It isn't that great of a place. When you first move in they will be on their toes. We started in a 2 bedroom, decided it was to big for us and went into a 1 bedroom. Now we may need to go into a 3 bedroom, maybe if they allow us.My gas bill is on the high side. It is drafty, you can actually feel the draft from the windows and see the light between the door frame and the door, oh and it is my front door because I only have one door.
If I could afford to buy a house or move I would. the problem with moving is I have a husky who doesn't even way 40 pounds. He doesn't bite and rarely if ever barks. Most people don't even know I have him.
As for noise. . .I can hear everything the upstairs neighbors do. I have lived in 2 different buildings since I lived in a 2 bedroom and a 1 bedroom. When I say everything I do mean everything. Anything someone does upstairs we hear, using the restroom, shower, walking, talking, etc. Pretty much anything you do in your daily life upstairs we hear downstairs and I am sure they hear us.
To have an animal it is an extra $30.00 a month and a $200.00 non refundable pet deposit, most places are one or the other not both. As far as the size of the dog I am pretty sure it cannot be more than 40 pounds. I know that dogs and cats are allowed though.
The vents in the apartment I don't think were ever cleaned except by me since I pull chunks of things out of it. Whenever I turn on the air (which doesn't even cool the place down so I don't use it anymore) I smell dirt. If it was hooked up correctly you wouldn't.
When we moved into the 2 bedroom in September of 2007 it was cleaned, sort of. I soon found that wasn't the case. The vents there weren't cleaned either. When I moved the refrigerator and the stove well it was disgusting to say the very least. I left the place cleaner than I had received it. The walls in the 2 bedroom were actually bulging either from weight or old water damage.
The 1 bedroom was not cleaned when we moved into it. If it was they need new people to clean the apartments. It also was not even painted, as it is supposed to be in accordance to the law. We spend more on our gas bill in the 1 bedroom than we did in the 2 bedroom. To make it worse when we were in the 2 bedroom we had relatives stay with us a couple times and still spent less in gas. Hot water is a joke. We have enough hot water to take a 5 minute shower if you wash really fast. My fiance' who is 6' tall has to bend to take a shower because the shower head is placed so low on the wall. Oh and there is actually chunks out of our bathtub. When we told them about it. . .they put water soluble putty into it so the first time we showered it went down the drain.
The appliances, fixtures (in the kitchen and bathrooms), outlets, etc. are cheap.
We have a regular outlet instead of a GFI outlet. In case someone doesn't know the difference the GFI will automatically trip if gets wet or overloaded right at the switch. It is actually what is supposed to be there. If there is any insulation in the walls I would be surprised. There is not any built in lighting except for in the kitchen and in the bathroom, which is fine to me. I wouldn't use their lights anyway. The fan in the bathroom is so old it isn't actually wired in correctly. I have been informed by a licensed engineer that the furnace is old and should be replaced. Maintenance if they are licensed I would be surprised is touching these appliances with general knowledge. . .I'm saying if they are licensed because in a way I hope they are not since one asked me how to turn on my stove after installing a part and they are the same stoves in both places chances are in the whole complex.
Parking. . .I am really confused about the parking. We have to have a parking permit to park in the parking lot. Which there are no assigned spots and not even enough spots for the number of apartments. Not only that they are never checked! It depends on which lot you need to park in whether I would say it is safe the one we are in now I would say needs more lighting.
Safety. . .I guess it depends on who you ask. To me. . .not to safe. It would need to more lighting and the layout of the buildings would need to be better, but you can't move the buildings. I always call my fiance' when I come home from work (I work nights) so he can keep an eye on me. when we in the two bedroom it was so he could put the light on for me since it was so dark by our door. The door had fenced in area on either side of it.
The property is obviously run down. It needs to painted, the right way. The paint is in so many layers that you can see the different ones peeling. The grass is high lately it wasn't so bad last year but that is what happens when it is done when it is wet or is raining. Maintenance in general from ground to the upkeep of the buildings is less than desirable, especially since it is supposed to be a family community.
Staff. . .I'm not really sure how to put this nicely. Don't get me wrong they are both nice women. The main person that is there and I have dealt with is a young women who again is very nice, but is more like a party girl to me and to me is professionally inadequate. The older women whom is the office manager I honestly have rarely seen or spoken with to know beyond that she seems to be a nice person.
My biggest problem with this complex is when it comes to cable. If you do not want RCN your other choice is DirectTV. I checked with Verizon and Fios is not yet available. I have checked with several other cable companies and the reason I can't get another cable company is because Allendale is a RCN ONLY community.
Honestly if I knew about half of the things I do now I probably wouldn't have moved here. The reason I say probably is this it is close to my job and it allows my husky.

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