Berkeley Trace

I moved here in February, and I’ve had nothing but trouble with this place. I work as a night shift nurse, and they are constantly doing some type of construction, painting, or parking lot resurfacing with very little notice, which often keeps me awake, despite the fact that I have to go to work and take care of people who are quite sick.
In addition, I’m pretty sure I could run this complex better than the management company in my nonexistent free time. Trying to pay rent online is a hassle, and when I have packages to pick up, I can’t make the staff understand that I am asleep during their business hours. They threatened to send my packages back one time.
I’m already looking for a new apartment in another complex. Really, the only good thing about this place is that it’s close to work.

Absolutely nothing spectacular. Loud all hours of the morning. No parking, management is really unorganized and non communicative. Maintenance is hit or miss. I have submitted a request that took almost two weeks to be addressed.
Currently I’ve been here for about 8 months I’ll more than likely move on soon. Apartments are really hit or miss, they all have their cons but Berkley Trace is just sloppy. Residents have to do more than management it’s sad. When Resource Residential came in it was like some huge woman sitting next to you on a bus and pushing you over to force her rear into the seat…
First is was the water bill, initially the company managing it was being told to bill residents for ALL water usage. Meaning the pool, the laundromat, the leasing office etc. That is totally bullshit when one may not use any of these facilities and plain fraud. So they claim they switched it over to eliminate this however no one’s bill has actually seen a difference.
The next was this «renovation» it has been the worst organized effort I have ever seen. Men on your balcony at 8 am on a Saturday jammint to salsa music and painting. Ladders dangerously close to vehicles. Threats of your car being towed if you don’t follow the God awful map they delivered one day prior to resurfacing the parking lots. As I type this there is a women cursing outside because she can’t get her car and go to work.
Furthermore there’s been talk of gym renovation because there is one treadmill and one broken bicycle lol it’s so sad. They tell everyone that they view an apartment to. It’s a lie they have no room to expand nor remodel this area. All smoke and mirrors.
Don’t live here. It’s pretty-​ish but the amount of money they’re asking and for the headache you will receive its not worth it. Many other places in the same area and cost that are way better.

I have lived at Berkeley trace for about 2 years now and it’s finally time for me to get out of here. There is really only 1 reason this apartment is appealing, and that is location. Other than that, it’s a 1 star all the way.
1. Bugs. I think any apartment in Atlanta will have minor bug problems, but let me tell you. When you have gnats flying out of your sinks (Both kitchen and bathroom) and you have gnats INSIDE YOUR FRIDGE AND FREEZER coming in through the water pipelines, you know there is an infestation of some sort. I’ve had to clear out my fridge twice due to this and i’m hoping when maintenance comes, they fix the problem (hoping).
2. Security — the gates are always broken and have now been open for about 4 weeks straight. the gate that stops people from just walking in is always open, ALWAYS. I asked them why it hasn’t been fixed yet and they said «it’s too expensive» — literally. Dear residents, your security is too expensive.
3. Management.
1. HVAC — Our AC stopped working and we asked management to check it out — they came and got it working, but did not put any filter on the AC — so all the air coming in was unfiltered and causing me and my roomate to get sick. Once we found out the issue, they came in, and put a filter in, but the filter was damaged so they used scotch tape to fix it… needless to say it was a horrible fix.
2. Help situations — our neighbors below us had a dog in a kennel for days on end, so we called management because we were concerned. They told us it was not their problem and to call the cops. Way to help.
3. A new management company just took over the apartments and sent a nice letter letting everyone know they are in town. You knew they were horrible because they never told everyone that the automatic payments service no longer existed. So you would still pay, but it wouldn’t pay them, so they wouldn’t consider it a payment. You had to then call the automatic payment company, explain the situation etc etc etc. THEN, THEY NEVER TOLD US OUR TIME TO PAY WAS REDUCED FROM 5 DAYS AFTER THE 1ST OF THE MONTH TO 3 DAYS. so the old company was 5, they were 3… i walked in on the 4^th day to pay rent, and they tried to charge me a penalty. Are you kidding me?! Not once when they came in did they mention the change or in their letter. Ridiculous.
The apartments are dried up — their floorplans are a joke — in my 1 bed/​1 bath the kitchen is useless. 4 out of 6 of my cupboards are too tall to reach (i’m 6’3)
Unless you absolutely have to live here… don’t.

I recently moved in a few weeks ago and my experience has been HORRIBLE. If I had known what I had to share a building with I would not have picked this apartment much less this complex. There are a group of foreigners who look like terrorists that live near me and are the RUDEST people ever. I don’t know how many people live in the apartment but they take up all of the parking and then park illegally. Sometimes they take up multiple spaces with one car. Their place is like grand central station with people coming and going all hours of the day and night and speaking loudly into cell phones in some language I can’t understand. Their dog is never on a leash and they are constantly leaving trash and cigarettes in the halls and parking lots. Management doesn’t seem to care because the person next to me says it’s been going on for a while and everyone in the building complains. Perhaps a complaint to the city will get something done. I thought this was a nice place but I was wrong. I’ve come home to noise, no where to park, scary looking people loitering, and trash a few times and just wanted to cry. One guy says it could be worse and that atleast there hasn’t been a shooting like there was across the street. I just expected more value for my money. There has to be something illegal going on here like a brothel or boarding house. There are too many boxes, bags, luggage, ect coming in and out for this unit to being used for residential purposes.

