We have lived very happily at Avalon Bear Hill for several years. Reasons: 1) Maintenance team are fantastic. Grounds are kept up, building work is top-notch. We just had Paul in to fix a heater problem and he was quick, professional, and went above and beyond in ensuring we were happy with results- cleaned up, checked filters...all that! 2) Snow removal and salting reliable. Have not been 'snowed in' for any length of time even during 2015's snowmegeddon. (Have been here that long!) 3) Units themselves are arranged for privacy and decent space; feels somewhat like a townhouse in some of the apartments with balconies, patios, etc. 4) Front office staff have always been professional, friendly, even fun to speak to! Human touch. read more

Nate was super helpful in completing my maintenance request in an efficient manner to a high quality standard. Thanks Nate!

Very easy application process, super responsive team, routinely went above beyond, and any maintenance needs during move in were rapidly resolved. Just an A+ team and thankful I landed here. The roads winding up cut rock make it feel like a vacation every time I roll up to the apartment. read more

I first lived here well over 10 years ago when it was an Archstone property. After moving back to the area I needed a quick transitory place and I have to say it's great that they have not only maintained the property but have done several upgrades to ensure the units feel 'new' and modern. The move in process could not have been any easier, everything was done online and the staff was exceptionally helpful throughout the move-in process (thank you Katherine!). I'm glad to be back. read more

The Avalon of the hill offers spacious apartments. My girlfriends apartment is over 1000 ft.² and it's a better price than anything you can get in Boston and has a garage facilities keeps the streets maintained well and cleans in the winter. They use an app for all service request which makes things easy to track. I don't care for the washer that's in my apartment but it was included with rent so it's fine, my biggest grape is that the Fitness Center is not that great. A lot of the equipment has loose screws, stability. Balls don't have air, they don't have a whole lot of equipment compared to other Avalon's. But ability to have a garage and live pretty close to Moody Street, still driving distance, is good value read more

I recently moved to this property and would like to share my experience. First of all, the team at Avalon Bear Hill is very good and professional. I was shown several clean and nice apartments and decided to choose one of them as my new home. The moving process was seamless and very effective. I had several questions over the last couple of months and the community team was always very polite and helpful. I read a bunch of reviews mentioning Avalon Bear Hill as a construction zone. Apparently, something has changed since these reviews, because now it's a very clean and quiet place. Very good fitness center, much better than pretty much anything you may see at any community of similar level. The pool seems to be good too, however, I haven't had a chance to actually use it due to the weather. My conclusion is that this is a great place to live. At least this is how I see it so far. I hope it'll stay that way. read more

I love living here! The staff is amazing and the common areas are beautiful. I would definitely recommend!

Totally agree w prior posts as I lived there through the construction and worse yet, they take no ownership or try to make their renters happy ?!? It is all about profit to them. Their on site staff is not worth it. Every fix takes 3 calls, drafty door, non working dryer or walking in mud for over a week! I called 2x & walked in face to face for walking in mud for over 1.5 weeks which resulted in no movement when they have on site/ on call people maintenance people!! They will ignore your issues and offer little to no adjustments as they want to keep their rent increases of 20% or $400 on 1 bedroom. Save your money as once you get in there they will raise it to market rate and you have no control except move. Thanks for a terrible Boston experience Avalon, that my issues, concerns, safety, can be ignored cuz we signed a lease! read more

See all

Is zero stars an option? Do NOT live here. It's no coincidence that the only positive rating is from someone who visited the property, not from someone who paid to live here. The property, it's amenities, and apartments show beautifully; that's how they get you. Once you move in, day by day you'll start to notice the incredibly poor quality of everything. When a repair of your unit is needed, your unit is left is worse quality than before the repair was made. The management and onsite in-office staff is in incompetent and never follows through on anything they say they're going to do. The quality of customer service they provide is deplorable. Avalon should be embarrassed for their brand to be on this property. read more

Staying at corporate temp housing but i have to assume it's the same throughout the community. Nice green rolling hills and quiet. BUT, unknown to us, the units only have stairs. Makes it tough for a person with knee issues. And the garage? Yikes, won't fit our SUV. Make sure you are aware of this if you decide to live here full-time. read more

