Boston Square

Our family has lived at Boston Square for almost a year now, and while it's not an absolutely perfect place to live (if there is such a thing) it's by far one of the BEST apartments we've had in the Valley. We have a two-bedroom townhouse with a cute, cozy floorplan (we just wish it was a little bigger). The apartment was in PERFECT condition when we moved in. We were told that the manager personally inspects every unit before it is rented, and she must have an incredible eye for detail because I've never moved into such a CLEAN apartment. They pay for you to have your carpet cleaned every six months (optional), which is great if you have kids. I've never heard of an apartment complex doing something like that for its residents!

The manager, office and maintenance staff and are all excellent and VERY friendly. They always call to follow up on your maintenance requests, and if repairs aren't made to your satisfaction they will make sure that they're redone...and they'll follow up again. That's helpful, because this complex has been here about 25 years so it tends to need repairs on a fairly regular basis. We've even had to use the emergency maintenance in the middle of the night, and our problems were taken care of right away. They will even try to schedule the repairs around your schedule if you need them to. Unfortunately, they don't schedule lawn maintenance around your schedule, and it usually takes place EARLY in the morning (even earlier in the summertime). It is LOUD and seems to go on FOREVER, but it's only one day a week and they do a great job because the property is always gorgeous. I can't even tell you how many guests we've had who have commented on how beautiful it is here.

The little gated patios in front of each apartment are really nice. The pool is VERY well-kept. The maintenance guys are out there cleaning it first thing every single morning. They put a solar cover on it in the winter months, though, which doesn't look very nice. It would look much nicer without it. Plus, if you go to use it during those months, you have to remove it yourself, which is kind of a pain. Some days we just wouldn't go swim because we didn't want to bother with it. And if you have a baby or toddler with you, the cover is too heavy to remove with one hand while holding the child in the other arm. But the only real problem we've found with the pool is there are a lot of bees around it, so when you're swimming they are in your face a lot (they pretty agressive little suckers).

As for other bugs, we've seen a lot of mosquitos near and in our apartment. We've found only one cochroach ever, and we haven't seen scorpions or anything really dangerous. We've found some caterpillars during the past month, and there are a lot of tiny bugs inside during the warmer months (including some spiders), but you can get your apartment sprayed (they offer it once a week) and that pretty much takes care of it...at least for a while. I've never lived anywhere in the Valley where there weren't at least SOME bugs. I'd rather they be these harmless types rather than scorpions, brown recluse spiders or black widows, etc. (which you hear about all the time around here).

We've never had any problems with mold, so I'm not sure what happened with the other person who commented on that. They have a mold policy here that they go over with you when you move in that basically asks you to report any signs of mold that you may see so they can be resolved immediately. We haven't heard of anyone else here with mold problems, but I know they have had some flooding in some of the apartments before, so that might have been the cause? They are good about inspecting the apartments regularly, and they change your air filters for you quarterly. You can change them more often yourself, as the office supplies the air filters for you. I will say that the apartments don't seem to be insulated too well. Our summer electric bills have been averaging about $200-250 per month, which is much higher than any other apartment we've had in this area (especially considering that our unit is less than 900 square feet). You can feel a draft around the windows and door in the winter months, so it's obvious that they aren't sealed too well. And the walls are VERY thin, too (thinner than usual), so if you are unlucky enough to live next to a noisy neighbor, you are going to hear literally EVERYTHING that goes on next door (as well as the medical helicopters that fly overhead since Chandler Regional Hospital is less than a block away). That is probably one of our biggest complaints here...the noise. That, and the fact that you can't have pets. We have really been wanting to get a small dog or cat, but we'll now have to wait until we move out. The plus side is that we never have to worry about stepping in doggy poo when we're out running around in the grass! :)

We've felt safe while we've lived at Boston Square. There is courtesy patrol during the hours that the office is closed, so if you have a noise or safety complaint, they are always there. They walk the grounds throughout the night, which is nice. The only way you can reach them, though, is by leaving a phone message for them, which is kind of inconvenient. It would be nicer if you could call and actually reach a live person. Oh...and as for those "nastygrams" everyone keeps talking about...they are just the usual notices that you get at any apartment complex. They go around and deliver them at night, so yes they are there when you go outside the next day...but so what? How is that different from any other apartment complex?

All in all, I'd say this is an awesome place to live. If you want to live in Chandler and not pay an arm and a leg in rent each month, then this is the place for you. It's only a mile from the Chandler Mall and it's close to everything else, too (including the 101, 202 and I-10 freeways). Where else can you live in Chandler for under $700 a month that is still really nice and where you can feel safe? In almost a month, we've never seen the cops here once. From what I understand, most all of the other affordable places in Chandler are crime-infested. I think most of Boston Square's residents know how lucky they are to live here, as the apartments are almost always all full. If you're lucky enough to find a vacancy...rent here!

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