I rented an apartment at the Berkshire — possibly the worst mistake I made in my life.
First, in order to qualify, you will be asked to falsify your income on grounds that they will be able to work with you when you can no longer afford to pay rent. Work with you should entain being able to break the lease, reduced rent, or being allowed to pay later. Better yet, how about not extending apartments to people who do not qualify? Nevertheless, "work with you" translates into an illegal requirement to write back checks to cover rent so that regional and national managers won't let on — and then to pay later when your money comes in. Just vile! When the leasing officers get caught, they don't take responsibility.instead, they send their lawyers after you, to get you evicted or to send you to collections. This, after being told you cannot qualify, and their pursuing you long after you have left the premises begging you to reconsider, saying they will work with you, etc. To ensure you can rent even if your income doesn't meet their threshold requirements. Falsifying income is "office procedure, " they say. Eeks!
Covering over bad renting practices is bad enough. What boils my blood ls the mold! When you walk through Berkshire, one thing you will notice is how sickly people look and the fact many are coughing. THis is not due to flu — but mold poisoning. I was sick for months at a time living here. I never knew why. I dismissed the illness to flu — only to discover mold had spread throughout my entire apartment. Only Berkshire had painted over it.
Do you know what the affect of mold is?
1. Your health is permanently compromised.
2. Your DNA is permanently altered.
3. You will get chronic lung infections and can potentially contract cancer, get brain damage, or die.
4. You never recover from it.
I am not chronically ill, having lived at the Berkshire. I have brought my health issues to the attention of management — they have not cared in the slightest.
In addition to the above, while I lived there, I had my car towed, with leasing office threatening to mine it for parts. Most cars which dont have tickets are flagged — allowing you weeks to months to rectify the situation.in my case, my car was immediately towed. Management refused to return it — which they will do for residents — since they decided not to.
I was subjected to a verbally abusive maintenance man who stalked and hounded me and shouted obscenties at me. (Maybe he had toxic mold/was deranged?) Management saw him do this and did nothing to reign him in.
The leasing office over charges for what amounts to slum conditions. The noise level is excruciatingly high. You can hear your neighbors next door — and stomping on the floor on top of you since they are made of wood. University students have fights and parties in the halls at all hours.
Security is lax. Anyone can come in at any time. Vagrants are walking the halls. Several times there were attempted break ins at my apartment.
Even worse, I was horrified to discover that coachroaches had infested my apartment — they are EVERYWHERE — in my microwave falling into food... Under blankets in cupboards. I got bed bug bites, etc.
This place is absolutely horrid on every single level. The deal breaker for me is that the leasing office is fundamentally both incompetent and dishonest. You will pay dearly for this as a tenant. Secondly, the mold issue can destroy your health and potentially kill you. The experience of living here is a nightmare. Just read the reviews. All of them provide little glimpses of the hell that is Berkshire.
Worse, management doesn't care. THey will do anything for a buck — including compromising health of residents, lying, cheating, etc. Just to line their own pockets. This place is worse than a slum —but leasing office will say/do anything to fill these God awful rooms.
I am sorry to write such a negative review, but I am being honest. I would like to say that this place at least tries hard and is worth a chance. Apartment living isn't always pleasant — but you will be lucky to leave this place with your health intact... Life is too short to deal with the deluge of problems that this place will WILLFULLY and maliciously subject you to.
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