I would like to share my experience about the Darlington Apartments from day one after hearing from actual tenants and reading posts on this website.
Firstly, I would like to tell you a little about myself and what I am trying to accomplish. I am a student at Georgia State University (sophomore), have two jobs, live in the city and do not live here YET( my shortened resume). I am trying to honestly inform apartment seekers and tenants about this complex, the good and the bad, get other apartment seekers to develop their own way of evaluating apartments
and assessing their own needs and wants, and to improve the "D" for myself, present and future tenants.
My first experience with the Darlington was by word of mouth which lead me to the internet (Rent.com and ProMove Reality) shortly after. After two unanswered and unreturned phone calls a third call was made and was answered by a friendly voice who answered all of my questions and invited me to see the property. I was used to the unanswered calls because previously I had been apartment hunting and other leasing offices and realtors hadn't returned calls either. I decided to stop in the next day and see for myself. At the office I was made to wait initially, but with patience made my way to the front of the line and the apparently slow service. I briefly spoke to one leasing agent and then was handed off to another to be shown the model. This representative took his time with me and answered all of my questions thoroughly and confirmed answers that he didn't know. I even asked to be shown other apartments that were available. An apartment is a yearly investment of several thousand dollars so I came prepared with a list and criteria such as: Questions about rent price, 6 months, 1 year, prorating, floor plans, dimensions, bedrooms, amenities, maintenance, billing i.e. water, electric, gas, cable, internet, facilities. Criteria you may have are: which floor, the view you may want, how many beds and baths, balconies or decks, wood flooring, central air and heat, public transportation access, security, assigned parking spaces, ceiling height etc. I asked so many questions that day. I asked questions that I knew the answer to just to confirm what I had been told and what I read. YOU CAN NEVER ASK TOO MANY QUESTIONS. I made note of some things as well such as the hallways: were they lighted well' carpet or tile' were the walls of the hallway in good condition' how was the smell' did tenants have doormats or wreaths' I checked for these things in the model: Water... hot came from hot tab cold from cold tab, the pressure of the water, the color...was it brown or yellow' were there any specks or grime coming from it' Seriously, you can expect these things from old and new buildings i.e. 710 Peachtree. Run the water for a minute or two to be sure. Flooring: wood, carpet or tile' what flooring is in the kitchen and bathroom also the landing as you walk in' does it get replaced' is it in good condition' Kitchen: Check the range and oven. does it have a fume hood' Check the refrigerator and cabinets. does it have a microwave' where can you put it and how many and where are the appliance outlets' Bathroom: Check for outlets approved in wet areas. Check the water, sink and tub including condition of the shower head. is the tub plastic, porcelain, or metal' check for water damage everywhere even ceiling and behind cabinets. is the room ventilated' Bedroom and Living Areas: Check for overhead ambient lighting fixtures' if no overhead fixtures are present then you have to do indirect lighting i.e. lamps, sconces, candles. how does the HVAC work' Check the condition, number and where cable, DSL, telephone, speaker terminals and outlets are. Open windows. All of this to say CHECK EVERYTHING THAT IS OF IMPORTANCE TO YOU. I wasn't given a list I made one. These are just some of the things on the list I made. What does it hurt to check and double check' The reps are paid to show you so take your time because you will in turn pay them.
I was satisfied with the property and what I had seen so I asked for an application and any fees that were included with it. At the Darlington there is a $25 student app fee and for non students the fee is $50. There is also a $150 administration fee which is non-refundable and is used to prepare your apartment. Not including a deposit if necessary up to $300. $200 fee for cats if you have any, and no dogs allowed. The next day I brought the required items back, turned in the papers, PLUS I TOOK MY MOM (my extra set of eyes, ears, nose, and experience) to see the model and assess the complex. Another rep, a nice young woman, processed my application with a little confusion, which was cleared up a day later. The experience has been alright so far.
Things I've learned so far:
CHECK EVERYTHING
ASK QUESTIONS
REVIEW APPLICATION, TERMS AND CRITERIA
A VALUED,TRUSTED, AND HONEST SECOND OPINION
The GOOD things (initial):
A very patient and helpful staff that will return your phone calls and on occasion call you to let you know when things are ready. Even after the first fluke when they didn't answer or return calls. In fact, I have only had two unanswered calls where it went to voicemail since.
The model is fully furnished and operable allowing you to see what your place might look like.
The grounds are nicely manicured.
Fulfilled more positive criteria than negative criteria for me and what I was expecting.
