I moved to Riverstone in May of 2008. It was certainly an improvement over my last apartment (Painters Mill), but I no longer think it is worth what I am paying in rent. My main draw to Riverstone was the attached garages and washing machines with apartments. I still LOVE my garage, however, it can be annoying when someone parks in front of my garage and blocks it, which happens fairly often. This is mostly because my garage is close to the stairwell, so moving trucks or lazy people will pull up and park in front of my garage to unload their stuff. And if you were not aware - these apartments are 4 stories and there is NO elevator. As a result, it's cheaper to live on the upper levels, but I'm still glad to be on the lower... I like the layout of the apartments, though I wish the kitchen/dining/living room areas were just a bit bigger.. (dining is especially cramped). There is a light that stays on at all hours just outside my master bedroom, which the provided blinds do little to block. I was disappointed with the kitchen appliances. Dishwasher is VERY loud and the disposal isn't so good. The oven is gas, but there is no preheating light or temperature gauge, so I had to buy my own thermometer to know when the oven is done heating up. I was horrified when I realized there was one small dumpster for the entire community. If you aren't on the same side as it, it will be very annoying to take your trash out (and you get a $5/mo charge for this luxury!) The dumpster fills quickly and people will just pile their crap around it. Not so nice. I also happen to live in the building that seems to have all the kids. Always kids playing outside and in front of my garage. Generally I don't mind them, they're just playing and being kids, but they are very slow to move out of your way when driving through the community and don't seem to really care that you're trying to get by.

UPDATED: I have now lived at Riverstone for over a year and felt I would give my thoughts on my experience up until now. Riverstone has changed management from JPI to Bozzuto, which so far, I am not thrilled about. I renewed my lease for 6 months just to give me some time to get together a down payment on a house, and I am now kicking myself for doing so. My rent has increased from 1400 to 1550, partially because of the shorter term on the lease, and partially because of their lousy apartment pricing system. I researched what they're currently renting out apartments like mine, and it's much cheaper than what they're charging me, even for a 6 month lease. I was told the only way I could get the price listed on their site was to sign a new lease and literally move into a different apartment in the community. This is not much encouragement to be a continued renter at the same community.

Anyway - enough about the pricing. I previously complained about the trash situation. Now, it still sucks, but it's technically not the fault of the apartment. I've now realized it's pure laziness on the part of other residents. Some residents, instead of breaking down boxes and large items to put into the compactor, will simply pile junk in front of and around the trash compactor, but can't be bothered to put it in. This seems to snowball, with others assuming this means the trash is full, and so trash can quickly accumulate. I haven't seen as much of this lately, but it still happens.

I would also agree with a more recent poster, the plumbing is very loud. The toilets themselves are quite loud when you flush them, and I hear water through the pipes at all times of the day. I usually have to keep the door on my master bath shut, as the flushing sounds will wake my light-sleeper fiance at all hours of the night.

I also wanted to note a few changes that came along with Bozzuto. They now require you to have Renter's insurance (this was optional under JPI). Not a big deal for me as I have renter's insurance anyway, but you also must list Bozzuto as an additional insured on the policy. Also new, I noticed they made a small change to the pet addendum - it said that cats were *required* to be declawed! I was shocked at this new requirement, as I am opposed to declawing and would never do so - isn't that what the $300 pet deposit was for'' I don't think this clause is going to be enforced, but I think it's ridiculous and unrealistic that it is even in there at all. Just thinking about it makes my blood boil!

Some updated pro's and con's

PROS
Pet "friendly", dogs up to 50lbs
1st & 2nd Floor apartments have garages
Bedrooms are large and spacious
Washer/Dryer in every apartment
Staff are friendly, never have had any issues
Tub in the master bath is NICE
Walls look nice, like the creme color
Love the floors in the kitchen/bath
Very convenient location
Pool/Spa

CONS
Expensive
No elevators
Lousy trash situation - mostly thanks to fellow residents
Dining room and kitchen small
Appliances are cheap/basic
Paint is pretty cheap - cracks and crumbles easily
Gate is more annoying than helpful in keeping people out (and is left open most of the time anyway, even when it's not broken)
Required Renter's Policy
Cats "required" to be declawed (WTF')

In general - this is still a pretty nice community and I've generally enjoyed living here, so I have decided to change to "Yes" for recommendation, as most people are likely not as picky as I am. However, I'm still not convinced it's worth the money, so I am opting to buy a house this year to take advantage of the numerous tax benefits of home ownership vs renting.

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 10/10/2008
Some people just like to complain!! I know you knew what your rent was going to be upon moving in!Im sure you saw the kitchen/dining room before you moved in....and who told you it was cheaper to live on the 4th floor? If you live on the 1st floor why are you ranting about it? Get in where you fit in! And make your mind up either the walls are nice or they arent!! You must like cheap because you gave a compliment then said the paint is cheap!For the record the paint is very nice, wipes clean with a damp cloth. Furthermore if you were able to buy a home in the 1st place you would have! Keep it 100...you know you are going to renew your damn lease!!!
From: Anonymous	Date: 10/10/2008
Wow, you think I'm looking to complain? I didn't come here to complain, I came to share my general thoughts and I leave it to the reader to make their own conclusions. But since you want to make a fuss and you obviously seem to think your opinion is the only one that should matter and that adding exclamation points makes your argument better, I will give you more specifics to my brief explanations above. 1) Yes, I did know what the rent was when I chose to move in. It was high, but I thought it would be worth it. I'm a recent college graduate so I did not feel the need to rush into buying a home. I did not realize at the time how affordable mortgages are and the benefits of owning vs renting when it comes to taxes and investing. I know better now. 2)Yes, I did see the living room and dining room before moving in. As I said, I wish they were a little bigger, but I didn't say I hate them or even dislike them. 3)I was told by Monique that the top floors were cheaper, as they do not have garages and you have to climb the stairs. She gave me a book detailing all of the floor plans and prices from floor to floor. I opted to pay more for a garage. 4)Yes, I live on the 1st floor, but for someone who is considering living here, I feel it is important that they are aware of the stairs situation. This may be a deterrent to some, others not. 5)There are things I like about the walls and things I dislike. I like the color and the texture of the walls. It is my opinion that the materials used are not the best quality, but certainly not the worst. If I came on here wanting to complain, why would I have bothered to mention the Pros of living here? I'm not that jaded. Take my personal experiences for what they're worth and come to your own conclusions about if this place is worth the price to live here.
From: Anonymous	Date: 10/25/2009
Thank you for the very well written critique of this apartment. I for one am tryint to decide if I want to move to Owings Mills. I can appreciate someone taking the time to research and let potential renters to know what's going on. The other individual seems to have a serious problem. I didn't even consider you to be complaining. Besides you are paying a lot of money to live there and you should have the right to voice your concerns and let others know. The information you provided will be well taken into consideration if I decide to check out the apartments.

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