I am a longtime resident of Braden Lakes Apartments. When I first moved in, the grounds, amenities, and management were great. Management was responsive to requests. Maintenance requests were usually completed within 24 hours. The grounds were neat, clean, and beautiful. Pest control was done on a monthly basis. They had community activities in the clubhouse including holiday cookouts and complimentary Sunday breakfasts for the residents. The cost for water, sewer, and trash services was included in our rent. And I felt safe walking the property. ALL OF THAT IS GONE NOW.

It seems like we get new management and/or owners almost every year. This property has gone completely down the tubes. No more community activities for the residents. And, we now have to pay separately for water, sewer, and trash services. The apartments, however, are not metered, so we are not being billed for our own actual water usage. They just somehow prorate it among the current residents, which is inaccurate and unfair billing.

Pest control and grounds maintenance are practically none existent. A month ago the lawn hadn t been mowed for six weeks. Then, finally, we had lawn maintenance for about a month. For a second time, the lawn hadn t been mowed again for about four weeks, and the grass was taller than my dog! Walking dogs on this property is hazardous because one never knows what s lurking in the grass snakes, ant hills, etc. But the grass was finally mowed today maybe because some residents had reported this to Manatee County. My guess is they just don t have the money to pay for grounds maintenance or pest control on a regular basis.

The swimming pool has been closed several times because it hadn t been cleaned and was green with algae. The onsite management staff doesn t answer its phones or return voice mail messages. Emergency maintenance requests usually get handled, but forget about any requests that aren t emergencies. They just don t get done. There s trash all over the place. And, have I mentioned the flooded parking lots and sidewalks' When it rains, you better have a rowboat to get to your car or at least knee-high boots!

Braden Lakes has had difficulty getting new residents to move in, so there are a lot of empty apartments. In an attempt to resolve the high vacancy, they have drastically reduced the move-in rent, almost by 50%, but we longtime residents are still paying almost twice as much as new residents! Some less than desirable elements are now moving in. I no longer feel safe walking the property. I m getting out of here just as soon as my lease expires, like many other longtime residents have done. RUN don t walk AWAY FROM THIS PLACE!

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