Earlier this year, I made the move from homeownership to apartment living. A move I regrettably had to make, from past or previous experiences with apt communities. But, I found Westlake, was impressed with the grounds near the entrance and assumed the rest of the property was maintained. I was shown a model and found the the one bedroom to be roomy, although pricey. I was given a preferred employer discount on entry fees and one month free. Little did I know, that those perks were going to have strings attached to them. Parking for one, is next to impossible, especially around the clubhouse and community mailbox. Just stopping in to make a rent payment or pick up mail is next to impossible - quicker to walk to the entrance then to try and find a parking space, especially after 5pm. The complex at times has felt like a frat house considering all the students they seem to rent units to. I had a two bedroom across the hall and 5 guys living in it, who liked to party hard nightly. Cosmetically, the walls in my apt werepainted before move in but the carpet was fluffed to appear new. Huge grease stains, or beverage spills are visible in the main areas. The cabinets in the apts look like leftover 1970's plywood units, from a camper or trailer - not as described in all their literature or on rent.com. I have yet to find the private entrance for each unit, as listed on rent.com. Everyone shares open, exposed stairwells. These stairs are usually at times hangouts for people to hangout and party, the remenants of which are left behind on the stairs and outside apt's when the fun is over - beer cans, bottles, and ciggie butts and cartons. The valet trash is not collected daily and in the hot florida sun, can become quite rank through the hallways and stairwells. And the maintenance crew, look like the prison volunteers used for road way trash pickup. However the prison chaingangs I have seen down here work alot harder than our maintenance staff. You either find large groups of them hanging out at the clubhouse, gawking at the young female bathers, or riding around in golf carts, chain smoking. Please to have the community walkways, hallways, and stairwells cleaned, although promised by management, has never been attempted. I don't invite friends over, because of the trashy walkway issues and poor lighting. Other than a few security lamps in the parking areas, the grounds especially the entrance is quite dark, after the sun goes down. I also found out that the complex offers section 8 housing. I have spoken to several tenants who are paying far less for their new apt, then what Im paying, which leads me to believe, rent is based on income or one's ability to pay - if you make more you'll pay more - management states this is not section 8. Considering the age and outward appearance of many of the renters, I dont see where many of them could afford the rent Im paying for a one bedroom. They have a fancy entrance and have spent most of this year making it look grand, but have sorely neglected the rest of the property and it shows. Pool is never accessible at the same time, and is rarely cleaned. The workout room is small and never cleaned. Renter Beware!!!

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 08/27/2007
First of all... I must say that I agree with most of what you wrote, however you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. I am a college student living on my own. I work over 40 hours a week in order to pay my rent for a one bedroom apartment ($805 a month) and am taking 5 classes at UCF on top of internships, etc. You shouldn't look at people and assume that they can't afford it because of what they look like... I'm 21 years old and doing a lot better for myself than some people twice my age. As far as the rest of your rating goes, I would have to agree about the poor lighting and dirty hallways. Parking is a nightmare, especially when you live in building 10.. not to mention that is the same building that maintanence works out of, so they are constantly hanging out outside doing nothing! I too feel that I was taken advantage of when I signed a lease at Westlake, and trust me... Under no circumstances will I renew my lease!

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