Sombra del Oso on the West Side of Albuquerque has impressive amenities and a reasonable monthly rent. They have in-unit washers and driers, gorgeous views of the Sandias, spacious floorplans, a well-maintained pool and even a nice little fitness area. Having lived there once before, I figured I knew what I was getting into and signed a lease with my fiancee without hesitation.

What I did not know was that since their acquistion by Nevins/Lewbel, they have become quite rigid and inflexible in their rental policies and their service has degraded to a point I would not have expected from such a large property.

When I became unemployed and accepted a new job in Arizona, my fiancee decided to remain while I got my financial situation in order. When I attempted to join an apartment community in Arizona, the representatives at Sombra rudely informed her that she would not be able to stay despite our excellent on-time rental history because she did not earn at least three times the monthly rent, nor could she seek a co-signer because she was not a full time student (she just graduated less than a month earlier). They would not remove me from the lease or allow me to seek a new residence with another apartment unless we immediately vacated and paid the full amount of our lease termination charges (with our concessions more than $2000)!

While it is not uncommon for apartments to want to recover any losses, the management at Sombra were not willing to consider our rental history or allow me to seek another lease even though my fiancee had quite successfully paid the rent every month on time during my unemployment.

Service to the apartment was always late or non-existent. The managers and representatives had no trouble forgetting my requests to fix a leaky pipe or spray for insects.

Behind the slick corporate feel of the management, it was clear that Sombra del Oso had changed from a responsive, friendly property to one of greed and disregard of its tenants.

Making matters even worse, Sombra del Oso does not even keep its tenant records on the premises, but rather at nearby Del Rio apartments (owned by Nevins/Lewbell). So the managers there had apparently no real say in how either myself or my fiancee were treated.

On top of this, they assessed more than twice the amount of my security deposit for repairs (some were justified, many were not).

Sombra del Oso does have both covered and uncovered parking. The covered spaces are quite narrow and many visitors, myself included, have dinged our cars on the metal beams. Most of the tenants are quiet, but we lived mostly near troublemakers and noisemakers. Despite assurances that these would be handled efficiently, they were anything but.

Finally, despite New Mexico and the Southwest?s recent water shortage, there is rarely a moment where Sombra?s sprinklers are not wastefully running.

I never like talking badly about any company I have done business with, but my advice is to avoid Sombra del Oso and Nevins/Lewbell properties like the plague.

Don?t be fooled by the amenities and prices - Sombra del Oso is a prison and their management WILL take advantage of you.

User Responses
From: melaniem	Date: 04/15/2006
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