Location: Awesome.

Grounds: The outside of the building is kept up well, including the front, the courtyard, and the top deck. The inside is always tidy in appearance. I will say that the halls often smell like stale cigarettes from the building's past but you get used to it. The trash chutes are broken/disabled and you have to put all your trash in the starewells. I dont think this will be fixed seeing they have been broken for about 4 months now. I wish there were more cummunal ammenities such as a small gym or grills outside in the courtyard.

Managemement: The Managment staff is pretty professional...However, they guy who bleached in "Richard is a rent -----" in the carpet on the third floor didnt agree. Maurice, the groudskeeper, is the nicest guy you will ever meet.

Sound: My apartment is very quite aside from the appliances and HVAC system. I would stay away from the "annex" building which backs up to Banditos.

Residents: Mix of Grad Students, VCU Students, YPs, and a few older folks. Most people just keep to themselves, not a very neighborly place.

Apartments: Lots of differnt floor plans. I looked at a few differnt options in this building before moving in and can say the 2 bedroom apts are laid out horribly. Most units do not have washer/dryers. The appliances NEED TO BE UPGRADED...the dishwasher flat out sucks and cannot figure out how to use the soap that you put in the dispenser. The hot heater sucks and cannot be adjusted. The water pressure is weak, you will need to buy a decent showerhead for yourself. When we moved in we had to make the matainance group come back and clean the bathroom. The windows dont close all the way. In light of the negative, the units do look new and get a fresh coat of paint and a carpet shampoo whenever someone moves in. The counters and cabinents are in good shape. My utility bills are usually about $60 for power and $80 for cable/internet.

Parking: You will always be able to find parking on Kensington outside the building if you dont want to park in the lot (which is free anyway).

Cable/TV/Internet: Cavalier or Comcast...Verizon is not here and dishes are not allowed.

Rent: I would say that the rent here is a bit expensive for what you can find around the area. If you looked you can find a unit elsewhere with a balcony or more square footage for about $700 for a 1 bedroom or $1000 for a 2 bedroom.

Safety: The doors are super heavy/sturdy to the units and all entry points to the building are gate protected. Even if someone snuck into the buidling there is no way they will get into an individual unit if it is deadlocked. I never see bums or any of that riffraff either.

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 01/04/2009
I'm also a tenant and, from my perspective, feel this review is very accurate. Although, I haven't experienced similar problems with the trash chutes or water pressure. Concerning those items, no problems to report here. One small exception to the safety comment; lighting in front of building is poorly maintained. this has been a problem for the past 3 years. The management seems unconcerned...Also, there's a bike rack for tenants and guests located within the key entry courtyard. That area also needs improvement. There aren't enough racks for the number of bikes parked here, the racks are difficult to access, and poorly lit. These conditions have contributed to burglary and theft.

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