We rented a 2 bedroom unit from them in Sept 2001 to Sept 2002. This is going to be a novel, the question is where to begin...

The day we were supposed to move in was a weekend. The landlord told us that the door would be unlocked and the keys would be inside on the counter. The door was not unlocked. I called the landlord and got their answering service. They wouldn't let me in. So I had to pick the lock.

When we walked in, the previous tenants had left the apartment an absolute pig sty. Clogged drains and sinks full of brown water, doors hanging upside down, cat hair and jello mold in the fridge, the kitchen faucet not working, a hole in the wall in one of the bedrooms, sponge tape all over the walls, huge marks on the walls that couldn't be washed off. We told the landlord and they said there was nothing they could do about it. Fortunately we had some friends who were nice enough to come over and help us clean and repair.

The second day of living there, I stepped THROUGH a board in the deck. The apartment was on the 3rd floor. We called the landlord and told them and they told us that they would be putting in a new deck starting the next day. A maintenance guy came by and spackled the hole in the wall and repaired the kitchen sink. Unfortunately, he was stoned when he did it and hooked the hot water and cold water lines backwards.

We were told to paint the place and submit receipts for materials and we would be reimbursed. Still waiting on that money....

We learned on the 3rd day that we couldn't have the microwave, the coffee machine and the toaster running at once or else a fuse would blow. We became the resident experts in the building to fix electrical problems.

Fast forward a few months. It's cold, the heat hasn't come on yet and we still don't have that new deck. I called them and asked about it and was told that it would get done when it would get done. I mentioned the safety and legality aspects of the situation. I was told that a) the deck isn't technically in our lease and b) if we pursued the matter with an inspector that we would NEVER get a new deck.

By this point, we've gotten used to having to turn on cold tap to get hot water and hot tap to get cold water in the kitchen.

Next situation: The toilet has started having problemns flushing everything down, if you know what I mean. So I call the landlord (the woman who answers the phone, Julie, and I get into arguments now everytime I call). I'm told a plumber will be there the next day.

Fast forward 3 weeks...

The plumber shows up after my 4th call. Of course, by this time I have had to fix the problem myself or else the floor would be covered in crap. He says, "Ah, I need the unplugger gun and didn't bring it with me. I'll be back tomorrow." Never saw him again.

Next problem. It's mostly college kids and grad students in our building. 3 floors, 4 apartments per floor. A girl living in the apt next to us had some guy crawl up the fire escape and climb into her room and then into her bed. Fortunately, she screamed and her roommates came running in and the creep fled. I found out about it the next day when the cops knocked on my door. The landlord never bothered to notify the other tenants about taking extra safety precautions.

About a month later, I'm walking out the door and cops are back, but this time going into another neighbors apartment. Had no idea what was about, figured maybe it was a domestic thing.

About a month after that, WE get broken into and my laptop is stolen. They came up the back decks (which are all connected and lead to the ground). Easy enough to do when it's late at night and insufficient lighting... I called Investments Ltd (Julie again) and she told me it was our fault (probably to attempt to divert liability).

It turns out that the neighbor who I thought had a domestic disturbance had had the EXACT same thing happen to him. Once again, Investments Limited never had the courtesy to send out a notification about the break-ins. 3 out of the 4 apartments on our floor were broken into within 6 months.

So, finally the time came for us to move out (thank GOD!). We had to move to a new city and start a lease early so we started looking for a sublettor. I called Investments Limited and told them with 60 days advanced notice. Immediately, Julie told me it was my responsibility and that I was responsible for all rent during my lease. I told her 'I know, I just figured I'd mention it to you if you have anyone looking for an August 1 availability.' The listings for available apartments came out two weeks later, and there we were, listed as availble Sept. 1.

So here we end the story. Our lease is finally over, I managed to come up with a sublettor on my own. We have a new apartment that is 50% bigger and 20% cheaper and the landlord fixes problems within 48 hours and does it right.

Bottom line - If you are looking for an apartment in Boston, STAY AWAY FROM INVESTMENTS LIMITED!!!!!!! Seriously, I can't emphasize this enough. They are the worst landlords EVER.

Epilogue - I called the housing inspector on my way out the door. They came by and found several violations. I understand they have finally started to replace that deck.

Now I wonder if I'll ever get my security deposit check back. 1 month and counting...

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