Belmont Buckingham

Living here was the worst apartment experience of my life. I had to hire a lawyer to prevent the landlord from doing construction work inside my unit while I was living there -- paying full rent and locked into a lease. Thankfully, the lawyer was able to keep them out, but it cost me $800 in legal fees and generated a ton of anxiety. ... I'm sure this apartment building will look wonderful once the construction work is all done. But prospective tenants should be aware that the landlord and property manager (Baron Properties) do not respect tenants' basic rights. For instance, tenants were required to leave their apartment doors unlocked throughout the day so construction workers could come and go. I observed apartments with doors left wide open, which compromised tenants' safety and the security of their belongings. (This building is located in an urban neighborhood with high rates of theft and a sizable transient population.) Moreover, the construction work was messy and loud, and it resulted in water shut-offs, power outages, and numerous fire alarms. The management office showed little concern or regard for tenants. My life was quite miserable for the last few months of living at the Belmont Buckingham. ... One final note: The building has some fundamental problems that prospective tenants should watch out for. The water has a disgusting orange/red tint; the electrical wiring is shoddy (I couldn't use two kitchen appliances at one time); and the elevator is constantly breaking down (I got stuck inside once for 20 minutes, and the fire department had to be called). Also, the building has lead paint, which can be extremely dangerous if disturbed. If construction work continues, tenants should be certain that proper lead abatement measures are in place. I never even saw a construction permit while I was living there. ... I've always had very positive rental experiences, as I'm a friendly, clean, and responsible tenant. I NEVER envisioned myself having to hire a lawyer to fend off an unscrupulous landlord. It was extremely stressful, to say the least. I have since found a beautiful apartment just a few blocks away. Everything works great, and the building is run by a company that treats tenants with respect.

Living here has been nothing but a pain. The “soft” remodel is a joke. Workers walk in without knocking, construction goes on well past the time it’s supposed to end, management does not respond to voicemails, the radiator clangs all winter and burns you up with the heat, the elevator rarely works, the call box breaks frequently, neighbors will party on the patio long after its closed and management does absolutely nothing to fix any of this. I have lived here for six months, and it is a complete disaster. Management is completely incompetent. And don’t be fooled by the promise of a remodel. They are taking away your closet space to add a washer and dryer and are replacing the counters. The new signs are cheaply done and look ridiculous.

Read the reviews...trust the reviews.. anything marked higher than a 2 was probably written by an employee.

Would not recommed this property to anyone. For the first two years we lived here the property was great and then there was a change in ownership. Since that change has happened, it has been a revolving door of staff in the management office. There was a point in time when within a matter of weeks, whenever we went to the management office, all the staff was brand new. This revolving door went on for over a year and is still going, with the latest casualty being the Regional Manager for Baron Properties. Fast forward to two weeks ago, when we get a notice from the leasing office stating that they are not renewing our lease due to renovations (of which we found out thorugh the NextDoor app). They did give us the option to stay month to month and then move to a renovated unit for an extra $300 - $400 per month. But, to this day the leasing office has not been able to fully articulate what the upgrades are. No thanks. Yesterday, shortly before we were going to leave town for close to a week, we received a notice that we are supposed to empty a couple of our closets so that they can put electrical and plumbing in them. This was Thursday, for something happening the following Monday-Friday. We were also told that if we do not empty,the closets, they would fine us. Finally, this notice also let us know that everyday between 8am - 5pm they will be unlocking the door to our home so that random construction workers can come in and out all day for the project. This is Monday through Friday, with 2 business days notice. Since this construction started, the security doors into our building have been propped open by construction workers. Now, our front doors will be as well. I wish I was making this up. I don't feel safe for myself or my belongings here with this happening. My husband works from home too, so now he has no place to work from when we return home to a construction crew, doing whatever they are doing in our home. We've also had to board our indoor cat (with almost no notice) now for the week, as we are not comfortable leaving her in the unit with people we don't know going in and out while we are travelling. We emailed the manager who had no regard for our situation. All they care about is how fast they can renovate this place and have zero regard for the tenants that are living here. Renters beware; Baron Properties, Belmont Buckingham.

Do YOU like having unexpected construction projects pop-up outside your bedroom window? Are you a fan of lost packages or perishable food items held hostage behind a locked office door? Does the idea of having a the *same* person work in your front office for more than a few months bore you? Then Belmont Buckingham is the place to live! Come to this newly-purchased property for unending frustration over seemingly simple tasks! In most other places, you could expect to pay $110 a month for your own parking spot. Here, you can pay $110 a month for the chance to get unexpectedly kicked out of your parking spot on a regular basis! The radiators clank, the washers smell, and the brand new package lockers that are "guaranteed be ready by the end of February" might be up and running by April! Maybe! And if you sign now, you get an extra bonus: they'll kick you out of your apartment in JUNE! They need to renovate all the apartments before they jack up rent. Oh, and they won't tell you that on the tour – it's more fun when it's a surprise.

I used to love my apartment here until the beginning of this when the whole staff who was AMAZING all left due to new ownership. They were replaced by a revolving door of untrained, unresponsive, and overall incompetent staff. Don't be fooled by a slightly less expensive price-point, you'll end up paying for it in the end. Packages were impossible to get because the staff was always out at other properties. When they were in the office it was always a new "temp" that never knew anything other than how to lose your messages or tell you that they "don't know" and "can't help you". The facilities often had broken or out of order equipment, e.g. treadmills, BQQ, and office printing services. In particular, the "manager" Kiley is the worst of the worst. She never knows what she's talking about, provides false information and then lacks the integrity of being accountable for her mistakes. I can forgive a lot, so long as someone is willing to acknowledge and apologize for when they're wrong. I had the satisfaction of neither. Moving out of this slum-lord's property into a new place with competent staff has been an absolute pleasure. It's sad that this charming historic property is so poorly managed. It's clear that corporate does not care about the residents, the property, or having a shred of integrity. I wouldn't recommend living here to someone I disliked and I'm sure corporate will respond with... Please reach out to our phone/email (where no one will be competent enough to resolve anything for you). I contemplated writing a letter to the corporate offices though I'm certain that given my prior experience it'll end up in the garbage, like the quality of this building. Would have given zero stars if it were possible.

I have lived at the Belmont Buckingham for about 5 months and I absolutely love it. The buildings are beautiful with ivy growing up the sides and a nice sun deck out front. The location is amazing, just a short walk to South Broadway and an even shorter walk to 13th street and all the food and shops there. It has all the charm of Capitol Hill and all the excitement of being so close to Downtown. I have met almost all of my neighbors (in the building and on the same block) and they all love living here just as much as I do. Also, the management at the Belmont Buckingham is amazing! The staff are very nice, helpful and have always remembered my name!