MAA Pleasant Hill

Current Resident 577689

Resident • 2003 - 2006

alara office staff is BS

i have been living here for more than 3 yrs and their service used to be g8....now if u want something to be fixed, u'll have to call them atleast 10times......it took them a month and a half to have my aircondition filter changed.....my kitchen sink was clogged and i had to call them 4 times over a period of 2 days to get that done......molly or holly, what ever her name is.....she is just full of crap....stephany too....if u cant do ur JOB then let others do it......the only good people are the maintainance people....they have always been good......anyway i am getting out of here next week

Current Resident 412459

Resident • 2003 - 2006

NEW APT MGMT/STAFF IS B.S.

I've lived here almost three years now and I have seen a lot of changes. Mostly all on the negative side. Whoever wrote the review before me is mostly right but partially wrong. The vietnamese maintenance guy has worked there for a very long long time and he is always great. I have never had a problem of him not coming to fix whatever is wrong in my apt. It always gets done after a day or two. If other residents did have a problem it's probably because the new APT staff was too lazy to notify him about it. And I gotta tell you, we had a new management change I believe late last year or something (anyways it hasn't even been a year) and they are by far THE WORST APT staff I've ever dealt with in my whole entire life. And I have only lived in APTS my whole life. Ever since new mgmt came around they have been VERY VERY VERY rude and careless of our needs. Before the new mgmt, everytime I saw our OLD APT staff on the road in the neighborhood they would always give us a big smile and wave. They were always on top of everything and helped in everyway. Barely had any gate problems and were always always always friendly! It is definately not like this with our new mgmt though. I had a talk with a neighbor and found out that a couple of cars were broken into late one night and one of the victims had called the office the next day asking why the gates were open when their car had just got broken into the night before and was very upset about it. And guess how that Stephanie girl at the office reacted to that? Instead of being professional about it and assuring that it would be fixed ASAP, she inapproprietly talked back about it and just stood on the phone like she was mocking her. Kinda like a "What." VERY VERY RUDE! That is not the only rude encounters. I too have been talked rude too with nasty attitudes from most of the apt staff every single time I call about something. 100% of the time is from that Stephanie girl too. In fact, EVERYONE at the office is rude as hell except Geneveve! Geneveve is part of the old mgmt and she is our favorite out of all the other staff members. I just wish the old staff can come back, especially Michael. They were the nicest group of people I have ever met. <br><br>Overall, the APT is clean. There are always people taking walks or playing outside, which is nice so that the environment is not so "dull". And I've barely seen dog poop around but if there are it is TOTALLY the owners responsibility to clean it up, NOT the maintenance crew. Anyways, it is biodegradable! The residents are pretty active. Car washes always work. Gates have become a problem now to everybody. Parking is okay. The new APT MGMT IS THE WORST, except for Geneveve of course. I would not recommend anyone renting here, mostly because of the staff. And you will be having to deal with them most of the time of your stay and I don't know who would even want to deal with unprofessional rude people for a whole year! <br><br>THE APT'S NEW MGMT SUCKS!

Current Resident 826900

Resident • 2005 - 2006

do not rent at alara pl. hill the mgmt.is a complete joke

first of all i cant wait to move out of here the mgmt is a complete joke the only person that is nice is the asst.mgr genaveve the mgr.holly is a complete joke and she is rude,does not care in the least about the residents,they need to get rid of here like yesterday and bring back melanie the old mgr.she knows what she is doing,the gated always broken,everytime i call it takes 3 days for it to be fixed,the grounds and the breezeways are looking like crap with a bunch of dog crap also,they need to also get rid of the vietnam maint.crew i called 3 times in the past about my icemaker and other stuff and everytime i go down to the carwash there always down there just talkin and i dont know what there sayin and that says alot to me about this place,i ve told holly about it and she does nothing about it,thats why they need to get rid of her and bring melanie back,and they had a guy working here back in feb.and i talked with him when i saw him moving out and he was a great guy,i met him and his kids and i could not believe that they let him go,they should have done just the opposite and let the maint.staff go when he was here my breezeway looked great,hardly any trash around my bldg, and now he is gone and there is a bunch of trash everywhere i look,and this place has gone down hill i would not recommend this place to anyone,the ladies in the office except for geneveve are rude,they dont know how to do work orders and the maint.staff is the biggest joke,and its not worth the money there charging for rent,and they call this place a luxury apt.complex,thats a joke too,my advice is do not rent here unless you want to waste your money cause that is all they care about,the ladies in the office and especially holly i cant believe they would hire her as a manager,i would not pay her to walk my dog if i had one.take my advice and dont rent here,its the biggest mistake i have made believe me!

