Review for Royal Crest Estates Apartments

We have lived here for over three years and while we lived at Royal Crest most everything has been "peaceful". Our original manager was amazing and understanding, maintenance has always, and continues to be top notch. Insulation isn't as great as they say, you can hear showers running, and even your neighbors "using" the bathroom (eww gross!). What really gets me is management. Ever since our original manager left (their mission was to think of residents first) things have changed. Upon signing our lease in 2004 our relet fee for breaking lease early was one month's rent. That's reasonable. Last year, 2006, upon receiving the new lease the relet charge was raised to two months rent! (That is over $2,000 for most people). Now there is nothing stopping this company, AIMCO, from having you leave, getting your relet charge and then turning around three days later and renting your old apt. to someone new. We have spoken to a few other tenants about this "new" relet fee and they were told they had to sign it. In my book, that's blackmail, either we had to do what they wanted or we would loose our homes. On top of this, if you don't "pass" your inspection they hold the right to deduct from your original deposit the amount it would take to repair the apt, however, when asked what the relet fee was for they stated it was for repairs. Now, how much damage will one person cause that it could cost upwards of $2,700 to repair? To me this is rather fishy. So, if you work in a company where there is the possibility of being transferred or if there is any chance that you would have to leave before your lease is up and if there is the possibility that funding for lease breaking fees being pulled as they are in many companies steer FAR AWAY from this apt complex. It is obvious that they bring tenants in and once they are settled change the terms of the lease leaving them helpless. We have taken this issue to the city council and the mayor. It is still being investigated and we shall see what is determined. Overall, I think it is a shady business practice that has strayed far from placing its tenants first and has ventured into the realm of worshiping the almighty dollar. We used to refer people to this complex and we will now begin to refer people away from it.