*Please read if you're considering moving here- I would NEVER live here again.* I don't need much out of an apartment building other than a place to live, and had worked in customer service for years. A friend who lived in the building also had all these exact issues; it's not just me. So it's very rare I'm ever frustrated enough to feel this way about a business.
I moved in about 2 months after they opened and lived there for 1 year. When I first moved in, I absolutely loved it. The building is unbelievably nice; both the apartments themselves and the common areas. Not to mention the location is absolutely prime and just a 5-minute walk from downtown. The rooftop is initially what sold me and all year was the place I would take my friends to hang out. The staff is extremely friendly and always willing to help you, especially Tess. Maintenance requests were always completed immediately and the head maintenance guy is so incredibly sweet.
HOWEVER after living there a few months, I was consistently APPALLED by the way the building was managed and how the company tried to nickel and dime us and I would never recommend anyone to live here for these reasons alone:
1. After reviewing and signing my lease and asking questions to the leasing team about what I'll specifically be responsible for paying, 3 months after living there (~September 2019) we got an email saying that The Rodney would start charging for common area utilities (i.e. electricity, gas, and water for the rooftop, lobby, parking garage, hallways, etc). This was a violation of my lease, so I spoke to one of the regional managers in person and she responded with "you moved in so early after we constructed the building that it wasn't in your lease. But we updated the leases for new residents and it's in theirs. Our staff was also new so they weren't trained to mention that you would be charged for those. So you're going to be held responsible for the charges anyway." Not only that, but if any costs were to change, we were required to receive a 30 day notice before any new charges and guess what: they gave us 30 days notice before our bill was due (mid-October 2019), but we would be charged for those common area utilities from JUNE 2019 on and charged us back months. My bill for the common area electric alone was on average twice as much as my personal electric bill for what I used in my own apartment. After consulting a lawyer, I was told that legal fees would cost more than just paying these charges that I never agreed to so I should just give in and pay them.
2. When I initially moved in, I was told that the rooftop and study rooms in the lobby were free of charge for the first 3 hours, and I would be able to reserve them online first come first serve. I had done this many times successfully. Well in December, without any communication, we suddenly started getting charged hourly for reserving any space in the building, including the study rooms which were never totally booked before. Again, nickel and dime-ing us for everything.
3. My lease was supposed to end near the middle of the month, and I needed some extra time so I requested an extension until the end of the month. Not a problem at all.....UNTIL the day came where my lease was initially supposed to end. I came home at from work at 9pm, and I was locked out of my apartment. They never updated my key to reflect my new lease. So I had to call maintenance and the poor guy had to drive 45 minutes from his home to give me a 1-time entry key. I was supposed to have friends coming over, but since the key was a 1-time entry I could not accommodate them because I wouldn't be able to go downstairs and let them into my building. I couldn't leave my apartment for the rest of the night and had to have my key adjusted during open hours in the morning.
4. Just before moving out, I asked the staff what I had to do before moving out, and I was told to just leave my keys in my apartment (because of COVID), and within 30 days I'll receive my security deposit back (pending any damages) and that's it. Just like any other apartment building I have lived in. So I cleaned the place out, left my keys, and headed out. About a month later, I received an email with the final charges I owed, less the security deposit, with one charge being a $160 cleaning fee. I didn't expect a charge this high since I didn't have any damages at all and had cleaned the apartment before leaving (I am an incredibly clean person), so I asked for a breakdown of what needed to be done. Nobody responded. I sent a follow-up email. 2 weeks later I got an email saying "did you get this resolved yet?" After replying no, I was sent an invoice that just said "cleaning - $130" with no breakdown, and an apology for charging me $160 instead of the $130. They ended up waiving this fee after seeing my apartment was very clean, but I cannot overlook how anything had been handled all year and how they kept trying to get money out of us. read more