Unit A201 - Recommendation: Do Not Rent in 2025/2026…read more
After 2.5 years of on-time rent, steadfast apartment upkeep, and quiet acceptance of community dynamics, my wife and I made the difficult decision to break our lease. Beginning in late May, early June, our apartment became uninhabitable. This was not due to environmental problems, poorly maintained property, or landlord harassment. Instead this is due to the extremely loud neighbors who moved in upstairs, in unit A301, making moments of quiet enjoyment non-existent.
If you enjoy waking up extremely early, hearing out of tune scringing (a cross between screaming and singing), and just generally want exactly 0 hours of quiet time in your apartment, please apply to rent this unit. It is the place for you.
On the other hand, if you work from home, enjoy sleeping in (or work late-shift), or simply want a quiet place to spend your time, then I highly recommend you avoid this unit. You will not experience a moment of silence, during any reasonable time, while living here.
Alone this is problematic for most people, making the apartment uninhabitable, at least for sleeping, working from home, and enjoying a quiet place to live. When this is combined with a few other community problems, you begin to wonder if the high rent is worth having signed a lease to begin with.
For instance, in our 30 months, the elevators were down for almost 6 of them, making it difficult to bring anything large or heavy to the apartment. We experienced 5 months where direct access to our building was completely impossible, forcing a reroute through the other buildings to gain access to our apartment. If you own a dog that complies with the 35-lb limit, great, but around 40% of the dog population is significantly above this limit. One large white dog bit a smaller dog, unprovoked, during the community dog event this year, and yet it still lives here. In our time here, there were multiple instances of cars being broken into, in the garage. On the same topic, the security gate has been broken on at least one side for more than 12 of our 30 month stay.
The list goes on and on...
There are some positives to the community though.
The staff is very nice. The maintenance team is absolutely top notch. They maintain the property well and the apartments. They are also very friendly and make accommodations in their work format despite their heavy workload. Judy, in the office, always gives the dogs treats and is a kind soul. She is very personable to the owners too.
The amenities are adequate. The gym has decent equipment for its size. The pool is well maintained and has plenty of space to catch some rays. The dog run is easily accessible, and frequently available. The entire community is keyless. There is an Amazon locker bay on the premises. There are security cameras and an app to remotely allow visitors entry.
The location is great. Winter Park Village is right next door, a 3 minute walk away, and has the many amenities you would expect near a luxury living space. The gorgeous Martin Luther King Jr. park is walking distance, and just underwent massive renovations. There is even a public library within the walk radius.
Despite these good things, when you cannot sleep for months on end, and repeated complaints to the office and the tenants have no effect, you start seeing things in a new light, and realize that this place, where you've built your life, is no longer offering what you agreed to receive. It is a shame that we have been forced out of our home by new inconsiderate neighbors and inaction towards reconciling the noise. I only hope the next occupant, if there is one, can cope with these harsh living conditions.
**PSA: One important thing to remember: in Florida, you must give your landlord a 7-day notice of your 60-day notice, if you value the ability to pursue legal help. Without this, no matter what your living conditions were, nor how much you complained, you are the offending party when you ultimately break the lease.**
Also, I have never met a Sarah B. in relation to living here. I see she responds to every post here, but she is not part of the staff for sure. We have 3 maintenance people, all men. The office has 3 people, Judy, Jeffrey, and Meg. No Sarah. Makes me wonder if she is a paid consultant.