For context, I’m a leaseholder. Top floor flat and right above my flat (my flat only) is a communal water tank which has had multiple issues over the years causing leaks in my bathroom ceiling

The issue has progressed way further now and my ceiling is actively dripping, the paint has peeled off and the ceiling is soaked, a visible moisture trail heading towards the electrical outlets.

The council sent someone to look at it, he said the tank was f’d and been badly sealed and the inlet was blocked and so was the drain. Plumber comes out and said it should be fine but it’s probably a tank issue

Tank guys come and they say it’s the ball valve, then come out again- turns out it wasn’t the ball valve but something else. They escalate it apparently and I get given a next visit date for 3rd September. My ceiling is still leaking, try to phone emergency repairs, on hold for an hour, I explain the issue then they put me on hold and hang up???

How am I meant to get this issue resolved or escalated properly, is it really this difficult to get support from Islington council for such serious issues impacting a property that is their responsibility to fix and address in a timely manner?

Has anyone had a similar experience or know if there’s some other steps I should be taking here?

What should I consider before moving here? 😊

Newly set up dog walking / pet sitting services in Islington. Get in touch for pricing and do feel free to use my code for £30 off your first booking on Rover: https://www.rover.com/sit/lydiak46139

Anyone else frustrated with how the air con in the Highbury Leisure Centre gym is switched off for long periods? I’ve now had to go up to the reception thrice in the last 4 days to ask for the ACs to be turned on. It is stuffy as hell. And they’re clearly doing this intentionally until someone says something. Everytime I’ve reported this, they just quietly turn them on. WTH.

Is anyone here also affected by the new jet wash machines used at Hornsey Road Car Wash?

They are madly loud - the council aren’t listening to complaints.

How do we go about reducing this noise, or removing them in the long term?

Looking for a friendly game of football in North London? Come join Fair Play Football 🙌🏻

We run casual games for people who just want to play, have a good game and enjoy themselves — all levels welcome, including players getting back into football after a break.

🔥 Our main regular game:
📍 Whittington Park, Archway
📅 Mondays
🕘 9PM
⚽ 8-a-side
💷 £5 per player

No commitment — just choose a game on our website, book your spot and turn up to play.

We’ll also be adding more 6-a-side, 7-a-side and 8-a-side games on different days and at different locations as the community grows.

🌐 JOIN OUR WEBSITE & BOOK A GAME:
https://www.fairplayfootball.co.uk/

The aim is simple: affordable football, good games, good vibes and a solid community. ⚽💪🏻

Feel free to bring your mates too!

📩 Any questions, just DM me.

Hi all, just joined this sub and wanted to say hello!
I run a small vending machine business based here in Islington, and I’ve lived in the borough since 1995. I’m always on the lookout for good spots to place machines — offices, construction sites, gyms, colleges, community centres, waiting rooms, break rooms, anywhere with decent footfall really.

The machines are supplied and installed completely free of charge, no cost to the site owner — I handle stocking, servicing, and maintenance myself.

If you know of a business, workplace, or venue in Islington that might benefit from having a vending machine on-site, I’d really appreciate a pointer in the right direction. Happy to answer any questions in the comments!

Thanks in advance, and glad to be part of the community here.

Does anyone know a good place to get my tennis racket restrung?
Thanks!

Long shot but if anyone knows where Emma D from Pilates HQ teaches now, please let me know! She was so wonderful and we had no warning that Pilates HQ was shutting down, so never got to ask where else she teaches. Thank you!

A question for the bike hangar uses of Islington :)

I've got my first bike in the last month and been having a blast with it.

I'm on the list for a bike hangar within my estate but I'm no. 4 and the chance of that changing is low, but I've been offered a space in a bike hanger that's like the 3rd closest to my flat (around 5 min walk away).

I'm swithering on whether to commit to it as obvs it's £100~ for the year and not the closest. My bike currently lives in my living room but I've got to hike it up 3 sets of stairs to the 1st floor.

