This pretty much sums up my time at Chestnut Ridge.

I've been living in a three bedroom apartment here, and all I can say is, I am quite thankful my lease is ending very soon.

While many of the other reviews here have listings for events run by the management office, these are a thing of the past.

The management is dodgy, often avoiding phone calls, and going to "lunch" for several hours at a time. I've been promised maintenance jobs would be done SEVERAL times, such as an A/C vent that was knocked out of my ceiling by my upstairs neighbors' repeated dance parties, but anytime I have asked the maintenance men directly, I can get it done pretty much same day, if not almost immediately.

When you can find them, and certainly not on the weekends or after hours, the leasing agents are dodgy, insincere, and vague.

One of the more recurring problems that occurs here is rampant noise. I have talked to the managers about the noise coming from the people above me several times for well over two months, and all I get is "Oh, ok. We will talk to them." Noise, stomping and music is constant from them, as well as many of the other residents that have their car stereos turned up loud enough to hear them from inside the building, facing away from the parking lot. Car alarms are a constant nuisance, as well as a van for a painting company that honks its horn repeatedly every morning during the week to get a carpooler to come out.

Parking is not much of a problem, but getting parking passes every month from the leasing office for your visitors is a constant pain, as it involves expert timing to actually find one of the management agents in her office.

During a recent government audit, when we were receiving new blinds, because our cats had damaged a few of the old sets of blinds, my roommate was told that we would be charged $10 per set of mini-blinds that was to be replaced. She immediately asked why we would be charged, when we were charge $500 up front specifically for any damage the animals may cause, as well as $25 PER CAT per month in extra rent.

In the end, we were not charged, but this kind of attempted shady dealing is yet another black mark on the management office's record.

The walls were also in rather poor condition when we moved in here, numerous poorly patched holes, peeling paint, a missing curtain rod for the sink (handicapped accessible), and closet doors that would not close properly.

The carpet was literally replaced the day we moved in, but being the cheapest carpet they could find, I have been vacuuming up loose carpet fibers every week since we moved in.

There is also an apparent problem with the seals on the windows, as I recently discovered after a recent mini-blind replacement, as the window was ABSOLUTELY COVERED IN MOLD. Granted, this window had not been seen or opened since moving in, but the level of mold growth present is only possible from a faulty seal installed a couple of years ago.

The apartment grounds are also quite filthy. Garbage strewn everywhere, candy, paint, silly putty, beer, and many other (thankfully) unknown substances stain the concrete and dirty the landscaping everyday. This can be directly attributed to the fact that the maintenance man is also in charge of grounds keeping, and he is constantly swamped with work. Essentially, this complex needs a dedicated groundskeeper. My roommate's vehicle was also marked upon on more than one occasion with a child's crayon.

It's also interesting to note that the sign identifying the apartment complex has been completely destroyed, leaving only an ugly metal and brick structure at the entrance. When questioned, the management agents stated it would be fixed "eventually".

Also of importance to note is that at the end of February 2007, a vehicle parked in front of the first building as you enter the complex was shot at five times, with three bullets lodging in the vehicle, a third deflecting off the roof of the vehicle, and the fifth striking the building behind it, knocking off one of the decorative fake shutters and presumably embedding itself in the wall, if not passing through. It turns out the shooting occurred over an argument at a bar, where several men followed a tenant home and fired at his vehicle.

My roommate left after hearing of this incident, and refuses to return to this complex.

There are two redeeming factors to Chestnut Ridge: The size of the apartments, and the ONE maintenance man they've been able to keep the whole time I have been here, as opposed to the other three or four that have worked here and quit.

The apartments, particularly the three bedroom apartments, are quite large, and in the accessible apartments, one of the bathrooms is quite spacious.

The main maintenance tech, when he knows of a job that needs to be done, he will do it, he will do it well, and he will do it quickly. He will schedule maintenance, and he is a very nice, polite, and personable gentleman to talk to. His work is top notch, and his willingness to work within your schedule make him a valuable asset to this complex.


In short, two redeeming factors fail to make up for rampant failures in noise control, safety, management staff, cleanliness, safety, building condition, attempted (and failed) bogus charges, and overall general dissatisfaction.

A final footnote: Any UPS deliveries will be thrown at your exterior wall with great force, so do not have anything shipped that may be fragile. Not a mark against the apartments, but it should be taken into consideration.