truthxbextold

Resident • 2005 - 2006

When you move out...

first of all...<br>alara does look nice outside....if you dont look carefully... Grass is full of doggy drops... MASSIVE amount!!<br><br>Kids playing on the parking lot scratched my car...<br>its so hard to take out the garbage....<br>water bill in insane...<br>gate breaks down about twice a week...<br><br>but thats not the real harsh part...<br><br>just wait 'til the move out...<br><br>you will end up with a final bill close or more than a month rent!!! TRUST ME ON THIS..<br><br>There are other apartment around the place...<br>look around!!! Don't make the same mistake some of us had made....

Current Resident 577385

Resident • 2003 - 2005

DESPERATELY NEEDS IMPROVEMENT

I moved here in 2003 and although I'm relatively happy with the apartment unit itself, I'm thoroughly disappointed with the management and their complete ineptitude at running this property. The right hand seems to have no idea what the left is doing. Having already been through 2 or 3 property managers during my stint here, I have been ignored, dismissed, pawned off onto a leasing agent or three, and I'm sure have been talked about behind my back for simply requesting that they do their job, if you can even call it a job. Theyre extremely non-responsive and very lackadaisical about their responsibilities as a property manager. Its like their driving force is to rip people off when they see the opportunity. And given that most of the people theyre ripping off cant speak English enough to complain about it, its probably fair to say they get away with it on a regular basis. For the most part, the leasing agents themselves are very pleasant, but there has been the occasional run in with one particular agent who cant seem to wipe the sneer off her face. <br><br>And it is absolutely pointless to live in a gated community when the gates are either constantly broken, or people feel at liberty to just manually open the gate and let themselves right on in. Its also pretty pointless to have a gym when the equipment performs like something they snagged out of a dumpster behind some 2nd-rate fitness center. When I first moved in, a car with a flat tire sat for 3 whole months taking up a much needed parking space. The recently refurbished speed bumps are so oversized that unless you drive an SUV, youre going to bottom out. Compared to other apartments Ive seen, the garages are great  IF youre a big fan of shabby drywall brown smattered with white sheetrock mud. Though, the year-round heated pool is nice - IF you can stand the two dozen or so out of control children running around screeching and slinging watermelon at each other but I suppose thats every apartment complex. Youd probably see more complaints like this about this particular complex  IF more than 6 people in here (staff not included) could read or write English, much less speak it. Though its beyond property managements control, I just have to ask what the h*ll is up with Little Korea just around the corner?? I suppose theyre in direct competition with Mini Mexico conveniently located just down the street. Im really beginning to suspect the leasing office offers secret incentives to non-Caucasian foreigners for moving in. Maybe they get a special commission based on meeting some foreign tenant quota of theirs. Ya never know. Boy, if living here is this much fun, I cant wait to see what a blast moving out and getting my deposit back is going to be!<br><br>And someone might say, Hey, if you dont like it, then move, but given my current circumstances, moving is not an option. In the meantime  and you can call me high maintenance  but, I REALLY dont think its too much to ask that the property management meet my expectations as a paying tenant and act like well-rounded professionals who are truly interested in making sure that their property achieves and maintains its appeal to those who would like to be surrounded by other people who share the same standards. <br>

Current Resident 669705

Resident • 2005

a message to the person who can't spell

i just want everyone to know that the person who wrote the last message needs to learn how to spell,and they need to get over themself,this is a great place to live and i havent any problems like that at all,and everytime i call the office with a problem which there is not alot of them they usually come within a day or so,so that to me is great and the fact about the letter we got about the crime that happened here,i just have to say that no place is perfect,and i think the lady or man who wrote the message needs to stop complaining and move if your not happy here,i think the maint.staff is great and they totally rock so keep up the good work,and to the other person go back to school and learn how to spell!

