Apartment Reviews for The Zenith - Baltimore

The Staff is wonderful at the Zenith! It appears that any negative comments that are made against the staff are by a person who is no longer working with the company and has a lot of resentment. We pride take pride in our residents, building and community.

I read some of the reviews on this website and felt the need to chime in since I've lived here for almost 2 years. I moved here because the location was perfect to walk to work and the building was new and clean. The staff was super easy to work with and made me feel welcome from day one. They hire security officers overnight which makes me feel better since the neighborhood at times can be filled with questionable characters. The stmaintenance staff has been awesome and helped me with little side jobs when i first moved in . It is next to the stadiums and can be loud at times but only during the day when the bars have their drunk crowds tailgating.
I've recommended this building to several coworkers and will most likely stay until i finally stop wasting rent money and buy a house. A good building with no major issues.

My wife and I have been at Zenith now for almost 2 years. Over that time, we have made many friends here and at the nearby hospital I work at as a training physician. My wife and I, like many others, were drawn to the newest building in town that offered concierge service, 24 hour guard watch, and a gated garage. Also, we loved our view of the city and baseball games during the spring/summer seasons. That part continues to make our stay here very enjoyable. However, we have been troubled by the recent rash of small crimes at the Zenith. Fortunately, no one has been hurt during these incidents and I suppose that is a "victory" in Baltimore. Yet, what troubles me most is the now very obvious attempts at "underreporting" these incidents. I ultimately believe this will lead to greater hazards if our residents don't fully understand or even know about the crimes that have taken place. As a limited example, I can say with full confidence we have had 4 recent and separate break-ins on the garage. 3 times during the summer, while the garage was left open until 5pm for outside vendors and potential renters, we had thieves come in and steal 3 bikes and smash a window to take a navigation system. After much hassle, Corrine with management's blessing agreed to close the garage for all hours. However, last week , there was another break-in on the now "closed" garage resulting in three separate car windows being smashed. Stolen items undisclosed...In fact the entire incident has not been disclosed to our community!!! Instead, we have had postings within our elevator to "please keep your belongings hidden and do not let piggy backers into garage." I agree this is excellent advice, but we also need to let our residents know what the reasons are for this advice. Otherwise, its just friendly advice that no one really pays attention to. More troubling is the fact that all crimes have occurred during daytime hours. Can anything be done? I am not sure... this is the price of Baltimore I suppose. But, please let the residents know about what's going on and why we need to pay attention. I only found out about the last incident by unfortunately arriving at the garage to find the car next to me with a broken window. The other incidents have occurred to my close acquaintances in the complex. Otherwise, someone is going to get hurt one day just by running into these petty thieves. Ultimately, this is a small scale cover-up being done because the market is in recession. The management company needs to keep these incidents on the down low to continue charging the prices they have. We have no doubt the higher end 1 bedroom and above are above their market value even with the 2 mos free and 1 year free parking (yes, you all should get this... we have it for both years to keep the residents here, although not everyone has been so lucky to negotiate :) In the end, I am not sure what I will do about next year with one year of training left. It's hard to forget about the unique location of these apartments especially to where I work. However I am, like others, paying close attention to the competitive prices being offered at Spinnaker Bay (same management company, unfortunately), Crescent Fells, and sublets at the Vue and other condos in better locations within Baltimore.

I'm writing this review as a parent to an upcoming med school student at the Univ of MD. My son rented a 1 bedroom apartment at the Zenith several months ago, and the experience has been absolutely wonderful! From the staff in the rental office to the cleanliness and safety of the building and parking garage - no question. The terrace is great for grilling out or studying or just hanging out. The gym is a bonus. Maintenance is quick to resolve any issues that may come up (he only had one small problem with the dryer). Parking is no problem at all and the building is secured as well. The gate on the parking garage goes down at 5 p.m. for added security and the nice thing is that the parking is the first 6 floors. As a real estate agent, I know all about the high crime rate in Baltimore City, so we were very selective in where my son would be living - hey, I want him to make it through medical school - and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend The Zenith Apartments - in fact, I'd give them 5 stars.