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 05/29/2007
Former Neighbor to this person. All I have to say is thank god that these people moved out, for one this resident knew they were moving into a family community. This neighbor was mad and anoying to live next to just because they worked nights they expected everyone to be quite for them, they thought they were gods gift on earth they were really rude to everyone. As for the rules in the community every apartment complex needs rules those who do not like them are because they do not follow them. Like I said you would have to drive to the community to see for your self how quite and nice it is. Management is always there to help in any way possible. I have lived her for 3 years versus 1 year that this former neighbor lived and they can say all they want but you must see for your self.
From: Kendo_Bunny	Date: 06/23/2007
I visited this apartment complex many times, as friend to the OP and sister to his roommate. It was very loud regardless of whether you slept during the night or the day. My birthday party was held at this apartment, and most of my friends spent the night. We were being quiet- like considerate people, we turned down the volume on our movie after 10, and no drinking occurred. We all went to sleep around 2 AM, only to be awoken at 6 AM from loud stomping coming from upstairs. This is when the air conditioning vent fell, almost hitting a friend who was sleeping on the floor. Is 6 AM really a reasonable time to let your child start jumping up and down when you live in a second-story apartment? Seriously. Also during this birthday party, one of the guests went outside to have a cigarette. She didn't have a lighter, but one was easily obtained from the group of tweens standing outside to smoke. According to my friend, an 8-year-old had a definite whiff of smoke that definitely wasn't coming from cigarettes. She felt obligated to try to watch them, as they claimed to be waiting for their mother. Mother called around 11:30 to say she would not be coming home until morning and to stay away from her pot. My friend felt very sorry for these children, and ended up staying with them until they wandered back to their apartments, in several cases escorting them rather than let the children walk around alone in the middle of the night. Now, I saw many happy and apparently loving families whenever I visited, but that group of smoking children out until almost midnight has stuck with me. Also the constant music blaring from the parking lot from 6 AM (isn't it reasonable to expect that some people sleep past 6?), the constant car alarms, and the constant stomping from upstairs, and this is one of the noisiest places I've ever visited. No matter what time I went to sleep, I still got woken up frequently. Before 11, and it was the people upstairs stomping. After 11, it was car alarms and people with loud music. At 6 AM on, it was loud music, car horns, and the stomping people. Children stomped up and down the stairs every time they went up or down, and more than once I heard these same children (who were maybe 12) making lewd comments about me or my sister. AbNo is right though- apartments are exceptionally spacious and the maitenance man is just delightful.
From: AbNo	Date: 04/03/2009
"Former neighbor to this person"? Tell me, since you claim to know me, what building did I live in? Very odd, considering that I've had many pleasant conversations with the people that I lived next to, including the family next door, the man and woman across from the family, and the lady that almost burned the building down directly across from me (including when I rushed in to pull a burning pan out of her home). What I believe we have here from "Anonymous" is an attempt at what is generally referred to as "spin control" in the media. Most likely, as is brought up on the discussion pages on this site, it is either a member of the owning property manager, or one of the leasing agents attempting to counter what amounts to very bad press. So yes, I suppose you would know what building I live in, having access to the leasing records. A few interesting points include attacking me directly, not actually countering any of the statements or comments that I have made, concluding only with "you must see for yourself", a common phrase used in people dealing with real estate in any fashion. I list: Noise, Vandalism, Untrustworthy leasing agents, Gun shots, Filth. "Anonymous" lists: "He's mean!", "There are rules." Yes, "Anon", there are rules, such as not creating disturbances, and not letting your children storm up and down stair cases, and scream in the parking lot until 10 at night, and to not blare your music all hours of the day and night. As for this being a family complex, with the shooting that occurred, I suppose children must learn to cope with loss somehow. Finally, I will also put up for consideration the fact that my apartment was, for lack of a better term looted by the complex's residents. Granted, this is not directly the fault of the management, though the fact that one of the leasing agents, I'll call her "G", told me that, as she was watching from a near-by building on-site, she'd thought about calling the police, or otherwise dispersing the looters, but decided to instead do nothing, because, word-for-word as she put it "It was after business hours." Wait, if you are so happy in Chestnut Ridge now, why are you on an apartment hunting site?

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