Pros:
big apts.
good AC
responsive maintenance- with prodding
close to hospitals
parking available- with enough notice- and not too expensive
laundry on site- large room
great views from higher floors
close to stop and shop/walgreens/ post office
close to T

Cons:
noisy- undergrad dorm feel
elevators always broken with expired certifications
poor package/mail notification
often difficult freight elevator access
dirty building
small bathrooms/kitchens
noisy x 2 - (deserves another note)
across from low income housing- sketchy at times
dark hallways
gym equipment often broken

Eval:
I've been renting for 10 years and never have I been inspired to post a complaint online- until now. I just moved in and I wish I had accessed this site first to avoid a major, year long commitment.

Prior to arriving, I was optimistic since the management (Jeff) was very organized with all details pertaining to the move/lease.

Unfortunately when we showed up the place was filthy. I have a list of approximately 25 items that were either inadequately cleaned or broken. I was given excuses about how busy they were, etc, etc. Since I'm paying $19,000 over the year, I expected a clean apartment at move in- and not to have brown socks after walking on the floors for 5 minutes. After driving many hours, we spent our first evening and most of our first weekend cleaning the floors, cabinets, bathroom, etc. I moved in on a Friday afternoon, and the office was closed all weekend. To their credit, they sent the cleaning lady, maintenance, and a painter on Monday morning to take care of what we had not done, and they credited us 50 bucks (with an MD and a PhD I believe my going rate is higher than this). I also had to fill out 2 work order requests on Monday which were addressed 4 days later on Friday after I reminded them of the first two and submitted another for a broken toilet.

After cleaning all day we went down to the fitness room to workout in the evening. This was one of the major reasons we chose to live in Back Bay- convenient laundry and fitness... to our dismay, both of the treadmills were broken.

My next complaint is the noise. This is more like an undergraduate dorm then a nice apartment. Our first weekend was filled with noisy undergrads having parties. The south side of the building also abuts blocks of low-income housing and 4-wheeled ATV's speed by at all hours of the day/night.

Back to the interesting stuff:
If you pay attention to the resident population you will notice an odd inconsistency. While the Back Bay Manor is filled with young Northeastern students, another contingent of tenants stirred my curiosity (read on). Some quick research has revealed that not more than 4-5 years ago the rent was half of what is now, and deeper research revealed that in 1997 the building owner received a break on interest rates by agreeing to protect rising rents for elderly, disabled, and low-income tenants (briefly reviewed in the Boston Globe link http://www.nebhworker.org/archive/missionhill-3-23-01.html What's interesting is that purportedly the tenants sued the building owner claiming that he violated that agreement and tried to run them out. Needless to say, if you pay attention, you will notice this disparity in the tenant population. I'll leave any conclusions about the owner up to you.

There are other peculiarities as well: while there is a fitness facility in the basement for resident use, if you pay attention you will find another, substantially nicer fitness room owned by “custom fitness” on the lobby level… but hidden away in the back… which begs the question “who is this for'”… my next mission

Another issue: the moving/freight elevator for moving must be reserved well in advance of your move... be careful b/c moving vans don't give you precise times for arrival and you can only have a two hour block which fills quickly.

In regards to a previous post, all elevator inspections are now overdue by many months, and the ride is frequently "bumpy". I mentioned this to maintenance who responded "it's an old building"... the same elevator was down for service within 2-3 days- but then again, this could have been coincidence.

I will write more as the year progresses... Anyway, this is certainly just the beginning of an enjoyable research project- wouldn’t it have been easier for them to just clean my apartment prior to my arrival'

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