South Bank

Current Resident 656681

Resident • 2008

Slums at a luxury price

Can't tell you what a joke it is that River City refers to the Parachute Factory as "luxury loft apartments" on its (really hideous) website. Every negative review on here speaks the absolute truth. Management fully intends to just keep running the place into the ground with absolute disregard for its tenants wants & needs. Every positive review, by contrast, is likely written by an employee of River City. Maybe they've finally realized that people tend to use sites like this before they make a decision about spending large amounts of money (you'll be spending a ton of that if you rent here; set aside extra for all the illegal charges, 'k?). Judging by their clip art packed corporate site, the last time management was big on browsing the internet was 1994 ... I guess they can be forgiven for being so stupid. Eh, anyway, I can't do a better job of listing all of the awfulness of the management to you. Read the other 1.0 reviews. If you choose to live here after that, remember this: we ------- told you so.

Prospective Resident 292648

Prospect • Visited 2008

just look at the pictures above

With all this back and forth arguing, the pictures speak for themselves regarding this -------- apartment complex. Luckily due to the honest reviews, I did not move in here. Why? because look at how RC treats their tenants. Instead of fixing the issues and concerns of their tenants, the staff spends their entire day putting up fake reviews on how good it is. Really? If anyone looks at the pictures above, it shows leaky windows. When I went to see the apartments I asked the agent, why did the previous tenant move out, uh.... um.... well... FYI- I stepped in dog crap while I was there!! Way to get my attention on how great the Parachute Factory is!!!

hatedummies

Resident • 2008

Best in Richmond!

For your money, The Parachute Factory (or any other River City Real Estate property) is the best value. You can have your pets, central a/c and heat, and most have free, off-street parking (just make sure your vehicle is properly ...

Current Resident 605810

Resident • 2008

Its good.

Parachute Factory is good. I like it. You should rent here.

Current Resident 580080

Resident • 2008

The Parachute Nightmare

TPF is awful on an epic scale. Loving your life here requires total deafness, or the ability to never, ever leave your apartment, where you'll encounter shoddy staff, poorly maintained grounds and a wide variety of bizarrely enforced rules. Pros: - The apartments are gorgeous, with full hardwood floors and incredibly high ceilings. - Appliances are new - Washer/dryer in-unit Cons: - Full hardwood floors and incredibly high ceilings, along with ... what, no insulation at all? ... lead to massive amounts of noise. Be prepared to hear your neighbors leave for work, come home from the bar, bone their significant others or gently sigh from 786 feet away. I can't stress how loud it is here. Louder than any dorm building or apartment building I've ever lived in, mostly through no fault of the tenants. Shoddy design for the win! - Crap parking: You have two choices -- park in the ultra-narrow "compact" spaces in order to be a little closer to your building or to feel semi-safe in the creepy, poorly lit lot OR park in the wider spaces, which are further away, thus affording you the opportunity to get mugged while you walk back with groceries. Either way you stand a shot of getting towed, permit or not, by USA Towing, who spend a large majority of their nights circling the lot like vultures. Awesome. - Jerkbag pet owners: Disclaimer: We're pet owners, but not the kind who let their dogs use the stairwells and hallways as toilets. Be aware that their are a ton of those folks though. Use caution when you, you know, walk. Anywhere. - Surly, unhelpful management: Need a repair? We'll be right with you, in about 2011 when your lease is up. Have a complaint? Good luck. Management decides when you're unhappy, and management firmly believes that you have no right to be happy. It's in your 500 page lease, subsection 231-A: Tenant has no right to enjoyment of premises. No matter how much you ----- and moan to management, you'll get ---- for results. However, management will occasionally decide that something makes THEM unhappy, in which case every clause of your lease shall be rendered invalid. Which leads me to this ... - Exciting random rule changes! Awesome violations of your lease and Virginia law! - Witness the recent letter from management informing tenants that the smoking deck was no longer for smoking; that anyone found smoking on the smoking deck would be shot ... er, considered a loiterer. And subject to the whims of the all-powerful AL'S SECURITY, which, up to this point, has always been extremely useless & tolerant of the drug dealing, the underage drinking, the neighbors who beat their dogs, and the raging parties that last until 4 AM. Smoking though? GASP! Don't expect to get any play from management regarding your insane neighbors who party until 4 AM every night of the week and apparently spend all of their waking hours making porn and smoking weed, because that? Would be insane. And totally not a violation of the THREE noise-related clauses in their lease with River City and the "quiet enjoyment" law often cited in housing law. --- To sum it all up, this would be a great place to live if you're fresh out of your mom's place/the dorms and have absolutely no expectations for your landlord to follow the law or give a ---- about you. If you have half a brain in your skullcase, rent from ANYONE else in Richmond. Cheers!

bradworks4u

Resident • 2006 - 2008

Shining Star in the rental galaxy!

