Arbors

Pros and Cons... debating my choice

From: celtalitha2
Date posted: 12/28/2006
Years at this apartment: 2006-01-01 - 2006-01-01
1 response

I've lived here since March; my lease is up next month, and I'm currently debating whether to move out or renew.

Here are my thoughts to take into consideration:

Positives:

- Cute complex: huge trees like you'll rarely find in Arizona.

Very close to ASU; walking distance from Mill Avenue, with access to free neighborhood Flash bus.

Also, despite being so close to campus, it seems quite reasonably peaceful and quiet around here.

no huge loud parties to be spoken of, or at least that I've experienced.

In sum, the location itself is pretty much perfect -particularly for a student, or a younger person working in the Tempe area, or pretty much anyone who doesn't have a car (like me).
- My experience with the office staff has been thus far entirely positive.

This is good, considering how often I need to speak to them about maintenance issues...
- Swimming pools seem to be clean and well-maintained, when they are actually open.

- Parking is plentiful, with assigned and un-assigned spots as well as on-street parking.

No covered parking though.
- No bugs.

Contrary to other reviewers on here, I have never seen a cockroach in my apartment, ever.

I think I had one or two beetly-things in the summer.

Nothin else.

Negatives:
- First of all, right after I signed my lease they raised the rent.

The current going rate for a 317' studio is something like $580 a month.

Now, I understand that we are very close to the university (one of my main reasons for choosing it) and in a nice neighborhood (not at all scummy and ghetto-ish like others I looked at on the Rural/Lemon side) so this figures into the value.

But I still think this is a lot, considering the quality of the actual apartment (as explained below).

Also: water and garbage/sewer are NOT included in the base rent, as they are in most apartment complexes - so count on between $20-$35 dollars extra per month for one person in a studio.

They told me $7-$14.

That's bogus.

I'm rarely even home, I take brief showers, and it's usually $30.
- The apartments are very old, and it shows.

While common repairs are inevitable in an old complex, the upkeep they do here seems more often than not to be of the shoddy masque-the-issue and deal-with-it-later variety.

For example: the bathroom! The tub, firstly, has been painted over with some sorta caulk-like substance presumably to freshen it up for me, the new renter and this stuff is peeling like paint all over the center of the tub, from ordinary wear.

The other caulking was already peeling all over the place when I moved in; I had them re-do it, and it's still badly done and peeling, because they simply squirted a little extra caulk on top of the moldy peeling old bits.

Additional things I ve called on: kitchen sink perpetually leaking under counter (gave up after 3 fixes), bathroom faucet leaking (3d visit they finally buckled and actually replaced the darned thing), showerhead breaking, tub overflowing, toilet malfunctioning.

Also, things I haven't called on but can be quite annoying: wall ac/heat unit only works on highest setting, and broken vents need to be scotch-taped open; water heater gives avg.

3-4 minutes of hot shower during winter months; cold air comes in/out freely thru huge gaps at front door; mini-fridge from the 70s freezes over with ice on the plastic door of the freezer part and won't shut completely.

I used to chip the ice off with a steak knife now and then, but took more than an hour, so finally gave up; plastic sink has irremovable rust-stains; and kitchen cabinets don't close all the way due to way too many layers of paint.

- Finally, general grounds upkeep could be organized better.

For example - the swimming pool by my apartment was closed, with no advance notice, for over a month during the very hottest part of summer while construction workers re-did the concrete of our (perfectly decent) swimming pool.

While it's lovely to get a new pool, must it really have been done in August'' Meanwhile, things like the water machine and payphone are consistently nonfunctioning.

No huge issue, just annoyances that go into value consideration.

In sum: very cute place, very nice locale; the office is obliging and helpful, and maintenance is available to come fix things quickly.

But there are SO many things to fix, it gets tiring calling them so danged often.

Basically - if the location, peace, and aura are worth getting very very well acquainted with your maintenance man, and if it's worth the price, live here; READ YOUR LEASE COMPLETELY, and do a complete walk-through and assessment on the first day; be persistant and professional about your requests, and all should be well with you.

If not...

go someplace else.

End rant.

:)

Last updated: 12/28/2006

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