I have lived here for over 6 years and have had mostly good experiences, but an occasional very bad one.

The good: the resident manager of the past few years is wonderful. She is very sweet, professional and truly seems to care about the residents and building. Her kids reflect her management skills: they are the most poised, friendly and well-behaved children I've ever met. They all chip in to make living at Broadfalls as positive as possible, greeting the residents and offering to help them with doors, luggage, etc. They even deliver packages up to your apartment if you ask them to.

There are no bugs at all here. I think I've seen maybe one or two in six year. The location is fabulous. Very safe and within walking distance of numerous restaurants, shops, etc. Both unique hole-in-the-wall places and the usual Starbucks/Panera/Cosi stuff. Within the building is a nice salon, a restaurant, a seamstress and a few other shops, plus it's just a block or two away from urgent care, a used bookstore and a CD store, drugstores and the Humane Society thrift store. It's also right on several bus lines and just a block away from the W&OD trail.

The pool is small and basic, but used by very few residents and quiet when area camps aren't using it for lessons. Pool staff changes every summer, and some are not as mindful of keeping the water clean as others. The custodian is kind and professional and does a nice job with the common areas. The building is also relatively quiet, especially for being located right on Route 7!

A strange little perk: residents will often leave belongings to give away in common areas. You can often find books, pots and pans, old clothes, etc. on tables or ledges for all to take.

The not-so-good: the building is old and in need of many repairs. There are often emergency situations with the plumbing, etc., which require the water or heat to be shut off without notice. Valora appears to do her best to notify residents. This can't always be done, however. The elevators are a little creepy; they pretty much do whatever they want, but except for wondering if ghosts were controlling them, I've never felt unsafe. :)

The tenants can vary from very quiet and respectful to behaving as if the hallways were created for their own slumber party at which they run up and down the halls and giggle. A former maintenance worker used to smoke in the stairwell, stinking up the entire hallway. Laundry facilities are not always in the best of repair, and some less respectful residents will take your laundry out of the dryer before the cycle is done to use the machines themselves.

The bad: I've had some serious problem with maintenance staff. I had money stolen several years ago, and recently have had problems with the handyman coming into my apartment unannounced nearly daily. He has also made comments to me that, as a single woman, make me very uncomfortable and even frightened given the frequency of his work in my apartment. Since he has access to my apartment at all times and rarely if ever gives notice, I am concerned for my personal safety, as well as the safety of my belongings and most of all my pet. It's to the point that I've asked my rather large boyfriend to come over and make his presence known.

Not only do I feel uncomfortable with the maintenance worker's behavior, but I often come home to find that maintenance (emergency and otherwise) has been done on my apartment without notice or even a note left on my door, as is customary. My belongings are often moved around, soiled and in some cases even permanently damaged. Perhaps I'm being paranoid, but it seems that the more I thwart this man's advances, the more often he comes into my apartment and the less respectfully he treats my belongings. It is my feeling that Valora would not want her staff behaving in this way, but there's only so much you can do to control the behavior of others. Perhaps now is the time to find other maintenance workers, since with this economy there is surely and abundance of qualified individuals.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend Broadfalls because, even with all its positive qualities, the problem with potentially threatening maintenance staff isn't worth it. One should feel safe in his or her home, and since I no longer do I'm looking for a new home.

User Responses
From: kikariddle	Date: 12/24/2008
well, complain! have you even talked to the manager about this? it's folks like you who make situations even more difficult because you're incapable of attending them in a forthright manner.
From: Anonymous	Date: 01/29/2009
If I had trouble like this with any of the staff they would most certainly end up with their picture on a milk carton in no time flat. They would NOT ---- with me, I assure you. Next time, install a couple of cameras, have it broadcast online and save the images to a FTP site which is easily hostable for pennies a month. Use that evidence to get that Jack Ass fired! It is your legal right, it is your apartment as long as you hold the lease and I don't care what the terms are, if they come in and start trouble there goes all things that are applicable for that staff member, they lose any right and their job if they are persuing you in any way and damaging property, stealing and other things they are NOT suppose to do. They are LIMITED to what they can and can't do! I would also set traps. It is very easy to trap someone into you apartment and record them, save all visual (and audio) evidence and get a lawyer, the management will have to apply themselves accordingly also. I have a trap in my apartment where the dishes and glasses will come out crashing all over the invader if they trip a mechanism that is carefully installed in an undisclosed place that is easily trippable. Of course this mechanism is only set when I manually foundate it to function. So far it's been tripped once, they deny it effortfully but I have not only the switch being tripped but the video showing who tripped it. It was a staff member and shockingly enough it was one who is supposively very trustworthy family man type. So much for that idealism!
From: Anonymous	Date: 03/31/2009
Wow..someone told me about this site, and this is shocking. Broadfalls for me has been quiet, and nice. With older building you do experience plumbing problems, but they do their best to notify each resident. The manager is great, and the location is ideal. I would hate for someone to be this fearful living at Broadfalls because for me the only occassionaly noise I hear is someone (maybe kids) running in the halls, but parents need to control that. The manager seems to address all problems and concerns for her residents. Parking is good, and yes, during the day the building next door uses the parking lot, but OVERALL THIS IS A GOOD PLACE TO LIVE. (no bugs-no bugs)
From: Anonymous	Date: 05/29/2009
Don't listen to the tenant who is complaining, their imagination is running away with them. This tenant complaining about the staff also complains notoriously about every other thing imaginable. First it's about the water then noise then the staff then the parking lot then the lobby then the bathrooms then the elevators then someone is stalking them then it's the postal carrier then it's the carpet then it's ghosts then it's the heat or the ac or something else like the tub or water coming out of the sockets or outlets, they're nuts, do not take them too seriously.

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