Gables Montclair

If I could give this complex no stars I would. I lived here for about 9 months and had the worst experience. The management is beyond obnoxious and difficult to work with. They’re never helpful and make you jump through hoops and go around in circles to get even the simplest things done. They also seem to have no idea of anything that’s going on nor know how to help with basic issues and concerns. And they don’t allow a key transfer through the office. Isn’t that the point of having an office?! To help you get your apartment keys to the new owners? Service requests were never completely fixed and the women who work in the office don’t really care or reprimand you for continuing to place the same request. There’s not enough parking and there are so many additional fees they hide from you, such as purchasing a gym card. As a resident, I never once got to use any of the facilities I was entitled to at Montclair because I didn’t purchase an absurdly overpriced gym card. My apartment was fine minus all the broken appliances that were serviced like every two weeks. I literally gnash my teeth in frustration when I think about Montclair and I’m so incredibly thankful I’m leaving and never returning to this awful complex.

I’ve been living in Gables Montclair for a few months now, and I’ve enjoyed my experience here. The apartments/​townhomes are very conveniently located near Emory University. The staff here is great, everyone in the leasing office usually knows you by name and they are incredibly friendly. I live in one of the apartments (there are also townhomes) and it is pretty big. I was lucky to get one of the renovated apartments that has the new stainless steel appliances and granite countertops, which was an added plus. The maintenance staff also handles issues very quickly, which is an added plus.
With these pros however, come some cons. There are some warnings that I would share. For one, you probably won’t love it here as a family, there are so many college students, which means it gets pretty rowdy at night. In addition, these apartments are a little overpriced compared to what is available in the area. Also, the gym sucks. If you do decide to move here, rent your own washer/​dryer units, as I have heard terrible things about the common laundry machines near the leasing office.
Overall though, I have had a good experience here and would recommend it to other Emory students looking for housing in the area.

Overpriced, inconvenient & not enough parking! Management office is so 2 faced it’s incredible. DO NOT BRING PETS here. The rent goes up substantially each year until you can’t afford to live here. When you move out they make up stuff to turn you over to a collector: YOU WILL NEVER GET YOUR DEPOSIT BACK! The pool is either full of kids & kiddy b’day parties, or skinny pale white skanks seeking to score an Emory Med student. The streets are narrow but the students speed like crazy. Kill your cat or dog or bust up your car? They don’t remember, they were so drunk last night. A lot of loud parties, & a lot of parents indulging their kids in too much of everything, paying for their car accidents, they just don’t care. Culture of affluence & apathy.

My experience has been so bad that I am contacting a local television station and newspaper in Atlanta to investigate this company

It’s been a great, hassle-​free experience staying at Gables Montclair. I’ve been renting a 2BR townhome for the last 2 years and need to move out as I’m re-​locating to another city. This is a very good property for its price, the townhomes are nicely done, and the service has been outstanding. It’s got a good mix of families as well as Emory folks and I have had to never bother about noise or safety. The leasing office and the maintenance guys have always been very prompt and professional. This is definitely one of the better properties in the Emory area — highly recommended.

Finding the right apartment is never easy, but you definitely will not be happy if you live here. You would think that the staff in that fancy leasing office would at the very least be able to keep track of leasing documents, but the staff is disorganized and repeatedly refused to accept accountability for their mistakes. They messed up our move out date NOT ONCE, not TWICE, but THREE times, and instead of fixing the problem, they insisted that we pay them to correct their mistake. We were overcharged $ 2100 AFTER our lease ended! When we complained and showed proof of the mistake, they threatened our credit scores.
Gables Montclair pins a charge to just about everything besides the air you breathe. They charge hundreds for trash even though residents have to carry their own bags to the disgusting dumpster! They charge a «wait list» fee even though there is no wait list, its just a way to pick your pocket. And they couldn’t keep track of our move out date– they «lost» our paperwork, even after charging us a handling fee! Dont move here, because you’ll never get rid of those awful managers at the leasing office.

