Answering all this nonsense (good and bad--honest)...
From:
becolberg
Date posted:
7/31/2007
Years at this apartment:
2007
-
2007
1 response
Overall, this community is nice and has the same "nuisances" as any other apartment community.
I read some of the reviews, so I'll touch on their complaints/comments, as well as touch on my own stuff.
About the property:
I moved to this property in April 2007, after moving back to Atlanta, from Virginia. They (Helen and Monique) were very helpful, with getting me set-up with an apartment and answering questions, via the internet/phone/fax. I found the apartment, while visiting Atlanta/job searching. Some of my friends are police officers, for DKPD, and live in this area (There is even a police officer, that just recently moved into the complex, and is an active "community officer"). The complex, eventhough gated, is just as easily accessed as any other neighborhood or area. It's important to know that crime is everywhere...and if someone wants something bad enough, they will get it...regardless of any deterrents in place. I am breaking my lease, and I am moving to a condo, in the same vicinity. Not because the complex is not nice or because I don't feel safe.
About the apartment:
My apartment was nice and spacious. I have a king-size bed and a lot of clothes, so I chose the 2BR/2BTH = CYPRESS (roommate split set-up). This floor plan is only available in the older phase--the older phase still seems new to me. My apartment had brand new carpet and hardwoods, when I moved in. The cabinets were maple, the appliances were white, and the counter tops were graphite gray. I noticed that the newer phase has the darker cabinets, and are more expensive--about $100 more/month, but has less bedroom space/square footage (both of my bedrooms were almost 13x13--that's huge for an apartment! Look around...You won't find any bigger for the price, and these are no more than 5 years old...), yet they are more expensive for no more than 20 square footage difference "bigger". The grounds are nice and well-kept. The pool is not very active--I believe that's because there are 3 of them, and everyone goes to the closest one... I love the access road--perfect to get into the city and home, when there's traffic. It is a pain, when moving...lots of circling between Clairmont and Shallowford... =).
About management, staff, and maintenance:
These are the things that I have experienced in my stay here as well as reasons you may or may not want to live here (everyone s requirements are different):
(1) The staff is friendly--even when I submitted my notice, to terminate my lease, after only paying one month s rent. lol =) **FYI - - The termination fee was 1 months rent, and they don t give you a hard time!
(2) The day before I moved in, I noticed my A/C filter needed to be changed and a light bulb was out in the bathroom both were fixed/replaced by the time I moved in the next day.
(3) My spare bathroom sink leaked which I never used, and I told the office. It was fixed the next day, when I got home note left on the counter by the maintenance man.
(4) I received UPS/FED-EX package notes the day they dropped at the office. No packages were ever returned.
(5) THIS IS NOT DISCLOSED BY THE OFFICE TEAM >>>>> I received my bill for the month, from this company called istla, or something like that. I guess AMLI has started outsourcing their billing for water, etc. to this company. This is not a good thing, because they charge $10.00/month for processing, on top of your usage. They also charge a one-time account set-up fee, of $20.00, the first month. I think this is stupid Think about how much your average water bill is, per month Maybe $20-30.00 right' That means, for a $20 water bill, 33% of your bill is this processing fee. For a $30 water bill, 25% of your bill is this processing fee. Anyway, back to the story I didn t turn my power on (my fault), the day my lease started, since I wasn t going to be living there, and didn t want to pay excessive $$. I couldn t move in, until about 15 days after my lease started, due to having to move from out of state I still wanted to secure the apartment. When I got my bill (which I was expecting to be small, since I hadn t started staying there, yet--furniture was still in VA), it was HUGE. It showed roughly $5.00 for electric, $5.00 and something for water and sewer. The bill was like $112.00 with only $10 or $12 of it being for actual usage. I looked into the charges further, calling this istla company who said they charged me $75.00, since I didn t turn on my power on my lease date I figured they would just charge me for my usage There was a $20.00 start-up fee and a $10.00 per month processing fee, too! The assured me the $20.00 was a one-time fee, and only the $10.00 was a monthly charge. I was furious a $112.00 bill for $10-$12 in usage. I think not. I expressed my annoyance to the leasing agent/accounting person in the office. She said it was an oversight they usually waive the fee/take it off the bill before you see it, in cases like these. She DID waive the $75.00 charge crediting my account, due to the usage being so low. I was happy about that. **I still think the $10.00 processing fee, for this company to bill your water/sewer/etc. is a rip-off. I already voiced that to the office and corporate they will probably do nothing as expected of anyone that thinks their new process for outsourcing system billings is great Why would they go back to the old way of doing it themselves, if they have someone doing for them, and they are passing off the fees to someone else ' I can see $1.00/month State Farm only charges $1.00, for monthly billing. I mean, really how hard is it to bill information that is fed into an automated system' I believe the extent of that task is hitting PRINT and mailing the envelope, and all for the high fee of $0.42. My beef is that the office staff should tell you about these hidden fees. These fees total $140, for the first year, and $120 for the second year and after. That s a lot of money people, and all for a stupid processing fee!!! It's a small detail for some, but should be included in their spill about the property...It's only fair for you to know about hidden fees if you are going to be FORCED to unexpectedly pay them
(6) Car / Apartment Break-ins: Yes This property, and any other property has them also, $1 million dollar houses down the street, gas stations, etc. My old complex, in Virginia Beach which is rated one of the safest places to live (2006), also had break-ins. Be smart! Get an alarm! Be alert. And, don t you have car insurance' That s what it s for. The complex gives you an alarm for your apartment--all you have to do is hook it up. If your car is as important to you as your person , get an alarm for it, too. FYI - - If you were a crook, looking to steal valuable things, would you go to a neighborhood in a poor area or a rich area' This is where cars will get broken into the most. Why break into a car that looks like a piece of crap chances of finding and stealing anything of value, when the person can t even afford a new car, is slim. And, if they can afford a new car, and they just have an old car because they think it s a waste to buy new cars These are not the people that are going to put in a $5000 stereo system for their 20 minute commute into the city! =)
(7) Location/Area/Crime (continued): This property is located in Dekalb County. If you want to live somewhere that is close to the city, it s perfect. I work in Midtown, and it takes me 20 minutes and 7 miles to get to work. That s why I moved to this property. Atlanta traffic sucks, in case you didn t notice. Anyone who thinks they can live close to the city, and will not be affected by the crime that is shown on TV (just about every night) is obviously deranged. Dekalb is NOT rated one of the safest places to live, but this area/property is probably one of the better corners of the county. I feel as safe in this property as I do in the suburbs, at Target, Publix, or Wal-Mart. It s ridiculous to think that you are going to find anything, anywhere near the city, that is going to be skipped over for crime, all because it has an automated gate one that anyone can slip through, or jump, or may be broken, etc. Crime is everywhere.
(8) Noise & Police: The Dekalb County Police Department is on the news just about every night. They have more important calls to answer than some stupid noise complaint. They are already understaffed (Hello! Watch the news!), and while THAT isn t a concern of you, as a renter, if they have to prioritize answering a robbery vs. answering a noise complaint call, I think you know which one they would choose. AND, honestly, the walls aren t any thinner or thicker than a house wall. The difference is you have someone below you, on top of you, and on both sides of you. If you don t like noise, and people on top of you and all around you, don t live in an apartment. This is something to be expected, when you group hundreds of people, in a confined space, with different schedules and sleeping habits, and different respect thresholds.
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