The apartments are ok, but there are a few maintenance problems and issues with staff that put Hidden Valley pretty low on the scale of places you should look.

We had a problem with ants from the day we moved in and found them in our kitchen cupboards. We lived on the third floor and conversations with our neighbors revealed that the ants were nesting in the walls throughout the building. We frequently found them in the kitchen and crawling up the bedroom and bathroom walls. Management never responded to repeated inquiries from several tenants about this problem.

The windows are poorly sealed, causing ice to form on the inside surface all winter. Because of this the windowsills and frames are constantly damp and black mold grows around the windows.

Management is difficult to contact and when you do, they tend to be rude and unhelpful. They seem to have a particularly hard time mailing deposits and certificates of rent paid for taxes.

The apartments are out in the middle of nowhere, bordering on two cemeteries and a giant swamp. The darker corners of the parking lot often hide people hanging out and setting off fireworks or apparent drug deals.

The prices Hidden Valley charges are extremely high for the location and quality of the apartments. You could do a lot better for your money - take it elsewhere.

User Responses
From: jakket	Date: 06/16/2007
I am astounded by the unfortunate comments attributed to the general running and maintainance of the above property. I have lived in one of the ground units for the past twelve years and have to say that I have never encountered a situation where management appeared unwilling to respond to needs for repairs, ant problems, or untimely mailing of renters certificates forms etc. as claimed. I too experienced intermittent ant problems in the past, but once I applied the ant-killer chemical, I was able to get rid of them once and for all. I understand that the above property is family owned and managed, and although they live elsewhere, they have ensured that the caretaker is conveniently located across the street next to the 429 West Idaho Avenue building for immediate accessibility during times of emergencies. Having lived in this place for twelve years puts me in a better position to commend the owners and management for the job well done in making the tenants feel more at home in terms of cleanliness, customer service, and the prevailing friendly atmosphere. I have to add that the claim for drug dealing and people setting off fire works at the parking lot is absolutely uncalled for.
From: Anonymous	Date: 06/30/2007
Bearing in mind that the building was put up less than five years ago, I find jakket's claims to have lived there the past 12 years to be dubious to say the least. Uncalled for or not, the drug deals happen constantly. Not an especially pleasant neighborhood.
From: Anonymous	Date: 03/09/2008
It is absolutely not possible that this bulding is less than 10 years old! I was under the impression when I moved in almost two years ago, that it was indeed built in the 80's. I'm not sure of it's date. There has been remodeling in the past five years. Maybe that is what you're thinking of. I have not witnessed any drug deals in the front parking lot closest to Idaho Ave. I am not able to speak for the lot behind the other buildings towards Larpentur. Considering the Lamplighter is around six blocks away, I have felt surprisingly safe in this neighborhood. Upon moving here, we knew that we were not moving into luxury, suburban apartments. These are very neat, clean, and economical. There are very few problems.

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