Apartment Review for Harvard Square

Harvard Square bills itself as being off-street. And it is, it's not right on a major street. What they don't mention is the Railroad tracks that are litterally RIGHT BEHIND the buildings. (I mean, you can wave at the Engineers.) The buildings were built before 1976 and haven't been updated since. Cracked sidewalks, and broken stail railings, leaks in the laundry Entrances to the parking lots are difficult to get in and out of. rooms. All the windows have drafs, the doors tend to lean or stick, and the front doors have a good half-inch gap at the bottom, letting out all your ac/heat. One of the building runs on an electric heating system that requires the entire building to use either only heat or only a/c. Maintinence staff is never the same month-to-month. Staff is surly at best, openly hostlie at worst. Every year they re-seal the pool, and every year it peels after the first week of service. It also leaks, so it's alwyas ice-cold due to the hose perpetually refilling it. This summer, they spent a ton of money on an unneeded re-decoration of the office. They gave it a cheap Americanized Asian theme because of the growing number of foreign students living here. They also added wireless internet connection through a no-name company in hopes of snagging more students. Last winter, the roof of one of the buildings collapsed over the corner apartment and it took them over 3 months to repair it. Did I mention the fact that to live there you have to sign an adendum that has them automatically withdraw the rental amount from your bank account each month? Yes, and never on the same day. Sometimes the first, sometimes the third, sometimes if there's a holiday, they take it on the thirty/thirty first of the previous month. If you have pets, be prepared to pay not only a deposit against damages, but an extra $20 a month as well. <P>
This isn't just sour grapes. I lived there for four years and worked for the office for two. If it weren't for the fact that I desperately needed SOMEWHERE to live, I'd never have signed the leases. I'm glad to be gone, and encourage you to give them wide berth yourself. <P>