The management of Applebriar Apartments, Lincoln Properties, actively posts on this site. While it is unethical, it does explain their high rating despite the number of similar complaints.

The property used to be, when it was first built over a decade ago, a terrific place to live. During the boom years of the nineties, a lot of money was spent in the town of Marlborough. However, since then, the community has fallen quite far from it's highs. Applebriar Apartments is a good example.

The good:

1) It's terrific having a garage, even at the price they rent them for.

2) It's even better when you can get an attached garage.

3) The apartments are large and open with most of the conveniences provided in the cost of the rent.

4) The neighbors are mostly very nice and friendly. Most of them are families or single professionals.

Now the bad:

1) The current management staff will win you over when you're looking for at the property. However, it will be evident if you have any problems that this doesn't carry over.

2) The staff will bait and switch you with in apartment features, as was noted elsewhere. The washer and dryer you see when you look at the apartment will be new, but when you move in, expect it to be replaced with a different model.

3) The gun club is quite loud, but if you live on the same road as the gun club, expect it to be startling.

4) The traffic, not the fault of Applebriar, of course, is awful with the construction on Route 20. If you don't know it, the traffic on 495, 90 and 9 will cause you hours of driving time if you commute with Boston traffic. Mostly the delays are accidents, but they are regular and frequent.

5) The noise on the property from tenants is an issue Applebriar would like to pretend didn't exist. There is no sound barrier between any of the units that share the same entry way. The stairwell acts like an amplifier and echo chamber.

6) When your lease ends, they will tell you demand for the apartments has increased and your rent will be increased over $100. Don't expect a signing bonus either. If you don't give 60 days notice, you are signed on to a new lease, so beware.

7) Though there is a nearby shopping plaza, expect to drive a significant distance to get to a lot of essentials. In many cases, you'll find yourself shopping 30 minutes or more away for regular items. The local mall doesn't offer very much.

In total, if the management company had actively engaged the community instead of treating their tenants as prisoners to the lease, the community could be very nice. However, the current management is second rate at best and was the single worst part of the property. The maintenance staff was very friendly, but not very good at what they did. They get credit for their efforts. It seemed more like they were underfunded than bad at their jobs.

The units are probably over priced at the current rents by as much as thirty percent. You can rent in Boston for similar rents, but you trade things like a parking garage when living in Boston.

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