The apartment itself would be perfect if the other million things were fixed... where to begin...

My neighbors beneath me play loud music constatly and we repeatedly have caught teens buying drugs & smell smoke (both legal & illegal) from downstairs nightly. Our other neighbor's children seem to love playing with rocks and sticks... sharp rocks make for lame, cheap landscaping and the most dangerous kickball field ever! I'm not just being a puss about this, the landscaping is a couple of palm trees, and random square rocks ranging from 1-2 feet high, with random stagnant fountans throughout the property. We have no grass, that was only a cosmetic addition to the front of the property.

Speaking of fountains... many are stagnant bug breeding grounds, for those bugs that haven't found the stagnant puddles from all of the broken sprinklers throughout the property. I too was promised the water bill would be $20/mo and it has been consistently upwards of 40-60 which is awful since it's not even always on.

I can't speak from personal experience, but one of my elderly neighbors was visiting family out of state for a couple months and returned home to water bills over $40... I find it unlikely that we're not paying for at least part of the pools, broken sprinklers, useless fountains... when they're on.

Yes, that's right, the water gets TURNED OFF for the entire complex. Even when they send out notice of the inconvenience (for instance, from 10am to 4pm on a given day) the water will actually be turned off on a day before or after, and usually overnight (the worst was 2pm - 11am... I went to work unshowered and annoyed that I was forced to get take-out, because i wasn't able to cook in my own home.)

As for maintenence, one week if you're LUCKY. From day one I knew they would be slow. I didn't have hot water for the first two weeks! The condition of my unit when I entered was nothing like the model, i gave them a laundry list of things that really needed to be fixed like broken lighting fixtures, doorknobs that wouldn't close correctly let alone lock, no hot water, filthy kitchen,leaky faucets, no mail keys (which meant the last gross tenants still had them eww)... I moved in 8/31 and these items in the apt were fixed 11/11, the one day we didn't want them there... it was my boyfriend's birthday. Just adding to the inconvenience of it all.

The complex has changed management... maintenence has not improved. In the first week the temp got over 90, we went to turn on the A/C and got nothing. It took maintenence TWO WEEKS to get to us... and this was with us calling everday AND the complex listing this as one of a handful of maintenence complaints that merited emergency service.

The new management is no better than the original management. The only difference is now when I come to pick up packages or pay my rent the property manager tries to sell me on living here, ignoring the fact that her coworkers don't seem to have any problem remembering that I live here. I don't expect people to remember my name or what apt number I'm in... but how do you build a sense of community when you treat all of your residents like they're just an easy mark for an easy sell every time you see them' Mind you, this has been going on for MONTHS now... this wasn't just the first time we met or something forgivable like that. Insult to injury when you're already not impressed.

They are currently repainting the white complex dark brown with light brown accents to cover up the dirt rather than clean. No word on when my building will be painted so the entire contents of my patio have been moved into my home... they had no scheule whatsoever for the convenience of their tenants. The only thing the leasing office COULD tell me is that the painter's weren't liable for personal items painted brown.

Parking lots have little to no light, and I've had closer spots to where I wanted to be at amusement parks. You can forget about the uncovered unassigned spots for guests they are always taken. The "gated" community always has at least one broken gate, not that it would matter because most of the would-be criminals live in the complex already.

Live somewhere else. We've been counting down to the end of our lease since week one. VERY dissapointing because the apt layouts themselves held such promise and it's right off the I-17, next to a safeway, banks, blah blah blah... even with all the convenience of the location, we are OUTTA HERE.

User Responses
From: ds83	Date: 12/08/2006
Hi, this is the author of this post, checking back in! Hopefully, you the reader will see the vast majority of seriously negative reviews and look elsewhere! I find it hilarious that the management posted RIGHT AFTER ME a glowing review that had nothing to do with any of the larger maintenence issues I addressed. Notice all of the following reviews are at least as negative as mine, if not WORSE. To prove I'm not just a whiner, let me make a recommendation. North Phoenix IS a lovely place, I moved a whopping three blocks from this hellhole and I'm in LOVE with my new apartment complex. My overall message would be DEAR GOD move ANYWHERE but BELL LAKES, but if you liked the neighborhood but were scared off by the reviews of this place (and RIGHTFULLY SO) there are LOTS of other WAY better options! Even curled up in my car would have been better than the year of my life wasted stressing over Bell Lake's lies and incompetence. I am SO glad I moved away!!!!!
From: JWayne	Date: 03/13/2007
Glad you are enjoying your new residence. I will mention to everyone that there are no separate water meters for every individual apartment. There is only one water meter per building with payment divided equally among all the occupying building tenants. Good news; If you have a large family or use a lot of water the rest of the water conserving tenants pay for part of it.
From: Anonymous	Date: 11/08/2007
So let me get this straight.. the GOOD news was that my apt with two people was allowed the privilege of paying for the family downstairs with three kids that also let their sister & brother in law and their child move in with them under your nose? Yes I am so happy to know I was paying the water bill for 8 other people at least, and that was only the section of building I KNEW. You really ARE going to hell, you know that, right?
From: azprincess21	Date: 01/13/2008
ya you know what? they let some jagholes move in downstairs. it is three couples, each with two kids. nice to know that myself and my child are paying for all of this. i am a single mom!
From: Anonymous	Date: 10/21/2008
azjason412, go f--k yourself.
From: dgumbys	Date: 10/21/2008
UPDATE from the author: So I posted this in '06 and I drive by now and again just for shits & giggles... the side gate is STILL BROKEN and wide open TWO YEARS LATER!!! Management has changed hands at least three times since I was unfortunate enough to move here. Doesn't seem to matter who is in charge, they only want your money for a one year lease and then they move on to another victim! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY! I cannot stress enough... no move-in deal on the PLANET is worth what this place provides.
From: azjason412	Date: 11/03/2008
Funny thing is right now they are turning away people because they are full. So your crying and whining doesnt help now does it. HA HA Loser....
From: mamapepper	Date: 12/10/2008
I just posted a review and though I would Never recommend this place, I wanted to say that the landscaping is actually very beautiful here. . . I do; however, agree that the water situation at this complex is pretty bad. I never had my water shut off, but I never had hot water either. . .and I felt that their "system" of payment for shared water heaters was pretty lame considering I live with just myself and two very small children who barely use ANY water by themselves, yet I had to pay my water bill based on THREE people living here. . . It ran about $65 per month, and again, based on water I wouldn't drink, or get a hot shower in, that was pretty steep. As I said in my own review, this place isn't HORRIBLE, but I guess it depends on what your comfort level is on whether or not you would want to pay your money to this complex vs. another.
From: Anonymous	Date: 12/11/2008
Yes I remember those $60 water bills. We were an apartment of 2 with an apartment of 8 downstairs, 4 adults and 4 children. I now own a home, my water bill is MAYBE $50 tops and that is WITH a dishwasher, washing machine, pool, sprinklers, etc. etc. etc. To think I paid over $150 more for an apt with less than 1/2 the square footage of my home pool yard now... just sick. And the gates... yeah, those are never getting fixed. They have literally been broken off & on and then 100% off since the end of '05. Hope you find a nicer place to live & happy holidays.
From: mesarose123	Date: 01/13/2009
Ok In april My water bill was 70.00!!!! For a one bedroom. I was told that my water bill would be no more then 40.00. I hate this place. I have only 3 more months then I am out of here!!

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