The BAD things (initial):
Hallway carpet was stained and spotty but clean. Some of the lights were out in the hallway. Food smells from tenants filled the air because of lack of hallway ventilation. Very low hallway ceiling height. Vents in model looked like they hadn't been cleaned. Empty/unfinished alcohol bottles in the stairwell. Shopping carts in stairwell (didn't bother us but you should know).

THERE'S MORE!!! More positive and negative comments in next post. More details about the "D"
Continue to Part 2 of 3 Move-in Phase

User Responses
From: CiTySqUiRrEl15	Date: 04/06/2006
This is the most recent and current stage of my experience. But, first let me bring you up to speed on some things. My apartment hunt started around October of 2005 and has continued and finally ended with the Darlington. To get to the point where I am right now has taken many months of planning and preparation. Before concluding with the Darlington I had visited no fewer than 7 places to live that fit my criteria. Location was important so I searched in these neighborhoods: Midtown, Downtown, Inman Park, Grant Park, Morningside, V. Highlands, Poncey Highlands, Lenox, Old Forth Ward, Five Points, Chandler Park, Lake Clair, and Cabbage town etc. I visited private residences, high rises such as 710 Peachtree and others, new student housing and apartments such as MetroPoint and M Street, lofts such as Fulton County Cotton Lofts and others, old brownstones to regular vinyl sided places. KNOW WHAT YOU WANT AND DON???T SETTLE. Be patient, start early and give plenty of time to get what you want. I knew approximately when I wanted to move so I looked months ahead for places to that would desire. I had to live in-town with lots of conveniences in the area, idea live, work and play neighborhood. Know what you are getting, all of it the good and the bad, weigh the positive and negative and ask yourself if you are willing to accept the risks, or benefits of the decision you make. Every place has negative things but if the positive outweighs the inconveniences in your life then you have an apartment fit. A correctly informed consumer is the best kind. Now, we move to the move-in. After, placing my apartment on hold I kicked myself into overdrive with new inspections. This is when I found out about apartmentratings.com, this site. After reading the posts I took concerned action and had my mom read these comments as well. I wanted to see for myself the property at all times of the day and night to observe the tenants coming in and out, the age, race and sex of the tenants and to see the people in the immediate area. I STRONGLY SUGGEST SCOPING OUT YOUR APARTMENT COMPLEX AT ALL TIMES, DAY AND NIGHT you might see something you like or dislike that can be brought to someone???s attention. JUST BECAUSE YOU PUT A DEPOSIT DOWN AND PAY FEES DOES NOT OBLIGATE YOU TO A LEASE, it is much better to be out of a deposit and fees maybe $300 than a year or six months maybe $9,000 of, total discomfort. I visited the ???D??? randomly as I finished class or got off from work day and night I made note of the people and area. I went up there with my mom several times because she cares about my well being. We talked to the security reps and them questions for 30 minutes. They were patient and friendly. With the exception of one time I have seen security in the building or patrolling the outside on every occasion that I have been there after hours which is 7:00 pm until 7:00 am when you need an access card to enter the building from the front and rear doors. Tenants can invite friends up with a keypad phone system that calls the tenant to open the doors. Most people have the DoorKing system linked to their cell phone so they can let themselves in the building incase they do not have their access card on them. Parking for guest is in the rear of the building, not in the front after hours or your car will be activity booted or towed. I didn???t see any vagrant loitering like other posts and no one has made me feel particularly uneasy, with the exception of one man who seemingly followed my mom and I to our car during daylight hours and came to our window after we locked our doors. We are city street smart. When we are approached by anyone who looks like they have even the slightest inclination of up to no good, we don???t care who you are we protect ourselves, we cross the street, we avoid at all cost. Because we know that there is nothing out there that someone can offer us on the street and if people ask for something we politely and respectfully decline. Too many times has someone asked to use a cell phone and get set up to be jumped, or stopped to see what time it is to be hurt. People in general do not care about your well being and will steal, kill and harm for any and no reason. I see drug and alcohol users at the apartment where I live now in Midtown and the rent is several times higher. But I know as soon as I leave my apartment and lock my door behind me I am in the city and that is how I carry myself, as if in the city. It doesn???t mean that I am weary and am on pins and needles; I maintain awareness of my surroundings and try to keep safe. No one is responsible for your safety but you. We latter found out that the man that approached us was ???The Boot Man??? we still look out for the people described in the other posts, but have found no evidence of and to the confirmation of the security guard about vagrant male or female drug dealers, or people soliciting sex. The diversity of the ???D??? is awesome; a true American melting pot. Men, women, children, old, young, red, yellow, black, white and colors in between, plus several nationalities and ethnicities reside here. And come and go at all times of the day and night, yes including females young and old that came from riding M.A.R.T.A. bus #23 at 9:00 p.m. I also went outside my apartment