I've lived here for about 10 months and overall my experience has been a positive one. I moved in because of the convenient location to the Hospital; The building came recommended by several friends. I can walk to most things I need. The office staff and maintenance have been quick to address any concerns thus far. The whole staff knows my name and makes me feel welcome when I stop in to pay rent or grab coffee. Love that I can pay rent each month with a credit card!!! I've earned 2 free flights so far.
Security is decent- The guards they hire are helpful so I feel pretty safe living here by myself.
My only issue thus far has been the elevators. Why are there only 2? Often times I have to wait a few minutes in order to catch one especially when someone is moving in and the building is down to one.
Overall my experience has been positive and I will continue to live here for awhile.

The Zenith has some great qualities. It is close to downtown, the building is great looking and it has 24 hour security. There is a great lobby and parking is available in the building. It has all the usual stuff: Small gym, business center, TV/ party room. There is a fine restaurant in the building. Oriole park is very close. It is close the UM hospital so it is good for students. It does have some very annoying problems.

1. The heating system is so loud. When it kicks in, it is tough to watch TV. It is just so loud. It heats well, but it is annoying. Also the placement of the washing machine is very awkward. There is a 2’x2’ metal grate sloppily screwed into the living room wall for ventilation from the laundry room. You can clearly see electrical wiring and metal studs through it; not very attractive for guests to see when they walk in. It also makes the laundry machine very loud. I just try to do my laundry during the day, but it still bugs me.

2. There have been numerous false fire alarms. One weekend I was evacuated 3 times. I was very upset and was slightly sore from walking down 10+ levels of stairs each time. Each time time, I was told by the property manager that “It was no big deal”. It was a big deal to me. They are responsible for maintaining the life safety systems. These systems are here to save my life. After the first false alarm, almost no one bothered to evacuate the building. What if it was real? I do not want to choose between burning to death and jumping out the window. The fire alarm is meant to save peoples lives and 3-4 false alarms in 1 weekend is a shame.

3. The elevators. They only have 2 elevators for the entire building of 20 floors. They do not have a freight elevator, so when someone moves in, you are down to one elevator to get in and out of your place. After months and months of problems, they sent a memo out saying that they were shutting down each elevator for 4 entire days. They tell us to expect long delays. That is horrible. I know they could have the elevators worked on after hours or on weekends, but they are cost cutting.

4. Car break ins. There have been numerous car break-ins in the secure parking garage in the building. They have happened on more than one occasion and attracted so much concern that the building send out a memo and hired an extra security guard. There have been no break ins since, but I am sure that eventually the security guard will be cut and the break-ins will come back. Hopefully I am wrong…

5. The garage door. This thing seems to break all the time. I guess it is not a big deal since they can just roll it up by hand. It is just another example of them not having it fixed right away. Also it seems that car thieves could enter the parking garage when this garage door is broken. I just hate the thought of my car being parked all night with no protection.

Again, the Zenith is not all bad. I just expected more considering the cost of rent and the image that they build. At times I wish I would have chosen to live at The Crescent or Spinnaker Bay in Harbor East. They are the similar in price, but are closer to Harbor East (the restaurant and nightlife center of the city). The Zenith has not done that bad, but the items listed above need work. The Zenith staff is very good at planning social events and pet contests, but elevators usage, fire alarms, and making the parking garage safe should be their top priorities.

