Birchview Gardens

Current Resident 825425

Resident • 2023 - 2026

Disappointing Experience with New Administration

I would give 5 stars, but since the administrative change and having Jennifer as the main contact, the experience has significantly worsened. The service is poor, the information provided is often inaccurate, and no solutions are offered to resolve issues. It’s disappointing, as the service used to be good, and there is no way to get in touch with a supervisor. What a disappointment!

Current Resident 728004

Resident • 2015

I've been living here for a couple of months now and I really like this place and I really hope that does not change. Parking hasn't ever been a problem for me (there were 2 instances where I came home late and had to park a little further away from my building but that wasn't a big deal to me personally). I live on the upper floor and, while the walls are kind of thin, my neighbors only seem to make noise during the day. I am out of the house for most of the day (usually 8:30-6:00 or later depending on the day) so I don't really mind. There seem to be a lot of families with young kids that live around here which is always nice to see. Work orders seem to be taken care of within one day. The super, Barbara, is absolutely lovely and is so thoughtful and made my move extremely easy. She also lives on the property with her family which says a lot about the quality of the place. The price is really unbeatable for the area and though the apartment is older, it is spacious and has really nice hardwood floors. My only issue is that some bugs seem to come in through the cracks, but that seems to be something that can be easily fixed. There are courtyards near some of the apartments that always look nice, clean, and well maintained. Traffic can be heavy between Rutgers Busch Campus and 287 on some days of the week, but it never adds more than 5-10 minutes to my already short commute. There are laundry facilities on the property. I do wish there were more, but there has only ever been one instance when all the machines were taken (they're usually completely empty on weekends, believe it or not). I'm enjoying my apartment a lot and I hope to be able to stay here for the next few years, providing the service stays at the same level.

Current Resident 456485

Resident • 2012 - 2014

There is a woman named ------------ who lives in Birchview Gardens in Piscataway NJ and she harasses and abuses young children. She will follow your child around with a camcorder and scream profanity at them regardless of the time and place. The complex managers side with ------ and have evicted several families. ------ has had the police called on her numerous times and her roommate was recently charged with assault. She will also send her roommate door to door intimidating women and children while they are home alone. Sometimes forcing her way into the apt. Shame on the management of Birchview Gardens in Piscataway. We refuse to live in fear any longer. Do the right thing and evict her before another child is harmed.

Current Resident 811253

Resident • 2012 - 2014

I lived here for 2 years and there isn't really much I can complain about. Any time something broke, the staff came out basically the same day and got it fixed. Seems to be runned by a single family and they are all nice people. Never had a problem with parking. The one slightly negative thing was the paint inside the apartment. It was globbed on quick and it's sloppy, some cracks in the paint too. In addition, the walls are very thin and you can hear your neighbors pretty easily. Also if you have to drive on River Road from here, the traffic is absolutly horrible, especially at around 5. Other than that, it is RIGHT off 287 which is convenient. Overall, a good place to live for the price.

cap2013

Resident • 2013

I live there just one year. The community is family unfriendly. The sound prove is bad. My neighbor upstairs even complain my one year son walking. And, the office not support us anymore. They always think that we are the trouble maker. It is really painful to live there.

jenrebecca70

Resident • 2013

We moved to Birchview Gardens a few months ago and are thrilled with everything - in the beginning we even called it our "vacation home", haha. We had looked at so many places around the area and this shined over all of them, especially with the very reasonable rent. It's an incredible value for the money. The landlady Barbara has been extremely helpful as well as her husband. We had read bad reviews beforehand so we were skeptical, but although Barbara's tough I feel she needs to be to run this place. She runs a tight ship, and to me that's awesome. About a month ago we had a housewarming and 20 people fit in our place, which is about 925 square feet. Our balcony extends out from the living room and is about 15' x 4.5'. Huge for this kind of complex. The kitchen can fit a small table, and the rooms are so spacious. I think the best part is the two walk-in closets. Since electric is not included we were also nervous but so far so good - I feel you should just use simple common sense and make sure things are off/turned down and you will be fine. Our only disappointment is that we have one of the non-dishwasher apartments. Most of Birchview's apartments have dishwashers. Blah. :( But we chose it, so it's on us. The population is diverse and multicultural. We are in our mid-forties and a little on the older side of the tenant pool - lots of Rutgers grad students, mostly married. It's mostly professional 9-5ers, but there are a large handful of seniors who seem like they've been there a long time. I work from home so I'm here a lot and have never seen a conflict here. We plan on being here for a long time. If you hadn't guessed by now - I highly recommend Birchview Gardens.

