Review for Charleston Apartments

There is on-site maintenance, which is good because things tend to break every-other month. It's usually not that bad though. Today the hot water was out, but I expect it to be fixed by tomorrow. It's the first time in a few years I've seen that happen. The elevator inspector was here a few weeks ago to make sure everything was up to code and up-to-date.

The manager is an ex-cop who doesn't take illegal BS. He's rarely seen, and the other staff seem to be pretty nice. They know me by name and greet me when I come through the door. One of them runs a salon in the basement; from what I hear it's pretty decent.

The rent is quite reasonable considering what you get. Of course it's a bit higher than usual because cable TV (among other things) is automatically tacked on to rent, whether you watch it or not. The good news is that the premium HD channels are just a few bucks a month extra, so it keeps your "cable" bill pretty low.

Parking is the biggest concernt for most tenants, but the owner is trying to get a permit from the city to ticket cars and have them towed himself (instead of wasting Highway Patrol's time). The irony is that parking woes can be solved for another $20/mo., which gets you your own parking space in their three-level garage. There are spaces available, but nobody wants to pay another $20, so they gripe about parking. But really, you can always find a spot on 13th East if you need; you just have to walk half-a-block once in a while. (I mean once a month or less.)

The tenants are... shall we say "culturally diverse," but oddly enough there aren't any Spanish speakers. French, Japanese, Bosnian, Pakistani, but no Latinos. This is not to say that everyone there is an immigrant who learned English as a second language. There are also elderly tenants who are very nice and keep mostly to themselves, and some local citizens who are very polite. As with any apartment building, noise is a concern, but if it's really a problem, each tenant is willing to quiet down if you just bring it to their attention that you can hear them.

There aren't any dishwashers in the units, and the plumbing is a bit old, but the apartments are spacious with nice carpet. If a tenant smokes, there's supposed to be a strip under their door to keep the smell inside their own apartment.

I would recommend this building if you're looking for a place to stay. It's definitely not a condo, but it's not a rat f*@$ either. At any rate, give it a look yourself before making a final decision.