Flooding and Rats
Pros
There was a lot of space and a backyard. The property manager would try to help, but didn’t really seem to know how to fix things.
Cons
Rat infestation that continued to get worse while living there. At the time they were confined to the floor/walls/ ceiling so they were not inside the apartment. I could hear them expand further into the apartment, and the smell of their rotting bodies was putrid. The finished basement would flood when it rained. The property manager was slow to try and fix these problems, so I watched as they got worse over the year.
Nightmare Apartment; Avoid at all costs
Pros
Management pays someone to come and sweep the entryway and front steps one a week. Water pressure is strong.
Cons
There is a comprehensive black mold problem in the HVAC system, rats living in the walls, and flooding issues that arise to a varying degree every time it rains. At the time of our move in, there was a biblical plague-level fly infestation that an exterminator suggested was resulting from the smell of dead rodents in the walls. No one was ever hired to find or remove the rodents. The presence of mold creates an unbearable, overwhelming odor that is made worse when humidity is high or the AC/heat is in use. My roommates and I were sick repeatedly with sinus infections, worsened asthma, swollen lymph nodes, and sore throats the duration of our time living here (three months). We repeatedly notified management of these these problems, yet they refused to acknowledge that anything was wrong with the unit, telling us over and over again that the super was "on top of it". After three months of negligence, we hired a mold inspector who confirmed the presence/growth of multiple strains of mold (including black) in the walls and HVAC system. We took Smart Management to court which allowed us to break our lease, but they kept the deposit. None of the previously mentioned issues were resolved by the time we moved out (end of August 2024) and they were aiming to have the apartment rented by September 1st so I can't imagine they were dealt with before then.