Review sites often attract negative content. Like many rants, the 2/1/09 review “Do Not Live In the Zenith” really said more about the attitude of the authors than the quality of the product.
However, it still has value, because it shows the Management Office’s skill in handling difficult residents. High-price buildings attract high-maintenance renters.
The Zenith opened in 2007, and I have been a resident for over a year. I’m active in the building’s community, and am familiar with both the property management industry and the rental market.
I never post to review sites, and never respond to posts; this is my first. I don’t know these former residents, and they don’t know me. But, it’s clear that they did not write this to warn you away from the Zenith for your own good, because they “really feel this needs to be made public”. The authors do not care about you. They did not care about their neighbors. They care about affirming that they were somehow victimized by trivial apartment experiences that less-privileged folk wouldn’t even notice.
Let’s review the terror that the Zenith imposed on these noble souls:
“We signed a 9 month lease, and only stayed six..”
i.e. the authors didn’t meet their contractual obligation. Credibility over. None of these complaints comes close to justifying a lease-void, on any rental, anywhere.
“The building is terrible, the apartments are terrible..”
Based on their expectations, they would find 95% of Baltimore rentals intolerable. The places that are higher class than the Zenith are *clearly more expensive.* They are also not in this neighborhood.
“Toilets breaking, closets systems falling out of the wall,..ceramic soap dish,..leaky dishwasher”..etc. I’ve had no problems like this, yet I’ve lived here over twice as long. Interesting that these are all things that careless renters could break on their own during regular use. And even if they had broken through bad installation…so? These are Home Depot parts, not safety systems. The Zenith staff fixed each one.
And regarding their total omg! amazement that the soap dish was empty when it fell…I hope the authors recognize how couples who live together tend to do things that loosen wall fittings in the shower. They can’t sustain much knocking and weight before the glue comes off. Got it? Good.
“Headache inducing smell …towels / dust blown on them…stay at the Hilton”
Wow.
WOW.
1. The Zenith repaired something trivial (a soap dish) at the authors’ request.
2. The authors promptly flipped out about the glue smell and drywall dust that occur when repairs are made to things in bathrooms, in residences anywhere in America.
3. The Zenith responded by GETTING THEM A ROOM AT THE HILTON.
“The office staff..”
Let’s clarify some basic business realities:
1. Property management attracts young, sociable women to the profession.
2. Good PM companies encourage social activities at their properties.
Apparently, the authors are bothered that the staff were more focused on planning events for the community than catering to their personal requests. Perhaps the authors forgot there were others in the building.
The staff are pleasant, articulate, professional, and dedicated – by far the best I’ve encountered in years of renting in various cities. The office is very open to constructive commentary. (Note: The management company does not own the building. They did not design it, build it, set the budget, or choose the parts. There are many things that are literally set in stone that they have absolutely no control over. Yet they remain pleasant and accommodating to residents who confuse Leasing Agents with Architects.)
“One of the girls...”
Let’s stop that sentence right there. College-educated women work in the leasing office, not girls.
“She would call us at all times of the day..”
Absolutely. This is what customer service professionals do with difficult, high-maintenance customers. They constantly confirm, repeatedly inquire, and usually play dumb so the complainer can feel righteous and authoritative.
“It was like we had a part time job in the leasing office because of the amount of incompetence”.
It’s more like the Zenith staff took on an extra job just trying to satisfy the authors. It’s interesting that the authors believe that by requesting service for themselves and answering questions about their own needs that they were somehow doing “work”.
“It's managed by Bozzuto, and I must say they were nice and helped us with the issues once we bypassed the office staff”
It wasn’t bypassing. Bozzuto closely coordinates with each office. Again, the authors needed to feel special by going over someone’s head, and Bozzuto accommodated.

My assessment of the Zenith:
At its worst, the Zenith may disappoint as a *luxury experience*. It’s modern and new and convenient, but it’s not luxurious. It’s more like an office building.
At its best, it offers a complete, safe, straightforward solution for people who are new to the city, or work outside it..and it’s the only place in the neighborhood that does it. Parking is right here, in the building. It’s not in some open lot, or two blocks away, or in a sketchy public garage. You can get to 2 highways in under 2 minutes. The office staff will answer every ridiculous request with a smile and a good-faith effort. Everything is purpose-built; the bathroom wasn’t someone’s broom-closet in 1940. There’s an icemaker in the fridge, a disposal in the sink, and a real washer+dryer in the closet. You can fit your furniture through every door. Nothing is rusted, mildewed, or worn away. You can’t hear your neighbors music, or smell what they’re cooking. There’s a world-class medical school across the street. And one of the best baseball stadiums ever is right next door.

There is no where else could I feel as appreciated and comfortable as I do in living at The Zenith.

The building always looks great, the amenities are second to none with a gym to work out in and a business center, everything is always a step away.

The office staff has always been extremely helpful and has on more than one occasion, gone way beyond the call of duty.

The maintenance team is exceptional fixing problems timely and with a smile I might add.

As a resident, you know that the staff truly cares about you and I feel that personally sets The Zenith above the rest.

I see myself living here for a very long time.