Luna at Lake Shadow — Attraction in Maitland

Overview/Quick Read: The apartment complex is in a great location and offers above average amenities. However, a major downside is the lack of soundproofing throughout the buildings. Management claims that the building materials they use are consistent with the same materials as the surrounding apartment complexes. In this case, I do recommend doing your research into other complexes in the area where you might get a better return on investment as rent at this particular complex is on the higher end.

• I lived at this complex back when it was Bainbridge at Lake Shadow. Recently, it was acquired by new management, Cushman & Wakefield. From the other recent reviews, it sounds like it has definitely taken a turn for worse than what it was. I would lease a unit here with extreme caution. *

Amenities: The complex offers a wide range of amenities including a nature walk and pier. As for the gym, unfortunately, I never experienced using it consistently as I moved in during the pandemic. Initially, a system was set up where only a few residents were allowed access to the gym at a time, but it was never abided by and residents would never masks. The complex is very pet friendly and offers a dog park and dog bath area as well. Overall, if your apartment living experience is solely based on amenities you will get the most bang for your buck here.

Units: If you dig through the reviews you will notice a common element among negative reviews - the noise levels. It was recently disclosed by a maintenance worker that these buildings were actually built with little to no soundproofing and it definitely shows. I initially lived in a 1st floor apartment, but after reaching out to the office and Signal 88 (courtesy officers) countless of times about the noise I eventually opted for a transfer. The noise from the neighbors above me were so loud that their vibrations would cause my light fixtures to shake. I thought my experience would be better moving to the 4th floor, which is the highest floor offered. To my dismay, this was not the case. After moving, I was met with louder neighbors who also let their dog bark at all hours. After calling the courtesy officers multiple times with no recourse, I eventually gave up. Coincidentally enough, the neighbors below them put in for a transfer as well so clearly moving out is the only solution around here. There were also times where I would be able to hear my neighbors’ phone conversations due to the thinness of the walls. If privacy is a concern for you, this may be problematic. I made the mistake of referring a colleague to this complex during my early stay not knowing the extent of the noise levels/thin walls. I am embarrassed to have even made the referral because she has voiced similar complaints as well and is currently looking to move out. I stopped referring this complex to my contacts. If you are fortunate enough to not to be placed next to neighbors that have loud kids, dogs, or mannerisms then you will more than likely enjoy your stay here. However, if you are like me and the handful of people in the reviews who are not as lucky, you will be counting down the days until your lease is up.

Maintenance/Grounds: Under old management, maintenance was always very timely. The air conditioning unit in my first apartment would always get flooded when it rained, but it was always a quick fix. Overall, any maintenance issues were taken care of promptly. This promptness does not seem to be applicable under the new management so I would keep that in mind. The grounds are well kept for the most part. The only downside is not everyone picks up after their dogs.

Thanks...

The property is gorgeous, but management has a long way to go. The previous owners (Bainbridge) did a better job in everything except for the maintenance stuff, which is very promptly done now when placing requests. I will never rent at another Bainbridge property as they were very shady when they were selling them the property. They forced an inspection on us right when the pandemic was at its peak just for the sale. No explanation. There's more but this review is about the current state of the property. My previous rating was 5 stars but it's been lowered because: Sound proofing was always an issue, but it's been made more of an issue because of the kind of tenants that have been moving in lately. These are individuals who don't care about their neighbors and make all kind of noise at any time. Not surprisingly these type of tenants end up leaving within months... Probably for not paying their rent? Whenever the gate is damaged, it takes several weeks to get fixed. Probably half of the year this gated community is ungated. Recently there was a gun related issue in the community. Also, people from other communities keep getting into the clubhouse and amenities at night and it's been uncomfortable to the point that my wife and I stopped going during the evenings. Equipment in the gym gets broken and is never fixed. For example, there is only one elliptical machine and it has been broken over half a year. Everywhere I have lived the walkways are mopped once a week. Here, they are not mopped ever. They just get pressure cleaned once a year, when the floors are beyond disgusting. If that's the route they want to go, then the pressure cleaning should be taking place at least once every 3 months. Recently the dog park had the barriers removed and it's now a useless patch of grass that no one ever sits by. I don't own a pet but it was nice seeing how people enjoyed it dog park on a daily basis, having a place to conveniently let their dogs loose for a while and socialize with other dogs. It beats having people letting their pets out on balconies and barking at anything that moves. (again, no soundproofing) Bainbridge staff was very friendly. Not so the case with all the current staff at the office. We had two recent instances of staff being rude at my wife for no reason. She went for a walk and forgot her keyfob at home, and asked the office to please let her into the restroom. She was treated like a criminal. Of course we expect for staff to check that she is indeed a resident of the community, but with kindness and professionalism, not with rudeness. Days later she stopped by to ask a question and was treated with rudeness by another staff member. Lastly, there's something shady going on with cars getting towed with no warning. If there's an issue, a sticker should be placed so the situation can be corrected or cleared up at the office. Lately cars just get towed to a location close to the airport. Again, there's a history of shady stuff in Florida when it comes to towing companies. It's sad to see stuff like that happening in the community. It could be the doing of the office or there could be something going on with the security company that is hired to occasionally come by at night. Same security company that was useless when placing a noise complaint a few months ago when our neighbors were blasting music in the bedroom next to ours until midnight for about 5...

Lived here for 4 years now. It’s great, with very minor flaws.

pros: secluded location but close to I-4. The property is beautiful, full of trees and some flowers that bloom in the spring. The lake that surrounds it is also beautiful. The landscaping crew is religiously in the property once or twice a week making sure everything looks good.

The club house is always super clean and it is very tastefully decorated. The gym is small, but has everything you need for a full workout and it’s also open 24/7.

That apartment is also great and spacious.

The maintenance crew is very efficient, professional and respectful of your home.

In my few interactions with the management team, they were respectful and seemed willing to help.

The property also has guards patrolling the area and you can call them if there is unreasonable noise coming from neighbors at night. In my 4 years living here I called that number probably only 3 or 4 times and the guards took care of it within 30-40 minutes.

The management very often promotes events and brings in food trucks to the property. Last two were arepas and chocolate.

the not so good

The property has “thin” walls so I can often hear neighbors “banging” doors or when they talk loud. Not to mention the noises I hear from the parking lot. Nothing to be too concerned about, but I wish the buildings had more sound proof structures.

Bugs… because the property is so close to the nature, I always see and feel spider webs while walking around in the common areas of the apartment buildings. The cleaning team doesn’t clean those parts as often (I’d say once a month or every few months), so the webs accumulate, especially on the ceilings. I didn’t have issues with bugs inside of my apartment though.

Smoking… although it is a smoking free community, I sometimes smell weed when walking around the property and sometimes when I open my window. So I believe there are a few smokers who smoke in the property. I never complained about it to management because I don’t think they have enforcement mechanisms to stop that and the property is very open, so that’s not really a big deal for me.

the bad

Finding a parking spot in or close to your block can be hard at night. This varied a lot throughout the years, but it’s gotten worse lately where almost every night I could not find any parking spot within 3 blocks of my apartment building. My partner, who used to have a night shift, had to get to used to walk 3-4 for blocks from his parking spot to our apartment. It’s curious that there’s always space available closer to the entrance, so I really think this issue can be solved with some good will from the management.

Although I do appreciate the extra cardio, I would suggest assigning certain parking areas to guests and limiting residents to parking in only certain areas at night.

I did bring this up to the previous management, and they told me nothing would be done unless “it gets out of control.” In other words, that’s not a big deal for them. I do hope the new management is willing to improve this situation because that’s the only reason I’m giving this place a 4 and...