Canal Overlook Apartments

After 6 months of living here, I think I can finally write a pretty comprehensive review now :) We really lucked out with our unit– it has hardwood floors in the kitchen and livingroom areas which is SO nice when you have to clean, and then carpet in the bedrooms. We have a corner unit so we have a fantastic view of the canal from every single window and can watch the gondolas and the paddle boats go by (not to mention some fabulous people watching).
One aspect that sold us on the unit was the kitchen– with the granite countertops, bar area, updated black appliances– which have all been great. However, we still can’t find barstools that are the perfect height: P We also really liked how similar in size the two bedrooms are, some apartments have a layout that really favors a master bedroom. Another perk is that the washing machines on every floor that accept credit/​debit cards. The building renovations have been looking better and better, and the entrance now has a great modern feel to it. All the hallways are also very sleek looking with the pillars. We’ve never had an issue with construction noises.
We’ve also never had an issue with noise from neighbors, bugs, or delayed maintenance. In six months, I’ve only seen one very small spider– the least amount of bugs in any place I’ve ever lived! We’ve also submitted several maintenance requests for lightbulbs, the smoke detector, and oven– all taken care of very timely without an issue.
Love the location– the canal is literally right outside my window, the circle and Mass Ave. are both a short walk away, and Marsh is basically across the street! I love having a reserved parking space in the garage so I never have to worry about finding a sport or having to scrape snow off before leaving for work, and parking on the street is free on the weekends and after 6pm– great for guests!
The only improvement I could see would be the gym, but that’s not really a make it or break it for me. Not all of the machines have internet/​cable. There aren’t that many machines but I hardly ever have to wait for someone to be done. During an extremely heavy rainstorm, the ceiling of the gym was dripping and had some of the ceiling fall off due to water damage. This repair seemed to take a little longer but has been completely fixed now.
I would recommend living here to any friend, family member, or stranger:)

Do not move here. We’ve had a roach and spider infestation ALL YEAR and it was never fixed and rarely addressed. Once or twice maintenance would come «spray for bugs» and a week later we’d see another pest. The property manager has accused us of incorrectly labeling the bugs as roaches (she told us they were potentially something else). Frustrated, I sent her pictures of two roaches, both of which we found in one day, and she claimed they (believe it or not) «appeared to be dead» as if dead versus alive makes the situation any different. Not to mention, I was the one who spotted them, alive and well, crawling around on the floor.
Beyond the pest infestation, we lived in a flat that seemed alluring when we signed our lease, but was the absolute worst in the winter. Having a roof that was consistently under construction for the entire 12 months of living there, we had awful insulation. Our electric bill would range from $ 250 — $ 300 a month; more than my father’s 5,500 square foot home.
The building has been under construction since before we moved in. We were told it would be done while we were living there and still there is loud construction noise with materials and dust everywhere.
If you don’t mind paying obscenely high bills, love pests, and the sound of construction, move on in. NOT WORTH IT.

I have lived here for a year now have had zero issues. They are renovating the building and this takes time, but the changes are nearly complete and they did a nice job! There’s tile in the common areas now and new carpet in the hallways. As far as apartments go, the interiors are very nice! Granite countertops and black appliances. My apartment faces the canal and has new carpet, as well.
Courtney and Amy do a wonderful job addressing any issues that I’ve had. I can’t speak for others, but when I’ve heard them deal with other issues, they submit them to maintenance within minutes. There are two maintenance employees that usually respond to a ticket within a few hours. (I had a clogged dishwasher and needed a light bulb replaced and they happened the same day). The workout facility could be updated, yes, but I prefer to run on the canal, anyway. They have nice treadmills and ellipticals and room for a personal circuit if you desire to do your own thing.
It’s a short walk to downtown and Mass Ave and a $ 4 Über ride if you choose. There’s a Marsh grocery store that’s about a two minute walk from our front door. I would honestly recommend this apartment complex to anyone looking to live downtown. The two buildings across the street are about 30% more expensive. Welcome new neighbors!

The apartments are in a very good location downtown close to mass ave. and the circle. The location on the canal is very nice to have. The two ladies who run the place are nice, but are oblivious to anything that happens outside the office area. They have 1 maintenance guy for the entire building. That means unless your apartment is flooding OR you go in a scream at them you won’t get anyone to come look at issues. We have had a request in to fix our dryer for a month with no fix.
The maintenance guy himself is VERY nice and is a hard worker, but just has no help at all. The roof over our apartment hasn’t been completed in over 2 years. Our neighbors ceiling fell in and water was rushing into their spare bed room. Without a roof there is little to no insulation (not to mention air gets in via the windows and doors) which makes for a very cold AND expensive winter bill. Our ceiling has been leaking every time it rains due to not having a finished roof over our heads. They came in and fixed it after I went in and yelled at them 3 – 4 times, but the next time it rained… it started leaking again. My neighbor and I go in weekly to discuss when the roof will be finished, but with an over worked maintenance guy and the complex not willing to contract it out, who knows when it will be finished. We are breaking our lease early and moving out due to how bad the apartment conditions are despite being «newly refurbished»

