I was planning to move to this place until I found out how dishonest and sneaky they are. Theres a lot of hidden fees they don't tell you until you have already sign your lease and there is no way to proof because is your word againts theirs.
The model that they show you is completely different to the one you get. Sometimes a "good deal" is not such thing. If they show you an apartment that is what you should expect to get, but they try to accomodate you in the worst one that is not even clean. Believe me, it happens to a couple of couples we know and we were planning to move there after our lease was up to save carpooling but we didn't wanted to go through what many others have had to go through. Let me give you a few examples of how sneaky and dishonest these people are:
1: You have to pay to change keys for the mailbox. But they don't mentioned that until the day you are moving and go to the office to get the key.
2: If you don't like the apartment they assign you because is dirty or it is in the worst place in the complex they try to put you in another one, for a fee, of course of thirty dollars or more to pay for the "ammenities" like a new carpet that by law they have to provide a place in fair condition.
3: They refuse to fix anything that is not terribly damage unless it is mold.
4: They don't want to tell you or show you the actual apartment you are getting until the day you are moving with the excuse it is not "finished" but it will be "finished" on that exact day.
5: If you like a particular area, according to them you, they can't tell you if there is anything available until one or two weeks around the time you are moving. Strage becaus tenants have a thirty day notice before the end of their lease!!
6: They always tell you that the "special" end at the "end of the week" to get you with the deposit and other applicable fees that are unrefundable if you decide not to rent there.
7: There is also a color lady at the office that has no manners or any proffesionalism nor courtesy. She is a beast.
Believe me, there is much more but I don't remember at this moment but if I do I will come back and edit this post.
I advice any prospective tenants to pay attention and check the local laws for tenants/landlords of Bradenton since I am sure this people don't comply with many of them and they are dishonest as many people have express here. For those and many other reasons they scare us to the point that even though we wanted to be close to our friends, we decided to pass so we could avoid been stress out by these sneaky and deceitful place... It wasn't worth the aggravation our friends had to go through and we didn't wanted to be another of their unsuspecting victims...
BE AFRAID... BE VERY AFRAID!! Based of what my friends went through I wouldn't recommend this place to ------!!! TO STALIN! NOT EVEN TO BLAD THE IMPALER!!!

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 03/16/2009
WOW. I moved in prior to a fee being charged for the mailbox keys so I called the Office to find out what the fuss was about. Braden Lakes does NOT own the mailboxes the USPS service does and the USPS is who is CHARGING a $25.00 deposit for a key which you will get back when you return the key. Sounds like you did not have your facts straight. And why are you adressing the prior person as "lady"? How ignorant. And lastly, why would you comment on someones race? I can see by your post that the real problem is racism by calling someone "colored" and "lady".
From: jerryatwater71	Date: 03/23/2009
Um...if a maintenance could do the job of installing carpet. He would be a carpet installer and probably make better money. Go anywhere and try to get your house done for 1000.00 or less. Won't happen. I can get it done for about 1000.00 because I do volume business with the carpet company. They'll do it for 1000.00 because they know I'm going to need more carpet later. As far as false advertising, I would love to see anywhere in a lease that you can show that we(apt. communities) falsely advertise anything. As for reviews, talk smack about Braden Lakes all you want, it's not my property, so I could care less what you think of them. I am commenting on your lack of intelligence. Do your homework before you spout crap. Call Sherwin-Williams, House of Floors, CCD, Quality Interiors, and any other carpet company(those are just ones I have used in the past)you can think of. I'll bet you can't get them to do your carpet installation for an amount significantly less than 1000.00. Don't write back that they would do it for 988.00. That's semantics. I don't know Braden Lakes exact floor space. I do know all of my 3/2's are about 1100-1300 if you replace carpet and vinyl. 2/2's are about 1040-1200 with carpet and vinyl replacemant
