Besides decent rent, good neighbors, and location there s not much more to say about this place they call Fox Hall. Neighbors were genuinely nice and would help you in the event something had gone awry. The rent has gone up recently, but I am assuming that it is less expensive than other apartments in the area. Lastly, the location is great considering it is close to many convenient services we all need on a daily basis. It is located right off I-695, Walther Blvd, and Whitemarsh Blvd. Outlined below you will find the laundry list of problems that is the subject of my review.

# 1 Parking was always an issue. There were many times where I had to park around the corner from my apartment because there simply weren t enough parking spaces near my building. Parking was so bad that people began parking in front of dumpsters and parallel to curbs near entrances where the flow of traffic and driver visibility was heavily restricted. That only lasted until the ravenous tow companies, that many of us know all too well, came in the dead of night to take their car for a ride. The only exception to this rule was one maintenance man who parked his car parallel to the curb opposite to the only entrance/exit in the complex. I presume this was also evidenced by the dent on his door, which probably happened when someone didn t have enough space to maneuver his or her vehicle.

# 2 Noise is a problem. Especially when you have a neighbor who likes to blast the music in his car at three o clock in the morning on a workday. You can also, by default, pick up the conversations of your neighbors through the paper thin walls.

# 3 The grounds were not well kept at all. When you would pass by the rental office and go toward the community center , they will often fail to mow the lawn on the left where there is a hill. The grass at the top of the hill is cut, but not on the hillenous side. Also, when there was snow and ice they never shoveled the walkways. They just threw down salt and left residents to fend for themselves when walking to their door. The sun did a better job of melting the ice than the salt. Be careful about where you park after you ve had your car washed and polished. They will often trim the lawn or mow the grass and leave your car a mess. You will find grass clippings, dirt, and all types of unwanted debris on your car.

# 4 As far as safety is concerned; my car was broken into and pillaged. When I first moved in, there was not enough lighting upon the approach to my building. They later installed a brighter streetlight, which did little to help the dimly lit ambiance they have created at Fox Hall. The knob lock to my front door did not lock and could be forced open with little effort unbeknownst to us. Luckily, we found out by accident before anything disastrous occurred. Lights will occasionally go out in the hallways, but maintenance will be in no rush to replace them. Considering that the front doors to the buildings do not lock, one would think proper lighting in the stairwells would be of utmost importance to safety.

# 5 The construction of the apartment was horrible. The toilet and entire electrical outlet had to be replaced in my apartment. The fuse box in my apartment melted causing all power in my apartment to go out. The entire fuse box needed replacing and maintenance was reluctant to even come out and take a look at the problem. The maintenance man told me that someone would be out to repair it in two days. I pressured him and was able to have an electrician come out the same night and replace the box. This was good news, but having to hear saws and hammers till two in the morning on a workday was not. I awoke in the morning to find a huge hole in the kitchen wall where the fuse box was located. It was left this way until maintenance came a month later, using drywall and chicken wire as a means of repair. The toilet would leak and so would the dishwasher. The water pressure was weak and the water temperature would change without warning. There were times when we were almost scolded because of abrupt water temperature changes. Not to mention the A/C blew warm air during the summer and the clothes dryer did the opposite.

# 6 Maintenance was nothing short of horrendous. On average it took maintenance one month to resolve issues. You were told to call the emergency maintenance number, but the repairman would show up at his discretion. If you move here, which I suggest you don t, make sure you make note of the reference numbers for each call you make to maintenance. The problem was more than apparent when I had to write a handwritten letter in the rental office at the rental office employee s request to escalate the issue. The maintenance men I encountered were nice, but this means nothing if they can t fix what s wrong in a timely manner. Maintenance issues were seldom repaired the first time meaning a subsequent follow up was required. Maintenance issues could single handily be the downfall of the Home Properties management staff.

# 7 The staff was typically incompetent and unhelpful with the exception of a few. There were times where I paid my rent in full, but was sent a letter from their corporate office claiming I owed money. Their bookkeeping is not up to par. Some staff members will not acknowledge you when you walk into the office. They will continue chatting amongst themselves or simply continue with their daily tasks. You should not as a resident have to say, excuse me , in order for someone to help you. When a customer is in your presence, drop what you are doing to help them. Residents pay your salary. When you express interest with Fox Hall, they will tell you about the state of the art Community Center they are building to lure you in. The so-called Community Center is a miniscule block of concrete a few yards away from the rental office upon which nothing has been built for over a year. To boot, Fox Hall has recently increased rent.

I have not detailed all of the issues I experienced at this apartment, but what has been outlined so far should be sufficient enough for you to pass sound judgment. As stated before, once you are able to look past the issues that have been outlined above, you will notice a few nicer things about Fox Hall. Decent rent, good neighbors, and location at this place they call Fox Hall. If you would like a less than average renter s experience, then Fox Hall is the place for you. SROlYjGrgm2VnM-SactV

User Responses
From: socolime	Date: 10/04/2008
Bravo! ((((CLAPS))))

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