Current Resident 431635

Resident • 2013

I loved the place so much the only thing my problem its my neighbor upstair she walks all the time, cant sleep at night when she starts to walk and moving things...but the overall the place is nice..

Current Resident 683545

Resident • 2013

This is not true at all. WHOEVER WROTE THAT REVIEW MUST WORK FOR BIRCHVIEW GARDENS. I live in Birchview Gardens and have been here for a short time, and it is the worst apartment complex to live in. THE WALLS ARE PAPER THIN. THE MANAGEMENT IS PATHETIC AND LIARS. DOGS AND CATS GET MORE RESPECT HERE THAN HUMANS. Stay away..BIG TIME!!! Dont' let the cheap rent prices fool you!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!

Current Resident 291306

Resident • 2012 - 2013

I been renting at Birchiew Gardens for almost a year now. Since I moved in here I loved it . Its very spacious, affordable,clean and lots of closet space that you wont find in other apartment complex.Its feel like home , feel safe and planning to stay here for long term . The major highways are seconds away .The parking is great I never had a issue from day one always have a parking right front of my door.The nieghbors are great and friendly. And the most important the management is very helpfull and always there for you and if there's any maintenance issues they care of that right away they are AWESOME.I will definitely recommend to my friends.I am been in serval rental communities but this is the best ever.

Current Resident 32890

Resident • 2012 - 2013

Birchview Gardens is a spacious, clean, and well maintained property. The two bedroom one and half bath has spacious rooms and the first floor closet spaces are huge. The maintenance team is quick in addressing maintenance issues. While the parking can be hectic the complex is definitely a nice place to live and very affordable.

Current Resident 868559

Resident • 2013

Apartments are spacious, very affordable, and the maintenance staff always responds quickly to any issues I have ever experienced. Parking can be tough but overall I can't complain and would recommend these apartments.

Current Resident 15036

Resident • 2011 - 2012

The Birchview Gardens complex location was great for me because of my job. In the time I lived there,I've had three different set of people move in and out. I lived in the upstairs unit.Parking was horrible for me. Management notice a pattern of the parking and decided to give renter stickers for their car and a blue pass for their vistors...one pass at that. Its so crazy to admit this but,I had to tip toe around my apartment especially at night because one of my neighors complained of how I would walk in my apt. BEWARE!!!!The walls are SUPER THIN!!!!!Seriously!!!! I was able to hear when the first set of neighors were intimate at night. The second set of neighors, the husband snored so loudly that one night I was so curious I went outside of the apt. then came back in ,only to observed that I only heard it when I was in the apt.Flood insurance??? A must,I definintely recommand!!!Just take a look at the pics I've posted.There is so much I could write but when all is said and done the end result is that I truely would'nt recommand. If you dont believe me take a walk through the complex... majority of the aptartment are empty and available for rent.

Current Resident 595236

Resident • 2012

apartment is great, many space and rent is reasonable for the first time rent you get 2 month free for 13 month. the management is horrible, very rude and live in their own kingdom, they own the place so they can do whatever they want, never see they smile to you or greet to each other, cold blood. the management old women live in the apartment, and she is also live in the laundry room, if you get your cloth out of the dryer 5 min later, she will take your clothes out and wait you, teach you a lesson and say she had saw your 3 times and it has been in the dryer for 1 hour. overall, nice place to live but you will be pissed off with the management lady.

Mysterybc123

Resident • 2012

Not Bad...not great, but not bad.

I lived in a 2 bedroom here for about a year and a half moving out just this past March. Overall it was a pretty decent place to live as long as you don't think your getting some high end place. For the money ($1300)you get big place place and the apartment layout lets you maximize it. The issues I had with the place is that they obviously don't care much about appearance. The electrical outlets were painted over, the light switchs were painted over in what was obviously a quick turnover. Not a whole lot of pride taken by the management to make it visually appealing when you first move it. I paid my rent on time and never really had any issue with ultilities, but we there was an issue it was fixed. I don't hold the management in high regard. They never didn't anything horrible, but it was just obvious they didn't care much. Your issues were not their top concern...ever. The pros...park very nearby, great location to the highway, big place, cheap rent. The con's...heat is electric and costs a ton (winter approx $250), fairly thin walls so you'll hear noisy neighbors...not so much to the side but above and below, management isn't great. Overall I will admit that i enjoyed my time there. Im not too picky and was just looking for a decent place so this fit the bill. Words or warning...don't do the sure deposit to reduce what you pay as a deposit upfront..it is $500 non-refundable and they sell it as it covers your deposit. What they don't tell you is that it doesn't go toward any damange and it is literally just you giving them $500. When I left they wanted me to pay a $400 cleaning fee, and $150 for damage. Im not saying the place was a gem when I left, but there wasn't anything more than dust on the floors. We told them we wouldn't pay it and we settled on a smaller amount. PS - you can do a short term lease for only $25 extra a month. Last comment - this place went downhill a little after the Hurricane...grounds are kept up quite as nice and a lot of people moved out.

