Archstone Willow Glen Screws Me Again // April 27th, 2006
For nearly the last 2 years I have been living in the overpriced dump that is Archstone Willow Glen. Tonight, or, wait… this morning the fire alarm for my entire building went off at 3am and wasn’t shut off until 45 minutes later when the San Jose Fire Department arrived. Since said alarm is in every apartment and very loud and annoying, the only respite was going outside to the apartment grounds. Let me tell you, that was a great way to meet a few newer neighbors in good ol’ 3160. Is there a better way to meet people then when you are all in your jammy jams? Me thinks not.
On a dollars payed to quality of life scale ratio thing, this place is a dump.
On very few occasions I think to myself, “Self, this isn’t that bad of a place to live”. Then a neighbor chimes in, “You know, you’re right, it’s not so bad”. Get it?? Since the walls are so thin here, my neighbors can even hear my thoughts. My THOUGHTS!
I particularly enjoy the fact complaints about anything get you no where with building management. I love the fact I can hear my neighbors have private conversations, through the walls. Of course that means they can also hear me. I know what you are thinking and I agree, it is a good thing I have nothing important or interesting to say. I also enjoy all the people that don’t clean up after their pets, abandon their cars in the parking lot, dump their junk items off near the garbage bins, neighbors that slam the door so hard it shakes the entire floor, the 2am drunk arguments outside bedroom windows, dogs barking, someone’s baby mama drama’s screamin on and too much for me to wanna stay in one spot, limited parking options for guests, and the impossibly narrow stairways - good luck moving any furniture in, or out.
After tonight, I can’t wait to leave when my lease is up in August, especially since they will probably raise my rent by around $100 a month. Everyday I have been checking Housing Maps for better places to live, hopefully something comes up around August. Honestly, it isn’t that bad here, there are more important things in life to be concerned about, but for how much I am paying in rent, it should be a lot better, but it doesn’t look like anything here will ever get better.
UPDATE (5-4-06): A week later and no mention from building management about what happened and or why.
UPDATE (5-05-06): My friend who also lives here received a lease renewal notice. The increases range from an additional $300 a month on a 12 month lease, to over $600 a month on month-to-month rent. This leads me to believe that maybe they are pushing tenants out in order to rezone the buildings as condos.
Also, looks like I am not alone in my opinion; Archstone Willow Glen reviews on Apartment Rating.com. Currently Archstone Willow Glen is recommended by 34.0% of reviewers - imagine the actual score if the obviously fake reviews were removed.
UPDATE (6-4-06): I received my notice about renewing my lease. My monthly rent was only increased $110 a month. Not as bad as I expected… but probably wont keep me from moving.
UPDATE (7-11-06): That’s it, that’s fucking it. I had thought about renewing my lease since things have been getting better here, but that was until today. I arrived at the building management office at 5:59 pm today, only to find the doors locked. They close at 6. So I go to the side entrance where residents can pick up packages, which I was there to do, and entered. The building manager then promptly told me they were closed. Now it was 6pm, but it wasn’t when I went to the front entrance. So I asked for my delivery only to find out later, it wasn’t actually mine, she gave me someone else’s item, with an attitude no less. She couldn’t be bothered to take 60 seconds to grab an item from the room she was already in without snide remarks, again. This is the second time. That’s it. I’m gone.
UPDATE (7-13-06): I gave 30 days notice yesterday, tonight this happens.
