Review History for anonymous

Broadway Arms


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anonymous

Resident 2009 - 2010

7/1/2010

It's clear that Broadway Arms was built with a reasonable level of attention paid to fit and finish. It was designed with pleasant, simple, and mostly practical floor plans. The windows are a bit thin, and you'll get a lot of street noise if you border anything but the AT&T building; ironically, the walls, floor, and ceilings are pretty sound resistant so long as you have reasonably considerate neighbors. It's true the LG TROMM integrated washer and dryer is actually terribly at drying clothes. (Five hours or more for a load of laundry is seriously no joke, and the clothes are still damp!) But, trust me, within your first few days here (if you make it that long), the washer and dryer will be the least of your worries. The building has been so poorly mismanaged and maintained over the years that nary a few weeks go by without some major maintenance event that impacts all or most units. The security system will be out at one point. Hot water will be out for a day or two one week. Your entire floor will appear to be a construction zone another week. Unfortunately, this is all almost always unscheduled and frequently very, very inconvenient and by surprise since regular maintenance is so poorly handled. Then there's the "safety and security" of the building. For years, apparently, the management of the building handed out door codes and access keyfobs to anybody and everybody. Many nonresidents use the common facilities, and both courtyards are in dismal shape as a result of the poor respect these "visitors" pay to the once great barbecue grills, fireplaces, and other amenities. The exercise room is usually filled every afternoon with high school kids that don't even live in the building, completely unescorted by any adult (let alone by any resident). Then there's the actual leasing office and the dishonest (and, you'll find, eventually very rude) staff. They'll get you all ready to move in, and then gouge you on your first month's rent through a gimmick called a rental "concession." Basically, the owners of the building are attempting to inflate the "average rent" for purposes of either selling or mortgaging the building. They do this by saying your monthly rent is, for example, $2,000, with a "monthly concession" of $750. You agreed to pay $1,250, but they're basically telling potential real estate investors and banks that you're paying $2,000, to try to artificially inflate the value of the building. If you don't pay very close attention, though, they'll use that $2,000 figure to prorate your first month! Instead of paying, say, $575 for the last two weeks of a month when you're moving in, you'd end up paying over $925. It's easy to not notice their scam when you're trying to juggle everything else. (This practice is apparently actually now illegal in some states, just not yet in California.) Bottom line: The apartments are great. The common areas need a lot of refurbishment due to years of neglect, lack of maintenance, and lack of security. The management is terrible. Downright unbelievably bad, incompetent, and frequently immature and unprofessional. It's a good location, the rent is not terrible. Just go in with your eyes wide open, if you still want to go in at all.

    Review 15 out of 32

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    Broadway Arms

    March 2024

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