Let me tell you- before I found the Parachute Factory, all of the prices for loft living were WAY out of my price range. Once I found River City Real Estate, I found a HOME! I now have a great apartment at a great price! River City is the best!

Current Resident 834065

Resident • 2008

Wow.

Its really quite impressive that any landlord agency would engage (and its apparent from the postings that they have) in such blatant and open abuse of their own tenants. When did we lose our sense of professionalism? When did -------------- fall asleep at the wheel and let ----- take on yet another failed attempt at online fame? Oh why, sweet mercy why? Oh and -----, darling, your websites are utterly dreary and boring.

BradIsForty

Resident • 2008

River City helped me at a difficult time in my life...

I'm a forty year old man. I'm not some kid or college student. I was recently divorced (wife left me) and I was on my own for the first time since high school. I needed a place to stay and River City Real Estate helped me out. The leasing agents were very nice and knowledgable about the area. Did I mention I'm forty years old? Well, after being shown several units to fit my new lifestyle, I settled in my new two bedroom apartment here at the Parachute Factory. I love it. River City Real Estate really helped this forty year old man to begin rebuilding his life! I'm forty.

Current Resident 520002

Resident • 2006 - 2008

River City is the B-E-S-T!

Not sure why there are so many losers on here complaining about bad service or poor maintenance at this place. I've been here two years and love it! River City is the BEST VALUE in the area!

Current Resident 517894

Resident • 2007 - 2008

DON'T BE A SUCKER

Full of $hite! This is another posting from the MGMT at river city! They hire illegal aliens and the INS has been notified. A neighbor woke up to one of these guys peering in through the sky light checking her out. Beware the parking lot, the spaces are so thin you're lucking if you can squeeze into your car; if you're over the painted line you're towed for $100.00 bucks. The neighbors dogs ----/piss in the hallway and it remains for weeks if you re a pet lover then kudos to you. Beware the clause in the lease that auto-renews you if you don't send notice that you wish to leave outside of 90 days. Next thing you know you're being sued for a full year s rent that has drastically increased by 2 or more HUNDRED dollars. The roof leaks, the windows leak, and maintenance is poor. Worst of all the management has to post their own positive comments! You move in, you hate the place, and you wonder what the HELL! You've been warned! Oh, by the way... if you hope you can break the lease by finding them a tenant, they will charge a full month s rent for the privileged... don't be a sucker! OH, did I mention the neighbor's with the drum...and the repeated emails to management that have gone unanswered!?!?! If you want to come home, leave your job behind, and relax in the place you live... avoid this place at all costs!!! Also, if personal safety is a concern, 3 neighbors have been mugged in the lot and approaching the building in the last 2 months.

haljordan6907

Resident • 2007 - 2008

Asset to the Community...

I don't know what all the whining is about- River City Real Estate is a community asset. Whether they're donating time (and MONEY) to various local charaties (YMCA, SPCA, SPECIAL OLYMPICS, etc.) or donating apartments to battered women in domestic violence situations - you couldn't have a better neighbor than River City Real Estate!

ClarkWayne

Resident • 2006 - 2008

River City helped me out!

River City Real Estate helped me BUILD my credit! I was just a dumb college student with NO credit - until River City took a chance on me. Now, after two years on the Boulevard - I have GREAT CREDIT!!!! Thanks, River City!!!!

Current Resident 406883

Resident • 2008

Ive been happy here

The only "dirt" that I have found with the appartment is tennant based (i.e. tennants not taking responcibility for their pets or not cleanign up their trash) Other than that, the staff has always been helpful enough. When I had some maintenance stuff that I wanted taken care of, they were there the next morning and even followed up a couple days later to make sure everything was working well. Perhaps whatever issues it had has been cleared up.

FrankSito

Resident • 2005 - 2006

River City was Good to Me!

I've read a few of these reviews and I just wanted to comment that River City Real Estate was good to me. I know a lot of thier tenants are young (college/slacker) types, but I guess since I paid my rent on time and did not trash the place, I didn't have any problems. Also, River City was the ONLY place that let me have my 2 dogs (both rescues).

Current Resident 833848

Resident • 2008

it's all true...

In an effort to be the bigger person I removed my review http://picasaweb.google.com/washburn1969/ParachuteFactory#

Current Resident 726061

Resident • 2008

This place stinks!!!

Literally...dog poo in the hallways, stairs, and sidewalks. Walls so thin you are kept awake by your neighbors snoring. Perks... save money on water by taking a shower under the perpeptual leaks in the roof. The employees are brash and rude and the management company is only interested in pocketing your money. If you want to be miserable move in, if not stay away.

Current Resident 583835

Resident • 2006 - 2007

Worst place I have ever lived!

