I've been dying to do this review, but I wanted to wait until after I
moved out and got my security deposit back.

When I moved in (2006), I was impressed Dolben's rigorous screening of tenants
that kept the neighborhood good compared to the neighboring apt
complexes on Lakeside Blvd. That's when I wrote the "Made the right choice"
review in 2006. (Lost my old info, so had to make a new username.)

Then JPI management took over, and it all went down the toilet.

I'm not a demanding tenant. I am happy if I can just pay my rent with
no hassle and get a decent place to live in exchange. I shouldn't even
need to visit the rental office.

But, when your JPI water bill doesn't arrive until after the water/rent
payment is due (happens regularly), you have no choice but to go to the
office to find out how much you owe. And the JPI-run rental office is
rude, unresponsive, and incompetent.

One day, I got a strongly worded notice on the door demanding almost $500 in fees
for the "unreported dog" that they discovered during an inspection. The
thing is: I never had any pet. When I called the rental office, they
rudely insisted that they made no mistake. Now, how do you prove that
you don't have a dog exactly' I sent them a certified letter insisting
again that I never had any pets and that they correct the mistake. I
also asked that they respond in writing so I could have a record in case
of further problems. (A fair request, I think.)

Of course, although the charge was removed, I never got any response
or apology. What a hassle it was!

Red Run is now so desperate for tenants that they plaster the
neighborhood with roadside signs and banners every weekend. And they
are taking anybody. There are more obnoxious people in the parking lots,
people drinking alcohol out of brown paper bags, more trash in the
neighborhood, more vandalism.

Several times over the last 3 months there have been Baltimore County
court notices on the bulletin boards for people who aren't paying their
rent.

All of these problems are accelerating the move-outs of the decent
tenants and forcing management to fill the space with more bad tenants.
A vicious circle likely to get worse and worse.

The property is owned by Rreef, a stock market company... so there is
no real owner to complain to either.

And the garbage is almost always overflowing the dumpsters because Red
Run contracts with the cheapest garbage company they can find. The
drivers won't pick up the garbage unless the Red Run crew has opened
the dumpster gates for them. Yet, the staff often forgets to do this.

I have been lucky not to need much maintenance help, but the speed of
service calls has also gotten worse. And lack of grounds/facilities maintenance is becoming clear.

Red Run is still not the worst place in Owings Mills, but it fell below my standards and that is why I moved out.

If you do choose to rent here, avoid the apartments overlooking
Lakeside Blvd, traffic noise from the speeding cars is constant even
late at night.

User Responses
From: JAIHIND	Date: 01/18/2009
Thank you giving excellent & fair review...I totally agree with you as I was there in Red Run for 1 year until April 2007 that's when JPI took over and could see the difference and couple of friends who stayed beyond my move-out date for few more months felt the same..... I really like the apartments and location (2nd phase buildings) but quite not in for leasing mgnt's attitude and their rude behavior (not exactly sure what's their issue or they feel really good about these leasing mgnt people who are just paid workers to manage or maintain property feel as if they own this property, these leasing office folks needs to get a life) and in addition to dealing with leasing office useless nonsense had to deal with surroundings special effects as you noted in your review.....this one place definitely off my list. Jai-Hind
From: Anonymous	Date: 01/18/2009
I totally agree G-town. Like you I posted a good review when I moved in in 2004, but by the time I moved out in 2007 JPI definitely soured my taste. They accused me of not paying my rent and I had to call the corporate manager in Virginia to sort it out because the leasing agents and manager were entirely too rude to me about the situation. We pay too much money in rent to get such a disservice. I hope you found a nicer place to live in the area like I did.
From: Anonymous	Date: 01/18/2009
Oh my goodness, last month my roommate and I were in the fitness center. She went into the ladies bathroom and could not believe her eyes, there was drug paraphenalia (cut up coke bottles with tin foil used to smoke cocaine) all over the sink, used matches, trash everywhere, dirty toilets, more trash on floors, disgusting. The machines in the fitness center do not even work properly, they are old and also dirty. For a management company that collects so much money in rent, they could at least change the 3 digit code to get in the fitness center door and also add new equipment. They have had the same code for 2 years! Old tenants still have access. I wont even mention the people that live here, uugh, not a good situation. This is why I will move out once my lease it up.
From: Anonymous	Date: 01/19/2009
WOW!! I really don't think there is much to say. I moved in this past summer and was ready to move out just a few months later. I really loved the true write-up on how the apartment is really headed. No other way to put this apartment as garbage!!! It is pretty bad when the maintenance staff does more damage to your apartment walls when they repair and put in new equipment, and better yet don't even fix it. Ready to move out ASAP!!
From: elsij	Date: 03/05/2009
I am looking to move into this area at the end of the year. I like the residents, management, and, for the most part, my neighbors where I live now, but the buildings are not structurally sound (squeaky floors, thin walls- I can hear my neigbors snore, chiping plaster on ceilings). I would love to know where you reccommend living if Red Run and Cascades Overlook are not the places to live.
From: Anonymous	Date: 03/30/2009
Look at Brookside Commons

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