I moved here into a studio in March of ?03. Although the kitchen wasn't big enough for one person if you like to cook, I can say that I was relatively happy despite the roach and cricket infestation, which I thought at the time, was just a limited occurrence. Rent seemed a little high but about the same as (what I thought to be) the comparable (better) complexes around Nashville.

After six months, I needed an upgrade and decided to stay at Brandywine... MY FIRST MISTAKE!! Signing a six month lease in 1611 (a one bedroom, lower level unit).

Then came the bait and switch.

By the end of this term, I began to see signs of things to come. And being that I didn?t have time to find another place or for that matter, to move, ended up signing another lease for one year. Their bait and switch sales tactic' The ridiculous amount of rent I?d have to pay if I signed a lesser term. But if I?d had the time to shop, would?ve found several better apartments at a MUCH better value.

By spring of ?04, the roaches and crickets began to infest this unit too, along with other large bugs known to be attracted to moisture (i.e. multi-legged worms, potato bugs and huge spiders). In reference to the post from Kutama37 on 3/1/2005 who referred to the bug problem as ?that?s nature?. The kind of nature that is able to get in to every unit are doing so through larger openings, and not just from cracks around doors. Probably big enough for small rodents to also get through. Just nature' I don?t think so. Maybe if this was a camping facility. And especially not for the money they ask for.

Then in July after heavy rains, we found the moisture. Water poured into the bedroom closet creating a horrible smell and mold in the carpet and up the wall. Every article of clothing, books, a camcorder and other stored items had to be cleaned. Several things were destroyed. While waiting for repairs to be made, I?d have to spray the wall with bleach every couple of days to keep the ?mold hair? from growing.

A crew finally arrived in October to ?fix? the outside wood siding. As far as repairs go, that was it. We submitted many more requests through the course of four more months to have the mold removed from behind our closet wall. But our requests went ignored while we experienced repeated and extended periods of sickness. All the while, the only thing that seemed important to this company was our money. On many occasions, we were so ill sleeping in the bedroom that we had to use the living room instead. As a result, we decided that the only thing left to do was break the lease. And bought, with nothing down, a 1200 SF, two bedroom condo with a mortgage payment just $40 more then what we pay for this crap hole.

As a professional builder I can say that the only way to deal with this problem is to remove all affected areas: Drywall, studs, insulation and all other building material in that area. Not doing so allows the mold to grow where it eventually becomes ?black mold?, which is extremely dangerous, even fatal, and can only be removed by the types of agencies equipped and trained to handle it. Also, upon my initial complaint, we should have been moved to a different unit while proper repairs were being done, which I also suggested. This request was also ignored. Upon further research, I found that the potential reason for this is that there IS no other unit within the complex to safely relocate to. It seams this problem has existed throughout the entire complex for a very long time, especially in the lower level units, which I?m sure they?re all aware of.

The mold growing in our closet damaged several articles of our personal belongings. We were promised full compensation for our losses and thorough repairs to the closet. But the promises were reneged upon and the repairs were, for the most part, Band-Aids. Then we were given excuses and lies by management with the intent to lay blame on the main office. But as far as we?re concerned, negligence and lack of integrity lies at all levels.

There have also been several thefts and assaults from outsiders on this property. Most have been car break-ins and items stolen from them. But this past December or January, as a resident was heading to their car, was approached by a man with a gun, forced back into their unit and robbed. At this time, "false sense of" security gate hadn?t worked in over three months as the exit side of the gate had been hit and bent by a car. The manager (RF) had the nerve to send a letter to all residents the next day telling about the incident, and stating that we are responsible for our own safety?NOT THEM! Miraculously though, on that same day, I saw a contractor at the gate taking measurements and preparing to replace it.

Most of the staff was and is still nice while others at the upper levels will lie to your face for the sake of ?just doing their job?. Response to smaller maintenance problems was handled promptly. Not always done well but promptly. The grounds keeper always does a great job picking up litter that some of the resident pigs dump. Parking is good enough in some sections but terrible in others.

