Review for Oak Valley Apartments

To start off with, the first day or so that we had moved into our first townhouse in this complex the actual owner of the property found the front door unlocked had the audacity to let himself in our home and call up our staircase to us because he 'heard us upstairs but no one came to the door, he said that he 'just wanted to make sure how everything was with the apartment, that we were satisfied' and all...Ok, whatever, still pushy and inappropriate...if I wanted to pursue matters I would have been in the right to file a report with the police.

As far as the condition of the first townhouse, we noticed too many stains on the carpets, especially bad in the dining area and staircase, worn and not in like new condition as promised in the lease. ('brand new or like new')...apparently the only thing done was a decent carpet shampooing and some spot painting...the kitchen cabinets and bathroom cabinets in both our former and current townhouse are outdated with doors that dont close properly, hanging a bit ...part of the interior of the refrigerator had an obvious crack in it in our former place, however the tile downstairs in the kitchen and main hallway was at that time in like new condition at least, unlike the tile in our current townhouse... At one point in our old townhouse we had problems with our dishwasher, and maintenance was called a few times and we were told that it was probably the way we were loading the washer...we eventually stopped using it and didnt call for maintanence again, however that dishwasher was replaced once the new tenants moved in about 6months later, so apparently there was something wrong with it after all, we were'nt the idiots.

On to more serious issues, these apartments and townhouses are extemely drafty and in need of new roofs, doors (including patio doors!) and windows, ect...Basically the owners and managers are dragging their feet with investing money into this complex and milk it as much as possible before they put anything back into it. They apparently think that because they put out some petty cash for some decent landscapers that they can just neglect the more important things! Heat is expensive here, thats why they dont pay it anymore... and the air ducts/vents are never cleaned like they claim...You really have to make an issue of these sorts of things or nothing gets done in a timely manner.

At present, our front door is badly rotted and warped around the edges, framework included, which allows for ants and spiders to get in easily...My husband and I were told by the former tenant and managment, that the front door was supposed to be replaced prior to us moving in, but since we were already moving in, it would be replaced as soon as the weather warmed up (moved in January)...My husband was even told that the front door should'nt have passed inspection per the head maintenance person. Spring, Summer and Fall came, no new door! As of October 2007 we are still waiting, and to add to the list the front kitchen patio doors and surrounding framework are in dire need of being replaced, they leak when if rains and the framework is rotting around the patio, whoever painted over the frame knew it was rotting....My husband and I inquired numerous times throughout this year about this front door being replaced, as promised (as promised to the former tenant as well) and we were never given a date just a simple acknowledgement that this was still an issue... News Flash: Per NJ State Law, the Landlord is Required to Keep the Residence in GOOD REPAIR at All Times...apparently these folks think they are slick.

I should also make known that there is a mold problem here and the only reason why we have brand new carpet when we moved into the second townhouse was because the decrepit old patio doors in the livingroom leaked, obviously the source of the MOLD...I seen it for myself and also witnessed that the former tenant lived in this same townhouse for three months with a huge part of her living room carpet removed bare to the thin wood beneath...she was told she had to wait till the lease was up and she would get brand new carpet then...as if that was a good deal??? The former tenant also involved the Health Department in this moldy carpet deal (the carpet literally stained due to the ridiculous amount of mold growing under it!) Once word got around, their was alot of complaints regarding other tenants carpets not being in good shape upon moving in, as well as more mold problems in other apartments...And of course management was a defensive, but my point to them is if they had not be cheap and replaced carpets and patio doors as needed the mold would have been caught early before it got so bad.

...so to sum things up a bit, Looks are Decieving!

PS: There has also been legitament complaints against Oak Valley management regarding racial discrimination to prospective tenants...in 2004 the NJ Atorney Generals Office found this to be the case and its in writing folks! Just one more strike against them in my book.