I've done a lot of apartment hunting in Richmond and eventually chose Trolley Square. I don't agree with most of the reviews about this apartment. Many of them seem biased and over exaggerated. It's a real shame that this nice apartment has been getting a bad reputation on this site because people are turning into some kind of game by writing false reviews. Nonetheless, I also find it sad that the office staff have to write reviews to keep the overall score up, but my experience living at Trolley Square has been good so far. Being a student at VCU and needing a safe, quiet, and cheap place to live, this is definitely the place; however, no apartment is without its problems.

Here are some of the pros. I never hear a peep from my neighbors and road noise from the streets below are practically non-existant. Even living in the cheapest studio available, I found that my apartment was well kept when I moved in and the carpet was immaculate. Closet space is very good too. Free electric and gas is also another great plus since I do a lot of cooking and have a lot of high powered electronics. The area is one of the safest in the downtown Richmond area. With a five diamond class hotel across the street and a great YMCA next door, I rarely see sketchy people walking around even at night. I also like that the building has security cameras, a nice laundry room, a fitness center, and even a billard room. Any of those features are pretty rare to find anywhere in this city. The service and friendliness of the staff and even maintenance crew is great as well. I had a problem with my stove burner when I moved in and they fixed it the very next day. I also love the spectacular view of Richmond from my apartment.

Now for the cons. The biggest pain I would have to say are the elevators. The elevator system really needs to be overhauled, but its only a small inconvenience. About 5-10% of the time, the elevator will stop one floor off, which isn't a big deal because that's what stairs are for. But there's never any problems like getting stuck or power failures. Another thing I'm not too happy about is the security crew. For the past 3 months I've come back to the building at 1:00AM and I've always seen the same security guard, even said hi to him several times, but a few weeks ago he stopped me and asked if I lived here. Then a couple days ago he stopped me again, even after helping me get my bike in the door a week before that. So security personnel aren't exactly up to par, but thats what cameras are for. Another problem one might find is parking. Don't expect to get a space when you move in, but no sweat, the hotel across the street offers parking in their security controlled lot for $15 less. Another annoyance, not really the apartment's fault, are some of the younger tenants. Friendliness is a word that isn't in their dictionary considering a simple response to 'hi' or 'how are you doing' is too much. Even though I'm 21, I still have basic human social skills, but most of the other tenants are pretty nice. In addition, some of the interior of the apartment complex is a little dilapidated from idiots not being careful with furniture, but it still looks presentable.

In summary, its a very nice place and reasonably priced given the fact that some apartments I saw were priced the same, had no ammenities, and slanted floors (I kid you not). I wouldn't recommend it for seniors, (though I have seen a lot in the building) but mature college students or young professionals would find it a good place to live. I'm not sure what standards the other reviewers had. They talk about the Fan and Shockoe being better, but for anyone new to Richmond, those are actually the rowdy, party-all-night neighborhoods that have the highest crime rates and the rent is ridiculous for battered or poorly built apartments. If you're looking for better, you can expect to pay $800/month with no included utilities or a crime infested neighborhood in Richmond.

User Responses
From: emb9889	Date: 07/25/2007
I agree entirely with you. !!

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