Although they are not the landlords, I'll still say it: SLUMLORDS! We lived in Hillcrest Apartments…read moreon 8th St. for a little over a year and it was mindblowing how badly the building and the management deteriorated over that period.
Let's be frank, Hillcrest is one ugly ass building. It looks like a Russian bunker. But we knew people who lived there and had seen inside a few apartments. It's about half as ugly inside. So, not bad. When we moved in they said the rent for a one bedroom was $935/month. The people we knew were paying ~$850/month. They told us all new tenants would be paying this higher price for a one bedroom. We said alright. It was downtown, and downtown has very few apartment complexes.
Fast forward a year, the people we know move out and we discover that the new tenants are paying only ~$850/month. We bring this up with Wright Services, ask them why they had basically lied to us, and request that our rent be adjusted accordingly. Their response was pretty much, "If you don't like it, move out." Yes, I guess being quiet tenants who pay up on time every month doesn't mean a thing. Screw the nice guys!
Well, we were through with them at that point. We found a new place to rent and were as happy as pigs in shit to give our notice. But guess what? We call, no answer. We visit, no answer. Wright Services does not post their hours of business anywhere. Isn't that illegal? Anyway, when we finally got through to them they said we didn't give our notice on the 1st of the month and had to wait ~55 days to move out. That's when we put up a little fight and they were more than happy to let us go in ~25 days.
Here is what you can look forward to while living at Hillcrest:
PARKING: There is a little public lot out front that fits about 15 cars. A quarter of them are beaters that never move. And the majority of the rest have no idea how to park a damn car. If you're not lucky enough to grab one of these spots, it's street parking for you. And good luck trying to park on Gold St. in the winter. That hill is a motherfucker.
WATER: We had more than our fair share of cold showers at Hillcrest. And when you tried to call maintenance, the voicemail didn't pick up half the time. Thanks, assholes. Pipes would also clog frequently. They sent a notice around once threatening the responsible party that they'd have to pay up if caught. Yeah right, the only problem with those pipes is that they're older than Jesus. There was some sort of leak in the basement ceiling once and they attached aluminum trays to the ceiling to catch the water. Talk about ghetto. And finally, a few months after we moved out they had no hot water for over a week! We learned this from the poor soul who moved in even after we questioned his sanity.
LAUNDRY: I think they make it a point to house all of the sketchy folks and stoners in the basement. I did laundry mainly at night and saw an array of undesirables tramp through there. Toward the end, it constantly smelled like weed. Now, I like the ganj just as much as the next person, but I don't need a contact high while I'm doing my laundry. Also, steer clear of the liquid rat traps down there. You don't want to step in one of those babies.
MAINTENANCE: Christmas tree pine needles were still on the carpet in March. Does that say enough? Not to mention that nasty orange carpet that was probably put down in the 70s got shittier by the week. Numerous stains and tears. The front entrance smelled of urine. Yes, we had guests actually tell us this. We had apparently become immune to the smell. In the winter they only shoveled the front sidewalk. If you wanted to exit by the back door you had to throw yourself over a mountain of snow to get to the street.
MOVE OUT: Be prepared for the clean of your life when you leave. They want that shithole to sparkle. No, seriously, they will make you scrub the refrigerator door sealing with a fucking toothbrush. They also do surprise showings. After you give notice, they simply post a sign on your door that says they will show up without warning to do showings in the next three weeks. Now that's definitely illegal.
In short, keep far away from any property that Wright Services "manages." They are the lowest of the low and only care about the money tenants bring in and not the tenants themselves. You'll do better posting a housing wanted ad on Craigslist. That's how we found the wonderful apartment we moved to once we escaped from Hillcrest. Suck it, Wright Services.