Great apartment, some difficulty with landlord
Pros
Kitchen has dishwasher, big fridge, neighbors on the block are friendly, easy transportation
Cons
First of all, remember to sign a renewed lease each year. The landlord omitted the fact that I have to renew and told me my lease carries over automatically. I did not understand the concept of month to month tenancy and was out in a place of no renting security. It communwas sometimes difficult to communicate with the landlord, he will call at random hours, and you need to coordinate with almost all repairs and random building updates requested by the landlord. He almost doubled my rent after three years and was determined to let me leave without explaining why. Started a renovation in the building without advance notice and I woke up in my underwear with workers working on my window and opening the backdoor. We had pretty ok communication throughout my time here but I am not sure what changed all of a sudden. The apartment itself will attract a huge amount of insects during summer, and the weeding is laborious due to an infestation of Japanese Knotweed, which grows up to 8 feet in the summer every several weeks. This wasn’t the landlord’s fault and he called workers to remove twice during my lease, however the building next to us is vacant and their weed gets out of control and grows into this yard.
Advice to the owners
Communicate clearly via text or email, and don’t take advantage of tenants proposing events against the law, such as overcharging security deposit and renewing the lease or asking someone to move out.
Great price for a nonexistent landlord
Pros
The price was good. The space, a 1bdrm, was huge.
Cons
The property owner/mgmt shared other tenants personal issues with me early on. Promises made for new appliances were never actually delivered upon. The landlord would often have me address building needs in the form of small favors, such as photographing other units, contacting other tenants or letting him know if they were home (I’d never oblige that). All of it was a weird arrangement. In the final months we agreed to a COVID related lease break which they later attempted to double back on.
Advice to the owners
Be more present in better ways not just to get tenants involved in other tenants issues. Actually deliver on verbal agreements. Turn on the heat when it’s obviously needed not just when contacted.