NWR: Apartment Complexes...Pros and Cons?

do any of you ladies live in an apartment complex?
can you list any pros and/or cons you have with livingin one as oppose to living in an apartment in someones home

Before our house, I've lived in apartments in someones house & in a complex....

I cannot recommend living in someone's house...I HATED it. I tried 2 different times in 2 different house, 2 different landlords, and I was very unhappy. They tried to put all these rules on me like I was their child. I completely understand it is their home and they have the right to act however they wish. However, I was NEVER disrespectful, would never have more than a couple people over, no loud music...I was very conscious of the fact that I am living in their home... that's what I didn't like. I felt like I had to walk on eggshells. Oh, & they wouldn't let FH sleep over...both houses I lived in had these rules. NO SLEEPOVERS

I couldn't take it anymore so moved out into an apt. complex. FH moved in with me. I can't even explain the difference. I was free to do what I wanted, nobody to really answer to. Of course I was still mindful that other people were living in a close proximity so I never blasted music really loud or threw huge parties. And actually all the other tenants were the same way. I never even heard any of them.

I would def recommend a complex over a house...but that's jmho.

ETA: In both houses I lived in, the owners lived above me...my first apt was a basement and the 2nd one was ground level. I would hear them walking and vacuuming all the time. In the 2nd apt., they had wood floors and I would even hear their dog's nails click on the wood floors

In the apt. complex, I made sure to only take an apt. that was on the top floor.

When I met DH he was living in an apartment on the second floor of someone's home. I couldn't stand it and even he was happy to eventually move out. We were always afraid to make too much noise because they had little kids, but DH also has a son and they didn't seem to reciprocate. They wouldn't let him use the yard at all (not nice when he had a little kid too), and they made him park on the street. They were slow to fix things, but the pro about the situation is that if he was a few days late with rent, all he had to do was call them to let them know and they didn't care.

I have always lived in apartment buildings since moving back to NYC (not an apartment complex like they have on LI, but close enough). I have always had a live-in super, or for the larger buildings a maintenance team, so if something breaks it gets fixed same day. Some of my buildings have included pools and gyms and tennis courts. It is annoying to hear someone walking around above you sometimes, but we are fully carpeted and the people below and even our next door neighbor don't hear us. We can barely hear the tv of our next-door neighbor and she is old and going deaf so I know her tv must be set to very loud!

Thank you ladies for the insight, i appreciate it
anyone else?

i've lived in apartments in someones home and also in a complex which i do now.

living in an apartment with the homeowner as the landlord could be great and luckily for us, it was. our landlord was awesome. when we went away, we asked them to take in the mail, just make sure everything was good with our apartment (like just watch out in general). they allowed us to store 1 or 2 things in their garage and if they werent using the backyard, they said we were more then welcome to see out in the summer, etc. We were never late on rent however if we did need to be late by 1 or 2 days, max, it was a person you're dealing with rather than a board of directors or something like that so it wouldve been okay.

i guess the only cons (and it was never really a big issue for us even) is that if your landlords are noisy, its hard to say anything cuz they're your landlords, ya know. also, if something breaks like plumbing or electrical stuff, you have to ask the landlord to fix it and they have to by law of course but it could take a few days, etc. plus you might worry that they will think you did something even if you didnt

On the other hand, a landlord could me a miserable SOB, lol and that wouldve made living in someones house a nightmare!!!

so now we live in a complex, we sublet from the owner of the coop so its a little different because we still pay the rent to her and deal with her for most things but the pros of living there are that if something goes wrong with the apartment, there is a maintenance staff on duty, that will come to your apartment that day or the next and fix it right away. since its a co-op, the board still technically owns it so they dont want anything going wrong with their apartments and it becoming a worse problem. there's a security patrol that goes around the complex which obviously we didnt have when living in someones house. also, there are security doors to enter the building. also, if your neighbors on the floor or upstairs are rowdy, noisy, whatever, you could complain to the complex and they'll take care of it. like i said with a landlord in their own house, that would be very touchy. i guess the cons would be that we dont have any personal space outside if we wanted to sit out in the spring or summer and relax or bbq with friends or somethin. also, like i said, there wouldnt be a landlord there to watch your place if you go away but on the other hand, its a secure building so that kind of takes the place.

anyway, good luck!!!

