I can't explain other renters' woes here, but I can tell you that I love my apartment. I've been here for six years, and it hasn't been perfect, but I know that it is a much better deal that can be found elsewhere in the city.
The building is pretty old, and the wiring in it won't support running two heavy-load appliances at once. That can be frustrating, but it is pretty easy to get around. For example, don't run your A/C while trying to use the toaster. It's not that difficult.
The apartments are as clean as you make them. When I moved in, my place was a mess. So...I cleaned it. Now it is beautiful, and I show it off as often as I can.
I have seen roaches and mice, but not in a long while. Fineberg sends in exterminators every 6 months. It surely doesn't kill all the vermin, but it keeps them to a minimum. And, if you complain, they'll send out an exterminator to your place.
The maintenance crew does a pretty good job. They don't always respond the same day as the complaint, but they do respond. For example, my oven stopped working. I called in to complain. About 10 days later, a maintenance tech showed up, checked out the oven, and realized that it would have to be replaced. The next day, they brought in a brand new oven. Was the problem fixed immediately' No, but it was fixed within a reasonable amount of time. And, to be honest, in this heat I really didn't even want to use the oven anyway.
Is there parking' Well, this is a city, not the 'burbs. Parking is limited, and when your car isn't getting ticketed or towed, someone is breaking the windows or scratching the paint. Again, this is a city, not the 'burbs. It doesn't get any better in any neighborhood in Boston, and it does get worse.
I will admit it can get pretty noisey at times. Mostly on weekend nights in the summer when all the drunks are out on Landsdowne. There certainly are quieter parts of the city, but there aren't many.
The laundry setup in the basements works reasonably well. There are four washers and four dryers. A lot of folks complain about them always being in use, but my recommendation is to try doing laundry on any day OTHER THAN Sunday. The laundry room is a ghost-town Monday thru Saturday. I suppose I should have kept that a secret.
The building and the neighborhood is safe. Many newcomers are freightened by the big city, but Fenway is hardly the "big city." The Fenway neighborhood is one of the safest places in Boston. There is very little violent crime, and I feel safe walking here at night. The buildings themselves are safe. They are all equipped with fire alarms linked to the city's FD. In addition, the buildings all have sprinkler systems installed.
The only other thing I want to add is a bit of a critique of the complaints others have levied at Fineberg. If these folks think they can get royal treatment for $1100 a month elsewhere, I think they should try. Most of the complaints are about cleanliness which is easily remedied by CLEANING. No one is going to clean your apartment for you. If you really don't want to do it, then you'll just have to live in a dirty place.
Some complain about maintenance being inadequate, and I think this is based on some unreal expectations. If there is a rust stain on your bathtub that you can't remove, do not expect maintenance to do anything about it. And, don't expect maintenance to show up on a Sunday because your bedroom door sticks a little. If you want to be pampered and have all of life's little annoyances cured, then you need to drop $1900 a month on a tingy studio in a luxury apartment complex. I say fix the little problems yourself, or just deal with it. It doesn't get much better anywhere else in the city for this money.

User Responses
From: 18happyyears	Date: 09/02/2005
Very well written and very accurate
From: sunnydalelow	Date: 05/18/2006
Hey, I am moving into 1191 Boylston despite all the horrible reviews..its so close to school..and the person living there right now has it pretty clean. I had a question about the cable and internet availabilites in this building..if anyone has had experience with it..let me know!
From: Anonymous	Date: 04/29/2008
This review was obviously written by FEINBERG MANAGEMENT. It is completely inaccurate. The neighborhood is safe??!!! WTF>!!! Do you even live in this part of Fenway???

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