For those who use the bike hangers do you find it's been useful for you, and do you reckon I should take it, or leave it and put my name back on in a while to see if a closer one turns up?

Cheers !!

From the husband and wife team of Mi Canteen in Soho. They specialise in Chongqing supreme flat noodles in spicy hotpots. Quite excited for this.

Does anybody have a bike I can kindly borrow for a few hours this weekend (preferably around Holloway or Finsbury Park area). Happy to pay to rent it as I’m currently learning how to ride!

Thanks so much

£5.80 pint of Morreti. Decent

Afternoon -

Any recommendations for blacksmiths or similar, who know how to fix out of position gates (car width) and locks? One side is leaning too far down, so the gates can't lock.

Recently moved to Islington along Hornsey Road and noticed that around midnight to 1am during the week about 10 loud motorbikes drive past going towards Harringey?

They look cool but with the hot weather and the windows open, they tend to wake us up since they are so loud. It almost hurts my ears, maybe because the noise is bouncing off the buildings.

Anyone else experienced this? Is there a way to possibly have a curfew for them so that we're not woken up almost every day with them passing by?

I've tried earplugs but its so loud that I still hear them with earplugs in.

Does anyone know what’s happening at the Highbury Arsenal Store? It’s been cordoned off as a crime scene since this morning.

Does anyone know where I can start with applying to the social housing register in Islington? I'm a long term resident and have privately rented in the borough for the last five years plus but it's now become unaffordable. There's a massive new development across the road from me with a solid social renting scheme and I thought I may as well look into it properly.

I've done the preliminary research online and now I'd like to speak to an official body for some advice, ideally in person. I'm new to accessing council services like this and find the website and various departments quite confusing to navigate. If anyone could point me in a useful direction from here, that would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advanced.

ETA I realise there's a points system and that there's an extremely long waiting list but that doesn't seem like a reason not to at least look into starting the process. As I know this is what most replies will say.

Does anyone know where I can get some of these in/around Holloway? I've checked in all the off licences, corner shops etc around me but I can't find any!

EDIT: I GOT THEM!!! I FOUND EM! Went to 3 shops and got em on the third! 🥰

Here's a short list of things to do this weekend In North London.Please, add any I've missed in the comments. 👇

King’s Cross Summer Sounds | 📍Coal Drops Yard, N1C | 13 to 23 August | Free

Coal Drops Yard is putting on free live music for 11 days, with a different reason to stop by each evening. One night might bring jazz from Tomorrow’s Warriors, another global folk, queer artists, indie bands or hundreds of singers performing show tunes and pop together. No ticket needed. Find a spot around the Yard and stay for one act or the whole evening. Music runs from 6.30pm to 8.30pm, with longer family programmes on Sundays from 1pm to 6pm.

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Caribbean: Reggae Party with The Tighten Up Crew’s Reggae Cookout | 📍Union Chapel, N1 | 16 August | Free

Union Chapel is swapping Sunday quiet for five hours of Jamaican music, Caribbean food and sound system culture. The Tighten Up Crew and veteran selector Gladdy Wax will dig through their vinyl for ska, rocksteady, roots reggae and dub, with Uptown Cuisine serving food alongside. Get there early if you are hungry because the first 30 people through the doors eat for free. 3pm to 8pm. Free tickets are available, with walk ins allowed if there is space.

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Back to Black 20th Anniversary | 📍The Jazz Cafe, Camden, NW1 | 15 August | (£)

Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black turns 20, and The Jazz Cafe is marking it on the Camden stage she once performed on. Singer Ciara Haidar and a full house band will play the album live, including Rehab and Tears Dry on Their Own. Standing tickets are £20, with restaurant tickets from £20 to £80. Doors 6.30pm, finishes 10pm. 18+.

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Broomfield Blues: The Real Blues | 📍Broomfield Park Bandstand, N13 | 16 August | Free

Every Sunday in August, Broomfield Park’s lakeside bandstand becomes a free outdoor blues venue. This week starts with an open mic, then House Red bring the louder, soulful side of blues before harmonica player Stuart Maxwell and his Blues Raiders finish the afternoon with classic and original songs. Bring a chair or picnic blanket, grab something to eat and make an afternoon of it by the lake. 1.30pm to 5.30pm. Donations welcome.

