do

1. Check if it’s just your flat
2. If it’s your flat only, report to GetLiving via the app as a maintenance issue
3. If 3 or more flats are affected, flag as a communal issue — faster response

Tips

• Keep a log of outages with dates and times — useful if you need to escalate

East Village flats use GL (Great Locks) keys, which can’t be cut at Timpsons or most high street key cutters.

If you need extra keys, contact GetLiving directly. They’ll arrange it within a few days.

Contact GetLiving: via the GetLiving app or your building’s concierge.

GetLiving no longer operates a central parcel service. Here’s how to manage deliveries.

Best options

Amazon Locker — available at Westfield Stratford City and other nearby locations. Set as your default delivery address for Amazon orders.

InPost lockers — at Stratford station and several other locations nearby. Works with many retailers.

Concierge — some buildings still have concierges who accept parcels. Check with yours. Set “leave with concierge” in your delivery app instructions.

Postroom — if your building has a postroom, add “deliver to postroom” to your delivery instructions.

Evri (formerly Hermes)

Evri is a known problem. If you’re expecting an Evri delivery:

• Add very detailed instructions (e.g. “ring buzzer for flat X, do not leave in lobby”)
• If it’s marked delivered but missing, report immediately — they have GPS logs
• Raise a complaint with the retailer; most will resend

Stolen parcels

Report to the retailer first — most will resend or refund. Then report to police via 101 or met.police.uk for a crime reference number (useful for insurance). The concierge can check CCTV if you act quickly.

Wrong-address deliveries

If you receive a parcel for a neighbour, you can often contact the courier to arrange collection. Alternatively, leave a note on the parcel with the correct flat number.

Parking in East Village is mostly permit-controlled. Here’s how it works.

Resident parking

Permits are managed by your landlord and Newham Council, depending on the street. Check with GetLiving or your tenancy agreement to see if your flat includes a parking space.

Visitor parking

Celebration Avenue — there are visitor permit bays. The process for getting visitor passes varies. Contact GetLiving or your concierge for current instructions.

Overnight visitors — overnight parking typically requires a permit. Ask GetLiving about the visitor permit process for your building.

Electric vehicle charging

EV charging points are available in some car parks within the estate. Availability varies by building — check with your concierge.

Nearby paid parking

Westfield Stratford City — large multi-storey, pay-as-you-go. Expensive for long stays.

Olympic Park car parks — open on event days and some weekends.

ULEZ

The entire East Village area is within the ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone). If you drive into or through the zone in a non-compliant vehicle, you’ll be charged. Check your vehicle at tfl.gov.uk.

Tower Bridge offers a discounted entry price for local residents — and East Village (E20) qualifies.

How to get it

1. Show proof of your East Village address (driving licence, utility bill, or bank statement)
2. Buy your ticket at the Tower Bridge ticket office
3. Pay the local residents’ rate (currently £1)

You can bring up to four people with one qualifying resident.

Note: Not widely advertised, so some staff may not know about it immediately.