What they allow you to see and know in the beginning is very enticing. Many of the amenities are great at the surface and they?ll do whatever it takes to get a signed lease. But don?t be fooled. You WILL suffer losses by living here. If you decide or get stuck with having to sign a renewal, you WILL be subject to a HUGE rent increase. Moving here is an invitation to be taken advantage of. As far as the manager goes, this guy is as sleazy as they come.

User Responses
From: los975	Date: 03/19/2005
Great article...If ever I thought of brandywine..well forget it now. Mold is a potential killer. I am sure if these managers were living with the same exact apartment conditions...they would never tolerate it. Oh....the almighty dollar....as long as that green is coming in,who cares..well we do!!! Bravo Aldo!!! get them where it hurts.I will pass it on. ROY
From: loveisintheair	Date: 03/24/2005
Show the proof of the mold, talk is cheap and too many people exagerate. This guy doesn't appreciate anything and will cry over spilt milk. Does he dare to mention that he was compensated for his losses, given a concession and even let out of his lease for reasons he states but doesn't have proof of. And, does he fail to mention that he came into the office calling the staff names, yelling at the top of his lungs to the staff and other residents over a $58.00 charge, even after he has received over $800.00 in compensation? No he doesn't. You don't want to live around people like this and be glad when he is gone.
From: unoitaliancowboy	Date: 03/25/2005
Thanks Aldo! This WAS one of the places I was checking out through Apartment finders in Nashville. Thanks for looking out for others. I will pass this on to EVERYONE I know. H.J.
From: Christie60	Date: 03/25/2005
I have known Aldo's girlfriend for quite sometime. She has been sick with what the doctor believes is from a concentrated allergen ever since the water episode in the closet. She has complained for months about the apartments telling them they fixed the mold problems and yet everytime she put her clothes back in the closet they would stink within a couple of days. It's been crazy. The wall was never properly repaired and is starting to crumble from the bottom up. I'm not sure what it would take to get this complex to take care of a problem as serious as this one, but obviously they don't care much about their tenants. After months of being ignored or basically told it is fixed when still sick and still smelling mold, I think I'd be angry enough to do some hollaring too. As for $800, I know for a fact, Aldo's girlfriend would have been very excited and would have told us about it, since she'd been complaining for months about trying to get the apt complex to help them, yet I never heard anything about it. I think that to be quite strange! I would not want to live in the conditions that they have lived in for the past several months. I am very happy that they don't have children yet, because as sick at she has been, I can't imagine how the mold would effect a child. Something to think about before even considering these apartments!
From: lil_susie_lil_cuz	Date: 03/25/2005
Great read Aldo. I am also a tennant of this same apt complex. I do not believe you (love) as several times my husband and I have been promised compensation for things and have not received it. We too had problems in July from the heavy rains. The gutters on the side of my building have not been cleaned since I moved in here 5 years ago. Now, after the wet season that we have had, I am sorry to advise that we are going to have to leave this complex as we have a mold problem as well. It was not until I talked to Aldo and his girlfriend a couple of days ago about this that I found that the Virtigo that I have been diagnosed with is probably not Virtigo, but actually a result of the mold growing in my livingroom wall. The ceiling above my entertainment center is sagging and my wall is now brown all the way down to the fireplace. To further this there is a foundation crack in the wall by the fireplace that mold is visibly growing out of. Further more 2 years ago a tornado came through the area and pushed down 4 trees onto our building. Though small, the force of them hitting the roof of our building from what they told us in the office actually shifted the roof and pushed it forward. No one has been here to fix either problem though we have asked many many times to have this taken care of. As far as the maintenance, I do agree with you Aldo. For small repairs they are here promptly, but for others...well it's been almost a year and the gutters still aren't cleaned out and my ceiling and wall are still damaged. As for the tornado damage, there is a crack along my back wall where you can see that the foundation has been shifted and they have not fixed it yet. It's been 2 years this month.
From: leahmlove	Date: 05/16/2005
I think you people are sooooooooooooo desperate!!

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