Current Resident 528996

Resident • 2005

Awaful place to live, AirCondition is out for three days in hot August

It is the worst place i have stayed. I moved in because the apartment looks so pretty. However, the management is awaful, awaful. <br><br>The first day I found air condition does not work, I personally walked into leasing office to ask them if they can send someone to repair it. No one came that day. <br><br>The 2nd day I have to go to work. I started to call leasing since 11 am, they kept telling me someone would come in to help. However, no one came tile 5:54pm. I called the leasing office again. My call went to the voice mail, said "if it is emergency, please press 1" and ask me to leave message etc. Instead of leaving the message, I called again. Phone was picked up. I sincerely told them it is too hot to live without AC( 92 F yesterday and today),I need help. They told me it is 6:00pm , they should be off and they suggest me to call that emergency line. I asked if that would help. I was told if i called emergency, it is guaranteed that maintenance service will arrive. I hang up phone and called again. <br>A VERY VERY RIDICULOUS thing happened. I could not reach the voicemail , either reach the emergency line. I tried more than 10 times, I just CANNOT!!!---- Emergency line is turned off !!! I called back to leasing immediately after I realized that, no one answer the phone. They let me to call and then turned the line off.<br><br>It is hot hot August, 92 F degree, without Air condition. HOW CAN PEOPLE LIVE IN? I pay the rent but cannot stay there. <br><br>Also this place is not safe either. Residents get the notice from leasing that ARMED ROBBER entered the apartment couple of weeks ago!!! However, the very 2nd day, all the gates are still open --- anyone can enter/out without gate cards!<br><br>Water bill is high too. I think someone else mentioned too-- water bill is much higher ( about $60 per month ) than the apartment around this area. LEASING OFFICE PUT THE SEWING CHARGES TO the residents. Most leasing office take this part. <br><br>Overall speaking, the apartment is good but the management is terrible. That is the worst experience I have had.<br>

Current Resident 840401

Resident • 2004 - 2005

don't live here - you'll get ripped off!

I COMPLETELY agree with the person who recently posted "deceitful community." First of all, these people are nice face to face, but you are just another Joe Nobody once you've moved out.<br>Initially, they lied to us about the water bills. Said it should never be as high as $40 (what we paid @ our previous apartment complex). Turns out our water bill ended up being even HIGHER than that monthly, for 2 people ($45-$60). Apartment complex is on an average, which of course isn't fair if your neighbors are packing 7 people into a 2 bedroom apartment, claiming 2 people.<br>The gates in this place NEVER worked & often times wouldn't even open! <br>The exercise room LOOKS great but half the equipment is broken or not functioning properly.<br>When we moved in, they told us it was OK to paint our kitchen (as long as it wasn't too dark to paint over). When we moved out they charged us for our painted kitchen & said they were "sorry but [we] must have been misinformed & the manager that told us that no longer works there." Not only did they keep our $100 deposit, but they have charged us over $600 more! We were on our hands & knees SCRUBING this place & they charged us for things we super cleaned, but not things we left dirty (like mirrors). They DENIED us a walk thru & the office managers have always CONVINIENTLY "stepped out." <br>I have lived in 5 apartments and have NEVER had such a problem with moving out. Our living experience there, overall, wasn't too bad, but moving out made it not worth it at all!

Current Resident 833573

Resident • 2005

AN HONEST OPINION ABOUT ALARA PLEASANT HILL

my wife and i toured this apt community and were very impressed by what we saw and for two other reasons,stephanie in the office was a very sweet lady,very personable,very professional,eager to answer all of our questions,i commend her on herr efforts,the second thing we loves about this community was how it was taken care of i dont think i saw any trash at all ,i loved the exercise room that i saw and my wife loved the pool next to it it was crystal clear,so i am very impressed with this community and this place is at the top of our list,so keep up the good work.

Current Resident 777308

Resident • 2003 - 2005

Deceitful poor management

It is absolutely true that management in this place is sweet as pie to your face when you are a potential renter, but once you are here, they couldn't give a rat's rear-end how happy you are. When you leave, DO A WALK-THROUGH with them. Don't just 'trust' them that they'll do right by you. They won't. When you call in to discuss your concerns, they coincidently have 'just stepped out'.<br>It's also amazing to me how many times one person's file can't be located. This is definitely a situation where there are entirely too many people on staff and no one communicates with one another.<br>Don't be fooled by that 'Gated Community' amenity. The gates never work more than a week at a time. Then it takes months to get them fixed. Fireplaces have major issues. They only work when the wind isn't blowing. Stairwells remained paint-damaged from the hurricanes for almost a year. Maintenance ability is sporadic. One time you call, they are 'on the ball', the next time it takes 3 separate calls (and visits) to get your problem fixed, and then usually you just learn to live with strobe lights in the kitchen, because you get tired of begging.

