Pros:
The rental cost
Cons:
I have recently moved out of the building, I hesitated to write a review but I think it is important because I would not want someone to go through something similar. I lived there for several years and I could no longer take living here.
Management:
The building is having a lot of tenant turn over.
A lot of younger tenants are moving in and the amount of marijuana smell is ridiculously strong. A lot of the older tenants with families are leaving and even the older tenants without kids because of this. I complained to management for two years straight and nothing major was done, after 1 year they told me to place a draft stopper under my door, NO they did not do it, they suggested that I do it. I put the draft stopper, and nothing happened. Some of the apartments, like mine have a balcony. I was up high on the 15th floor and I could see the younger tenants growing marijuana plants on their balcony. I would send management pictures too and still they did not address or even reply to my emails or calls. Even living in a higher floor you would think that it would be better with the smell but it wasn't.
Repairs – The building does not like to repair. They have a portal that you place your repairs and they never look at it. But then again there are close to 600 units in the building and about 2-3 handy men to service it all. And the handy men are not very good handy men. They expect tips to just look at the issue in your apartment then to fix it. I complained to management about this, because this should be part of our rental fee and no tip should be expected and their response was that they would look into it but never got back to me and next time I had an issue the same thing happened. The super Krish is non responsive and of no help. All he does is stand around and say no to everything or instruct to have a crappy job to be done. Its all about doing a botched job on top of the error or repair, not starting from scratch. Does not matter if there is mold or anything. Again, I had YouTube or had to outsource a handy man to fix it.
Rodents – yes there is rodents and lots. When I told the buildings super, he told me to put my name and apt on a list and that on Wednesdays an exterminator comes to inspect. The exterminator is one of the handy men, and he knocks, and gives you traps for me to place myself. And for the roaches, the same, they gave me roach spray so I can spray myself. How is that proper service?
Laundry room – the machines never work, something is always wrong. And the room is so small for close to 600 units.
Plumbing – the water pressure is not great and the drains are always getting clogged. Luckily there is YouTube that can always help in tough situations.
Building parking – extremely expensive. When I left, I was paying $475 a month. They are icon parking a separate company from the building management, but they pretend they are a one stop shop and they are NOT. There is also a lock out time when gates are closed. If you want 24/7 access, it is a different fee and you have to pay for a key for access aside from the monthly fee.
Building amenities – The gym and pool are extremely expensive.
Location & Commute to the City – aside from management, this was one of the reasons I moved. I work in the city and there are no trains just express bus to the city. The express bus is by schedule only, if you miss it you are screwed. And the commute is NOT the 20 minutes they say, it is 50 minutes on a good day into the city. Coming home is another beast. It is close to 2 + hours back home during the rush hour and forget it if its raining or snowing.
Rent - The rental increase and hidden charges are ridiculous. I tried fighting some and because of the fine print, I could not dispute it.
Stolen packages – Do not bother having a delivery service bring you something. They leave it at your door and it is stolen. You ask the doorman and its like speaking to a wall. They do not see anyone because they are fake doormen. Especially at night, the night doorman is sleeping and anyone from the street can just walk in.
Advice to owner:
Be attentive to your tenants, make sure you stay on top of the marijuana smell throughout the building and stop ignoring it. The younger tenants are ruining the building with their marijuana use/smell. When tenants report this issue and show you pictures of other tenants growing marijuana on their balcony, address the issue, do not ignore it. Also, keep tabs on the people with pets. They need to have rules because their is urine and poo in the elevators or in the carpet in the hallway, imagine stepping on urine when you exit the elevator, disgusting. The super needs to be a real super and be on top of repairs and fix the rodent issues. Management needs to get better doormen that are alert and not allow anyone in and do a real doorman job for the rental price. Attend to fixing the laundry room or get another one, its not enough for the amount of units! And lastly, stop it with the hidden cost of AC, heat, renewal fees/increases and closing costs and ALSO RETURN DEPOSITS TO TENANTS LEAVING!