I've live here for 14 months and am completely baffled why there are any negative reviews whatsoever; I feel compelled to write my own review.

First of all, keep in mind you re renting! If you want all the benefits of a home, then buy one. But, if you want a rental community that feels like home, then take the 15 minutes at the very least to drive through take a look at the great way they take care of the complex as well as look at the level of vehicles parked here, this is always a good indication of the tenants.

I decide to go point by point, so here we go!

Parking - Free! Two spots for every tenant as well as the fact if you have extended guests the management will give you a temporary sticker for their car free! Tons of parking available and the snow is plowed quickly.

Noise - Please! Unless you live out the middle of the sticks, yes, there is some basic traffic noise, absolutely nothing out of the ordinary.

Grounds - How many places have you lived that have a small army of landscapers constantly planting, replanting, sweeping, and keeping everything groomed'' Fresh flowers blooming all over the place! The pool area is extremely well done; with everything there including lounges and grills! Each building is vacuumed, mopped, and any blemish touched up constantly.

Safety - Tons of new lighting designed to light up the entire area without shinning into the apartments.

Construction - Any negative reviews on this section annoy the hell out of me! EVERY apartment has been COMPLETELY redone! From the larger tiled foyer and kitchen, to the NEW FULL SIZE appliances in every kitchen with GAS stoves, not those ridiculous electric stoves, new carpet or hardwood floors, new bathrooms, new windows, indirect lighting, and a great deal of storage. As for the paint, don t expect white painted walls! Each apartment has two-tone paint with contrasting trim not to mention you have the option of having a whole contrast wall painted for you if you ask! All the doors have two types of locking security plus the main entry door is secured with an intercom system. Oh, and for the record, all the construction/renovations were completed last year in the spring of 2008!! (This point just goes to show you some of these reviews were posted by competitors since they don t have a clue the work has been finished)

Maintenance - I ve had two minor issues since living here:
The Thermostat I entered my service request online and within 20 minutes the maintenance guy showed up and diagnosed the problem. (That s faster than you boiling water and making pasta!) They replaced the thermostat in 90 minutes.
The Kitchen Microwave The fan would not set to low only high . I again entered my service request online and the maintenance people showed up, well, insert pasta comparison here. They replaced the entire unit in two days yes, two WHOLE days I was without a microwave that didn t have a low setting, I did survive though!

Monthly Bills - I work from home and use two computers with three monitors that are on from 7:30am to midnight; needless to say I chew through power faster than a fat kid on a donut! During the summer my electric bill was at its highest $158.37 with the A/C on constantly, the winter my gas bill was at its highest $97.01. (I keep the apartment at 74 degrees. This month s bill (May) is $84.42 total electric and gas. Also, the entire complex is wired for both Comcast AND Verizon Fios your choice! (But we both know Comcast rocks!)

Extra s - Kids need a tutor' During the school year the management bring in tutors to help with all grades of homework! How many complexes have you lived in that have you covered if the power goes off' Here each building has generator backup. No it doesn t power your entire apartment, but the kitchen and living room stay lit! Which means the kids won t loose their minds without TV and you won t loose all the food in the fridge! Laundry on each floor, elevators in every building, and a cool fitness center no not huge but FREE! .9 miles away is an amazing fitness and aquatic club FitLife. Let s not forget the BBQ s thrown at the pool, Happy Hour type get togethers after work with food or before work coffee and bagels that are planned quite often!

Accessibility - 8 minute walking distance to center Chestnut Hill, 5 miles from Plymouth Meeting, 6 miles from the Turnpike and Northeast Extension, 1 block from a shopping center (with a full size Path Mark, Block Busters, Dry Cleaning, Rite Aid, blah, blah, blah), and last but not least one block from the R7 into Center City! (22-minute ride, $7 RT)

For those that have written all these negative reviews the solution is simple MOVE! But, I truly feel these negative reviews are actually posted by competing complexes due to the fact our complex is almost completely rented out! Seriously, if you are a tenant with huge issues about this place, please move out and let someone cool take your place!

So after all is said, if this is such a terrible place to live, why is my building completely rented and the building next to me have one apartment left' Hmmmmm .

I rest my case.

