Haystack Apartments

Short Version: STAY AWAY
Long Version:
We tried to be model tenants. We never went past due on rent, we kept our apt. & porch clean, picked up trash in the common areas, alerted maintenance when the pool pumps malfunctioned, when the plumbing started to back up for the whole building, when the laundry room had 1″ of standing water in it, all so they could fix things quickly to avoid further damage to their property.
Their move out checklist says that they hope that we will recommend their community to our friends relatives & coworkers. Not only do we recommend that you avoid their complex, but tell all of your friends, relatives, & coworkers to avoid it as well.
Grounds: Lights outside our apt. or in the parking lot were going out constantly creating a safety hazard. When it rains our upstairs neighbors had to walk through almost 3″ of water to get to the sidewalk. This area is always ugly& doesn’t look at all like the pictures of the grounds you post on their ads.
Swimming Pool: it doesn’t open until June though it gets hot here in April. When it does finally open, it looks like a pond, green & scummy. This is the first time in 4 years I’ve actually seen it drained. Granted, they only say they have a large pool, not that it’s clean
Repairs: The upstairs unit’s dishwasher leaked into our apt causing water damage. Maintenance stopped the leak & painted over (w/​paint that didn’t even match the original) the water in our apt. Soaked drywall was never replaced. Our Ac unit was patched w/​Duct tape, plumbers putty, liquid electrical tape rather than the leaking pipes & fittings replaced. The soaked wood & drywall was never replaced & became black w/​mold.
Laundry Rooms: Laundry equipment is often broken damaging cloths or doesn’t function properly you have to run multiple cycles to dry even a small load. The laundry room is ALWAYS dirty & people leave their apt. trash in there rather than driving to the dumpsters at the other side of the complex.
Carpet: We never saw paperwork or agreed that we would be charged based on a 10 year depreciation on the cost of NEW carpet rather than the ORIGINAL carpet. We were never given an installation date & had to assume it was newly installed when we moved in. IRS says rentals can only claim 5 year depreciation on their taxes, they charged for 10. We were charged $ 814.20 for a difference of $ 529.50 which should be returned from my deposit.
Office: Hours are loosely followed & inaccessible for tenants working normal business hours w/​out missing time from work since they’re not open Sat.
Sidewalks: They’re so buckled that even walking is hazardous. Friends & family have experienced injuries because they have tripped over broken or uneven concrete when they came to visit me.
Living Conditions: Leaking & MOLDY AC units; ours had major leaks twice & the carpet in the hallway was replaced once though nothing was done to repair the rest of the water damage. There was a hole in the wall in the pantry that goes nowhere & is only covered w/​a vent cover. Bugs come in and out & it’s damp & smells of mold/​mildew. Tiles are poorly sealed & let water in underneath. Wallpaper is bubbling away from the wall & there are dark water spots under the flooring. There are cracks in the walls in all of the rooms, & the ceiling looks like it’s going to fall in. There is little insulation around doors/​windows & gaps where glass comes away from the window frames making it impossible to regulate temp & raises electric bills. There is a lack of insulation in the walls & you can hear everything your neighbors say or do. Poor/​improper ventilation system, though we didn’t smoke, our apt. smelled whenever our neighbors smoked indoors. None of the items on the move in check list were ever repaired or replaced despite written notice.