London Town used to have a different management approach, and it showed. I was able to overlook a lot of the inadequacies and quirks simply because of the community atmosphere, but that has changed.
Let's begin with the fact that this place is several decades old. To move in I had to sign a waiver which states that I am aware that the paint on the walls, which is at least a millimeter thick and brittle, contains lead which could be a health hazard. We have drafts all over the place with almost non-existent windows and door seals, an aged A/C unit, and our monthly electric bill, even under miserly conditions, remains in the $150 - $200 range per month.
When management changed hands, it happened under dubious, and undisclosed, circumstances. Under the old management this place did seem more like a community: we had complex-sponsored get-togethers, yard sales in the main office, monthly contests, an in-house newsletter which provided a more homey appeal than the canned print with the apartment stamp on it, and real incentives for living here. The old management maintained and interest in community happenings and its residents. The rent was quite reasonable ($650 for a 3BR/2BA,) and I recall that this place maintained a lengthy waiting list.
Under the new management: rent has increased from $650 for the 3BR/2BA to $795; interest in residents has dramatically decreased; response to complaints has decreased; maintenance has become over-worked; more work has performed fixing the outside appearance of the complex than the actual apartments (including a completely renovated office and club house;) I am constantly having to chase resident kids away from our vehicles and out of our entrance-ways (at least one of whom is the daughter of a manager;) and various other annoyances.
Poor management, over-worked maintenance, over-priced apartments, and now they resort to gimmicks like door hangers announcing a $50 referral bonus, and recently I noticed an advertisement in the Tallahassee Democrat which I never saw before. Driving around the complex will reveal a number of empty apartments, which have been empty for some time, when before this place stayed packed enough to have a waiting list.
I understand that the goal of the owner when changing management was to bring this property more in-line with other properties in Tallahassee: Job well done! London Town has become just like every other apartment complex in town and less like a community.