Glen Lennox has lots of charm and history but there are many problems that are difficult to overlook as rent continues to rise to a competitive rate.

PRO:
?Winding sidewalks in front and back of the apartments, mature trees and attentive landscaping with colorful flowers;
?Convenient location to the 15-501, 54, & 40, UNC & Duke. The area is away from the hustle and bustle but new development in the area may add congestion;
?Mail delivered to your doorstep and private trash (taking it to the curb isn?t a problem except for lazy tenants);
?Leasing and maintenance staff are generally friendly and responsive.
?Air conditioning costs are reasonable and it takes little to keep the apartment cool in the spring and summer.
?Wonderful wood floors, crown molding and nice floor plans make the smallest square footage seem much roomier than some of the new apartment complexes that offer more square footage but are little more than unimaginative boxes.
?Doing without a microwave, garbage disposal, ice maker, self-cleaning oven or dishwasher really isn?t that difficult.
?Not having to live above or below another tenant keeps ambient noise down. At most, you only have to share walls on either side of you. If you?re in an end unit ? only one wall!
?There is room to do some of your own gardening to personalize your (temporary) home.


CON:
?Deposit is non-refundable and just another way of collecting rent upfront in a lump sum.
?Parking is nil especially on main roads like Hamilton Road. UNC students park and leave cars for a week and pick them up on the weekend, others park their cars to catch the bus rather than use UNC designated lots. It took constant nagging to get administration to advocate for city approved parking tags and an additional 8 months for the parking tags to be distributed. Even after the ?grace period? there were 2 cars in the same spot near my apartment for over 2 weeks without a parking tag ? and no consequences. Time will tell whether parking tags are effective.
?Roaches, slugs, mice, spiders. There are two types of HUGE roaches entering apartments through windows, vents, etc. presumably from damp, dark, and tall crawlspaces beneath the apartments. One is black, winged and approximately 2 ? 21/2 inches long. The other is slightly shorter but wider and reddish in color. You can actually hear them walk across wood floors. Exterminators will tell you these are ?outside? roaches who wander in due to the trees around the buildings. These guys are lightening fast, running across kitchen and bathroom walls and floors ? and your dinner - if you aren?t alert. For outside roaches, their frequency and quantity in the apartment is not to be believed. Monthly extermination is necessary to keep them at bay. Then there are the regular sized roaches who scurry to the apartment next door when yours is exterminated and return when the coast is clear. These roaches were present when I had nothing but a mattress and bed frame for 2 months. All food items not in cans were kept in plastic containers and still the roaches thrived. If you approach your apartment after dark, you will see roaches scurry across the concrete steps near your front and back doorway. My apartment had an additional problem with slugs on and around the stove. It was not uncommon to come home and find 2 slugs crawling across the stove top every other night for a period of 2-3 months each year. About once a year, a mouse would find its way into the apartment evidenced by droppings left along the walls and corners. There are just too many cracks and openings in these old apartments for the pests & vermin to get through. Spiders put up webs around windows, doors and your mailbox faster than you can sweep them down with a broom. At least they keep some of the larger outside bugs at bay.
?If you live in an end unit far from the water heater and are the first person in your building to shower in the morning, you can expect to run your water for 3-5 minutes before the water begins to heat up ? and this is running the hot water only.
?Also, if you live in an end unit, you may be plagued with lazy neighbors who are supposed to carry their recycling and trash to the curb in front of their apartments. Instead, they will park their waste at the curb in front of yours leaving a feast for nighttime insects and vermin who will migrate towards the nearest apartment -- yours. When trash and recycling are picked up ? there?s always some waste left in the yard area in front of your apartment ? another attraction for pests because your neighbors won?t pick up their trash that is left behind. Additionally, you can always count on a neighbor or two to leave their recycling bin or trash can in your yard for 3-5 days before finally moving it back behind their apartment.
?Laundry ? there is only one small laundry room on the premises that is not secure. There is no concrete walk-way between the apartments to the laundry room so it is easy to soil your clean clothes on muddy, rainy days.
?Students ? When I moved in, Glen Lennox leasing staff verbally assured me (they volunteered ? I didn?t ask) that only responsible graduate students were permitted to live on the premises. More and more, it is becoming a haven for students who throw parties until early morning hours and contribute to difficulty finding parking when 10-15 extra cars arrive. You will find empty beer cans and bottles and food in the yard surrounding your apartment as well as on your car. Keep your backdoor light on to discourage urination near your apartment.
?It was nice to learn that pets were finally permitted ? at an exorbitant monthly fee as well as a non-refundable deposit. Unfortunately the majority of irresponsible pet-owners will not clean up pet waste (in the 2 years since the policy was implemented, I observed 1 pet-owner picking up after their dog) in the yard surrounding your apartment. There?s nothing like the smell of canine waste on a hot summer day as you walk towards your apartment.
?Large heating bill ? don?t ask what about heating bill averages because that is misleading. As for the high and low ? or better yet- call the utility company and ask for summer and winter costs for a specific apartment. I found that keeping the heat down to 65-68 degrees, wearing sweats over clothing and covering myself with a blanket while watching tv kept the gas bill down to a little over $100/month during the cold months. There is no insulation.
?If you decide to relocate to another apartment ? Glen Lennox staff do not offer information about other properties managed by the same parent company. If you want to trade-up in size of apartment, expect to be nickeled and dimed to death.
?If you ask for upgrades, management will not meet you halfway. They would prefer to lose you as a tenant, upgrade the apartment after you leave and charge a more exorbitant rent.

It is actually possible to find relatively newer apartments by Ticon Properties that offer modern conveniences (including full size washer and dryer) in each apartment at costs much less than Glen Lennox. They may not offer ambience but maintenance is actually swift and more proficient and much, much cheaper.

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