to check and see how my neighbors behaved, during the day when I could come in and observed. Your neighbors make you stay pleasant or not so. On most occasions I heard music at a moderate level, the T.V., pots and pans, and talking through the doors. I can only guess that on one occasion someone had guests probably playing a PlayStation or something like that, sounded like they were having a good time. The pots and pans, well, someone was preparing dinner for family, maybe. I can accept these things because I???ve lived in a dorm setting where conditions have been worse. That day a tenant was leaving his apartment getting things from his storage closet and I asked him about his stay. He liked the conveniences and is going on his 2nd year and had no serious complaints. I looked into and explored any unlocked public door. I saw the old incinerator and trash area, laundry room (which according to another post would not use at night and leave my things unattended, but hey, common sense and word of mouth would tell you that people even at laundry mats don???t??? leave their belongings unattended and unsecured. Common sense would tell you to be around other people in a well lit and open area, not in a basement. The laundry room is quite nice, clean and well lit it is however in the basement away from people and secluded. If you must do your laundry there limit it to during the day and stay with your belongings. I will only use these facilities on an emergency basis I???ll take my clothes to my mom???s house for washing) there is an old conference room I think it is being renovated and will be used as a break room for staff. I took the freight elevator and explored all of the basement area, pool commons and the loading and unloading dock area. At night I would drive to the back parking lot to see if there was any loitering, to see the traffic flow and to confirm what other post had said about the lighting and security. Apparently, the people who lived in the apartment were eclectic to say the least and have created problems for me to move in. I can only hope that maintenance resolves them before my move in date which looks to inevitably be pushed back. Therefore, when very recently when I went to sign the lease agreement and the apartment was not ready, even for viewing, I didn???t sign the papers and will wait until things are right in which case if this space holds up to its expectations I will sign, but not until then. In conclusion, part III will hopefully be my first week. Here???s what I???ve learned. The GOOD things: Extra storage Trash chute Exceptional Customer Service, Exceptional Good amenities (in complex shops: there are many and some are open late, pool: looks clean and there are charcoal grills for use, laundry: clean large, well lit, parking: very ample parking for 1 or more cars)( off complex shops: CVS 24/7, restaurants, grocery stores, shopping, hospital, interstate, jobs, parks, public transit and more.) Most Apartments have some sort of view (The better as you go up Kennesaw Mt. Cobb Co. Skyline, Buckhead and Lenox Skyline, Emory and Decatur Skyline, Downtown Midtown skylines, and Stone Mt.) Security (improving from where it has been) Concierge Shopping Carts (bad and good) Tenant Diversity Many elevators Low utilities (universal heat and air with large windows) Great maintenance New toilets Public transportation Bus #23 the best bus line (I???ve taken it) Clean lobby and hallways (although there stains) with tables to do group work Low rent 6 floor plans to choose from all studio to 1 bedroom The BAD things: Parking: lighting is adequate at best and provides decent visibility there is no security camera YET. I am told that they are installing one. I have also heard that they have said this several times. I hope they install one. No fume hood in kitchen or bathroom. Food and bathroom smell will leak out into living areas and hallway. Thin doors that may slam (place a weather guard piece of foam to keep from slamming.) No overhead ambient lighting most are indirect. There may be bugs (I haven???t seen any yet) Neighbors may be noisy Laundry room is not quite safe at night or unattended Complaints about drugs, pot, and sex still exist but have been lessened Non precise control of heat and AC There are no lights on the driveway approaching the building so the walkways and roadway are dark. Noise from Peachtree street, trains, and hospital helicopters and ambulances. (The fire alarms and water may go out, other post I will ask about this) (Burglaries of cars, and Domestic disputes from other posts) Small kitchen and bath (but they are nice and will do) Other tenants simply not caring about their property and how the way they live affects others. Basement is dark Remember tenants hold responsibility of the property and what incoming and present tenants think of living there. Pick up trash if you see it, there are many trash cans including your own. Park correctly. Keep noise down after hours out of respect. Take responsibility of your guests, how they enter and treat others, they are a reflection of you and when on the ???D???s??? property are a reflection of everyone there. Keep safety a priority, nobody wants to worry about break-ins when they leave their car or home, look how hard you work for your money only to have it taken away by theft, or damage water or fire. Take care of your property and it will in turn take better care of you. Please write comments on these postings if you want. These comments and postings here, mine and others, are to bring light to what is actually out there. This is to bring about positive change for everyone.
From: leem	Date: 07/25/2006
my daughter is moving in in aug 18 student. would appreciate a friend in the bldg she will be on the 14 fl . is it safe to give you my email address on this site?

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