I've lived here since 1999 and can state the following: 1) Management is SLOW to respond to maintainence and repair issues. Frequent calls to the rental office and the owners office downtown are needed to get prompt action. 2)Despite the attractive appearance of the property, there are serious issues resulting from the original design and construction including poor drainage of the HVAC systems; inadequate moisture barriers resulting in considerable MOLD issues; 3)rusting window frames among other issues. The mold issue is very serious. My family is in a temporary aprtment on site while repairs due to mold are being made in our apartment. Other residents have told me of serious mold in their units but they have not complained to management about it.

About security, there is one part-time guard in the evening, but the camera system is NOT operable due to the fact that the wrong equipment was installed and not in the areas behind the buildings where no one can see what's going on. This was revealed at a Nieghborhood Watch meeting with police and management several months ago. Do not rent a unit in the buildings at the rear of the property as this is where most of the burglaries happen. It's completely out of site of the rest of the community. There is no fencing between the property and Leakin Park which not only allows the deer herds to intrude but provides excellent cover for criminals to approach and escape!!

If you have children there is nowhere for them to play outside. The closest rec center requires driving to or a long bus ride. Children/teens from nearby communities frequent the parking lots and are rude and disrespectful.

Finally, as with any community you get what you deserve. While generaly nice folks, too many residents do not complain and demand that Management does the right thing, probably for fear of the rent going up, which it will regardless; thats the nature renting vs.owning.

User Responses
From: DIMEUNO	Date: 08/20/2008
This tenant is absolutely correct. Dickey Hill Forest Apartments have a serious MOLD problem. Management performs annual unit inspections and they are very aware of this concern but fails to address it. Management`s apathy to residents concerns is major problem. One day soon the management team will be coping with large numbers of vacant units due to their failure to address serious maintenance,crime,staff,noise and other resident`s concerns. One can always pay RENT somewhere else.
From: Anonymous	Date: 08/20/2008
The exterior and the grounds appear very attractive and Management does spend money on landscaping, but not much else, especially in the apartments. Plus with an aging population there are very few accessible units in the community, which while that may comply with the minimum requirement of ADA it is just that; the minimum. Keep in mind that the community was built with a HUD subsidized mortgage and therefore HUD has some jurisdiction over it and can act if they are aware of ongoing issues that tenants believe Management is not responding to. These are issues directly impacting tenant safety, health and personal property. That said it is the responsibility and the right of tenants to demand the highest level of performance by Management which either fails to realize or has forgotten that Dickey Hill Forest is potentially one of the best and most reasonably apartment communities in the city. Of course one could be cynical and say that Management does realize this and that through benign neglect is hopping that enough tenants "vote with their feet" and move out, thereby enabling Management to convert to condos, invest big bucks in upgrading the property to attract a different class and complexion of customers. As soon as the mortgage and housing market stabilizes this could be a realistic expectation. Stay tuned and alert.
From: Anonymous	Date: 05/05/2009
Hmmmm...I'm a tenant in one of the refurbished sections and I can see them converting these units into condos somewhere down the road. That actually may be the goal since some of the apts are getting more attention than others. Good points.

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