Was checking this place out for our new home. She showed us a 2 bedroom, rugs throughout for 4100 a month!!! I started laughing. That is how much I pay for a 1 bed in downtown Boston! This place isn't even modern. read more

I'm not sure why this place would have a single negative review. I visited these apartments with my husband after making an appointment (if you want to view apartments you SHOULD have an appointment to do so. There may only be one person working in the office and they could, very reasonably, be on tour with another prospective renter). Everything we saw was absolutely beautiful and very professionally managed. The pool, fitness center, and club house were even more icing on the cake! My guess is that these apartments have considerably improved since 2011 when others left negative reviews. read more

We moved here from NY and found this place to be very nice. We liked the attached garage with direct access. The management team is great. They respond promptly to requests for service and repairs. We have now found a condo to buy and will be moving out. They were very helpful with that process too. The management has been doing lots of improvements to the landscaping. road paving and overall appearance. The pool and gym are very nice. The location is great - near main roads, shopping and restaurants, But the location also seems private and wooded. The gated entry adds extra security. Would recommend this property for long or short term rental. read more

Recently moved into Avalon Bear Hill. Experience was quick and very easy, the leasing team found my girlfriend and I the perfect unit at a very reasonable price for the Boston area. The apartment was clean and move in ready. Everyone around us is very friendly and respectful, I live in middle unit with tenants below and above me and haven't heard a peep in over 3 weeks. Gated community with a beautiful pool/grill area and fitness center. Absolute no brainer for professionals looking for a place to rent. read more

I've lived at this property for over a year and a half and it has been an absolute pleasure - a very comfortable, gentle place. Outstanding staff and maintence, beautiful grounds, resort style pool, attached garages like living in a townhouse. I feel lucky to have found Avalon Bear Hill. read more

We have lived here for six months and have nothing but good things to share about this location. It is well maintained, the pool and fitness areas are immaculate. Our unit is in great condition. The management team here is super responsive and professional. read more

I believe that your Maintenance Manager, Michael Dominquez, deserves this rating for the persistence he demonstrated in solving a plumbing issue in our apartment, Unit 111. He worked diligently, investigating the problem, ordering the necessary parts and keeping us informed of his progress. It wasn't a simple fix and he showed initiative in researching and solving the problem, as well as the ability to remain pleasant in a frustrating situation. I believe he should be recognized not only for a job well done, but also for his caring, customer-service manner.. read more

I cannot believe someone gave this place 5 stars. They must work here. I currently live here and I want everyone to know that this place doesn't live up to all the hype. My apartment is in desperate need of remodeling. The walls are hacked up from previous tenants, counter tops are scratched up, cabinets in both the kitchen and bathrooms need to be replaced (the finish is worn off and there is a sticky residue that cannot be cleaned), the toilets are old and almost overflow every time I flush (maintenance says they cannot be fixed), there is a lot of water damage to the baseboards, the place smells moldy, the appliances are old, linoleum has scratches and holes, and to top it all off, there is an ANT problem - I kill several of them every day. Also, the place was absolutely FILTHY and I had to spend many hours cleaning everything before I could move in. It's truly unbelievable for the amount of rent they charge here ($2700+). I have complained to management and they always send a maintenance guy out here and each time they pretty much tell me, there's nothing they can do. The security gate is a complete joke. On many occasions I've seen people enter the property through the exit gate when I leave. There's no guard or anyone watching the gate, (so basically it just ends up being a pain in my butt while I have to sit in my car waiting for it to open). I'm sure this place was nice when they first built it, but they haven't kept things up at all. It seems like they just really don't care! I regret moving here and I'm considering paying the 1 month rent fee to break my lease. Don't be fooled like I was. The actual apartments are not anywhere near as nice as the model. I hope I can prevent you from making the same mistake I made! read more

