Where to begin' There were red flags on move-in day, but we were too naive to see them at the time. We moved into a 3rd floor Village apartment in October of 2007. We were promised an elevator key, which would lock the elevators (otherwise, the doors close after being open for 30 seconds; and they don't stop for hands, feet, etc.. very unsafe!) We called the management office about 7 times on move-in day. They said maintenance would be right over with the elevator key every time we called. We spent 12 hours moving in and they never showed up. We also were only given 1 key when we first moved in and were promised a 2nd set of keys the next day. It took 2 weeks to receive them; VERY ANNOYING, especially since my roommate and I are on very difference schedules. In the winter the locks freeze on the outside doors and I've spent more then 5 minutes at times trying to get into the building (this has happened to other residents as well, at one point there were 6 of us at the door trying to work the locks). It also took about 3 months and 15 complaints for them to "activate" our gym keys, and we called maintenance about 20 times upon moving in to set up out intercom system and they never showed up (it still doesn't work). They also claim when you lease that you can view the lobby through a Comcast channel on your tv to insure you know who you're letting in, but this isn't at all true.

In the middle of winter, heat alone costs around $300/month. You really can't control the temperature of the heat; either it's on or off. Our heat broke around 6 times this winter. Most of the time they were pretty quick to fix it, although on one occasion it broke on a Friday and they said they couldn't fix it until Monday, so we spent the entire weekend in a 40 degree apartment wearing gloves and winter coats. The insulation is awful in the apartments; we had a squirrel trapped in the wall for awhile (there are obviously holes in the roof) and the air conditioner units that are built into the walls let the heat out. You can also hear EVERYTHING; as I'm typing this review, they are renovating the apartment below me (it's 4:00 on a Saturday), and they've been hammering and banging down there for the past 4 hours.

Maintenance has walked into my apartment and bedroom un-invited, even going as far as to knock on my bathroom door while I've been in the shower. There are no outlets in any of the bathrooms, so if you have an electric razor, toothbrush, or hairdryer you'll have to use that in the bedroom or kitchen. They turn the water off at least once a week for 8 hours at times, and they don't give you even 24 hours notice. The memos they leave are always dated about 4 days before the actual note is delivered (I think this is to cover their butts in case somebody brings a lawsuit against them).

Our cold water comes out hot most of the time, not just warm but scalding hot. I can't wash my clothes in cold water or even put cold water in the cat's dish without putting it in the fridge first. I've burned myself in the shower when the cold water has decided to come out at 150 degrees. Even brushing your teeth, you have to use hot water. Cold is just not an option in this complex. And guess what' You pay for it each month, because hot water is not included in the rent!

The bathroom walls do turn yellow and mildewy. There is also rust in the water, probably from old pipes. The showers and sinks turn red after awhile if they are not washed with a strong cleaner. In the winter, the stairs outside end up covered in a coating of ice that makes going to and from the apartment building an obstacle course. There is no recycling, no small trash cans anywhere on the premises (there are dumpsters, although not nearly enough), and no ashtrays for smokers.

The only thing I will say is that it is convenient; it's close to the train station and bus, fairmont park, manayunk, and chestnut hill is very quaint. There is also a nice shopping center right across the street. However, people go grocery shopping and bring their carts back and leave them all over the sidewalk. I've also never had a mouse or cockroach problem as it seems others have had, but that could be because I have 2 cats and I'm on the third floor. I do however find ants in my bedroom a lot.

The rental office doesn't let you read your lease before signing (they won't give you a copy of it until all tenants have signed the lease, and only then are you given the opportunity to go through it). They lied to us about extermination fees (they said they would cover the costs; the lease says they will not cover any extermination costs if a problem exists). Luckily I haven't needed to use this service. They also won't let you see your apartment before your move-in day, and any problems you see when you move in are not fixed unless you call maintenance a hundred times (my roommate's toilet has been running since we moved in and it still has not been fixed; we've resorted to picking the lid up to push the lever down after each use.) If you call to complain about anything, nothing is done. And we were promised the new fitness center would be finished by April 2008, and it still isn't open (it's now nearly August). Not to mention that construction noise is constant, 7 days a week between 8 and 5.

They are "renovating" all of the apartments and won't allow us to renew our lease (not that I'd want to). Their "renovation" includes new floors, carpets, and paint on the walls; and new bathrooms and cabinets in the kitchens. Big deal; they are charging $1500 a month (approximately $400 more then what I'm currently paying) for these interior changes; none of which would fix even one of the above problems I've had. I would stay far far away from this place; all the reviews are accurate, and you'll regret signing the lease after just a few months.

I can't wait to get out of this place!

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 09/06/2008
I moved from a newer place in Manayunk/Shawmont to save a couple bucks. Big mistake! I should have stayed where I was where I was happy. My apartment here wasn't even cleaned when I moved in. The keys didn't work. Happy first day of moving in.
From: Anonymous	Date: 05/30/2009
While I will concede that I have noticed the large overages in the utilities, and acknowledge there has been a lot of trouble nation wide for Ista and AIMCO, we have received credit for those overages from the management. Not to mention: our apartment was clean when we moved in, we never hear ANY noise from anything unless it's coming from the hallway, the heat and air conditioning work terrifically, etc etc. We do have a rodent problem that management seems eager to assist with; and I do know that many others in this complex also have problems with mice. I would have to say that all though this place is not perfect, I have always had pleasant dealings with the management, I WAS allowed to have a copy of my lease a MONTH before I signed it, viewed the apartment before I moved in, and am always notified of maintenance work well in advance of it coming. This person seems like they are exaggerating greatly or flat out making things up!!
From: Anonymous	Date: 06/07/2009
Then by default, anyone writing bad reviews must have been evicted for not paying rent or must work for another complex.
From: Anonymous	Date: 06/07/2009
I agree with the original poster, completely, there are SO many red flags from SO many people, I read nothing on the review that sounds remotely exaggerated. I think someone is going through all of the reviews today and trying to stir the pot. Either someone that works here, lives free, or just needs to age a few years.
From: Anonymous	Date: 07/21/2009
I would really like to know what were the better places that you guys were able find, because most of the reviews for these neighboring apartments suck!!
From: Anonymous	Date: 07/21/2009
Look at the places on Henry Ave, there are a bunch of nice ones on that strip!

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