I lived at The Edge in two different apartments. The leasing team has generally been pleasant and…read morehelpful, especially Adam. Unfortunately, my experience with the cleaning, maintenance, turnover, and move-out process has been very different.
When my most recent apartment was handed over to me, it was not properly cleaned or prepared to the standard I would expect for a new resident. I ended up paying approximately $250-$350 out of pocket for my own deep cleaning. The shower head that was later questioned at move-out was already installed when I received the apartment, and I had documented the apartment's condition with photographs.
During my tenancy, there were also several maintenance issues, including leaks involving the washer/dryer and dishwasher plumbing. The Edge maintenance team performed work on these issues, and some marks were left on the walls during that work.
My tenancy was very short, and we were traveling for portions of it, so the apartment had relatively little actual occupancy. I did not put a single nail or nail hole in the walls. I had only a couple of removable adhesive hooks for calendars. I had used the same type of hooks in my previous apartment at The Edge without an issue. They can be removed carefully with heat without damaging the wall. Because I was traveling and moving at the last minute, I left the hooks in place when I moved out.
I was therefore very surprised to receive a $505.92 "Full Paint/Drywall" charge after moving out. What makes the charge particularly difficult to understand is that the move-out inspection itself repeatedly describes the walls as "OK." For the living room, the inspector specifically noted that only one spot needed patching and that "the rest is painting." The inspection does not document extensive wall damage.
Photographs taken after I left show paint pulled away in the area where the adhesive hooks had been. The hooks were intact when I surrendered the apartment. I do not believe I should be responsible for wall damage resulting from the way removable hooks were taken off after I left. Likewise, marks resulting from maintenance work performed during my tenancy should not be attributed to me.
My concern is not with paying for damage that a resident actually causes. Residents should be responsible for genuine damage. My concern is being charged hundreds of dollars for a full paint/drywall job when the inspection itself describes the walls as OK and distinguishes one patch from the remainder of the painting. The lease also distinguishes normal wear and tear from chargeable resident damage.
I had seen reviews from other former residents raising similar concerns about move-out charges before I lived here. I cannot speak to what happened in their individual cases, but after my own experience, I understand why residents have raised the issue. There appears to be a troubling disconnect between the condition in which an apartment may be delivered to an incoming resident and the cleaning, painting, and repair costs that may later be assessed when that resident moves out.
The charge is currently under formal dispute, so I will update this review based on how management handles it.
To be fair, my criticism is not directed at the leasing staff. My interactions with the leasing team were generally positive, and Adam in particular was helpful and pleasant to deal with. My concerns are specifically about the reliability and accountability of the cleaning, maintenance, turnover, and move-out process.
My advice to anyone moving into The Edge is simple: photograph everything at move-in, document anything that is dirty, damaged, altered, or not functioning, keep every maintenance record, and take detailed photographs immediately before moving out.