WE WERE ROBBED OF ALL OF OUR VALUABLES AT 7:30 a.m. While I drove the children to school, which takes a total of 20 minutes, they broke in (cheap locks) and took jewelry, watches, silver, cameras & lenses, laptops, ipods, ipads and everything of value. The worst of it is the man was in the apartment when I returned home. Don't be fooled by the gate - there is no security. After calling the police, I called Archstone Management office immediately for support and management NEVER showed up. It took several phone calls and three hours before the maintenance guys put a new lock on our door. When they finally showed up they never installed a new doorknob, they installed another deadbolt, so we can't get out of the apartment easily (safety hazard). When they arrived they told us it was an inconvenient time for them to install the doorknob. Do not be fooled by the pool or the sales pitch, the apartments are cheap and old and there is no REAL customer service. read more

Living here is like living in a construction zone on the Massachusetts Turnpike! When we first moved here in the summer of 2014 it was great. They had a nice pool, on site fitness facility and nice club house at which management often hosted social events for residents. THEN in the fall the construction started!! They replaced all the roofs and most of the siding. They refurbished the interiors of the apartments WHILE THE TENANTS WERE IN THEM. If you refused this latter "improvement" you would be evicted. The new appliances are good quality; but, the kitchen and bathroom cabinets are so cheap that even IKEA would be embarrassed to sell them. Can you say particle board covered with contact paper? The club house was closed for nearly a year for renovation and tenants who wanted to use a gym were first shuttled off to the Boston Sports Club with locker rooms so crowded there's no space to change your mind, then to the seedy decrepit Waltham Athletic Club with its broken down equipment and moldy locker rooms. To be fair, the finally remodeled club house and gym are top notch. For their next act, they had arborists fell most of the mature pine trees in the complex. Then they had all the garage doors replaced. The new doors are better than the old and they did add a digital keypad on the post of each garage. They are now replacing many of the cement stairs on the outsides of the buildings. Also, they are planting puny bushes and perennials to replace the nice trees they ripped out. And the landscapers are cutting the pavement to lay irrigation pipes. Oh, yes, they also had wells drilled all over the complex to feed the irrigation system. They just replaced all the door locks with electronic gizmos like you find in hotels. The point is that residents are always dodging construction vehicles and having workmen barge into their apartments with little to no notice. Itinerant workmen who drive vehicles from all over the Northeast except Massachusetts are constantly prowling about, making residents feel insecure in their own homes. And, at least 70% of the time, the gates of this so-called gated community are malfunctioning and propped open. All these construction projects have created a constant din that has lasted for nearly a year. read more

The walls are paper thin and so poorly insulated that I could actually hear my neighbor snoring all night (as well as other noises including bathroom noise [yuch]). The security gates are frequently broken and inoperable for months and months at a time. When there was a sexual assault criminal being hunted by police in the Waltham area and around our neighborhood the gates could not even be closed to protect our community. The codes area all the same so there was little protection from that perspective since many many random people had the code and even when there was criminal activity within the community, the gates provided little to no security since they already had the code. Repair and maintenance was hit or miss. My garage disposal never worked for the entire 3 years I was there. They would say they fixed it but it simply shorted right back out fist time I would try to use it until I ultimately gave up trying. Finally, all companies have great marketing to get you in. However, companies show their true ethics and integrity when you leave. Upon my departure (after 3 years), they blamed me for damage that had been declared to them at the time I moved in. They also deducted a $160 cleaning fee from my security deposit even though I scrubbed that apartment down to the baseboards and window blinds. As evidence of they sent me a photo of some dust on the top of the refrigerator (which was slid in under an overhanging cabinet and difficult to even reach let alone see) and of dust on the face plate of the air conditioning intake grate. Really?! It comes down to principles and how you treat people and I fully suspect that they just do this to everyone. So... beware and try to do business with companies that value your business not only when you are coming in ... but also when you are departing. read more

Worst service! Very inefficient management. They keep changing often. I encountered with 3 different managers every week in a month.

