!!Beware Before Signing a Lease at The Laurel Apartments!!…read more
I chose The Laurel primarily because they provided an in-unit washer and dryer--something I really needed. Unfortunately, my experience has been nothing short of frustrating, and I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone.
*Leasing Process & Move-In Nightmare*
My issues started before I even moved in. Four days before my scheduled move-in date, I still hadn't received my lease. When I called to ask about it, a rude staff member snapped at me and acted like it was a massive inconvenience to resend it. Turns out, she had typed my email address incorrectly in the first place.
On move-in day, my apartment was filthy--not remotely in move-in condition. To make things worse, the washer and dryer that were supposed to be included were nowhere to be found. When I brought this up to the staff, they essentially told me to *hire my own cleaning crew* if I wanted a clean apartment. The missing appliances? They were "on back order." I repeatedly asked for them to just move a set from a vacant unit, and my emails were ignored.
I almost forgot to mention the AC was broken and it was the dog days of summer. I had to enlist the help of friends to keep calling until somebody would care enough to help.
*Deceptive Unit Quality*
Unlike other nearby apartments, like Georgetown, The Laurel doesn't make it clear which units have been fully renovated and which were done in a half-assed manner. Trust that a lot of the units, possibly even most units, look nothing like these deceptive pictures. During my tour, I was told that Phase 3 was the newest section and it was strongly implied that it would look like the pictures. That was a huge misrepresentation. My unit was nowhere near that standard.
*Ongoing Maintenance Disasters*
The nightmare didn't stop after move-in. Here's just a short list of issues I encountered:
- Fridge Issues: It had a horrible odor, which maintenance dismissed by saying, "We don't smell anything," and they closed the work order. Spoiler: the stench never went away. Later, the fridge stopped cooling properly, but I only realized it after I lost a fridge full of groceries. Maintenance fixed it--only for it to break again, forcing me to wait yet again for another repair.
- Shower Flooding Disaster: Maintenance conducted a routine inspection and tinkered with my showerhead, which I never asked to be fixed. Their "repair" made it spray water all over my bathroom, even damaging the ceiling so badly that chunks of the outdated popcorn texture started peeling off. It took a month for them to fix their own mistake.
-Broken Range Hood: The range hood in my kitchen doesn't actually suck in smoke. Maintenance "checked" it by turning it on, hearing the fan, and closing the work order. But it still doesn't work, meaning every time I cook, I have to record a video--just in case the sprinkler system gets triggered and ruins all my belongings.
*Final Thoughts*
The only concession I received was the leasing special that I should have been given from the start. To this day, I feel like I'm walking on eggshells, waiting for the next thing to break--whether it's my fridge, my shower, or something else entirely.
To the property manager: I appreciate the positive interactions we had, and I know some of this is out of your control. That said, it's disappointing that my only compensation for all this pain was the leasing special I should've received all along. And the fact that a cleaning crew wasn't hired after I moved in and told you about the issues--despite you acknowledging that I was wrongly told to clean it myself--is just ridiculous.
At the end of the day, The Laurel is simply not worth the headache. Save yourself the trouble and look elsewhere.