Current Resident 124972

Resident • 2009 - 2012

Regret living here

We lived at Birchview for 3 years, and finally moved out due to a combination of negatives. First, pro's and con's: Pro's: -CHEAP CHEAP price for the size. For a one bedroom apartment, you get a dining room, living room, bedroom, bathroom, and another room (which we made into a computer room) -Free cold water -Maintenance is pretty responsive. They usually fixed our stuff within a day or two. Con's: -Walls are literally paper-thin. I can hear when my downstairs neighbors sneeze, when his dog barks, when he talks on the phone, when the TV is on...you get the point. -Speaking of dogs, A LOT of people here have dogs and cats, some have small ones, and others even have golden retrievers. This is a NO PET APARTMENT! In fact, the management has 2 dogs. So, you come in thinking you're in a no-pet environment until you see dog poop on the grass and dogs barking randomly at night. -The heating bill is high, I don't think I need to reiterate that. Just read other reviews to get an idea of how much people are paying. -Because of the paper-thin walls, it's freezing in the winter and scorching hot in the summer. I recently moved to another place, and when we went back to clean up, there was a noticeable difference in the temperature in the absence of any AC/heat. -This isn't necessarily a fault of the management, but my neighbors were very noisy. They at one point had 4 single adults living in a 1 bedroom apartment. Either management didn't know about this or didn't care. We not only had to deal with late-night parties (going to 3am on a Wednesday), but they also had 4 cars even when tenents are "supposed" to only have 2 per apartment. Management later implemented a parking tag policy, in which you were given tags to display you're a tenent at Birchview. Guess what? This did nothing other than to make their parent company happy. No one ever got towed. We happen to live in the part of the complex where every person had AT LEAST 1 car. So even though parking throughout the complex is ample, it was always crowded in our lot. ================================================= As you can see, the con's far outnumber the pro's. We lived there for 3 years mainly because we didn't feel like going through the hassle of moving. Oh, and to add to the fun, during our first 2 years, we had neighbors to our side that was having a screaming match at least every other day. They were going at it at any given time of the day for hours on end. Lucky for us, they were to the side of our unit, so we couldn't hear them that much from the bedroom. Their downstairs neighbor told us that he had tried to complain to management numerous times, called the cops on them numerous times, and management didn't do anything to try to alleviate the noise problem. Overall, if you are on a tight budget and want a lot of space for a cheap price, than this might be the place for you. If you want to live at a place where you look forward to coming home everyday, and feel like the management is looking out for you, then look elsewhere. Don't be fooled by the size. Someone mentioned a "walk-in closet"???? Maybe it's a walk-in closet if you're 8 years old, but a grown woman weighing 100lbs cannot "walk in" there. The closet is in the bedroom, but they also have the water heater in there (thus taking up about 1/4 of the closet) AND they have a wall in the middle of the closet, so in practice, you can only use half of the closet.

Current Resident 152254

Resident • 2010 - 2011

Good Value, No Frills Apt

Basic What-you-see-is-what-you-get apartments. Some of the best rent values in the area. The 1-bedroom apartments are really big with tons of space - even a walk in closet. My kitchen and bathroom were outdated but functional so for the price I didn't mind. Yes, the electric bills do get very high in the winter (mine were around $150/month with being stingy on heat - not as high as the others on this site). Parking is ample. Having a balcony was nice. Left my apartment clean and got my deposit back in full. One annoyance was that cell phone reception and TV reception (I didn't get cable used bunny ears) was really bad in my apartment. I would check this before renting. Very close to 287 so easy on and off the main highway. Laundry room was in another building which was a slight annoyance.

bktom

Resident • 2009 - 2011

Nice place, but...

The apartments are good. We stayed in it for 2 years. There is ample parking space and no noisy neighbors. However, the heating system and cookingrange operate on electricity due to which our utility bills used to shoot up to $300 in winter. That was the only reason we moved out.

