PROS:
+ Rent is reasonable due to a Newark Tax abatement and Rent Control.
+ Close to buses (e.g. Route 108 to NY), Newark light-rail, and trains (Broad Street Station) that would take you to downtown Newark, Newark Penn station or NYC.
+ There usually is a guard at the door to sign people in. Be nice to the guards, 'cause if you think you had a bad day, they had it worse.
+ Walking distance from Rutgers, NJIT, Essex Community College and St. Michael's hospital.
+ - Close to Route 280 - both pro and con.
+ The higher the floor, the nicer the view of either Branch Brook Park or grey haze over NYC.
CONS:
- BED BUGS, SPIDER MITES, ROACHES etc. The building is infested. Be prepared to throw out whatever you bring into the apartment when you move out. They are bold enough to say in the lease that you are responsible for the cost of extermination if the next tenant reports bed bugs. Be prepared to pay for the pre-infestation. Don't leave dishes in the sink, 'cause the colonnade roaches are a hardy insecticide resistant lot. Change roach insecticide bait traps frequently.
- NOT A SAFE NEIGHBORHOOD. Plenty of adults and kids hanging out drinking alcohol, smoking pot and being rowdy. Just enough of a bad element to make this working lower-middle class neighborhood unpleasant. Mugging Rutgers and NJIT students seems to be a career for thugs. Meanwhile, life on Rutgers Campus is pretty pleasant, but not while walking to your apartment...watch your back and be aware of your surroundings...AKA don't walk around with a new looking back pack, with your headphones on while holding your new iPhone or Galaxy note.
- DO NOT PARK ON THE STREET. Your car will be broken into or stolen. Parking is an additional monthly of $100 plus.
- DO NOT JOG IN THE PARK ALONE. Jog only during the day and with friends.
- ASBESTOS TILES. The leases says the building is asbestos free, but the Asbestos Abatement warning signs are posted on the walls and elevators when ever they decide to renovate the hallways or bathrooms. Most floors have nasty moldy smelling greyish carpet tiles.
- OLD APPLIANCES, ROTTED FORMICA COUNTERS. The appliances are old, the closet doors constantly come off the track, and the linoleum floor are mismatched "pepper and salt" tiles. If you are lucky, you'll get a stove that ignites electrically instead of needing a pilot light or the use of a lighter.
- UNPREDICTABLE HEATING. The apartments are heated via a hot water pipe that runs through a covered window vent. You COOK on warm days and FREEZE on cold days since there is no per apartment thermostat.
- FREQUENT BURST PIPES. When management lowers the heat, the heating pipes burst.
- NOISY NEIGHBORS - Be prepared to buy $300 noise cancelling headphones, along with white noise generator and ear plugs. The neighbors are noisy and have caused me to stop loving R&B and Motown music...yes I said it. My taste in music has been deeply scarred due to sleep depravation. Clockwork Orange conditioning by being kept awake to the sounds of loud TV's and music blasting down the halls at 2 AM, I can only recommend this place to sound sleepers. Forgive me, but I'm almost sure Manuel Noriega still hates The Clash and Jethro Tull after his sleep depravation.
- FREQUENT WATER SHUTOFFS. Expect not to have running water building-wide when ever they are doing work on the failing plumbing.
- DON'T LEAVE PLATES IN THE SINK. You may wake up to the most disgusting smelling and looking waste flow back that will make you want to wretch and throw out your dishes. Despite your spotless cleaning habits you will be amazed how many roaches you'll find in the sink at night.
- INEFFICENT AIR CONDITIONERS. During the Summer the custom fit air-conditioners are very low efficiency and seem to flood with water to the point of being near useless.
- NO PETS The no pets rule seems to be randomly enforced depending on who you annoy.
- RENT CONTROL / STABALIZATION Rent increases as you go up by floor and depends on if you face the more expensive NYC east side view or the less expensive Branch Brook park west side view. Up until recently the rent would go up 4% every year. But, if they have to do a "major" renovation, your rent will go up even more.
- IF YOU HAVE TO BREAK YOUR LEASE Be prepared to not only pay the remainder of the lease, but also ALL 12 months of the Tax Abatement and fees
- FREQUENT MANAGEMENT CHANGES. If you have a dispute about services, withhold rent for any reason or have just about any issues, you will be charged a $300 legal fee. If you don't pay the legal fee you face other fees and eviction process. See other reviews. I've been through two management changes in three years. According to an older tenant, five management changes in eight years.
In summation, If you're looking to save money while working at or attending Rutgers, NJIT, or Essex College and are used to living in an unpleasant neighborhood full of stoners and alcoholics, this place might be worth considering. read more