From: Anonymous	Date: 04/10/2009
UPDATED: SINCE WHEN HAPPY TENANTS THAT ENJOY THE "BLESSINGS" OF LIVING IN A GREAT PLACE AND HAVE THE NEED TO SEARCH FOR APARTMENTS SINCE THEY DON'T NEED TO WASTE THEIR TIME RANTING LIKE LITTLE CHILDREN OVER SOME STRANGER OPINIONS??? HE HE HE... I THOUGHT THAT ONLY PEOPLE WHOM ARE SEARCHING FOR AN APARTMENT ARE THE ONES WHO WORRY ABOUT REVIEWS OR MANY OTHER THINGS!!! BUSTED! :-o BY THE WAY... ARE THOSE PERSIAN CARPETS EXPORTED DIRECTLY FROM INDIA?? HA HA HA... SAY, THERE IS "ONE" BORNED EVERY MINUTE BUT NOONE IS THAT STUPID TO PAY 1,000 FOR A CARPET AND I KNOW THAT NO COMPLEX WILL CHANGE THE CARPET EVERY YEAR NOR THEY PAY ANYONE TO INSTAL IT WHEN THEIR HOURLY LOW PAY EMPLOYEES CAN DO THE JOB!!! PLEASE... STOP FIGHTING FOR A LOST COST SINCE EVEYTIME YOU ENTER TO TRY TO EXPLAIN YOUR TRICKS YOU TIGHT THE ROPE TIGHTER TO YOUR NECK... STOP WITH YOUR DISHONEST WAYS AND MAYBE IN THE FUTURE YOU WILL HAVE BETTER REVIEWS. NOW, I'M DONE WITH YOU SINCE YOU ARE SO DISHONEST THAT ANYONE WHO PAYS ATTENTION WILL NOTICE THAT EASILY. PROSPECTIVE TENANTS... MAKE THESE LEASE AGENTS TO SHOW YOU THE APARTMENT THAT YOU ARE GOING TO LIVE IN BEFORE YOU SIGN THE LEASE. IF IS NOT EXACTLY AS THE ONE THEY SHOW YOU, YOU CAN STILL BRAKE THE LEASE ON THE GROUNDS OF FALSE ADVERTISEMENT. AND IF THERE IS NO GROUNDS BECAUSE FLORIDA IS THE MOST UNFAIR STATE AGAINST THE MOST INNOCENT, STILL CALL THE TV, NEWS ON YOUR SIDE AND MAKE SOME NOISE UNTIL SOMEONE HEARS YOUR "PAIN" AND MAKE THESE____ PISSED ON THEIR PANTIES!!! TALK WITH THE CITY ALSO AND GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT LEASE PROVISIONS AND LEGALITIES AND DON'T LET THESE INDIVIDUALS GET AWAY WITH THEIR DISHONESTY. OH! ANOTHER THING, THEY DON'T LET YOU PICK ANYTHING!! I KNOW! MANY TIMES YOU END UP WHICH APARTMENT IS YOURS THE DAY YOU MOVE, AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT... UFF! THERE COMES THE $$$$ EXTRAS AND TRICKS SINCE THEY ARE GOING TO GIVE YOU A "BETTER APARTMENT"!!! ANYHOW, IF AFTER ALL THAT HAVE BEEN SAID YOU STILL WANT TO MOVE... THERE... BY ALL MEANS! HAVE YOUR OWN "EXCITING ADVENTURE"!!! I REST MY CASE!------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ First of all, Don't kill the messenger cause you don't like the message. Most likely before you read this post you never heard of those characters of History, but nevertheless, this is not a grammar competition. As per your peculiar and "I hang myself post I must reply with the following statements" #1. Braden lakes is the only community(THE ONLY ONE!)that have issues with the mailbox. Don't come here lying!!! #2. And for the carpet issue, no, of course there is no law for that but who is going there?? Don't change the subject. If a tenant rents an apartment in you complex thinking that he/she is getting something like the model that you show to prospective tenants(victims)and they decided that is not as favorable as expected is totally dishonest to charge for fixtures that normally any landlord should supply without asking for compensation for them. Have you ever heard of normal tear and wear which landlords are not supposed to charge for?? Of course if you installed a new carpet because after years of constant use it is expected that should be change since legally the apartment should be in livable condition and is something that apartment complexes will have to do sporadically, why then you people come to the conclusion that you should stick the tenant with the cost when it is your obligation to rent the apartment in reasonable condition and not to trick renters that already have no choice but take whatever you have available because they are already in a position where the cannot turn back and changes their minds! At least not without loosing their money and most likely having to sleep in someone elses home until they find another place!! Besides, is ridiculous how even you hang yourself with your answers since if there are something filthy or stains in the walls or counters they should at least be given a coat of pain. Any future tenant should check this place from top to bottom if they still decide to live there. a gallon of the cheap paint apartment complexes use should be more than enough to get rid of black or water stains, but they are so greedy that they don't want to even spend on that. Why