Okay... there's been a complete (or ALMOST complete) change of office staff, since I wrote my original review (seen below). I must say, it's been a HUGE improvement! The new property manager has really whipped things into shape. The parking has improved greatly... the new property manager has been cracking down on people with more cars, or full garages. In the evenings, the open parking is still primarily in the back corner, but there's plenty of it. Aside from that, the new office staff is very friendly, and the maintenance crew seems to be much more efficient. The last time we had to call them, it only took one call, and we didn't get any extra calls from the front office, except for a follow up call to make sure things were still in working order. I don't know what was going on, before, but it seems like Shea has finally got things figured out... at least where Madrid is concerned. My only lasting reservation is the price, but it's about par for the course for this area. Now, I feel that I can recommend this complex.

(Original Review, posted 2/16/2006)

My husband has lived in Madrid for 3 years. I moved in 2 years ago, after we got married. At first it wasn't too bad, since we only had one vehicle, and actually adhered to the guidelines of our lease by using the garage for parking instead of storage.

Unfortunately, as soon as we purchased a second vehicle, we realized what a nightmare the parking situation is! It's pretty much guaranteed that we'll have to park on the opposite end, back corner of the complex if we come home after 5:30 or 6pm. I'm sure it wouldn't be nearly as much of a problem if the management team would actually do something about enforcing their own rules. According to our lease, each apartment is allowed one assigned garage or parking space, and up to two vehicles. The assigned garage is to be kept clean, so that there is room for a car, at all times. Unfortunately, I know for a fact that there are at least 3 or 4 garages that are full from top-to-bottom, front-to-back. I'd be willing to say that there are more than that, but I haven't seen into all the garages. On top of that, there are at least 2 or 3 apartments that have more than 2 vehicles. Needless to say, by the time you subtract the parking, and add the extra vehicles, it's a formula for disaster.

Supposedly, they've been working on parking passes - tags that residents would be required to keep in/on their cars to indicate that they are, in fact, allowed to park there. Of course, they've been saying that the entire time we've lived there, so I don't look forward to that happening anytime soon.

Maintenance - wow. That could definitely use some help, although I think a lot of the problems should actually be on the management's shoulders. Like last summer, when they decided that it would be a good idea to resurface the pool area, shutting it down completely, for the ENTIRE MONTH OF JUNE!!! Let's see here... that's kind of the "official" start of summer. Not to mention that's when it really starts getting hot for the summer. Oh sure, what better time to shut down the pool for a whole month'! I'd love to meet the person who made that final decision - so I could smack them upside the head. Then there's the fact that the management doesn't even know what the maintenance crew is doing... every time we have to call for something to be fixed, we NEVER get to talk to a live person - it's ALWAYS an answering machine. The maintenance crew is usually there within 24 hours (although sometimes they don't quite understand the problem, so we have to call them to come back a second time). But then we'll get a call from the front office (2 or 3 days later), asking for more details on the problem, so they can send someone down to fix it. Somehow, that doesn't seem all that professional to me, when I know more about what your employees are doing than you do.

Anyway, I guess it's not totally a bad place to live, but considering how much they charge for rent... I definitely would NOT recommend renting from Madrid (or ANY other Shea Property).

User Responses
From: annoyedonthenet	Date: 03/07/2006
SAWMKT - Right. Heaven forbid that someone actually put this website to its intended use, by reviewing their apartment. Instead, let's all just fight and argue like little children. That's SO productive.

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