Hellish rental experience.
I hesitate to post this review since overall I was pleased with the apartment, my first in 30 years (I always owned homes), premises and staff but recent nightmarish events have forced me to reevaluate.
A neighbor from hell moved in next door to me. He is psychotic or high on meth (or both, most likely) and erupts into hate-filled, loud, profane-laced, threatening verbal outbursts that last sometimes late into the night. Only after he moved in did I discover how poorly the units are built with every word of a loud conversation next door heard the wall shared with him, a wall that unfortunately is that of my bedroom. The plan is unwise in this regard since his living area abutts my bedroom.
I and several neighbors have called 911 several times (the first time I heard him, I thought domestic abuse was ongoing and that shots might ring out at any time). The police and rental staff were responsive at first but have been entirely ineffective at silencing him. I pay over $2,000 a month for my unit which I also use as a home office 2 days a week yet have been deprived of the use of my property.
The situation developed into a legal nightmare as my neighbor made false legal claims that the police took at face value without any research into his past (he had been arrested 5 times in the past for similar behavior including a 2-hour SWAT team standoff at his last apartment 1.5 years ago). It seems difficult to believe that when they leased him the apartment, they were unaware of his history; I certainly was never warned, even after I inquired. I had to find out his name on my own and a simple Google search revealed his extensive past.
With so many people crammed into so many poorly sound-insulated units, it's inevitable that this situation will recur with one loud, inconsiderate, verbally abusive tenant ruining the living experience for everyone else.
Another gripe: a corporation took over the apartment complex several months into my lease and threatened to jack up my rent by $400 a month unless I signed on for another year, in which case it would "only" rise by 5%.
The location is in a great location and under better management with better sound-proofing and more creative legal strategy (or better screening of its residents) could be a fantastic place to live. I lived abroad where building codes are much stricter (in Switzerland) so am appalled at the cardboard-like walls that pass for divisions between families in America. For the price we pay, double insulated windows would be a minimum request - on cold days, you can feel the cold bleeding in. I asked if at the very least the sound-proofing could be improved between me and my disruptive neighbor and was told no.
Another minor complaint: the kitchen light is linked to a loud fan that blows when the light is turned on. I asked maintenance if the fan could be disconnected and was told no.
There have been a number of break-ins in the past few weeks and some cars were smashed into over the past year.
Although the system has improved, initially the fire alarm kept going off in the middle of the night, forcing everyone to leave in their pajamas until the all clear was sounded. Unfortunately, some of these occurred on Friday, meaning that the garage elevators became inoperable until Monday.
The electronic keys are finicky and cost $150 to replace or get a second one for family members.
The halls are very long if you are trying to bring in groceries.
The pool is very nice but too small for swimming and because of the strange dimensions of the courtyard, it is in shadow long before the sun sets in the summer.
I will be moving out soon and hope never to rent an apartment again. read more
