If you're thinking about moving into an Avalon apartment in New Rochelle, make sure you consider this information first.

In terms of utilities, expect to pay around 275$ per month for water and electricity for a 1 bedroom apartment with two people in it. Utilities are billed through an outside agency called Minol that charges you a standard rate no matter how little or how much water/electricity you use. Given that most 1 bedrooms are around 1700 per month, this makes the overall cost for this building pretty pricey for what you get.

Management will tell you that the apartments at the back of the building are sound proof- they aren't. If your view is of the train, you will hear the train and the announcements from the conductors all day...especially early in the morning when many trains are stopping in New Rochelle.

The pool/gym facilities are convenient, but not well maintained.

Air conditioning/heat is very noisy.

Kitchen has very low quality surfaces..especially the counters. Every time we cook or get anything on the counter (other than water), the only cleaner that removes these stains is bleach.

Bathroom does not have a vent.

Over all, living in this building is very convenient. I haven't had any problems with the staff or noisy neighbors (though I do live on a higher floor which is more expensive) However, it is not really a luxury building.

I would recommend this building to someone looking for temporary or corporate housing. But not someone looking for good deal on a homey apartment.

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 04/08/2007
I figured this was as good a place as any to ask some questions of any long-time Avalon renters. I am a current resident as of April '07, but haven't been here beyond one lease term. 1. Anyone reading this (including the reviewer) live in the Avolon on the Sound for more than one lease term? I know it's not rent-controlled, but I was curious as to how much they raised the rent per lease term, if it were roughly the same every time. Also, has anyone found this to be negotiable? They seem pretty shady in that office downstairs, but I guess anything's possible. 2. Is there any rhyme or reason to the amount they charge through Minol for water? I live in a one-bedroom apartment, by myself, and they're chargine me nearly $100 for water for 30 days for Jan to Feb '07 (the most recent bill - since it's on a bizarre two-month lag). I know it's not metered, but that is pure insanity. The hot-water rate used two cycles ago was roughly $1.5/day, the rate one cycle ago was roughly $2/day and the rate for the current bill is over $3/day. Now, this seems somewhat excessive for water, doesn't it? I lived in a house with 6 people, 2 bathrooms and a full washer/dryer, with metered water and we never paid more than $40/month. 3. For anyone that has left the Avalon: how crazy are they with security deposits? There is some minor wear and tear that existed before I took the apartment, but I didn't think it was major enough to complain about (some scratches on the kitchen floor, scuffs on the wall, etc.), so I didn't fill out that form to denote defects. Has anyone else had minor defects come back to haunt them when trying to claim their deposit back? Thanks!
From: Anonymous	Date: 04/16/2007
1. The rates can be raised as much as the law allows. I think that would be no more than 10% 2. The minol cost is your share for the building. Basically, it doesn't matter how much energy you use - your rate is your share of the total building cost. For example, you could take a 2 week vacation and use little energy that month, but still pay the same amount because that's your itemized share. So much for conservation! 3. I've heard from other residents that the staff is very keen on withholding security deposits, so I wrote a ton of stuff on that form. I guess just be as careful as you can until you move out.
From: Anonymous	Date: 06/04/2008
Avalon is a public company (Real Estate Investment Trust) that boasts to its shareholders about their ability to pass costs on to their tenants. They will do what ever they can to keep your entire security deposit.

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