My personal experience has been wonderful. Great location. Friendly and social community. Outstanding customer service!!! Highly recommend this particular Avalon community. read more

I created Yelp account just to review this apartment. The only thing we like about this apartment is our own garrage. When we first moved in there were remodeling going on around our apartment. I'm talking about the other side of the wall, across the breeze way, and cars, trucks all over your front garrage. I had to carry my 6 month old in to a construction site to ask they to move the car so we could get out. After all this over here came roof replacement for the whole community. Again trucks, dumpster trucks, roofers, nails, banging, yelling everywhere from 7:30am to 7pm. I don't recommend anyone who think this place is good for little baby to toddling around not even walk him in the stroller. There's 10 mile per hour speed limit in what they call "private property" but not what we experienced. They're driving so fast once they get behind the gates. We had to wave one car down once because we have our baby biking in front of our garrage. We talked to the leasing office and they said they could move us up the hill but there's $500 more per month. Gated community is a joke. If you would want to get pass the gate, you could just wait behind the car who has the access to get in they you're in. This place looks like they have keeping up with good looking building and nice roof but there comes from suffering the residents. Most of the time my baby has to sleep in the car because we can't stay in the apartment, it's too much banging around. What you pay is what you get but I think for $2000ish a month, we deserved better. Shop around before you end up here like us. There's no difference than renting a room next to the main road and here. But if you willing to pay almost $3000 for 1 bedroom, you go for it. Thanks to Avalon Bear Hill to motivated us to get a house because we can't stand to stay here any longer. read more

Avalon Bear Hill - This from our front proch. it's our day looks like at Avalon Bear Hill every day. There's no privacy what so ever. RUN!!!! - Apartments Near Me - Waltham, Massachusetts

See all

I don't live here anymore, but wanted to take a moment to support this property. We lived here twice over the past year and a half while our house was under construction. I admit that this was pre-renovation of Avalon and I agree that management turn over was high and sometimes unresponsive, but you don't know what you've got until it's gone. We're currently residing at the Avalon in Newton Highlands while we wait to find a new home and this property is nothing like what we had. The Waltham location has the nicest pool and club house you'll find (we've checked out several locations) and there is nothing better than a garage of your own. I don't know what happened to the trees, but the privacy and quietness is something you might not find at other locations and it's definitely not at the one we're at now! All the suburban Avalons seem made of the same construction and the walls are thin and you can hear foot steps above you. Taking this into account I still think the Waltham one is one of the better ones (maybe the best is the Avalon @ the Prudential). Trust me on this-I can understand if their pricing is a little bit higher. I do want to say two things as to why we didn't stay there again: We needed a larger apt and none were available at the date we needed. Still, I thought the sales woman put in no effort to try and keep us whereas the Newton Highlands sales person wouldn't let us leave until she found us an apt we liked--she just kept digging. Also, we did not like the apt renovation décor. Dark, cheap wood and dark paint made the apt we saw look smaller and dim. Even though the prior décor was dated it was bright and airy. The worst were the dark bathrooms as Avalon lighting is never the brightest. Just made everything look worse, but the club house and pool get an A+ read more

Do not do it unless you have a lot of money to burn and don't mind living with incredibly rude people. The rents are incredibly high and the utilities ridiculous. We moved out a month ago and were charged 350 for cleaning because we didn't have the rugs professionally cleaned. They threatened to charge us for any ding and nail hole they found if we didn't agree to their professional move out cleaning. We had been there 9 months!! And they completely renovated the place while we lived there. We lived with construction noise and dirt inside and out for months on end. Neighbors were rude. There is absolutely no parking because residents do not use their driveways or garages and clog the very few visitor spots. Dog poop everywhere because people don't clean up. The renovated baths and kitchens are put together with spit. The counters weren't even attached to the vanity. Three months in cabinets are already falling apart. Staff turn over is constant. Suffice it to say this place will do for a transition but do not think for a minute about calling it home. So happy to be out of there. And the 700 dollars a month we are saving renting an actual home near public transportation and within walking distance to restaurants and shops is nice to have too. read more

I have lived here since May, and have nothing negative to say. Staff has been REALLY friendly!!! I mean, maintenance not only shows up when you need them, but they are really nice while doing their work. The reason I'm not giving 5 stars; the apartments could stand to be a little more updated for the price (Carpet is really cheap, and kitchen cabinets are from the 90's, and the kitchen counter tops are a really thin laminate that scratches off). As I'm writing the list of complaints, it sounds worse than it is...but if those things were fixed, this place would easily get 5 stars! read more