I was one of the very first residents to move into Centerpoint when it first opened in May 2004. That means I've been living here for over 4 years now. I'm about to move out due to wanting more space and my girlfriend's new job.

This community as underwent a change in management a couple of years ago. When this building was managed by Buzzoto, I would have (and did) recommend it highly to friends and colleagues, some of whom actually moved into the complex. Unfortunately, under the new management (Avalon Bay), the community has taken a turn for the worse, and I would not recommend it to anyone. In fact, I probably would be moving out even if I didn't have an external reason to do so.

For starters, the rent has been consistently increasing year after year. This year, my rent went up 10 percent, which I think is difficult to swallow given the current state of the economy and gas prices. What makes it even more difficult to swallow is the relative lack of development in the neighborhood. For many years everyone has been boasting about all of the development that is planned for the Westside, but in four years I have yet to see many new businesses cropping up. The only things that have been built are high-end apartment buildings, the rents for which do not justify the lack of available goods and services in the neighborhood. In most cases, shopping requires driving to other neighborhoods of the city or out of the city anyway, negating much of the benefit of urban living as well as the higher price tag.

I also have to say that I have read many other reviewers' comments about the alleged lack of safety of neighborhood. I must say that in some cases, these comments are exaggerated and based on misperceptions about different groups of people. I'm concerned that many people say that the neighborhood is unsafe simply because many ------- Americans come here to eat/go shopping at Lexington Market rather than because of any objective crime statistics. The presence of minorities does not make a neighborhood dangerous, and I feel sorry for anyone who believes that. Yes, there's a problem with drug activity in this neighborhood, but compared to other neighborhoods in Baltimore, the Westside is actually quite safe. If you don't believe me, you can check out the Baltimore City PD crime mapping, which is located on their website. That said, you should always exercise caution when walking alone late at night in any city.

As I said, when Avalon took over the building, the overall quality of the living experience declined significantly. They care only about fleecing you out of your hard earned money, even if their tactics are ethically questionable if not illegal. They began scaling back amenities and charging "amenities fees" for amenities that were previously included in the rent, such as use of the fitness center. I have also received memos asking not the bother the leasing office with maintenance requests. Basically, they want you to pay more money for nothing.

The staff (both here in the office as well as at corporate) is somewhat incompetent and can be irascible if not approached properly. A few months ago, they stopped taking rent checks and I signed up to have my rent automatically debited from my checking account. The first time the money was supposed to be debited, they didn't take it out of my account. Then, on the 17th of the month--over two weeks later--they sent me a letter saying that I didn't pay my rent and that I owed a late payment charge and a non-sufficient funds charge. When I went to talk to the office staff about it, the person on duty reminded me that it was his day off and that he wasn't supposed to be working. I guess that means I'm not supposed to bother him. In any event, after wasting a lot of time on the phone, I got them to remove the charges from my account. I understand that some residents may be difficult and that working in property management may not be the easiest job, but little gestures and politeness would go along way to make residents happy.

If you live in one of the apartments that does not have a washer/dryer (studio or small one bedroom), doing laundry will be a challenge. There is a small laundry room in the basement intended for use by these apartments. Unfortunately, everyone else uses them, too. I'm not sure why you would want to haul your laundry from upstairs or from another building when you have a washer/drying in your apartment, but some residents have told me that their washers/dryers are too small. It's very difficult to do laundry on the weekend and sometimes in the evening, as the supply does not meet the demand. I've asked the management office what they could possibly do about it to ensure that the residents who need the machines can get priority, and they said that they wouldn't tell other residents that they can't use those machines since they live here, too. I've also seen them showing prospective tenants the laundry room and telling them that it was there for anyone to use. Responses to any problems that I ve had have always been met with phony smiles and saccharine

They also like to come into your apartment frequently. It's not unusual to get a memo under your door at least once a month saying that they will be coming into your apartment for one reason or another. They were in my apartment on Friday to test for mold, and they were also in on Monday for an "inspection" to do some "improvements" they wish to make to the community.

The biggest issue that I have, however, and that you should be aware of, is that Avalon has a policy of keeping security deposits to perform routine upkeep/address normal wear and tear in your apartment when you move out. Others have mentioned this in their reviews, and I can confirm that this is true. When I gave my 60 day notice, I was told that there would be "move out chargers" deducted from my security deposit BEFORE ANYONE EVEN INSPECTED MY APARTMENT FOR DAMAGES. This included, but was not limited to, a minimum $85 charge to clean the carpet. I was also told that I would be charged for painting the entire apartment and possibly for cleaning, even if I cleaned the apartment myself, since everyone has a different definition of clean. I was told that the carpet cleaning charges were mandatory. I have kept my apartment in impeccable condition and do not even wear shoes. This apartment could easily be given to any new tenant (although they should paint it anyway). You should know that THIS IS ILLEGAL IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND. Most leases--including the one that I signed--state that tenants are responsible for damages other than normal wear and tear. Landlords cannot keep security deposits for expenses related to upkeep, which the law says they must assume as the normal cost of doing business. That includes cleaning and/or replacing carpeting and putting on a fresh coat of paint before a new tenant moves in. They are asking residents to sign an addition form which limits the definition of normal wear and tear to basically include normal maintenance that they should perform whenever someone moves out of an apartment. If a tenant has left an apartment in reasonable (in my case excellent) condition and the landlord wishes to paint or do other maintenance, the landlord must pay. I have documented the condition of my apartment and fully intend to sue Avalon for three times my security deposit, interest, and legal fees if I don t get it back in full within 45 days, and you should to if they try to fleece you. I have posted a link below to the Attorney General's website that clearly addresses this issue and your rights in such a situation in case it happens to you and where you can file a complaint:

http://www.oag.state.md.us/Consumer/landlords.htm

You can also receive free legal counseling from:

http://www.peoples-law.org/housing/ltenant/lab_files/security.htm

Avalon Centerpoint is not "time well spent."

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 03/17/2009
This is great! Thank you for such a detailed and informative review. I really want to move here, but I don't want the maintenance hassle upon my departure. Normal wear and tear should NEVER cost the tenant anything. They make enough money off of the tenants! I appreciate your legal advice as well.
From: Anonymous	Date: 05/11/2009
Avalon at Traville is still doing this in Maryland. I took detailed pictures and left it spotless and they still claim it needed cleaning. For example, there was a scorch mark on the top of the oven door which could only be seen with the door open and cannot be cleaned (cheap oven gets too hot on self cleaning cycle) and they charged two hundred dollars for cleaning. These people are clearly criminals. I have read that they do this in California too -- so this is corporate driven scam and not local isolate incidents.
From: Anonymous	Date: 05/24/2009
Thanks for the information. My husband and I probably would have rented in this building, were it not for these useful reviews. If the management company doesn't realize that it is losing business as a result of these practices, it doesn't realize the power of the internet. (Then again, the company's practices probably makes it more money than it loses. Sigh.) If these sort of practices aren't illegal, they should be.

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