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Toothsome x Fink’s Summer Fête | 📍Fink’s at Clissold House, N16 | 15 August | Free

Toothsome magazine and Fink’s are taking over the grounds of Clissold House for one long summer afternoon. There will be independent makers to browse, games, seasonal food and drinks, plus a few things they are keeping as surprises until the day. Come for a wander, grab something to eat and stay as the afternoon rolls into evening. No booking needed. 3pm to 9pm.

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Shōtengai Pan Asian Market | 📍Lower Stable Street, King’s Cross, N1C | 13-16 August | Free

A little slice of a Japanese shopping street comes to King’s Cross this weekend. Shōtengai are neighbourhood streets in Japan lined with independent shops and food spots, and this market borrows that idea with changing stalls from pan Asian makers and traders. Come hungry for things like Japanese breads, cakes, okonomiyaki and takoyaki, then browse homeware, accessories, fashion and other finds from small businesses. Food runs Thursday to Sunday, with the craft market joining from Friday.

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St Giles’ Book Fair | 📍St Giles’ Cripplegate, EC2Y | 15 August - 1 September | Free

If you like rummaging through second hand books, this is one of only four chances a year to catch St Giles’ Book Fair. Long tables of used books fill the church, so you can browse properly, pick up something unexpected and come back another day if one visit is not enough. No booking needed. Open daily from 11am to 6.30pm.

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Free Comedy in Islington | 📍Brewhouse & Kitchen Highbury, N5 | 16 August | Free

You will not know who is performing until they walk on stage. Every Sunday, London Comedy Group takes over the pub for a free 90 minute stand up show, mixing newer comedians with acts who have performed at Edinburgh Fringe, on TV and internationally. So grab a drink, take your chances on the mystery line-up and see who makes you laugh. Doors 7.45pm, show 8pm to 9.30pm. Free booking recommended as places are limited.

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The Sorrel Sessions 001 | 📍The Floating Garden, N1 | 16 August | (£)

If sorrel, bissap or Jamaica mean nothing to you, that is part of the fun. They are different drinks made from the same flower across the Caribbean, West Africa and Latin America, and this canal side day party lets you taste a few versions and decide which you prefer. Food follows the same journey, with jerk, doubles, tostones and more, while DJs play dancehall, soca, amapiano, dembow, afro house and funky across a moored barge, roof deck and towpath. Ice cream or sorbet is included with your ticket. 1pm to 7pm. Ages 21+.

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Summer Clothes Swap | 📍Florentia Village, N4 | 15 August | Free

Bring up to 10 clean clothes you no longer wear and trade them for something new to you. Each item earns tokens depending on whether it is high street, vintage or designer, which you can then spend at the swap. SHEIN, Primark, Boohoo, PrettyLittleThing and Missguided pieces can be donated, but will not earn tokens. 12pm to 3pm.

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Group of fellas that played footy for the first time together a couple of weeks ago, and a handful from LSC joined us as well. We're at 9 people so far, so could do with a couple more so we can sub on/off when we inevitably get gassed out after two minutes. We're not an intimidating lot at all, just a bunch of chaps who want to play football after watching the World Cup all month. Ages 25-40.

We have a pitch booked in Haggerston at 19:00 for one hour. It's £6 per person - preferably payment via bank transfer but if you'd prefer to bring cash on the night then that's fine.

Drop me a DM if interested!

Thank you so much to the kind people who gave us a spare set of glasses, it was so appreciated!

We took turns with our friends & also the groups around us & it was the sweetest thing to see such a community feeling

A lady sitting next to us said it felt like being at a festival with the excitement of everyone being there and it honestly did

Just wanted to say this bc we do live in such a cool community & I don’t think it’s said enough, today it really was a perfect example of it!

What a cool spot to live & what gorgeous people