The Exchange Apartments

This place is a mess.

1. Upon arrival was told I was given the wrong pro-rated amount and had to pay more for 1st month rent.

2. Took 2 weeks to get mail key. Had to call, email, and go in person multiple times and was constantly given runaround. Property manager promised to leave it on my counter then was confused that I didn’t come down to get it.

3. Couldn’t get into bike room for 2 weeks.

4. Car next to mine was broken into glass everywhere. Told management office and the response was... received. Not remotely concerned or hey thanks we will look into this. No idea if this is a random act, residents should be concerned or a domestic issue.

5. Left for the weekend and came back to find broken glass still not cleaned up. Management apparently doesn’t seem to think it’s a hazard for car tires.

6. Was told my rent was late even though I dropped off a check by the 4th.

7. After being told checks are fine, I ordered a checkbook only to get an email that checks are no longer accepted.

8. You have to pay a $50 fee each time you pay rent unless you want to drag yourself to some location that accepts cash for rent run by Pay By Me.

9. You’re forced to pay for valet trash but they never come. Left my trash by the door for pickup. After 5 days I finally had to take it to the trash chute.

10. Walls are so thin you can hear people doing it, arguing and their music.

11. Tried contacting Richman Property Management and they NEVER answer the phone or return calls or emails.

12. And if you try to address any of these concerns, no one will get back to you unless you turn into a stalker and harass them.

Lived in NYC and LA and rent a commercial warehouse never in my life had problems like this.

Last but least I was informed that occupancy is low when I moved in. So use that to your advantage if after reading all this you still want to move in and want a better deal on your rent.
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First of all, it is incredible that this building was built from the ground up as the design/layout is nonsensical. The workmanship is shoddy at best - it's been open less than a year and already things are falling apart. Some key points:

* Two elevators - not nearly enough for this size building. If someone is moving in/out, then be prepared to take the stairs. They break down fairly often as well.
* NO deadbolts - the locks to the apartments are electronic, opened by an app or code & you... have NO DEADBOLT. If someone has the code and wants to come in, say, while you are in the shower, they absolutely can. What if the app is hacked?
*Safety - The immediate surrounding neighborhood is not a place I would recommend walking alone at night. They used to advertise as "in the Edge District" - If this IS the Edge District, it is by technicality - do not expect to be in the middle of that walkable area full of shops & restaurants. It is about a half mile walk you wouldn't want to make at night.
* Cheap construction - walls & floors/ceiling are very thin (noise is a constant issue), shower floors are fiberglass (not exactly luxe), vinyl flooring is very low quality. The windows are SO thin. You will hear everything that happens - on the pool side, all of the parties out there, on the MLK side - blaring car radios at all hours AND it's across from the fire station - hope you LOVE the sound of sirens.
* Trash - the valet trash system ensures that hallways are constantly full of trash. Giant pieces of trash that valet will never EVER pick up sit for days/weeks, and bags of trash outside their cans make a mess. Sometimes the company just doesn't show up. The management tries very hard with emails, but it does not improve.
*Cleanliness - Because of the trash, the hallways sometime smell & don't appear to be vacuumed very often. Common areas lack upkeep - overflowing trash at the pool & in dumpsters out back. Grass area out front is often littered with trash.
*Extra fees - You pay for not just your own utilities, but a portion of BUILDING utilities. (Is this legal?)

*Office staff is friendly as is the maintenance staff.
*Building is close to the university & almost entirely full of students if you want to meet people from school
*During the day, downtown & Edge District are half mile/mile walk away.

There is truly NOTHING "luxury" here - not the building, & not the services. For the price I think you can do better & actually live in downtown. Read More