I do have to agree with some of the stuff that the last person wrote about Cliffside and the frustratingness. I have lived at Cliffside for the past year, and found it a reasonable place to live. I'm in a 2 bedroom/1 bath garden apartment for $940/month, but the rate is going up this year again. The only problem I have with the apartment itself is that it's really dark inside, and I feel the need to turn on lights all of the time.
1. Parking is annoying at times. Pretty much, the whole time I lived here, I only received one or two phone calls about the complex. I never received a call informing me when the pool was opened (although I was assured by the staff I would) nor about the plowing/towing for the parking lot. What frustrated me was that my roommate was called a few times and she doesn't have a car, yet I wasn't and I did have a car.
Sometimes, it does get a little crowded for the parking. But, normally it's ok.
2. Noises travel. I am in a middle apartment, meaning I have people above and below me. Often, the people below me like to blast their movies, while the people above me like to blast their music. It leaves a lot to be desired. This is a complex on the UMASS bus route. There are some problems with college students and being loud. I had to complain to the people above me multiple times, and often would want to call the police to deal with the problem.
3. I have electric baseboard heating in my apartment. Luckily, I'm young and do not have children, or small children. The baseboard heat gets very hot, and melted items too close to the heater that we left. Management was not able to help to keep down the overpowering heat coming from the baseboard. Small children could easily get hurt, as the metal casing surrounding the heaters were often hot enough to burn feet, and me and my roommate have gotten singed a few times.
4. Also, the apartment maintenance is very cheap (aka poorly done). You can see the white paint that got splashed on the ceilings when painting the walls. My cabinets which should be finished wood have white paint from walls all over the sides. The shower was fixed by just putting ill-fitted linoleum tile in the shower...it does not touch the wall, nor does it cover the entire shower. you can see the old tile underneath. Also, maintenance often barged into my apartment without notice, or giving me a chance to come to the door myself.
5. We do have utilities included which is a plus, because heat worked so poorly. Mine never turned off. Even after having new thermostats replaced in every room, the heat never turned off if it went on, and never came on if not turned up high enough. The apartment is very drafty...good thing we didn't have to pay for heat!
6. There is a bus station that runs about every 15 minutes during the school year and every 30-45 minutes during the summer.

User Responses
From: caamgr	Date: 05/22/2009
Thank you for your kind words. Management has evaluated the concern about the heat with an electrical contractor who assured that it was working properly. The rent must increase with the increase of the cost of utilities and services associated with the cost of living. You would have experienced this increase if you were responsible for your own utilities as well. Forunately, we do include the cost of the heat, hot water and electricity in your rent and are able to pass on our bulk consumption rate for your benefit. Maintenance respectfully knocks and waits for an answer prior to opening the door. At that point, they crack open the door and identify themselves prior to opening the door all the way. This is our protocol and if this is not what you have experienced it is wise to contact management for accountability. We do request that all noise complaints be directed to the Sunderland Police Dept if after office hours and to the rental office during office hours. Until a noise concern is reported, it can not be dealt with. Please contact the rental office to update your contact information regarding notices. We are operating with information provided by the resident.
From: muskaraana	Date: 05/22/2009
It is against state law for maintenance or management to enter an apartment without prior notice. You cannot just come in if you do not get a response. If you enter without notice when people are not home, you are breaking the law

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