I have lived in both......I am not a fan of apt complexes on LI. I have lived in house apt both with owners living there and ones where the LL is not on site. I like the ones where the owner is not there better but I was very lucky when I lived in an apt above the owner....they were the nicest people in the world and I still keep in touch with them.

I suggest the 2nd floor in any apt cause you dont have the noise of walking/running on top of you.

No matter where you are you can have horrible neighbors. Right now we have a drunk/cokehead neighbor. He is in his late 40s and works a normal job but goes on benders......like last night....came home at 1am with 2 cokeWh@ores and they have been up with the music and partying ever since.....its going to be a long weekend.

I would never feel comfortable renting from someone in a house, it's just too close of quarters and they have too much of a say in what you do.

I much prefer apartments, lived in one in a building and now in a tudor-style small complex so it's not a big building but more of like attached houses with a courtyard... wherever you rent, people are going to be around you but I have found they really don't bother much with you in a building/complex, would definitely go this route.

we live in a complex

pros: gym, pool, tennis courts, clubhouse, they take care of maintenance right away if anything happens in the apt, we have a lease and can't get kicked out (mostly), lots of parking, garages available

cons: we can hear our neighbors

Fbil lives in someone's house and he is always worried his landlord is going to come over and say something about us being loud. Also they don't have a lease- their landlord could tell them to find a new place whenever he feels like it. Also they can't get mail there- it's not a legal apt

thank you for the input ladies.

do any of you live in a complex that is 2 bedroom that is under $1800?

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Posted by CloudNine

thank you for the input ladies.

do any of you live in a complex that is 2 bedroom that is under $1800?

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YES!!!!

I lived in a complex before I moved in with FH. Luckily I had good neighbors, the worst thing I had to deal with was the guy upstairs playing his videogames too loud LOL! Sad part was, he's in his 30's.

I also had issues with the laundry facilities, they really weren't large enough for the complex and the washers themselves were too small. On several occasions I'd drag my laundry over to the laundry room (it wasn't even in the same building as me) only to discover that all the machines were full of wet clothes. I'd also experience the same with the dryers. VERY annoying, especially when you have somewhere to go!

When I moved out they hit me with a $15 fee 'to remove a stain from the carpet', which I think is BS since I scoured the place for any stains before I left and there weren't any. But really for $15 I'm not going to argue this with them!

I can't imagine living in someone's house and being told what to do like a child. I'm sure it's cheaper but it comes at it's own cost. Maybe if the owner didn't live on the property it wouldn't be too bad.

I think for $1800 you should be able to find a decent 2 bedroom!

I'm just moving out of my apt complex. I've lived in three apt complexes on LI and one apt in someone's houses.

Pros of complex: repairs are done quickly, efficiently and you don't have to be home; pool; gym; you can make friends or be totally anonymous (it's up to you); construction is usually better as far as soundproofing, etc., goes.

Cons of complex: sharing a laundry room (although my complex now has individual washer dryers in the units - it wasn't an option when I moved in); parking sometimes is tough; lots of people coming and going

Pros of house: sometimes it's a little more private (my apt complex now used to be like a soap opera - but it's quieted down A LOT)

Cons of house: bad LLs, repairs not made in a timely manner; no privacy.

My co-op board is pretty good so I'd say Apt complex..but I investigated my building..there are local community boards if you do some research...
I rented in house with absentee LL years ago and that was fine too.

It think either way, it's luck of the draw...

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Posted by CloudNine

thank you for the input ladies.

do any of you live in a complex that is 2 bedroom that is under $1800?

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I dont live in a two-we have a one...but the two is around 1700.I love complex living....there's a pool tennis court basketball play area club house a gym & they allow pets!!
fh lived in an apt in someones house and it was a nightmare!!!!!! the guy use to wait by the window until i got there and come out and complain to me. tap on the door with a key-he def snooped through the apt. we use to fight with landlord all the time. it was horrible! one time he came in and took the shower out-and it was a few days till he put a new one in.