This is absolutely the worst place I have ever lived. Electric bills were sky high even though the heat and A/C didn't even work. There are leaks in every room, HUGE spiders, loud noises coming from every direction, no response from maintenance or office staff, and an overall horrible smell throughout the apartment and surrounding blocks. I'm so happy to be out of there! DO NOT LIVE HERE!

Current Resident 529244

Resident • 2007 - 2008

Don't even think about it...

Pros: - Big, pretty apartments - Washer & Dryer in unit - Pets tolerated - Mostly friendly tenants Cons: - Paperthin walls, so thin, in fact, that you can hear EVERYTHING you neighbors beside you, above you, and below you are doing, including cooking dinner, putting away dishes, watching tv, having sex, and walking. - Horrible management that will, if you complain, become verbally abusive - When it was 100 outside, 23 units in the building went without A/C for WEEKS - Parking is a joke as all the spots are tiny and you will get towed if your tire is on the line - River City Real Estate, who owns the company has made a deal with USA Towing so they get money when their tenants are towed. - Maintenance requests take forever, must be in writing and hand delivered. Most of the time, things just don't get fixed. - Only one entrance to the building which requires walking around the building for many people, in what is quickly becoming an unsafe neighborhood - Dumpster is almost always overflowing and STINKS - Many people do not pick up after their dogs - Management will randomly bill you for things that either didn't happen, or happened 6 months ago - Management does not comply with federal housing regulations in many ways, specifically, they do not provide upkeep for designated communal areas - If the management doesn't like you, they will target you via billing you for random things, towing your car, verbally abusing you, and ignoring any and all complaints or maintenance requests that you may make - Management does not care about you, only cares about making money - They don't care if you get hurt on the premises - They won't give you back your deposit. Even if you leave the place better than you found it, they will make something up, even if it didn't come up in your walk-through, Charlie will go find something and charge you for it, but won't repair it for the next people that move in - They don't clean or repaint the apartments between tenants - The craftsmanship throughout the building is horrible - 18ft ceilings but no ceiling fans - The windows, which are beautiful and original, don't keep out the cold air in the winter or the heat in the summer - Break-ins and car thefts occur frequently in the parking lot - No visitor parking - The area is unsafe as at least three tenants have been mugged in the area or on the property - Only a three day grace period on rent, which means, if you pay on the fourth, they will charge you a 10% of your rent fee. So, if you don't make it on a Friday the 1st, you re screwed on Monday the 4th. All in all, this place is horrible. While the people that live there are wonderful people, it is not worth the hassle. Currently, the building has almost 20 empty units because so many people have left due to extreme displeasure with River City Real Estate.

MaisieJane

Resident • 2008

Oh sure its pretty, but...

Management is completey non-responsive, and have a nasty habit of pertpetually breaching their own contract/lease. Luckily I knew most of this upon moving in, and have had splendid success with just outright treating them like the slumlords they are. If you move in, be wary, get everything in writing, READ YOUR LEASE, it gives you more protection than you think.

Current Resident 432253

Resident • 2007 - 2008

This place is outrageous

When we first moved it was an okay place, but soon after it began to change. its half parachute factory fault and the other the tenants. The parts are true about how paper thin the walls are.....When they say you hear everything you truly hear everything. As for things being the Tenants fault comes into play the animals. When we first moved in people with pets were suppose to stay on one side of the building(this is what we were told) but gradually that changed and they are allowed everywhere. The walls are truly to thin for animals(especially when you can hear your neighbors heels walking down your hall.) The tenants allow their animals to defecat anywhere and not clean it up. That's not river city responsiblitity. We also have the orginal windows which gives a horrible draft in the winter. But I did have them seal them. True my roommate and I renewed our lease but then when getting it noticed we had to pay another deposit. This is the most stupiest thing I have ever heard! As for your maintence request they have been answered in a timely fashion. But after our 09 lease we will not be renewing.

Current Resident 899987

Resident • 2007 - 2008

This place should be burned to the ground!

The only thing that can be said about these apartments are they are large and beautiful. Now for the bad: The walls are paperthin, so you will hear every conversation, and every orgasm. They lie to you about everything. Don't believe a damn thing they promise. It is all untrue, If they don't like you (i.e., if you are a complainer) they will raise your rent after your first year to get you out. They NEVER return phone calls. All maintenance orders take 3 days or more. Dogs piss and ---- all over the building and it is never picked up. The place is worse than a college dorm. The security thing is a lie. Al's security quickly drives through the lot once a night. There is no security. Multiple cars have been broken into on multiple occasions. Of course River city did nothing. The parking spaces are too small unless you have a Chevette. And there is no parking for visitors. The trash is always overflowing. It smells like raw sewage. Good luck getting your deposit back in full. They will find some dumb excuse to take away all your money. I don't know what Charlie gets paid for (the manager) because he doesn't do jack ----.

