I am 2 months into a year lease and I am already counting the days until I can move out. The location is great. The commute into downtown at rush hour is a snap and tons of shopping and restaurants are nearby. Having said that, the property itself is underwhelming.

The buildings are entirely too close together, leaving residents with little to no privacy even when they are inside of their own apartment. Even with shades drawn, you can easily see into the windows of the apartments opposite yours. The distance between the building must be no more than 10 feet. (There's just enough room for a sidewalk with shrubs on either side.) The property is nicely landscaped. However, the smell of canine waste detracts from the beauty of the property. The majority of pet owners do not pick up after their pets, so waste is prevalent on sidewalks(!) and grassy areas throughout the property. The size of pets is supposedly limited to a maximum of 30 lbs, but this is not enforced by the management. Large dogs produce large waste....it's not difficult to figure out why the property smells like crap. Further adding to the stench are the trash bags left in hallways in wait of the "trash concierge" service on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Several other reviews have mentioned this pick-up service as a pro, but few have mentioned that you're FORCED to pay a monthly fee for it. (Keep in mind that this fee is in addition to the city trash fee built into your water bill.) The service (and the fee)isn't optional, so it's annoying to have to pay a monthly fee for something that can easily be done yourself.

The interiors of the apartments are VERY poorly painted. The trim work, in particular, is awful. Why bother to put crown moldings and contrasting paint throughout the units if you're not going to trim them carefully'!' Kitchen appliances, fixtures and countertops countertops in both the kitchen and baths, and bathroom grout are in desperate need of updating. The maintenance staff is extremely friendly and polite, but it often takes several visits to get the problem corrected.

Although not much noise is heard through the floors/ceilings, there is little to no soundproofing on the outside walls and windows. You can easily hear every noise coming from the hallways of your own building, patios and windows of other buildings, the street and the complex's parking lots.

Parking is a nightmare. Each unit (regardless of the number of bedrooms or occupants) is assigned one covered parking space which may or may not be in close proximity to your apartment. Additional cars are left to fight for the FEW guest spots, leaving many to park on the streets outside of the complex and its security gates. Additionally, residents/guests show little courtesy and frequently take up multiple guests spaces with one car.

The majority of residents seem to be singles in their 20s, so the common areas, particularly the pool and hot tub, tend to be a bit raunchy on the weekends. If you're looking to take the kids to the pool on the weekends, be prepared for open alcohol, tasteless/vulgar language, and risque' clothing. This is not the place to quietly read a book by the pool! Otherwise, the residents are generally friendly enough. Just be sure that you're always on alert when in the parking areas. The residents zoom through this property like they're preparing for a NASCAR race. God help you if you're unlucky enough to be on foot when they're driving through.

The very worst aspect of The Carlton, however, is the leasing and management staff. Upon entering the leasing office, there are frequently multiple staff members lulling around, yet none of them will offer to help you. When they do, they act as if YOU are inconveniencing them by asking them to do their jobs. It's appalling. Paperwork goes unprepared, phonecalls are unreturned, and all the while, they are less than polite. Rumor has it that the complex is changing to a new managment company. Should that turn out to be true, good riddance to the old staff! BuLYzGcKAVo8MQPlcXJq

User Responses
From: Robnhud	Date: 10/25/2009
Did you NOT look at the complex before you moved in? You would have seen how close they were together before you moved in.

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