Current Resident 588983

Resident • 2005

this place rocks

this place is so worth the money,beatiful ammenities,the pool always looks great,the grounds are very well maintained,with very little trash if any,the maintence staff is top knoch,the ladies in the office are very professional and some of the sweetest ladies that i have ever met,the maint.staff always very friendly,the groundskeeper also a really nice guy,whenever i have any prob.its been taken care of immediatly,and melanie is a terrific manager,andd also everybody else,and i will definetly recommend alara to all of my friends keep up the good work!

kumarshiv

Resident • 2001 - 2005

excellent value for money

I've been living here since 2001 and have never had any problems with the apartment so to speak. The management is good and is willing to work with anyone with concerns. I feel at home here !!

Current Resident 805896

Resident • 2002 - 2004

$65 per month for Water!! Crooks!!

I have lived here for two years and the monthly water bill has been $20, recently they have changed the company(Easy Bill) and now they charge $65 per month for water, sewage and trash. This is more than what I pay for Gas and Electricity combined!!! <br> <br>The water is not individulally billed but charged on some usage factor for the whole community and by the number of people and washrooms per apt. <br> <br>I complained to the management and they gave a lame excuse that the previous copmany was underbilling them!!! I am moving out as soon as the lease expires.

jassy

Resident • 2003 - 2004

THE TRUTH ABOUT ALARA PLEASANT HILL

I move into Alara on June 27,2003, the apartment looked nothing like the one that I was showcase one. It was dirty. The walls and the carpet were stained. The window in the Master bedroom pops out when you let down the window. The maintenance has been here a total of five times to fix it, and as of today, it's still popping out. My roof in the Master bedroom leaks, and no matter how many times I've requested it, the apartment was never repainted and the carpet replaced. Don't get me wrong, the management has always been nice, but enough is enough. These apartments are huge in size,but horrible in upkeep and style. <br>In reference to safety, I've recently heard that there have been alot of robberies and crimes, but Thank God, none of that has happened to me. I can say the front and back gates are left open at least twice a week, especially on the weekends. It's as if we are just inviting the criminals in. <br> <br>Today, I received a note on my door advising me to make sure that I'm responsible for my own safety because Alara is not responsible. Yeah right, you are the property owners and if someone is hurt on your property, guess what you're responsible. <br> <br>For some Alara is great, but for others like me, it's not the place to call home....

Current Resident 197056

Resident • 2001 - 2003

I don't speak Spanish

Here's the truth. I've been here for two years. I moved-in in May of 2001. It took 6 months to get oven racks, a year and four months to get a pantry door. I was told they were ordering a new one. In the end I received one with dents and writing on it from another apartment. The management has changed four times in two years. <br> <br>I called the local police department after a man was shot to death and requested a crime log,(Very good idea for everyone) and they e-mailed it to me. Two pages of burglary, hit and runs, arson, robbery, armed robbery, battery, car theft, and one request for a paddy wagon.(true.) <br> <br>Every time I've taken the stack of maintenance orders down to the office the person has left or soon leaves after seeing my documents. I was shown one apartment and then given another with a -----stained carpet and old stained painted walls. Kids keyed my car and I have photographs of the seven pair of shoes left outside my neighbors door. All Mexican. <br> <br>My car was dented by somebody and my registration sticker stolen. I asked a police officer one day, what I could do and he said the place was a joke. A cop said that, believe it. I have given up on speaking to the management and wrote letters to the corporate offices, nothing. <br> <br>I had a maintenance man show up to fix my broken water heater and when I asked him a question I found that he didn't speak English and reaked of alcohol. Alara at Pleasant Hill used to be nice and now all of the good people are moving farther north. Pretty soon we'll all be in Canada. <br> <br>Next time I have a problem, I'll skip calling the police and call immigration. Is this still America? Not at Alara. I took pictures of two Mexican kids without supervision playing with aluminum bats around cars in the parking lot today and I have had it. Rent is a joke. This place has made me sick to my stomach. I really hope they try to get more money from me after I move, I have enough evidence for a hefty lawsuit and may speak to an attorney. <br>If you live in a bad apartment, keep records of everything. Get police reports before moving in as I didn't know at the time, and research forever. Tim Graziano

Current Resident 832031

Resident • 2003 - 2004

No complaints

Management is nice and helpful. Maintenance gets any work orders I need done promptly. Grounds are always clean. <br> <br>No complaints!!

