I had to put a lot of thought into this because it was a roller coaster living here for 15 months. I have to say that Jeff was the only helpful and kind person during my tenancy at Aura (now Avel) apartments. If I could give a 5 star rating it would be for Jeff.
I'll start with the parking. When I first moved in, it was only months after they opened, it was much quieter of course because there were barely any people, but I was not expecting parking to be a huge issue by the time I hit my year mark here. If you live on a lower floor, don't expect to be able to find close parking past 4/5 PM. I was told by the leasing agent I was working with at the time of my lease signing that parking would never be an issue even at full capacity..so there's something amiss there because that's proven to be not true. Keep that in mind if you have a car (and especially you'll have more than one car)
Second, I was not expecting to get my full deposit back because there were repairs that needed to be done that I was fully aware of, such as paint and the baseboard. I was expecting at least $100-150 out of $400, and I got $57 back. I had spent $150 on my own cleaning service for the hardest to clean areas, the floor, the tub, and the floors, yet they still charge $170 out of my deposit for a FULL cleaning when all that needed to be done was the drawers and oven. That doesn't warrant a $170 charge. The deposit is pretty low compared to a whole month's rent, but keep in mind you likely won't get it back. I also have an issue with getting my internet router back to AT&T because moving is chaotic and when your router is put in a wall, it's easy to forget. So that's another $150 I will have to bite since the AT&T sales rep for this building hasn't been helpful, and now I'm out of state and can't get the router back now. An AT&T guy had to come by and install it, why can't AT&T come back and pick it up in that case. Add to another difficult move out experience.
Although the building itself claims it's pet friendly and pets are allowed, I wouldn't recommend it here if you have a dog. There is a pet potty station that is unfenced on site, but that's it. I have been approached and followed by ucoherent and aggressive vagrants in the area, I seldom felt safe walking my dog in this area. The only best option you'll have are the dog parks within driving distance.
Aside from Jeff, the girls working the front office just seemed like they didn't want to deal with tenants and help. I saw someone either from the front desk or maintenance offer another resident a tool to borrow when they were moving out, but when I went downstairs and asked all of a sudden it's not allowed. I also noticed some of the staff have worked at the complex next door called Vita have moved to this complex, where I didn't have a good experience at all either. I chose Aura (Avel) because the leasing office at the time was friendly and helpful and I actually got to see everything on my tour, now they won't even look you in the eye and acknowledge you're there when you talk to them. I get that working in a customer facing role can have its challenges especially for a rental company that only cares about profits, but there's no genuine willingness to help where it's needed here. They only care when it's time to send your lease renewal reminder multiple times via email, phone, and even text.
The apartments themselves aren't bad, but I wouldn't consider it luxury. The giant tub and whirlpool washer and dryer don't justify the cost to be honest. The way the building is built, when someone else closes their door along the same hall as me or even the unit above me, my door shakes. I know living in a multi unit dwelling there will be some level of noise, but I've lived in many apartments before and I've never had to deal with my door shaking when a neighbor simply closes theirs, that's not a neighbor/noise issue that's a construction issue. The walls are not as thick as they make it seem they are, it's definitely not sound proof like I was told.
Overall there really isn't a good deal on rent anywhere in that area at the moment, but do yourself a favor and save at least a couple hundred elsewhere. The amenities, treatment, and location aren't worth it. read more