(Leasing Days Press, October 16, 2007) Consistent with its reputation for poor service, thin walls between apartments and unqualified property managers, AvalonBay Communities, Inc.'s Avalon at Edgewater in Edgewater, NJ has announced to residents today that they will be shifting their primary focus and operations budget to emphasize landscape "beautification" over resident services.

In a letter to residents dated October 15th, Avalon management informed of rent increases of between 10% and 12% for the coming lease renewal period. Avalon at Edgewater also noted that they will be cutting back on maintenance service call response time and staff and increasing the amount of time management takes for them to return calls from residents. Many residents already note a very low response rate from management and maintenance staff. "We are re-aligning the budget to plant more shrubs, flowers and reconfigure the sidewalks," one senior manager noted. "Unfortunately, in the increasingly tight Edgewater rental market we are finding that the big draw to our beautiful apartment community comes primarily from a well groomed exterior, including greener, well trimmed lawns, rows of colorful flowers and taller trees. We've always placed our highest priority on our landscaping and de-emphasized the quality of interior appointments and the level of service we provide our residents. Once they sign their leases and have moved in, they, [to be] honest, are just not much of a priority, then, say, getting that next potential renter or planting another pretty flower."

One resident who spoke on the condition that their name not be used in this article because they have contacted the Better Business Bureau, noted, "I can't believe they raised my rent as much as they did, charged me an amenity fee to use the fitness center...and now this! The least they could do [is] install fixtures and appliances that aren't so damn cheap. The carpet is poor quality and I can hear my neighbors' conversations all the time. I made the biggest mistake moving here. I'm just waiting for my condo down the road to be completed and then I'm so outta here!"

AvalonBay Communities, Inc is real estate investment trust (a "REIT") focused on owning, operating, developing, redeveloping and acquiring apartment communities in high barrier-to-entry markets of the United States.

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