I actually am friends with Lauren N (reviewer below) but I guess we had different experiences as I (for the most part) liked my time at Gables!
Background: I lived here for a year (July 2009 — Aug 2010) with two other roommates in a 3 bedroom townhouse + den + garage while a student at Emory.
NEIGHBORHOOD
— Very conveniently located. At the intersection of N Decatur Rd and Clairmont Rd, you are at short enough distance from Downtown Decatur, other popular Emory residences, campus, and have FOUR shopping complexes within walking distance. I am not much of a walker to begin with but when on those nice days outside, I would walk across the street to grab something to eat. Be warned though, the TRAFFIC sucks especially around rush hours. It can make you feel like you’re quarantined in the Gables complex.
RESIDENCES
— As Lauren said, these places are HUGE! Definitely a lot bigger than 90% of the other college habitats I know people live in. There were lots of young families in addition to students and I feel as if it were maybe better suited for them.
— Carpet or hardwood floors available.
— I will agree that not having a laundry unit is annoying but my roommates decided to spring for a washer/​dryer from Craigslist for about $ 200 instead of making trips to the laundry machine. DEFINITELY WORTH IT. Something to consider as those laundry trips add up (+ there is also a convenience factor, especially if you live far away from the machines).
— Very nice to have a garage! Originally from Texas, I consider the falls/​winters of Atlanta to be reminiscent of what I imagine the North Pole to be like and it was great to go downstairs and have your car sitting in the warmth before you ventured out in the cold/​rain/​etc.
— Even without a garage, parking is in a way that you never have to go outside more than 2 minutes to get to your car (regardless of time).
COMPLEX
— I loved walking around the Gables area as it was very nicely kept and sort of felt like our own community but without looking like the typical apartment complex at all. Always felt very safe (even with no gate).
— WARNING — it does get loud on Thursday/​Saturday nights due to the sizable student population so something to consider but the vast majority of the time it is quiet and nice. Lots of families as well.
— In my 13 months there, I predominantly had positive experiences in dealing with the leasing office. Very attentive and helpful.
— Maintenance staff is awesome! Always there to help whatever issue may arise, usually that day and are very friendly.
All in all, I enjoyed my time there. I will agree that it is expensive… especially for students but if you are determined on Gables I would suggest trying to start your lease early to lock in a better deal. Our original lease was set to begin in August 2009 but I started it a mere two weeks earlier and got our rent lowered by $ 400/​month. Obviously, this was contingent on there being a deal present so lookout for those.
Something to note though — be very careful to not mess things up during your time there because anything that is determined to be replaced or fixed while moving out can be pricey.

Pro: Good location, nice apartments
Con: Leasing office! Overpriced
If it wasn’t that it’s a popular Emory student residence where a lot of my friends live, I absolutely would not live here!
The people who work in the leasing office are unaccommodating, rude, and completely unprofessional. Here are a few stories:
1. I went on a walk-​through of the apartment prior to my move-​in date and pointed out areas of needed repair. They promised everything would be taken care of before I moved– in (and they should… a brand new apartment should be spotless!) When I moved-​in, none of the repairs were even touched. There was a stain on the bathroom floor, vent hanging from the ceiling about to collapse on my head, and dead roaches on the floor. I was told I should pick up the roaches myself. Is that customer service?
2. The day I was to pick up my keys, I was told to come to the office at 1pm. I figured this was an appointment and rushed to be on time only to find out that the person in the office told everyone to arrive at 1pm! The lady apologized for the wait and explained she was overwhelmed that everyone came at the same time. Isn’t that what an appointment prevents?!!
3. Laundry here is the absolute worst! There are only three machines for the entire complex and you can only use them with a pre-​paid card. That’s fine, except that there is no card machine to add more money! You can only add money to the card in the leasing office, which is only open during regular business hours. It just so happens I either work or have school and can’t make it during the 9 – 5 hours of operation. Plus, they only accept check or cash so you can’t refill the card with money from your credit card… so inefficient!
On the positive side– the apartments are nice and fairly large. A bit overpriced though given that it’s Atlanta and not Manhattan. $ 2550 for a three bedroom townhome seems pricey compared to Highland Lake or Highland Square down the road.