I don't know what the "grad student" reviewer a few posts down is smoking, but this is not the apartment for students for the following reasons. I am a grad student at a profesional school (law/med - do not want to reveal my identity). There were several of us living there whom have all moved out. My suspicion is that one of the ladies at the front desk wrote that review, as I know they do.
1) Rent is way expensive for what you get. The new lobby may be shiny and nice, but once you live there, you will understand my message.
2) My apartment was covered in plastic and filled with dust in the air for a whole month. Really. Imagine trying to study with plastic and plaster particles in the air - not going to happen. One of my computers was damaged this way. They reimbursed me 200 dollars or something for the "inconvenience" (huge understatement). Id rather PAY 200 dollars for them to stay out.
3) The street noise is really exists. I had to sleep with the fan on every night for a whole year. And since Miami drivers love their horns, I had a trucker wake me up at odd hours of the night almost weekly.
4) The maintenance people consistently barge into my apartment without notice, with this loud "MAINTENANCE KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK" wake up call (usually at 7-8am when I am tired from a late night of studying). After which, they open my door almost immediately. Except for ------, the rest of the folks are very rude. I have gotten into several arguments with most of them about having to notify tenants before entering - to no avail.
5) My car suffered substantial damages from what I suspect to be falling bricks from when they built a wall. It cost me about 1000 dollars to fix. I tried to get reimbursed, and they gave me the "insurance hotline" to a non-working number. Forget it, not getting my money back.
6) The ladies are the front desk are very rude and unprofessional. They are always on the defensive and care more about arguing then helping you out (which I don't understand, they are on a payroll and don't own the building). They even send letters chastising you personally, complete with personal attacks on your character for letting them know your disappointment with the living situation. As another reviewer said, they are nothing more than the worse of -----------, and nothing more.
7) It is way too expensive for what you get. If this apartment was 700 dollars per month, I may consider putting up with the BS. I moved into a cheaper apartment at one of the high rises. Really, don't waste your time here.
If you are anywhere serious about your career/grades, do not live here. The staff is unfriendly and inconsiderate. My grades have definitely suffered. At my new place, I am now getting comfortably in the top percentiles of my class. I consider myself a competitive student - 1550 was a nightmare for me. It really isn't worth living at 1550 - go else where, find something cheaper, and live a happier life. The only thing nice about the apartment is that the parking is convenient and since its a small apartment, you only have to go up a few floors to get to your room.
But that means going in the elevator, in which someone was stuck for 14 hours in one night because the police wouldn't come and the security guard was sleeping in his car. The same person was so angry with the place that they put fish down the side of the elevator, for added aroma every morning and night.
Don't waste your time here, go elsewhere.

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 02/03/2009
Lived at 1550 Brickell from 2002-2005 (3 Years), my first apartment in Miami. Just have to say that I agree with your assessments completely. Of course I have mixed feelings about the complex, because the experience wasn't all that bad until the last year. I'll never understand why the owner just doesn't have the elevators fixed and ask the staff to be more courteous to the tenants. I do get a kick out of stopping by apartmentratings.com every few months, it's like stepping back in time and having everything stay the same. Advice: Keep all documents; also document everything with pictures and witnesses. Small claim court is a no lawyer deal that you can recoup some of you money when things go wrong like this. It's no big deal to be litigious, especially when you are in the right and really only take a few forms to fill out.
From: blasphemy123	Date: 02/04/2009
I was an undergrad student at UM while at 1550 Brickell... I had the same problems as you. The place is too damn noisy, the elevators are perpetually broken, the maintenance staff "------------------" and the management are pathological liars. What happened with the fish??? I remember the smell from the elevator after someone put a fish down the elevator shaft. I did not know what it was, but one of the contractors there told me that fish had been thrown into the elevator shaft and that a HAZMAT crew had to be dispatched to clean up the odor/bacteria. I see 1550 slum apartments have only gotten worse since I left...
From: downwith1550	Date: 02/14/2009
I have such a hard time finding peace and quiet at 1550. The place sounds like the title of a 70's horror flick: "Slums of Brickell: The horrors of living at ------------'s 1550".......
From: Anonymous	Date: 05/01/2009
1550 Brickell offers "immigrant luxury". Better yet, 3rd world immigrant luxury.
From: Anonymous	Date: 09/19/2009
I too, get a kick out of stopping by here every few months to get a laugh. I lived here back in 2005 and it seems that nothing has changed. The best part of 1550 was LEAVING at the end of my lease. I lived through Wilma at this place-it was horrendous with mold and water in the apartment only to have the douche bag owner threaten to sue me if I left...what a laugh! Anyway, I stayed until the end and have been happily at another apartment which is beautiful and has fantastic staff! 1550 is definitely a slum!
From: Anonymous	Date: 10/16/2009
We're certainly glad you left too! I am much happier with my happy neighbors than unhappy people. I'm not sure where you're "passing by" that nothing has changed because I was also here during Wilma and if you think things are the same you should get some serious help. Good luck being so miserable you still have to talk trash about a great community that was able to pick itself back up after the hurricane and stand out above the rest!
From: Anonymous	Date: 10/20/2009
You sound like one of the chongas who works in the office. Go back to the jungle!

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