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 06/24/2009
1. I moved out in October of 08 (in case you weren't sure, that is a whole season past "Spring") and construction was not even close to finished. 2. If each building does have a generator, that's news to me. Then again, I do not live there anymore. But when I did, the electric was CONSTANTLY turned off for a variety of reasons without my prior knowledge or consent. NEVER did a back-up generator come on and keep my living room/kitchen lit. 3. I don't think I ever remember seeing a nice car in that parking lot. Driving through Chestnut Hill, yes, I did see some nice cars. But nobody residing there had a nice vehicle. I did, however, see a TON of creepy people who lived in the Halfway House, which I thankfully did not know was there until after I left. 4. Maybe this has changed, but there were a large number (about half) of apartments in my building that were empty when I lived there. Most people were trying to get out, not in. And anybody I knew who wanted in I recommended run in the other direction. Which they all did, after they found out the crap I went through. 5. Yes, there are elevators, which do not work half the time. The day I moved out, the maintenance came to lock the elevator for us and turned the key the wrong way and broke the lift, giving us the opportunity to carry all of my furniture and belongings down 3 flights of stairs. AWESOME. 6. All of the construction and changes to the apartments are EXTERIOR changes. Great, you have tile and painted walls now. This does NOT fix the heat, the leaks, the constant shutting off of the water/electric, the mice, the rodents in walls and ceilings, the horrible maintenance crew, the frightening tenants, the inside thefts and the horrid service the management office provides. And you are paying $300 extra/month for those painted walls. I hope you really do love them. 7. Most apartment complexes in the area provide gyms and other amenities for less of the cost. The place I live now has nicer equipment then CHV did when I lived there, however it's still not state of the art. 8. I bet there are a few people on this sight from other complexes, but I also would be willing to bet that 95% of people who post on here really did have a bad experience at this complex. In conclusion: I agree that, YES, you are living in an apartment, but for you to say "if you don't like it, buy a house" is ridiculous. Many people do not have the luxury, especially in today's economy, to have a down payment for a home of their own. Most apartment dwellers only want to know that the money they are throwing away each month for rent is going towards maintenance and other expenses to make their temporary homes as enjoyable as possible. I personally would never want to live somewhere that has so many negative reviews. Now, I must say; I moved out in October of 08. I don't know what the place is like now, perhaps they had new management come in. But I did read a number of recent articles about some of the problems CHV and the company that runs them (AIMCO) was having, and they were all pretty awful. Kudos to you if you have had a great experience, and I do hope you continue to enjoy your apartment. It just wasn't for me.
From: Anonymous	Date: 06/27/2009
Delaney, Here are some more errors in your review... There is no FIOS. If there is, the city of pHilly would be angry because it is not legal in the city. Again, selling a property with lies. You must work for them, because that is the kind of lies that are told to people who are interested in the property.
From: DelaneyPA	Date: 06/27/2009
Ooops, I meant Direct TV...I have Comcast though. It's obvious you have a major problem with me personally, which is insanely immature. Although, unlike you hiding behind postings as 'anonymous' I posted my name. This complex isn't that big so why don't you track me down and I'll solve your little problem with me...you can count on it.
From: antonie42	Date: 06/28/2009
I think that it is wonderful that DelaneyPA loves the apartment. I just want to say that I did move and as quickly as I could, I only stayed 1 year and that was longer than I wanted too. I experienced a mouse in my bedroom slipper, which for some could have caused a heart attack. That was the worst experience ever. I also had many problems with maintenance not responding until I made several follow up calls, no heat, no air and water under the carpet, etc. I began calling Jan. 1, 2006 about the water under the carpet and it wasn't resolved until March 2006 and only after the property manager returned from an extended leave. When I ran the washing machine somehow the water was draining under the floor, so when I walked across the dining room area I would actually leave my footprint in the water logged carpet, it was disgusting. I actually overheard the maintenance guys talking about having to actually work now that she was back. Funny, I thought that's what they were being paid to do anyway. No one said for all the inconvenience we'll discount your rent. There were no nice cars in the parking lot when I was there and I thought the grocery store was ghetto! I still went to Montgomery County to do my shopping, only went to that grocery store in an emergency and that wasn't often. I will admit the chinese restaurant is pretty good. I, however am glad that someone likes the place but like the other respondent wrote, it wasn't for me. I'm still renting in a larger complex and have been here 3 yrs.. I have not seen a mouse, the apts. are soundproof, maintenance responds after 1 call and they give adequate notice if they are going to turn off the water. My only complaint here is that we're on the 5th floor and it gets hot in the summer, therefore increasing our electric bill. I wish you well at CHV.
From: Anonymous	Date: 07/02/2009
ALL apartments being COMPLETELY redone is so laughable that I am laughing my head off right now. Thats what we sure as hell believed after we walked out of that beautiful showroom. The apartment we got is nowhere near redone. I guess new paint on the walls, like any standard new renter, and maybe new carpets, they don't look that bad. But really, that is the biggest lie I have heard in this joke of a home, that they have all been renovated. There is no doubt that Delaney works in some capacity for this apartment complex. No doubt whatsoever. By the way, if anyone is on here looking for a good place to live, NO I don't work for them, but The Towers of Wyncote. I know how that is going to look, but I've seen a lot of comments on reviews asking if anyone knows a better place to live. That is one of the options. I moved out of there with the wife a year ago for this place. Worst mistake we've made. Seriously, look into that place. Chestnut Hill Village is a sham!!!
From: Kira28	Date: 08/09/2009
I am seriously thinking of moving to CHV...any thoughts? I want to move in the county, but since my son is in a specialized school I must stay in Philadelphia County. I was thinking of a 3bdrm townhouse. THOUGHTS PLEASE....
From: Anonymous	Date: 08/10/2009
trust me the great reviews about CHV is written by staff, or perhaps someone is getting paid to post good reviews. This place is the pits. The mold that was cover up, not renovated has begun to reveal it self. The cheap appliances are insulting. There are still mice, noise, mentally disburb, high electic bills, a lazy staff, and this property is unsafe.. if you move here, do not complain because u were warned

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