Come April/​2013, I will have lived here for 2 years. The review by RRW S. is on the extreme side… I won’t say they are lying but my views are a bit different and hopefully it’ll make you reconsider and possibly choose this place
LOCATION:
It is right off the exit from 400 and 285. I LOVE where this apartment is. 15 – 20 minutes to downtown, 15 – 20 minutes to Duluth, Johns Creek, etc (northern part of ATL). If you work up north, there is rarely any traffic in the morning heading north on 400 and barely any on the way down in the evening. Traffic starts right after the exit on 400 south. It’s conveniently located near a Post Office, Target, Publix, Staples, Whole Food, Taco Mac, Kroger, etc… so finding something to eat and grocery shopping is not a problem. Roswell Rd can be heavily packed during rush hour. Nonetheless, Glenridge Dr. is never bumper to bumper traffic.
MANAGEMENT TEAM:
In the 2 years I’ve been here, I’ve seen 3 different managers. I knew Jennifer the longest as she was their for a lil over a year. In my experience, changing management teams every year or 2 is common but that’s just me…
QUALITY/​COST:
Yes, there are some older models and newer models. I actually referred a friend that lived here for a year in one of the newer models (granite top, black appliances). It was pretty nice. He lived on the 3^rd floor and in the summer, it got pretty hot. As for me, I live on the lowest level so in the summer, I never really turned on the A/​C as it was pretty cool. I can’t say the same for winter. The walls are very poorly insulated (if any) and it gets FREEZING. My first winter, we turned on the heat and my bill (gas/​electric all in 1) ended up being in the $ 120’s for a 2bed 2bath. This past winter, we invested in some space heaters and our power bill came out to average$ 60 – 70 a month. A huge difference. In the summer, our power bill was as low as $ 47. This is for 2 guys living with multiple computers, tv, extra mini fridge, lights, etc. Water was a flat $ 50 our 1^st year and went up to $ 55 the next. I lived in Post Lindbergh apartments before this and the water was averaging $ 70s for 2 people so this is a huge plus for this complex.
AMENITIES:
Yea, the gym sucks. old treadmill, old elliptical, multi lifting machine, and mixed dumbbells that go up to 50lbs. Small room with a TV. I rarely see anyone in there. I do see a LOT of runners on Glenridge Dr. though so feel free to join in on the many that go running in the area. The pool is a salt water pool and in the summer, it’s always filled with tanners. Laundry room — there is one. i never had to use it.
NEIGHBORS:
I see a handful of families, and a good amount of dog lovers. People walking their dog all the time. This will vary depending on which building you live in. I’ve never had a problem with my neighbors and never really had a sound level issue. You will hear the occasional water pipes running above you.
PARKING:
Parking is just okay here. I park about 150 steps from my apartment and this would be the furthest you’d have to park. But those that complain about not being able to park right in front of your door… get some exercise.
SAFETY:
The rating for this was in apartment guide was 92% when I moved in. There was no other place that high. I have to say, I’ve never heard of any break ins, seen any cops, and never saw any sketch people. It’s a gated place and the place is pretty safe.
Overall, I’d recommend this place to those that are on a tighter budget. In the area, the only other place that’s cheaper is Nevadan and I would not recommend it. Took a tour there and it’s even more run down (on the inside) and you can tell lower income families live there for the price. The rest of the area are all luxury apartments that are super nice. The neighborhood is on the nice end and this place will get you living there for a decent price. 2 Bed 2 Bath (older model) for $ 1010 right now. Other places are about $ 400 – 500 more for the same square footage.

Save yourself, and Do NOT rent at Berkeley Trace!
In my opinion there is a laundry list of problems I can point out with this place. It’s laughable that this place would even try to brand itself as a «luxury apartment community» as the reasons below and many more not named are so far from it.
The Apartment — (A) The walls are paper thin so you most always will hear your neighbors laughing, shouting, watching TV or just about anything else. (B) Ridiculously high utility bills due to the building and property being so old and unkempt. The windows and all doorways have terrible seals and are extremely drafty during both the summer (high cooling costs) and winter (high heating costs). © Old appliances, old carpet, old finishes. all around old. I moved into an «upgraded» unit as the standard was embarrassingly old and outdated. The upgraded unit was remodeled including faux-​granite countertops and black appliances. (D) Maintenance requests are a joke. No matter how many times they came, the problem never fixed. Notably, the HVAC unit is old as well and constantly malfunctions. I made multiple service calls over the course of the year for maintenance. (E) The apts also have serious water heater /​pressure issues as the «hot» water is more like warm water and has horrible pressure for using in the showers. If it wasn’t one thing it was another.
The community — (A) Parking or lack thereof is an obvious problem here. It is severely lacking compared to many of the nearby properties. There is always a shortage of spaces, causing you to park far from your unit in the remotely lit spots. There is only «limited covered» parking in the rear of building 3 and unless you live in building 3, it’s completely inconvenient. Also the «covered» area is only partially covered and you will be charged extra for this. Consider the number of the communities nearby which offer this for free. (B) The «gym» (for extreme lack of a better word) the machines (of which there are only 1 treadmill, 1 elliptical, 1 bike) are old, severely used and often out of order. The HVAC unit for the gym is often out of order as well. It’s usually too cold to use during the summer and unreasonably humid during summer months. Also to mention the gym TV unit was «missing» (multiple times).
Its clear this community has issues, seems they have heavy staff and management turnaround. Having recently ended my lease, I couldn’t have been happier to leave. I strongly advise people to rethink their decision to live here.