If you are like me, you use reviews as a large part of researching when making big decisions such as where to live. There is so much positive info here in the reviews for The Glenn that I agree with, and it is those things that keep me here. For me this includes the location, amenities, office and maintenance staff, great neighbors, pets allowed, and building/landscaping upkeep. But there are several negative things that I wish I had known before signing my lease.
My first issue, as others have noted, rent prices here can be high as expected for a higher end complex. But these prices could be excessive even for a luxury complex. Greystar is the property owner and management company. If you search for "Greystar Price Fixing Class Action", there are accusations that Greystar, in collusion with other property companies, knowingly used a pricing algorithm that set rates at much higher than market. My personal experience is an average increase of 15% per year during my time at The Glenn, much higher than rate of inflation, and market rates for the area.
Next, this luxury complex is newer (Finished in 2018) and has great amenities and updates throughout so you would expect this to be reflected by a higher quality construction as well. Unfortunately that is not the case, especially in the residential units. The HVAC system is LOUD and located right in the living room area. Do not expect to easily hold a conversation or hear anything but the fan when it is running. But the most obvious problem is the lack of noise abatement due to the substandard materials and techniques used during construction. You can hear noise and feel movement from the units above, below, and surrounding yours. It's definitely not as bad as some mid/low-end buildings but far from the quality you would expect from being a new building with high rent prices. I can't even imagine how difficult it must be for those living under a unit with little kids, partiers, or barking dogs. Heavy walking adults are bad enough.
A related issue is with reporting noise complaints. The office staff is responsive and helpful when reporting, but after hours you are encouraged to contact the security service hired by management. Don't expect much from security when it comes to noise, they are dismissive and slow to respond, if they respond at all.
These last few items likely just come down to personal preference or expectations but could be helpful to know.
The lease requires that you enroll in a valet trash service at a cost of $35 a month, even if you never use the service and prefer to dump your own trash in the chutes. They also only pickup Sun-Thu, not on holidays, and not when it snows. Anecdotally I would say that I only see 20% of residents on my floor using this service regularly, with the majority of us not using it at all. But you still pay.
Utilities for common areas and amenities are shared by everyone. Expect them to be higher than the utilities you pay for your actual unit, and don't be surprised at all the associated nickel and dime fees that are included.
The Jones District where The Glenn is located, is currently under construction all around the building. Be prepared for noise from 7am-5pm during the week and frequently on weekends. This is also impacting the availability of outdoor parking for you and your guests. The entire rear parking lot for The Glenn is closed to residents/guests.
These last are not unique to The Glenn or any other living space. But be prepared for a small number of selfish neighbors who think the rules don't apply to them. Some of these include not picking up after pets and letting pets do their business in the hallways, ignoring the non-smoking policy, violating parking garage rules, not cleaning up after themselves in common areas, and after-hours noise especially from the pool area.
Even with all of this, overall this is a decent place to live. It could just be so much better. read more