Current Resident 252733

Resident • 2011

not too shabby

Ive been in my apartment for a few months now. I moved in April. When I turned the PSE&G electric on, I made sure to request the "budget plan" what this means its that I have a set amount I pay each month, it doesnt change. I have a 2 bedroom apartment that I pay $166/mo in utilities. NO MATTER WHAT... In the winter, when the billis only$50, I still pay $166. at the end of one year, PSEG will evaluate the bill and credit me the balance that I over pay by not charging me an electric bill. I highly recommend that !! Honestly, thats about what you would pay for gas/electric anywhere else. Mind you, I cook not stop, we keep the A/C going in 2 of the rooms 90% of the summer and my son is always on his video games taht eat up alot of electricity. Management is nice and helpful. I have never had a problem with them. If you need an outlet fixed, the sink unclogged or just have a question, they are very timely. As far as the no pets policy. I have never woken up to a dog barking, never stepped into a pile of dog poo and the cats dont bother me. Laundry facilities are perfect. Only wish they had a change machine so stock up on your quarters! The windows are not energy effiecient, nor the sliding doors, but I see they are in the process of changing them out in the buildings, so Im sure its only a matter of time before all the apartments are updated. I either have very quiet neighbors or Im going deaf, because I have children below me that I never hear and I only have area rugs, not wall to wall carpeting. Overall, I enjoy the very spacious apartment I have and plan to stay here a while!

Current Resident 4237

Resident • 2011

You will never get your security deposit back here

Birchview Gardens used to be a nice place. However, about 2 years ago they went to an automated billing system for rent. Ever since then dealing with management is completely useless. The monthly bills have typos all over them and look completely unprofessional. The management will never give you a lease renewal...even though your contract says it is their responsibility to provide you with one. You will have to ask for a new one, and if you forget they will just start charging you penalty payments. I just moved out and even though my contract said that my lease was done at the end of May, they took the June payment out of my security deposit. I gave them a clear letter more than 30 days in advance of me leaving letting them know my intentions and that because my contract was over I was expecting to get my full security deposit back. I asked them to contact me if they believed otherwise. Did I hear anything...no. Just got a check back telling me that June was taken out too. This is a great complex if you speak Polish and can understand the management company. They will find any way they can to take your security deposit. You might as well not even expect to get it back if you intend to live here. And as far as electric bills go...PSE&G is making a fortune off this place. $448 it cost me this last February to heat a one bedroom apartment...and I was extremely stingy on turning on the heat that month too. Stay away from this place and go to one of the other places near by that include heat and hot water...this place is a compete rip off in every possible way.

Current Resident 190050

Resident • 2005 - 2010

Once was heaven... now hell

We lived here for a few years and at first it really was too good to be true clean, safe, kind neighbors (except for the lady in apt. 7 that once tried to get our car towed and then keyed it cause it was in her Cadillac spot when there are no designated spots.). About two years after living there everything went downhill. The management began to not care about the place or its tenants. One elderly couple that lives in the back of the complex named Penny and John made their side of their building look like a trailer park with their outrageous decorations that management didn't seem to care about. Penny would often scream or curse at people because they were walking by or lived near their space . I once found her outside in just her undergarments and when management was notified nothing was done. A lot of tenants moved out because of them and management was so desperate to have people that they began to accept anyone and excuse all complex rules. At one point two apartments alone had ten children in them and we often would find our cars being used as places for the children to play on and leave their toys on. It was a common sight to see pets loose (when no pets were allowed) and 2 year old children roaming the parking lot alone. Graffiti, especially foul kind, began to appear on the buildings and parking lots. The back park was often a place for young lovers to meet up and there were always used condoms in the parking lot or grass area. Maintenance was great in the beginning, but we dealt with a broken stove that we couldn't use for a year. I requested that it be replaced or at least fixed so we could use it, but they never came and I finally gave up because we were moving. There is no central air and the air conditioning units barely make the apartments cool. Since the buildings are brick, the apartment was often hotter inside than out. Lack of ventilation in the bathrooms caused major mold issues. Yes, the electric bill, the only major utility bill one has to pay for, is often double the price you d pay for gas and electric in a house. So sad to have seen this place go downhill so quickly because it really was a great place for a while and I recommended it to several people. Finally, I paid a professional staff to help clean the apartment when we left. I even took off two days of work to make sure everything was perfect and they still had the nerve to charge $400 of our deposit for cleaning . I tried to fight it and showed my cleaning bill, but they said it was routine charge. Cons: -bad management -graffiti, condoms, etc. -rude and disturbing neighbors -high electric bills -mold -often floods -no laundry in apartment Pro: -cheap rent -large apartments -location Although the pro's listed are great, the cons really outfit the pros. If you enjoy living in a circus with lack of supervision then it is the place for you. I wouldn't recommend this to singles, young families or professionals.

