When I was looking at the other reviews on this site, I noticed that early on most of the reviews are favorable and recommend the complex. But as you go on, it worsens. This has been my experience at Briarwood.

When my wife and I first moved to Briarwood in December of 2001, the price was a little higher than the others in the neighborhood, but the offices staff and the amentities were a little better. From 2001 - 2003, the management was fantastic. Maintenance would often respond same day and the grounds and buildings were well maintained. Parking was not an issue. The staff is still very friendly and the fact that they accept UPS, FedEx, etc packages is very helpful, especially for me...see the below paragraph. The management attempts to create a community feel by holding breakfasts, pool parties, etc in the clubhouse. I have not been so I cannot comment on the quality of these events but the effort is a nice touch. There are some nice amenities such as a car wash area, BBQ grills and a business center as well as the standard gym and pools available at all the area complexes.

The actual apartments are very nice. My particular one and den (The Linden) seems smaller than the square footage due to weird wall angles. The kitchen and bathroom are spacious and well appointed. The washer and dryer are sufficient but not great. There is quite a bit of closet and cabinet space. The balcony is too small for my taste. The noise level is pretty good. We sometimes hear hallway traffic but little to nothing from apartment to apartment. As I mentioned, the price is a little higher than other places but we were truly impressed by Briarwood.

The experience of the first few years, compounded by the ever escalating housing market, have kept us staying here but we will be moving out this December. From around 2004 to current, maintanence has declined. They are still relatively responsive to problems within your own apartment. They may have to come several times for conclusively fix the issue but they are pretty good about responding. Problems with the grounds or building are one empty promise after another.

Our building's intercom system has been broken since July 2005. Delivery men, friends, etc are unable to dial up to our apartment. They receive a "tenant directory error". Anyone has to call from their cell phones to have us open the door. We live on the 4th floor so we have to walk down the stairs to open the door and walk back up every time we have a guest or delivery. I have made numerous requests to have this fixed without any progress. I have just been told they are "working on it". Over 3 months to fix a problem is unsatisfactory.

Another issue I had was earlier this year, management let the complex know that the buildings would be powerwashed. I was looking forward to this because birds had built a nest on our balcony and made quite a mess. They notified us a day before and told us to bring all patio furniture in. I believe they were supposed to do it on a Monday or Tuesday. It was not done. I gave them a few days and called on Friday. They said it had been done. The bird droppings on my balcony told a different story. Called back Monday and told them it had not been done and they said they would check with maintanence and call me back. That afternoon I had a message on my answering machine stating that they would be doing it tomorrow (Tuesday). It was not done Tuesday. I again waited to see if they would do it within a day or so. Called back again Friday and told I would be called back. Never was. On Saturday I went out and clean the balcony myself with a bucket of soapy water and brush.

They also tell you that when you renew your lease they will clean your carpets. You renew, they say maintanence will call to schedule carpet cleaning. They scheduled carpet cleaning 2 times out of the 3 renewals we have done. They only actually came once. We rescheduled the other time but did not come.

Parking has become atrocious here. There is little structure to parking. I actually had an accident because someone parked along a curb right behind a row of parking spaces. I asked the office about putting signs up to prevent this. They again said they were working on getting signs. I asked in February of this year...still no signs. There is no enforcement for parking in areas that are not designated for it. Coming home late at night leaves you feel like you are driving down a narrow street lined with cars and you will be taking a hike to your door. The lighting is ok but lampposts are too spreadout leaving a few dark spots.

As many people have mentioned before, pet waste is a big problem that they have been trying to deal with since I moved in without success. I have made peace with it and look at my feet when I walk in any grassy area. The "garden area" that my apartment faces looks ok in the springtime when the flowers come out. The main problem is that there is a huge drainage problem in the "garden" which causes a couple of inches of standing water when it rains. This has caused the grass to become brown and the garden is an eyesore the rest of the year.

Besides all this, the breaking point was the notification that when the next lease is signed we will be required to show proof of renter's insurance. We do have renter's insurance but only about $25,000 worth of coverage. This costs me close to $15/month. Briarwood will require $100,000 worth of insurance. Presumably this will cost me at least an additional $40 or so per month to increase my policy. So on top of increasing my rent the standard $20-30 month per year, they will require me to purchase additional insurance.

The declining service and raising costs have made Briarwood a poor value. This is a premium apartment complex which sold us on service. They have also lost us on service. There are good points to Briarwood but consider my experience. There are other smaller examples which I did not state. If anyone wants any other information, they can contact me at achaholic@aol.com

Your thoughts? Post a response to this review. Display my response: with my username anonymously Responses appear below reviews and one response per user is permitted.

   Free estimates on moving trucks      Find apartment share/roommates