Welcome to this weeks episode! This is a topic episode and apologies to those who want churning nes, but it is time for the apartment rant I promised in Episode Three., If you don’t want to hear me complain about my old apartment complex, tune out now. New Churnersd Digest episode coming soon with three CC app DPs, bank churn updates, some GC purchases I made and more. Thanks Kleed for motivation to make this episode – hard time getting motivated so thanks for all your contacts

Update on last week, I said BofA business could work but it can’t, different categories. Apologies

Disclaimer: I am intentionally trying to not disclose the apartment company in full. Please do not try to find the complex. If you do, I do not condone sending them any hate or messages. I plan on leaving a public review on their pages at some point. This is not intended to be a witch hunt so please do not send any hate to this company.

Backstory and building design

• Set the scene: looking for large (~1sqft) in high COL (top 10 highest rent in US)
• Found apartment far from city, on train line $1842/m after discounts excluding electric (no gas), 14 month lease, two months free
• In old mill building. Slapped up drywall and made lofts
• Over 600 units in building
• Building split up into three seconds. When I joined they were under one management. After a few months each section was under new management. I had rooftop access revoked since it was technically in a different section (my buzzer still worked tho)
• Exposed brick, hardwood floors, modern appliances
• Building was vacant for years prior
• Drywall felt like I could push hard enough with a thumb and break through

Specific Unit Issues

• Loft is basically a studio
• No window next to bed
• Could not show me my specific unit. Saw show unit, had two closets
• Got sqft of mine when signing, asked why it was smaller, they said they are all unique and lose some sqft here or there
• Move in, no second closet. Complain and they say sorry they are all unique nothing we can do about it
• Laundry machines are as small as my hand in diameter
• Windows have no screens and only open three inches
  • Put in screen and removed blocker that stopped from opening all the way and got an email sent to the whole complex asking to remove screen since window was too open
  • Edges of windows where it met brick had huge holes with missing brick where air would leak through from outside
• Sink/disposal started leaking
• Disposal was filthy and smelled
• Constantly had fruit flies in apartment (I am a clean person, never had spoiled food out or anything
  • Lived on river so flied were expected but due to no screen they came in
• Lived facing south with constant sun exposure so hot during summer
• $200-$300 in electric cost per month. Cooked almost all meals, never used dryer (hang dry). Cost per kilowatt was $0.33
• Lived on top floor. Used to be mill building, center of the building has a taller ceiling than the sides. I have a false ceiling they installed to match height of outer walls
  • Old ceiling that is the actual roof had debris fall frequently from it. Building is so old, could be lead paint (it is in the lease agreement that there is lead paint in some hallways
  • Spoke to front desk who told me to file work order and said it was due to wind and the building shaking
  • Filed work order to get it looked at. Work order was closed without comment and noone came to look at it
  • Due to false ceiling, the gap between my apartment ceiling and the real ceiling became an echo chamber. Also workers would often walk on the ceiling which was loud during the day

• Couch smells like apartment (old building smell)

Package Issues

• Package room for each section of units
• Package room was way too small for the number of units in section
• Packages would often be delivered to wrong section
• Packages never organized to specific floor section on shelves
• Packages often lost
  • Ordered new Pixel 7 Pro. Package said delivered was nowhere to be found. Asked front desk, they said if it was delivered it would be in package room
  • Waited a week, no package, contacted Google and they shipped a new one
  • New one delivered, went to front desk, they said oh we’ve had this package for a week and it was the first one from a week ago
• Genuinely dreaded getting packages, took 5+ minutes to look

Building Issues

• Once monthly fire alarm for entire building in middle of the night
• Locked sections off
  • Hard to describe
  • Building is long and straight for quarter of a mile
  • Building cut into sections
  • Going west was allowed
  • To come back east you used to be allowed to go through. They have since locked the doors and you are unable to scan a card to get through even if you live there. You have to completely leave the building to go to other section
• Key card not working
  • Section with a scanner into my section of the building never worked and I had to leave and reenter the building
• Parking notices days ahead not weeks
  • Notice in 48 hours that you have to relocate your vehicle or it will be towed at your expense
    • I was out of town, had to have a friend move vehicle
• Walls were so thin I could hear neighbor’s “intimate time”, baby crying, arguments with SO, reggaeton music at 3am, yelling at dog to get off the couch (then dog one day was no longer there)
• Due to unit being a loft, above my living room was open and nothing on the walls to dampen sound reverberations. That with the cheap walls made an echo chaimber
• Sketchy neighbor
• Drain constantly clogging
  • Maintenance were actually quite nice and helpful and came quickly (minus ceiling issue but not sure they could really do anything there)
• Section with water leaking from ceiling (not my section, happening for long time, did not report)
• Lived in bad area
  • Within month of moving in someone was shot dead at park half a mile away viewable from window
  • Person experiencing homelessness at both intersections of apartment 
• Intersection with ramp to go to building was horribly designed
• Cars would drive by with super loud mufflers at all times of day/night
• Turn over for staff that worked there was alarmingly high