should I fix and paint your apartment??? ANd why, God why should I write down things that aren't right when you should have this place already ready for the new tenant. You just hang yourself a second time by admitting that there is possible things that you don't fix... and is true!!! I have been a witness to that!!!! but thankyou for your been so "candid" (not on purpuse of course!) #3. Two cover also this one!! #4. Lady, if something needs to be fix IT SHOULD BE FIX and new tenants shouldn't have a walk through where there is 20 things that aren't right, like moldy stains in the inside of counters or counter tops that seem to have a symptons of a terminte infestation, then, they should be taken care of. The reason you don't show apts that aren't finished lady is because you don't want to scare away prospective tenants nor deal with having to fix for most of the things that most likely should be fix... that is what you have been instructed to do and since you have grown as callase as your masters you don't care that you share also their dishonesty. #6: The reason you get to keep money is because by the time a tenant realizes what he/she has gotten into is too late and they are force to either lose their money or stay. and yes... you probably do that all the time! ;-) that is the first truth you wrote. #7. The statement that it was made was to enphasized the and distinguish the individual but it is clear that you are all cut by the same scissors. By the way, don't you send me to check laws. Is unfortunate that in the state of Florida very few laws have been written to favored tenants and instead landlords are not only covered and can get rid of a tenant for anything but also they get away with many not so good deeds. If these situations were in New Jersey, Illinois, NY or PA it would have been a different story. IN these states as many others Landlords are responsible for keeping tenants safe. To avoid unnecessary noise. For repairs, and many other just situations that they are obligated to followed or they can be in big trouble with the city of the particular county or state. And the reason you and many are more flexibe now in many aspects like lower rents is for the fact that people is leaving Florida due to the lack of jobs and many apts and duplexes are empty and many landlords are now willing to negotiate prices just to make it even, thus, the reason you see so many "For rent" signs everywhere.... And lastly, Lady, I am not the only one that has wrote a comment about this place. How come you didn't make a comment about the other post that others wrote here??? and by the way... how do you sleep at night?? Or do you think that pilatus was free of guilt just by washing his hands??? Tell you boss that every one deserves to live exactly as he does! I rest my case! NEWSFLASH!! As per you silly reply(jerryunderwaterdrowning)he he he, let me tell you that you are probably the manager or owner of this property when so passionately are fighting for a lost cause!!! First of all, in many apartment complexes, if not all, usually is the maintenance or other employees whom also put carpet on the premises. I have seen it many times myself. Second: DON'T BE RIDICULOUS! What owner is going to put a thousand 1,000 dollar carpet in an apartment?? Who's that stupid???? ha ha ha ha ha. I have seen on tv commercials of offers in carpets at very low prices even below 300.00 for an entire house including installation. Are you going to tell me that you use topnotch carpet for your apartments???? allow me!!! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! But to end this sterile "discussion", since you don't seem to have a drop of common sense nor a concience, let me again make others aware that if you do decide to live in this place chances are you will regret it. I know at this particular moment 2 couples living there whom can't wait to move out. Check the reviews and be careful. Ask them for everything in writing. Tape record them for your own benefit in case you have to fight them, and ask them to be outfront about any fees or other items that you should be aware off before you sign the lease. Also tell them that you want an apartment that looks exactly as the model they show you and if they don't comply, file a complained againgts this crooks with the attorney general and BBB after you have put them in evidence with the city of Bradenton and if that doesn't work there's plenty of resources that you can use to expose this individuals.

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