Adrien P.

Building has pros and cons so you'll have to decide what's important to you. Let's start:No building doorman/security. I've had many situations where I found myself in the elevator with sketchy people who rushed in just before the elevator closed using me as their way of getting in. This can be scary in the evenings. There is a courtesy watch person in the evenings who walks around but he ultimately is used for addressing noise complaints. None or limited natural light in units. Inward facing units have it the worst and it usually feels like nighttime during the day from the lack of natural light. Units don't have ceiling lighting in bedrooms and in common areas so expect to use lots of lamps. Walls are painted yellow so between that and the lamps, expect to live in a yellow like setting. Cigarettes and marijuana odors were quite a common smell for me so if you're unlucky, like many of us at the building, expect to smell it in your a/c unit or when opening your balcony doors. Maintenance issues can take several days to resolve so watch out for the lies the building will give that would suggests issues are resolved timely. Yes, toilet and shower issues are not of priority to them. I had to wait 4 days for the toilet to be repaired. Thankfully, I had another one to use. The units are equipped with ear piercing at the highest level decibel alarms that frequently go off for all sorts of reasons. I'd say I experienced it about 20 times a year. There is absolutely no way to sleep through it and it has gone off in the evening and early morning. Most recently, this was caused by people cooking in their units and several pranksters. Yes, pranksters that never get caught because there aren't cameras facing the alarm levers. Parking spaces are a bit tight but better to have indoor parking than not. Maintenance, cleaning staff, and night courtesy are very respectful, hard working, and great staff. Building is cleaned for the early morning but trash piles up around in the late afternoon so seems the staff are done earlier in the day. Pool, clubhouse, package room, conference rooms, gym are all great amenities. It would be ideal for the pool to be heated on colder days. You are forced to pay $50 a year to receive your packages through the use of luxer lockers. If you don't pick up your packages after 2 days, you get charged $10 a day up to day 7 where the management will return your package on your behalf. Rarely will you have parking for guests. There's only about 10 parking spaces for guests aside for street parking. You'll often see random cars parking in your building who are not guests. You have tenants parking in guest spots because they are already using their unit maximum. You have erewhon customers parking there for some odd reason. In the end, you'll almost never find a spot so tell your guests not to come over. Sad isn't it?Tenants seem to be nice and respectful except for those who let their dogs pee in the staircases because they are too lazy to do the right thing as well as those who smoke on their balcony. Total expenses Not included with rent tend to be $150-$200 a month and that doesn't include cable, WiFi, renter insurance. Costs are broken up into about 7 categories of building/common and unit expenses. I, along with several other units, are experiencing termites. It can be difficult to live in a unit where you don't feelcomfortable opening your blinds to get natural light because it faces the common areas where people can look into your unit. This can be frustrating and a security concern especially for those with children. Other pros: Great location. Large park across the street. Perfect for dog owners. Erewhon market within complex and open late. The grove just down the street. A 2 minute walk so no need to drive there. Great restaurants nearby and all walking distance. Unit layout and costs - good bang for buck. Fire pit near pool and another on the terrace. Mostly go unused and underrated in my opinion. Moving out early will cost you to pony up 2x your rent. You must give minimum of 60 days notice. Switching units will cost you $1k which I argue should be eliminated if you essentially resign another 1 year + lease. At the end of all this, my biggest concern is safety and lack of natural light in units. Foot traffic is so heavy in this building that you never know who is who. My suggestion to management is to get a doorman and to add security cameras for the courtesy night watch to have tv/security cams access as there is lots of ground to cover for one person.