Had several problems with water leakage in the apartment… like serious water issues. I found that you have to be really persistent to get maintenance taken care of in a timely manner if a particular maintenance man was on call.
Otherwise, noise level is ok for studying… although the walls are quite thin so you might get very unlucky with your neighbors. Parking is gated, yet things still get stolen out of residents cars. The office did not report this to other residents until specifically asked to do so, after which they did so reluctantly. Messages to residents are sent by letters at your door, which could easily get lost or somehow not get delivered. There were a lot of roaches around in the garage, especially at night. Had killed at least 5 roaches in the 2 years that I lived there with my roommate.
The thing that made me so relieved to be finally moved out is what others have been indicating here with prescription meds missing. I had meds missing on at least 2 separate occasions, both of which I reported to the police. Office insisted that it was my roommate and I had no proof. I was never notified that a maintenance man was fired for this, even though the other reviews indicate that they were told this. It seems more like they cared more about covering themselves up than for the safety and concerns of their residents. In the two years I lived there, I was told by the on site officer and the office that there were only two maintenance workers, one of which is the manager’s son — so there is a clear conflict of interest here if you catch my drift. As far as I know, both maintenance workers still work there so they may or may not have been truthful about one being fired.
Anyway, if you have no prescription meds, do not own a GPS, are lucky enough to not have water issues, and are able to avoid the office, then you can live here without issues.
Otherwise, look elsewhere.

Has its ups and downs. Staff is reasonable most of the time. Price is great for this location, and most nearby apts are either too pricey or not very nice. Overall it is ok.

Overall it’s not the worst place to live downtown, but it’s definitely far from the best. Carpets were dirty and stained and it took over a month to have them cleaned after I moved in. The office staff was nice at first, but when I complained that a large amount of prescription medication was missing from my apartment, their attitude toward me changed and I was made to feel like a problem tenant. I had previously voiced concerns that the same staff member was showing up to «spray for bugs» regularly, but when he found that I was at home, he said he would just come back later. We never complained of bugs in our apartment, so I suspect that was just his line when he found that someone was in the apartment.
Like another reviewer, I was informed that a maintenance man was fired for stealing medication from apartments, but was not provided with that person’s information to provide to police.
It looks like their renovations will improve the look of the complex, but don’t expect to get friendly and helpful office staff. Bottom line: look elsewhere…

Not a bad place to live downtown. I lived here for a couple years and found it to be decent. It’s not the best place to live along the canal but it was still nice. The building is older and doesn’t have the amenities that other apartments along the canal have but it’s also cheaper than the others. The recent renovation that they have performed will help in updating the apartment interiors so that they have nicer appliances and don’t look as outdated.
For the most part, the residents were quiet and respectful. I really enjoyed that aspect. Most of my neighbors were business professionals or retired couples. There were only a couple college students that were noisy and bothersome. The rest of the college students who reside here were medical or professional students who are very quiet.
As I mentioned before, the one downside of this complex compared to others nearby is its lack of amenities. There is no pool or hot tub. There are also no washers and dryers in the units; nor are there connections for them. The fitness center also leaves a lot to be desired. It’s very small and the equipment isn’t the greatest. There are laundry rooms on each floor and they are usually available when you need them. However, one thing that I discovered about the laundry machines is that they do not have hot water. The water heaters for them are conveniently shut off (presumably to save money). I hope you aren’t use to washing your towels on hot or any of the rest of your clothes on warm. You get one option, cold.
One of the nice aspects of this complex is the gated, covered parking. This becomes very nice during bad weather. It also makes it nicer because your car doesn’t get as cold during the winter so it will warm up a tad faster on those cold mornings. You do have to pay for parking (~$ 80/​month) but you do get an assigned spot.
The ladies in the office are helpful if you need stuff. However, Marilyn was the much nicer one to deal with. Amy always came across as rude. My girlfriend even went down to get a package for me and when she came back her first words were «that one lady in the office was really rude.» I’m not sure if she is only when she’s busy but it sure seemed like an everyday thing to me.
My only real complaint with this apartment was how they handled issues. One day I discovered that one of the maintenance guys had let himself into my apartment and stole a couple bottles of prescription drugs. When I brought this up to the staff, they informed me that they had recently fired an employee because they found him doing stuff like that. They never bothered to mention it to the tenants that a member of their staff was stealing stuff but instead decided to just cover it up. This really disturbed me.
Overall, I really enjoyed living here. You were close to downtown and the neighbors were, for the most part, great people who were polite and respectful. Living downtown has its disadvantages (i.e. sirens at night and traffic noise in the morning) but it also had its perks of being close to everything downtown. If you’re looking for a place downtown, take a look here. Depending on what amenities you’re looking for, you might be fine living here and you don’t have to pay as much in rent as some of the surrounding properties.