Current Resident 644203

Resident • 2010 - 2011

the worst place, worst management, drunk people, pitbull dogs

noisy drunk tenants partying infront of your balcony. loud music when you go talk to management , they dont do anything, worst worst management you can ever see besides, when you call , they never answer, she lives at the same building and doing home stuff instead of helping tenants. no pet policy . dont believe in it. I saw pitbull dogs without a leash some guys walking . when you complaint to the management she does nothing. because she has dogs as well. as soon as lease is over , I am out of here. by the way, rent may seem reasonable , but everything is electricity and in winter you will pay minimum $450 per month. the only good thing is maintenance. the guys are doing great job.

simontest

Resident • 2006 - 2011

Not recommended

Management at 163 Birchview drive will rip your deposit for no reason. High electricity bill. Be prepared all door , windows are not at all insulated so you will freeze to death in winter, always heater on.

Current Resident 715107

Resident • 2008 - 2011

I CAN NOT RECOMMEND AFTER FLOOD!!!

I am editing my previous review. I would not recommend these apartments anymore following the flood in 2011! And not only because of flood hazard, also the attitude of the management before, during, and after flood. So beware of the flood danger. First floor apartments were flooded this year. It does not matter even if you are on 2nd floor. You still will be evacuated during flood. And you will be left without power for several days, since they replace electric meters. Original Review: This is our third year at Birchview Gardens. They advertise as "no pets allowed" but I see some tenants with dogs or cats. I see one neighbor letting his dog out to poop in front of the apartment and not scooping the poop most times. Somebody from maintenance, who lives here, has a big dog and he walks his dog at the children's playground area and he does not clean the poop after his dog. The rent may look like more affordable but it is not. Because all utility is electric. No central A/C or washer/dryer in the units. Heat, cooking, and hot water all are electric. I pay more than $500 month for utility bill at the peak of winter. It is reasonable for summer since the apartments do not have central A/C. Insulation is also terrible here. This is an old complex and the doors and windows are old, out of shape. Sound insulation is worse than that. First or second floor, all apartments are hardwood. Even with the carpet, you hear all the footsteps from upstairs. I live downstairs and I sometimes think somebody is in my apartment when somebody upstairs walks. I know many tenants that having problems with their neighbors because of this noise problem. Even one living upstairs is complaining about the neighbor's child living downstairs for the noise. The management had some incentives last year like one month and two months free rentals because they had many unoccupied apartments. With those free months, they quickly filled the apartments. I think they are also not careful about security checks anymore. As a result, this mostly quiet families neighborhood has become a little bit noisy low-profile neighborhood. The aforementioned noise problem is not only related to the sound insulation, it is also related these unrespectful neighbors. Though I am fortunate that all my next door neighbors are nice, I know three other tenants in our quarter that had problems with their neighbors and one had to call the police. If you tell them that you are disturbed by their noise, they will make more noise for sure. The rental office and maintenance is run by a family here. The lady at the rental office is infamous with her rudeness. There is a flood risk here since Raritan River overflows sometimes. There had been serious floods in the past which we didn't see. But we had to evacuate last year and many cars were inundated. The management had a big negligence during that flooding. They did not warn the tenants in the night and some cars were inundated overnight. Many people are new here and they don't know about the flood risk. I may still recommend this place. If you are not unlucky with some noisy neighbors, it is still quiet and safe environment. There are several floorplans, i think seven. Some are good, some not. Some have spacious living rooms. School district is better than most neighboring townships. Very close to I-287. Laundry rooms are OK.

Current Resident 229404

Resident • 2010

Just Moved In

I just moved in and so far so good. When I need something fixed or looked at, the man comes in a timely manner. Management seems fine, but if you want politeness then you definetly need to give it first. The electric bill is somewhat high for an apartment, guessing in the winter it will not be any lower. So far so good.

renter9878

Resident • 2008 - 2010

Stay away from this apartment

I lived in this apartment for 3 years. the apartment is spacious and the price looks like reasonable.However, there are some reasons for avoid living in this apartment: 1. No gas in the building, the electric bill will kill you. 2. nasty management. the office lady maria is very arrogant and like to yell at you. If you could not tolerate somebody insult you, you should not choose this apartment. 3. When you move out, they will try every excuse to eat you deposit.