NVDSHAH

Resident • 2002

Dishonest and Terrible Management

I compleated the lease and left the appartments in good faith, to my shock and dismay I was slapped with a bill of 1390.00 just for the cleaning of the appartment. I made several requests to lower it but it appeared in my credit report as a debt. Initially when I moved into the appartment, it was dirty as hell, on my requests they send the cleaning guys and painting people to paint and clean the appartment after I moved in to it. <br>I would suggest look around seriously.

Current Resident 596028

Resident • 2003 - 2004

So far, I love this place

I have lived at Alara for a year now, and I have no complaints as of yet. I love my apartment and everyone at the leasing office has been very nice.

Current Resident 224152

Resident • 2002 - 2004

consider the following

Are you scared of rodents? I live next to the bushes and a possum walked upstairs because a neighbor left the trash sitting out. The leasing office refused to do anything. <br> <br>Do you have a roomate? If so, they will refuse partial payment of the rent. This can be really inconvenient, especially if you work different schedules. <br> <br>Do you like to take a shower in the morning? I woke up to no water and no warning. The downstairs neighbor has a water leak and the maintence people turned my water off to fix it. That would have been fine if i received a phone call first. I called the leasing office and they knew nothing about it. Finally a maintence man walked into my apt, (did not knock) and told me to give them 30 minutes. Too bad I had to be at work in 30 minutes. <br> <br>Do you like a clean house? I work during the day and get off pretty late. I received a complaint letter from the office because I was vacumming and it was 11pm at night. What F__k? <br> <br>Finally, do you want to feel secure? Before we moved into my apt, they showed us the security gaurd, the gate, etc. Last summer my sister and i were robbed after coming home from a night out. Needless to say, the gate had not been working for 2 weeks during that time. <br> <br>Consider these questions before making a decision on this apartment complex.

Current Resident 434675

Resident • 2003

Horrible!! Problem after Problem,please look around!

They were very nice getting me into the apartments, i was pregnant with my son.After my son we decided to take in a roomate in the guest room we never used, everytime it rained the hallway would get soaking wet carpets, after about a few more rainshowers, the closet walls became green with mildew on the inside and out, it was disgusting! Management was nice enough to move us into another apartment where the refriderator was broke, the previous owner had fleas and the refrig smelled of old fish.The replaced the fridge with another broken one,sprayed and cleaned the carpets, only then to have the air conditioner leak and ruin all the carpet in the entry way, afer having enough we decided to get out, we got charged for carpet damage from the water,we got charged for a broken refridge, and on our credit shows 4300 that we owe alara for breaking the lease(charged us the rest of our lease term) and the charged us for the carpet damage that there stupid apt faults made! horrible!

Current Resident 174554

Resident • 2003

Nothing to complain about

I´ve lived here since May and have had no problems to speak of. The few things I´ve asked maintenance to look at were taken care of within 24 hours. (usually within 8) This is a well-kept complex with landscaping guys constantly visible picking up trash or clipping shrubs, etc. <br> <br>The pool area is gorgeous and we´ve had at least one pool party for the residents that was pretty decent. Plenty of food and beverages to go around. <br> <br>I´m sorry to the people who have had ant problems, but it happens everywhere, not just here. The alternative is to live in a complex that has no grass or trees around, just concrete parking lots. I just moved here from Florida and that´s about all we had down there. I love the lush greenery here in GA and I´ll keep a can of bug spray handy for those ´in-between bugman visit´ situations.

Current Resident 15958

Resident • 2003

No problems ... as yet!

