My wife, dog, and I lived at Ink 3 from July 2019 through November of 2020. We have nothing but strong reviews for the Ink Block complex and Ink 3, with little to complain about even through a very difficult operating period amidst COVID. As we were new to Boston, this was an ideal spot for us given ease of access to highways, access to grocery/pharmacy, amenities, and a good spot within walking distance of south end's restaurants and stores. Devin and Rebekah in the leasing team are trustworthy and always helpful. Detail of the pros, cons, and addressed other review comments below:
Reason for move-out: We wanted more space as we were expecting. Ink made a great offer for renewal but we opted for the space.
Pros:
-Maintenance: The team was phenomenal, always responded quickly to any issues that came up with a sunny disposition. Super friendly and committed to solving the issue. A+.
-Amenities: Pre-COVID the amenity package was fantastic. The Ink 3 gym was used very sparingly, so never really any trouble with overcrowdedness. Peloton bikes and treadmills were an awesome addition. You can easily walk to Ink 1 and use the nicer gym (better light) if preferred. Post-COVID, the reservation system made things somewhat complicated with booking windows and timing, but that's the world we live in, not ink blocks fault. The grills on Ink 3 were very useful and always worked great. Residents took pretty good care of them so not much cleaning was necessary before cooking. We used the dog wash a few times, worked great. We never really used the Ink 1 pool as we missed the season the first time around, and then COVID hit for the other season, so I can't speak to dynamics there.
-Leasing team: Largely a pleasure to work with. Fairly responsive and quick to attend to any needs. I probably overstayed my welcome through emails, but they never were rude or dismissive.
-Concierge: We cycled through a few Ink 3 concierge members, but Michelle (since left), Austin (weekdays, still there as of November) and Celeste (weekends, still there as of November) were always super kind to us and friendly.
-Mail service: No issues with the amazon lockers. It's a bit of pain if you order anything large, as it's usually stored at Ink 1 and you have to carry it over, but sometimes they do bring it over anyway.
-HVAC: Worked consistently and easy to use. Nests are nice, but we have found that Ink's HVAC was fairly quiet (we're pretty good sleepers anyway), and was good at keying into the temperature desired.
-Parking: No issues with the garage and our spot was clutch (right near the entry way). Kudos to the ink team for hooking us up. The Ink Underground is a great cost saving option if you use the reverse commuter subscription.
-Water filter: Built in fridge water filter! We will miss that dearly.
-Elevators: Largely open for Ink 3, though we did have one off-line for a long spell during COVID. They mentioned that getting licensed to fix the elevator was difficult, but it was back up and running before too long. Just that one incident.
-Dog walks: Our dog got more friendly with the two dog walks below the Whole Foods parking lot and always enjoyed going to ink underground, even though its rocky terrain isn't exactly ideal and slightly a longer walk to get to. I wouldn't necessarily say this was a pro, because it would be great if they had some turf space to run around in.
-Neighbors: Everyone we met was extremely friendly and we made some great life long friends at this place. Never ran into someone we truly had issues with at Ink 3. Most people are in the mid 20s to early 30s, but we also met some nice empty-nesters who were outgoing and nice to talk to.
Cons:
-COVID amenity reservation system: Will give them the benefit of the doubt for trying to keep up with COVID protocols, but the reservation system for amenities was brutal. Many requests were never logged, and the 24-hours-in-advance system is not good for the spontaneous grilling or amenity use.
-Ink 3 Concierge availability: The hours are fairly limited. No one is there before 10am and after 7pm typically on weekdays, though the weekend coverage is better in the later hours.
Other reviews:
-Noisy: We never had any issues with noise at Ink 3. We didn't have a child during our experience, so can't comment there.
-Hot: HVAC never an issue.
-Washer/Dryer issues: No issues - just don't overload your system or use an exorbitant amount of detergent.
-Gym equipment issues: never any problems.
-Fires: We had a fire in the sweetgreen below us. They properly took care of it but no sprinklers were set off in the building. Fortunately no issues here with that.
-Affordability: Its a higher price point but if you want to live in south end, have a dog, elevator access, want easy grocery access, pharmacy access, good restaurants etc. there's really no better option than Ink and 345.
-Management: They don't enjoy turning anyone down - if your request is reasonable, t read more