I have lived at Park Wellington (434 West Wellington) for six months. I have to say I am less than impressed with the building, especially for the high per square foot rent in a building with almost no amenities or consistent on-site management office.

PROS:

1) GREAT location. Close to the Lake, bus routes, retail, and food.

2) Reasonably clean common areas (mostly because this is contracted out to a third party company)

3) Fairly reliable elevator for a vintage building (it was hard to find another PRO).

CONS:

1) Inept (non-existent) and useless on-site management and maintenance. First of all, the office is almost never open, and when it is open - the door is shut. As of today, there is yet another VAGUE letter asking residents to be patient while they experience another change in management and maintenance teams (I have only been there 6 months, and this is #3). There are no office hours, and I have seen a maintenance person on-site once (the staff is shared with other buildings). One exception, the leasing consultant is great, she is the only one that ever seems to be there, and is always pleasant to deal with.

2) The building systems are continually failing. I cannot tell you how many times I came home and had no water (hot or cold) for hours. There was no communication as to when water would be restored or what happened. Now, the water always has a foggy, milky appearance...evidently they are not treating the water through the boiler. The radiators are useless...you will freeze during the winter, especially if you face east. We have not had heat for multiple days, including the last two days since the temps have adjusted back to winter norms. I would contact the office, but normally no one is there and I almost never receive a call back.

3) The commom area decor and hallways are atrocious. I am embarassed when friends or out-of-town guests come over. By the way, this is supposedly a rehabbed/renovated building...not for the last twenty years.

4) Noise between apartments! BEWARE: they will tell you this is an old building with thick walls. This is true...just the EXTERIOR walls are thick, but the walls between apartments are thin. I have had to sleep on my couch many times because my bedroom adjoins my neighbor's living room. He listens to James Brown on high volume at 2am, has a booming phone voice at 3am for HOURS, and watches TV so we all can hear the show. I have heard the other neighbor having sex (every noise imaginable), I congratulated him later in the hallway.

5) The laundry room. First of all, only 4 machines for over 80 units. Secondly, the machines are tiny...so you are forced to do multiple loads. The price per load is a little pricey for the small, old machines at $1.60/load. One nice item: they have the card system, but only accepts cash multiples of $5, $10, $20.

6) Lack of amenities. There is a roof top deck, but it's a joke. I realized it is there more for leasing than actual practical use.

7) Interior of apartments (1 bedroom). They are OK. The kitchens are useless and small. The closet space is adequate. The bathroom needs a lot of work. My tile is falling off in the tub, the faucets leak (even after repeated service requests - luckily the Owner pays for water), and the general condition reflects the hard use these apartments received over the decades. It's a surface renovation...and made the apartment look pretty. BEWARE: the apartment entry doors are not secure - most do not latch or you could easily gain access...not to mention the door jambs are compromised. I highly suggest low-deductible renter's insurance from Day #1.

Overall, I guess there could be worse places to live, but for the rent levels the owner wishes to achieve (and currently receive) many, many changes would have to happen for me to even consider renewing my lease. In fact, I am so anxious to get out of my apartment, I am willing to pay double rent for a new place and pay to finish out my lease.

I would not recommend this building at current rent levels in the current condition.

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