I am a student and had a horrible time dealing with the management of 560 on Main. I lived there for a year and at first everything was going well- the rent was above rates for Willimantic but the building was new, and the maintenance guy did a great
job.
Then, everything changed for the worse. My new neighbors moved in and started smoking in the building, and having ragers until 3am. While the concrete floors are very thick, the cheap walls between apartments do not block out noise very well. The first few times I tried to go ask them to quiet down after midnight, but they didn't care. So I told management, and they said they would "take care of it." Months went by with the same parties, sometimes several times a week. They even bought a drum set (!) and played it in the apartment. I ended up calling the cops six times to get them to turn down their music, and the police busted them for drugs too. Management first told me they'd try to evict the tenants, but then went back on their word and told me that those tenants had "complied with everything asked of them."
At this point it was very frustrating, as I felt like $800 a month should buy me a space where I could live my life. The lease they make you sign says that residents must not disturb other tenants, but I found out that the management really didn't care about upholding that, they only wanted to collect my rent. I told them I needed to find a new place to live, since the late night parties kept happening. They told me I had to find someone to replace me. I told them this wasn't right, since they didn't keep up their end of the lease. In return, I got a nasty e-mail from the CEO of the company, saying that I had clearly imagined the noise, and that they were under no obligation to ensure my satisfaction. So in the end I spent a ton of time dealing with the disruptive neighbors, calling the police late at night, being told I was delusional by the management, and then had to find someone to take the apartment. All of this caused tremendous stress in the middle of the semester, not to mention a huge waste of time.
We all have nightmare stories about landlords, but this takes the cake. I've never been treated so horribly by an apartment manager, and would warn all conscientious people to stay away! If you are a loud partier, you'll probably fit right in. If you're a student, or anyone who has to work during the day, renter beware!
I rented from fall 10 through winter 11.
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