When we started looking for space for our business, we looked at The Custard Factory as an obvious…read morechoice for an arts business to set itself up. After feeling a bit dismayed about the size of the space offered vs. the cost, we started to look in other areas of Birmingham - including the Jewellery Quarter. The Big Peg - part of the same group as The Custard Factory was somewhere we vaguely considered - but compared to the Custard Factory it seems much more targeted at 'proper' businesses - not people who might want to throw paint around or experiment with smelly chemicals like resin or create their own photographic darkrooms. Similar to the Custard Factory, it's a bit run down on the outside and there are faded posters up outside advertising businesses which are no longer there. All of these things contributed to us not wanting to be based there, and instead looking for our own independent space elsewhere in the JQ. That said, The Big Peg is still very much a landmark within the area, and is the first place people think of when they find out you're a creative businesses based over that way. I think it's just more kitted out for creative design or marketing businesses rather than messy artists like me!

Thanks to Nicola and Neil #SHPR and #DeNadaDanceTheatre are very happy in their new workspace…read moreoffice 734! And bonus as The Big Peg is dog friendly too!! Thanks for throwing in the desks and a chair!! Thanks to Sharon and Nicky for looking after Fred so beautifully too! Much appreciated, and above and beyond office mgmt!

Clean and tidy accommodation, the staff could not be more helpful. Great studio at reasonable…read moreprice. I would recommend J9.

Went in to j9 property today for a flat they helped me in every possible way and have now go me…read moreinto my flat within one day excellent service happy friendly staff would recommend to any one as I've been to other company's and got no wher give them a ring

Do not use. I am a landlord. 3 years in a row now, they told me the property was left in perfect…read morecondition after tenants left yet it is always in such a state: ceiling fallen in, lots of maintenance to be done and house trashed. Many times they have said the property had been empty, yet I've been there and houseful of people living there who say they pay in cash each month and happy to continue to stay. No inventory ever done, keys lost after each tenant changes (which I then have to pay for new locks). Nightmare company, especially vindar. Vile man. I have evidence to prove he lets his friends stay in the property without paying rent. Please avoid. Have taken legal action.

Whatever you do don't use this company if you are a Landlord, hey will not inform you of repairs,…read morewhen tenants move out or have gone in arrears and some members of the team are quite aggressive in their approach - BEWARE DO NOT USE!!!!

I've rented my flat through Nicholas George for a year now and both I my girlfriend and I have…read morealways been very happy with the service. The staff in the office are almost faultlessly polite and friendly whether on the phone or in person. They've always responded to any problems quickly too. One morning we had no running water and there was no problems reported particularly nearby on the South Staffs website. I rang Nicholas George and they looked into it, going as far as ringing South Staffs themselves and ringing back to let us know what was going on. Another time, someone had locked the door to the whole house from inside meaning we couldn't get in. Unable to alert anyone in the other flats, we rang Nicholas George who got hold of one of the other residents to come and let us in. When our landlord has been a little slow in getting things fixed, they'll often just send their own contractors in to do a job. Little things like that always help.

As my other reviews of businesses in the area will demonstrate, I'm a big fan of Bourneville. It's…read morea lovely part of the world and a place I always take out of town visitors to show them that Birmingham isn't the concrete hell-hole that the media often portrays it to be. The Bourneville Village Trust is the organisation charged with keeping things in order and, to a large extent, exactly as they were when the whole estate was first built by the owners of the nearby Cadbury chocolate factory ("The Factory in a Garden") in the early 1900s. The houses here are all maintained to a high standard and owners / occupiers are prevented from doing anything hideous to them - so you don't seen many stone lions at the end of driveways, or gigantic satellite dishes on the side of houses. If you don't know the area, I'd recommend booking out half a day to take a stroll through this area. It really is a treat.

Bournville Village Trust was set up in 1900 to maintain and improve Bournville. As it is a model…read morevillage, they take their job quite seriously - which means that Bournville is indeed one of the safest, cleanest and most historic suburbs of Birmingham, but also retaining its quaint character can make it a bit of a pain for those who live there. For example, any developments to your property have to obtain planning permission from the Village Trust. There are no pubs as it is officially an alcohol-free zone, which, again, can have its plus sides, but is a bit of a bummer if you just fancy a civilised bevvy on a Friday evening. They also won't allow satellite dishes as it defaces the historic appearance of the village. So, the Village Trust has its good and bad aspects. It makes Bournville a beautiful, clean and safe place to live. It also makes it a bit of a faff, as a lot of normal domestic activities, such as owning a satellite dish or having a drink, are inconveniently tied up in red tape.

This review is kind of two fold. Firstly - the Business Centre offers office space to SMEs and we…read moreconsidered them when looking for space in the Jewellery Quarter. The reason we were put off is that the cost of the spaces were *significantly* more than other similarly sized offices we'd looked at - and apparently this is because tenants have to contribute to the upkeep of the gates. Which is the second part of my review! The gates are AWESOME huge wrought iron beauties which act as a landmark within the Jewellery Quarter, and draw walking tourists along Spencer St. Originally a cause of controversy in the Jewellery Quarter (as they fiercely protect the heritage) but once it became clear they acted as an added draw for tourists they've become accepted and embraced. And *I* think they're fab! (as a side note - if you stand facing them, and look up at the drainpipes along the building to the left, you'll see amazing sculpted heads at the top of each one which is another awesome curiosity about the street!)

Wow, have you seen those gates? Imagine walking past such a great work of art as you get to your…read moredesk in the morning! I only came across this building on a heritage walk of Birmingham. What's behind the glorious gates, befitting of the jewellery quarter are serviced offices. This place is full of little offices with little companies housing them. Of course, as business grows, people can move to a larger office or rent more space but this is a great place to start a fledgling business. After all, what client wouldn't be impressed as they walk in? Also, the Jewellery Business Centre has a large courtyard if you want to get some fresh air and clear your head. It's conveniently placed just a few minutes' walk from Jewellery Quarter train station and not more 15-20 minutes to the centre of Birmingham.

I bought a flat a number of years ago from the Moseley branch of Chamberlains, but had never had…read moreany dealings with the Harborne office until I viewed a couple of flats in the area last week. To be fair, there isn't that much to criticise or write home about - they delivered a standard estate agency service. Sarah, who I spoke to a number of times, seemed pretty on the ball, which was reassuring. Less reassuring was the fact that no-one came out and viewed the property with us - no doubt because the current tenant herself actually showed us round, but I thought that was a little strange. Although we did get a more honest and knowledgeable opinion of the property from the tenant, naturally. So, as ever, with the estate agents, it's a mixed bag from Chamberlains.