I just moved in a few months ago and have been enjoying the apartments thoroughly in general. I haven´t personally had to deal with the management or had problems with the community and security in general - though that doesn´t mean it may not happen in the future !! :-) <br> <br>What made me move to these apartments are - <br>1) Large size of apts <br>2) Proximity to the "better" side of Pleasant Hill - away from the maddening rush. <br>3) Proximity to work <br>4) Diversity of residents <br>5) Kids all around (vital ´coz I have kids myself) <br> <br>Yeah, our balcony has shrubs next to it so we´re prone to all sorts of insects and nocturnal guests, but ... oh well... live a little. No bees and red ants yet (thankfully) - my PREVIOUS apt community had a beehive in my balcony and the apt guys told me "take care of it yourself - we don´t do that!!" which (naturally) made me mad. I´d be very upset if something similar to what other reviewers had described happened to me as well. <br> <br>I guess I got lucky - so take a good look around at other communities and choose wisely. There are good affordable communities closer to Fulton County on Pleasant Hill as well and on North Berkeley road.

tonidee25

Resident • 2001 - 2003

Don´t do it..... it was the biggest mistake I made

The grounds are in fact beautiful, but management does suck. The equipment in the fitness room is broken, not to mention there are several junk cars, park in the parking lot that have tickets on them, but have yet to be moved. Not to mention, as soon as I walk out side next to the property bushes, my daughter and I are attacked by bees. <br> <br><br> And it is true that people can and do just walk in your apartment after just one knock. It is also true that management does bend over backwards to get you in here, but once you moved in, it´s a joke. <br> <br>My one year old child woke up one morning with an ANT IN HER EAR, and ant bites all over her body. So I called the complex to get someone/anyone over here to spay, but they told me, that they only sprayed on Mondays and today was a Tuesday. So I had to wait a entire week before I could get this problem fixed. <br><br> <br> <br> Also, I had just went grocery shopping and bought about $150 dollars worth of food, and can you believe that ant´s had gotten into everything. That morning and several days after, I was feeding red ants to my daughter in her cereal and didn´t even know it. I had to throw everything away and change my whole life style. Like putting pantry items in the fridge so ants couldn´t get to it. <br><br> <br> <br> Never mind the real reason why people are attracted to this complex...(it´s a gated community)... but the gate is broken more than it is fixed. <br> <br><br> Last year my husband was one of many who had their cars broken into. In a matter of two days, They had managed to robbed so many people. And the apartment complex had a nerve to send out a letter about the incident three days after the second attempt happened. They should have sent out a letter the first day it happened, not three days later. <br><br> <br> <br>These are all examples of how Alara Apartments keep there residents in mind. I just hope that all the tenants know the truth and hopefully this complex will change. Especially, since they have some awesome competition just down the street on Berkeley St. <br><br> <br> <br> Alara Apartments are a joke, and if you were to move here, you will soon regret it. <br><br> <br> P.S. don´t ever , ever , forget to pay your rent on time.... not even a minute late.... you will have to pay the market value, plus 10% of the market value. Which is a lot of money!

Current Resident 768919

Resident • 2003

BAD MANAGEMENT!!!!!

Although they have a beautiful landscape and huge apartments- management in the leasing ofice is absurd! They are so nice to you before you move in, but onces you sign the lease they really don´t care how they treat you, how long it tskes for maintenance o come OR how long it takes for you to get you security deposit after you move!

jeaninenhughes

Resident • 2002

LET DOWN AND VIOLATED

The landscaping is beautiful but they worry more about the look of the outside than the inside of the apartments. I have red ants that are biting me and my family. <br> <br>They sent a subcontracted exterminator here who smelled of beer and had dingy clothes. Someone stole my fiance´s tools from his work pickup truck and hit our car in the parking lot. The building next to us, a couple sits outside and drinks beer and smoke cigarettes loudly at night. Kids ride through here with loud banging music, the computer in the business center is never working and the fax stays out of toner. <br> <br>This is a gated community, and the gate stays open long enough for 3 cars to pass thru, so visitors follow me onto the grounds all the time and since we´ve moved here in August the gate stays open more than closed and was broken for 3 weeks. The maintenance is for the birds, they wouldn´t know their job if someone gave them written instructions. I have a window in my childrens bathroom thats been broken for almost 2 months. They gave the window contractor the key to come into my apt while I was gone and he wrote notes on my paper towels. Maintenace knocks once and walk in. They barged in on me while I was using the bathroom with no clothes on I´m thankful that I was in the master bath instead of the hall bath