Let me just say that the apartment itself isn't too bad, it's old and has the issues of an old apartment but I've certainly lived in worse. The issues I have are mostly with the apartment complex.
Maintenance requests are hit or miss, they came right away to fix our AC when it broke but it took 3 visits to have a natural gas leak fixed (the utility closet is in my toddler's room so she had to sleep with us for the better part of a week). The apartment wasn't ready for us to move in - the knobs on the bathtub weren't installed - they were just sitting on the edge of the tub which isn't properly caulked and the trim board isn't installed properly. The paint in the bathroom peels constantly and the vent in there is ineffective. Our front door is horribly warped and is hard to close all the way and lock (this is "not their problem"). Our floors creak with every step which I know annoys our downstairs neighbor because we're on the middle floor and our upstairs neighbors are incredibly loud, even when they're just walking around. Them just walking is a rarity though, they have no furniture and it allows plenty of space for their 6 kids to play soccer in the house, often until 2 am.
The noise in general is a problem, I don't ever hear anything through the walls but the ceiling is another story and the hallway almost constantly has people in there and talking loudly, even late at night. I've had to call the police multiple times for noise violations, even after asking the people involved to keep it down and talking with the complex. There are ALWAYS kids and teens playing and being loud (yelling, screaming, kicking soccer balls against the walls and windows, knocking on each other's windows, playing loud music, etc.)in the parking lot and often people park in our reserved spot.
Parking is a nightmare if you have guests or more than 1 car as there are only a handful of visitor spots and they're almost always taken up by construction company vans and trucks.
There are cars that haven't moved since I moved in 6 months ago, one has slashed tires taking up visitor's spots.
The grounds aren't up-kept well at all - there's a stub of a former sign post that presents a major trip hazard and the kids trip on all the time.
By and far my biggest issue though is with the management. They make unreasonable and unrealistic demands. They tried to say we had bed bugs (which we don't) and that all of our furniture was to be moved 3 feet from the wall, mattresses were to be off the beds and against the wall (?!?) and all clothes and fabric items were to be washed, put into bags and sealed and placed in the bathroom or kitchen. The apartment was to remain this way for 3 weeks and we only had 48 hours notice to accomplish all this or they would fine us $300 and try again the next week (what were we supposed to wear? where were we supposed to sleep?). If you didn't comply, you'd be fined again and the process would repeat. I demanded they show me the pest control report and they refused but looked at it themselves and said that we only had a few roaches (common in apartment complexes so I'm not worried) and that all of a sudden we were exempt. Several of my neighbors were fined though and had to deal with this.
Now they're breaking our lease (and everyone else's) stating that they're doing major renovations and we have to complete new applications to be qualified for their new income requirements. I signed an 18 month lease and have only been here for 6 and now we're going to have to move in all likelihood. Also, these major renovations are happening WHILE WE LIVE IN THE UNIT whether we like it or not. They claim to not need our consent at all. These buildings were built in 1972 and will likely have asbestos and lead paint involved in these renovations but we're expected to live there while they completely replace our flooring, cabinets, counter tops, appliances and build a closet for a washer and dryer and the necessary plumbing involved. This is going to present a hazardous environment for my dog (who is home all day) and toddler (who is home 4 days a week with her Daddy). What's the point in signing a lease if it means nothing?
Basically - don't bother. This place is expensive for what you get, it's so loud all the time, parking is terrible and maintenance is hit or miss but the biggest deterrent should be that the management company is shady. They will try to set up impossible situations to ensure they can fine you and they're generally pretty dismissive and rude when you try to fight back (most people in the complex don't speak English as a first language and don't know their renter's rights or how to fight back on unreasonable requests). Most importantly, they don't have any intent to honor the lease.
