I was lured to Newbury because of a special they were offering. If not for the deal, the place isn't worth what you're paying if you consider you can rent elswhere that's newer; has laundry in every unit; is cleaner and doesn't have a dog path covered in feces.

The parking situation is horrible. You receive one parking space underground (see the comments on the flood that destroyed more than 100 cars a few years ago) and then have an option of either parking your remaining cars inside or outside (for a lesser charge). If you choose inside, you will get Lime stains on your car, which management will provide a cleaner for, but will still take you some time to scrub it off your car. If you choose outside, then you will be cramped into the unsecure overflowing lot on the side of the building that floods when it rains and is otherwise covered with sand and dirt. The lot is adjacent to the scetchy area behind the building. Many of the residents of the row houses back there actually cut through the parking lot to get to Washington Blvd. because there is no fence or security system preventing them from doing so.


But I will say this: The gym is the best you'll find anywhere. It's bigger and more up-to-date than any other rental you'll find.


However, the building is old. It was built in 1986. Even though management likes to say its 15 years old. Well, my math says its 23 years old. The apartments are extremely basic and outdated, like the old-school brown doors (which remind me of college dorm-room doors) and huge round door knobs that were in back in the '80s.


Many problems arise because of how old the building is. The biggest problem is cleanliness. First, when I received my apartment the cabinets were stained, smelt and had drip marks from previous tenants' food that had spilt. Management says, the building is old and that you can't expect your cabinets to be brand new. Second, the windows are disgusting. Check the blinds and window frames before moving in. They're gross. Management, again, says well the building is old and since it's a high-rise, window frames get dirty. But they're not going to get dirty on the inside!


There are only washer/dryers in select apartments. Otherwise, you have to do laundry in the hallway laundry rooms, which aren't maintained by management and are dirty, smell and are usually as hot as a suana, which just makes it even worse. You feel like your clothes aren't even clean when you're done!


The dog path isn't maintained, either. It's actually a beautiful dog path that is far superior than what many other rentals have. But residents, for some reason, don't pick up after their pets and management doesn't do anything to enforce this or to pick up after the residents.... leaving what could be a great place to bring your dog, into a smelly mess!


One of the things that bothered me when I visited Newbury was that they never show you a vacant apartment. They show you the actual apartment you will potentionally be renting, which is great, but someone is still living there. This makes it hard to see what the apartment is really like. You make the assumption that certain things you see will be cleaned up or fixed when the person moves out. But you're wrong.


You see, management and the maintenance and cleaning departments do the bare minimum before you move in. They hope you overlook the things they just patched up after the previous tenant moved out. But they allow you to make a checklist of things you find wrong with the apartment. They then say that they will do everything on the list. However, after checking with upper management, only certain items can be addressed. They then address those items, but tell you the entire time over and over again how they're going "above and beyond" for you. Well, if they did these things (like cleaning and replacing broken items) before you moved in, they wouldn't have to be doing them now.


But that's the way management likes it. They try to get away with stuff, but when they can't, they address the problems and try to say "look all we've done for you!" But why does the resident need to be put through this hassle'


The bottom line is you can get a much nicer apartment, minus the gym, elsewhere and pay the same or even less.


Since I've moved here, it's been nothing but a hassle. I wish there was a way to get out of my lease, but like management has made very clear, there isn't without paying a significant fee, so I'm stuck. Trust me, don't make the same mistake!

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