Current Resident 589023

Resident • 2007 - 2008

I've made some bad choices but this place...........

This place is like living in the city dog pound. Why on earth does every other tenant have to have a dog? Even better is they have to have a large dog that constantly barks. I know they must hear everything I hear because the walls are so damn thin.<BR> <BR> And who in the hell did they get to do the construction and maintenance work on this place? It sure isn't professional tradesmen. T-shirt wearing blue color construction average looking joes. Not professional at all.<BR> <BR> I agree with other reviews before mine about dog noise, tenant sex noise, neighbors getting ready for work, etc...<BR> <BR> Stay away from these style of apartments, they're only meant for bigger cities like NY or Chicago. Richmond is not a big city and you can find something much better out in the counties. Look for traditional apartment where you can park out your own front door.

Current Resident 951637

Resident • 2007 - 2008

Luxury or Section 8?

Just because it is close to downtown does not make it worth living in that nasty building. Management is awful, ------- is not people friendly so I m not sure why he s the manager. The windows leak whenever it rains, they are not insulated so it is either too cold or too hot. You can hear everything and I mean everything your neighbor is doing. Dogs, dogs and more dogs! It reeks of urine in the hallways and if someone s dog decides to unload in the building you ll see it for the next 5 days, that s unless someone steps in it and it gets tracked up and down the stairs and through the hall. Parking is a nightmare the spots are extremely narrow and you ll get towed in a heartbeat. USA towing is making bank off the tenants and their guests. People leave their trash outside of their apt doors and when they finally decide to take it out the trash bin is usually overflowing. Junk mail is usually found on the floor as if a ticker day parade has gone through the lobby. Oh and the cracker jack security patrol that circles the building and shines his flashlight in your face needs to find the nearest bridge and jump off. The noise is ridiculous - insulating the place might just might buffer that traffic noise. I almost forgot, a few weeks ago Planet Zero let out carnival Richmond style. The chaos that was roaming up and down the street was entertaining for about a minute but seriously the police need to pepper spray everyone to clear out the street. Where was our security patrol guy that night? Rivercity Leasing needs to step it up if they want to call the Parachute Factory luxury - it s more like Section 8 housing. They should try and keep their tenants instead of running them out.

Current Resident 211481

Resident • 2008

Don't live here

This place is the armpit of Richmond. The building is smelly with dog poop everywhere. Within our unit, the walls are so thin you can hear your neighbors breathing. There are leaks in the ceiling, in the floors, and in the window sills. We consider ourselves the ideal tenants. We pay the rent on time. However, the management company River City is too stupid to recognize this fact and continues to treat us without any respect. Hopefully this place will become the slum that they treat it as and the company will go bankrupt. The only saving grace is that I have yet to see any roaches or rats, but I'm sure that will change soon.

Current Resident 134260

Resident • 2007 - 2008

Let me count the ways...

you'd be better off living in your parents' basement for another couple of years than living here. 1. The stench of raw sewage permeates the neighborhood during the warmer months. It comes from a sewage treatment plant a mile or two up the James River. It has literally woken me up in the middle of the night when the wind shifted. 2. A furniture factory a block away leaves every surface in your apartment covered with a course layer of sawdust. If you were to dust five times a day, you'd have a dirty dust cloth five times. And that happens whether your windows are open or closed. 3. Many residents do not pick up their pets' waste. It's a minefield on any grassy surface within a six block radius. 4. Those same residents don't pick up their pets' waste even within the building if little Fifi has an accident. 5. My living room has had two leaks for the duration of the seven months I've lived here. I've filled out requests for repairs more times than I can remember. I've not even mentioned the leak in the kitchen to them because it's so minor so I know it would never get the attention it deserves. 6. The cacophony of outside noise from trucks, trains, cars, building alarms and amplified phone rings among others will drive the less stable to suicide. 7. The parking lot is a joke. If your driver side door isn't rendered unusable at least once a week by another car parked way too closely, then you're lucky beyond compare. The management requests that cars do not park on the lines. That's like asking Kirstie Alley to keep her Jenny Craig weight off for a full year. It ain't gonna happen. The management must be in business with a local towing company too. That's the only reason I can fathom for their having ABC Towing prowling the parking lot every night looking for cars that do not have their parking pass prominently displayed. This would make complete sense if the lot was small. However, you could fit another 50 cars in there every night and still have extra spaces. 8. In summation, the water pressure in the shower is way low and the windows are only for show. They don't keep heat in or cold out. 9. And oh yeah, there are mice and I hear every fart my next door neighbor generates. Granted, my rent is fairly inexpensive so some of you wee lads and lassies may think my bitching isn't justified, but trust me, there are way better places to lay your head at night than here. Good luck.