Thinking about buying or renting at the Dakota? You should be informed of all the good and not so good experiences of living in Midtown's nicest minimum security facility. I call it that for two reasons. I know this because I had the most unfortunate and draconian places in my 59 years on this planet.
Indeed, in the well-used rear view mirror, I should have used the $30k in rent for something more libertarian in lifestyle, like a nice Winnebago. Yes, I recommend staying in a Winnebago to living at The Dakota Facility. And yes, I refuse to call it a condo, or anything resembling a 'home'.
In the interest of fairness to potential buyers and renters one should be required not by the Dakota, but by the realtors, to require before even discussing the property to read and understand all the rules and regulations The Association™ requires. Which reads like the rules of a minimum security facility. And they are as myriad and unnecessarily anal as they are simply stupid. We actually had to look the rules up online because none were provided. I wish they had or we would have never moved there.
One example of minimum security, a potential buyer or renter would be impressed at the security protocols installed at The Facility. Almost like jail. One is even less impressed, however when they see the police log for 850 Piedmont, and see why one officer describes as a 'magnet for thieves'. I had a phone stolen from my car on the third floor of a secured parking deck. Several homes have been entered. Several bikes and scooters are routinely stolen, and all The Association™ will do is issue fines and eventually address breaches.
One woman who had been a resident of over 10 years accidently forgot her key in her apartment. For an hour she begged anyone to let her in, but The Association™ forbids such neighborly help, instead threatening fines. Ten years, a resident. What a friendly place to live. My wife let her in. We could have been fined for that gesture. Nice place.
One of my managers told me that The Facility is nicknamed "Gay Melrose Place" because of all the drama, and wild wild life on some floors, but that is from him, not me. We refused to use the pool all summer because the rules were written in a way that if you were suspected of having glass of any type (except sunglasses and prescription lenses because those, um, don't cut) would result in thousands of dollars in fines.
"Speeding in the parking lot" is an automatic fine without notice. They never say what exactly 'excessive speed' is. You will know it when you get the letter. The whole rule book is full of arbitrary and loosey-goosey terminology. Indeed, most of those stupid rules looks like it was written by former resident Peggy Denby. And we all know what a party poop she can be!
We even got a notice that our balcony planters were 'too colorful' and they had to be 'black' instead of 'with colors'.
After one month, we hated the place. We had a 2nd rental home in Ellijay and slowly started moving our things there. Yeah, one month. It was that sucky.
My landlord got a $500 fine for us taking an entire month to move out. We moved a few boxes at a time. The one time we had furniture (one bedroom suite) that required the use of the elevator (stiff deposit and $150 to 'use' the elevator, more of The Association™ridiculous secret fees and nit picking) we informed them. The rest of the stuff was moved out over 20 days in two Cooper Minis. But because we didn't tell them when we were moving (because we moved on our own schedule, not some fancy movers), the association fined the landlord. That fine was the last straw.
They suck at promoting a sense of community. The emails to the members are so passive aggressive I had to call the person out for it. It got better.
They don't deserve your money. You should sell your condo's to the fine Mexicans who clean the floors and manicure the pretty lawns.
Doesn't that sound like the kind of nice place you would want to live for $2500 a month? You think for that kind of money, The Association™ would treat the tenants and owners like they were something more than a money teat? I'm not blaming my landlord, but they should be more clear about the living conditions there to the next tenant.
I would not recommend that compound to my worse enemy. read more
