Ridley on Main Apartments — Attraction in Orlando

Let me start by advising to anyone looking to move to downtown Orlando: Pay attention to your interactions with your potential property. Your agents, property managers, etc. have everything to do with your quality of life. If they don't follow up, if they're standoffish, if they're not inviting, heed to these signs; as they are how your life will be if you move into a building with an administration who doesn't care. Remember that not everything in an apartment is going to be perfect, and situations that arise don't always have to do with how it's being managed. It's how a community responds to said concerns that makes all the difference.

With that said,

This community has some of the best people in its operations and it has been an absolute pleasure living here thus far. The PM Michon, and APM Vanessa, are fantastic at what they do and will ensure you have a seamless moving process-- even if that means they have to answer your calls several times a day and repeat answers to things that they answered in an email they sent to you 3 days ago (haha sorry).

The maintenance team is kind and QUICK! Mind you, I'm not the easiest tenant to have when it comes down to maintenance requests either.

My only honest opinions of this apartment are if you are someone sensitive to noise, you may want to opt for a top floor unit facing away from Orange and Gore if available. I don't mind noise, and I will say that I'm upset that my upstairs neighbors don't invite me to their high heels and cleats only parties they have going on, where they sprint to the opposite side of their apartment every evening.

I live in a corner with floor to ALMOST ceiling windows that gets the sunset every evening and it is absolutely amazing. I couldn't be happier with the size of my unit either. The square footage in some of these apartments are actually larger than some actual homes in the area.

Elevators are fast and there are a ton of them. People move in and out alot so that sometimes slows down the flow of them, but we all need to move in and out at some point.

Another thing is when people walk their dogs, they are peeing in the elevators and leaving it for the cleaning team to clean it up which is very disrespectful. And the smell of marinated dog urine when you're on your way to pick up a package is all but delightful.

What almost bumped this community a star down is the speeding in the garages (but as aforementioned, has nothing to do with how the building is managed). The garage was designed in a way that I personally have only seen in other cities, where going up and down are on 2 different sides EXCEPT for the middle aisles. This design is brilliant, and would be perfect if it weren't for people who feel the need to gun it at every turn. I've almost had someone hit me twice on one of these corners and I've only lived here a month. I'm worried about the Planet fitness downstairs being opened because of this. More traffic means more problems. The current open parking spaces that you can maneuver into when someone comes flying in will soon not be an option anymore. I'm also concerned about people camping outside of the garage security gates when parking does become scarce, which it already does on most days (is there a way to speed up the cooldown after each resident passes)?

As for security, I feel pretty safe here. I'd hope that soon when the building becomes more open to the public that they ensure measures to reinforce the doors into the hallways so they don't prop open if someone walks in and lets them close on their own.

I don't really enjoy the amenities so I can't really speak on them. The pool is really nice, and the seating areas are designed very well and are very comfy. The Amazon locker has its pros and cons... one being that if your box is too big, they won't put it inside of it and therefore you won't get a notification on their app to let you know to pick it up.

All in all, the "problems" I've listed are miniscule and are nothing compared to what is going on in other apartment buildings, I can...

This review is based on the level of service I received and my experience as I did not decide to actually live here. I was told during my tour that they were offering 2 months free rent and that credit really wasn't an issue. They basically only look for stuff like criminal backgrounds and such which neither my roommate or myself have.

I viewed the property Saturday and planned on moving in Monday as my old lease was up in that Sunday at 11:59pm. I held the apartment for $99 for a move in around 9:30am Monday morning. This should've been a smooth transition, but it was a complete nightmare. I sent in all my paperwork Saturday, so I could move in Monday morning just to find out that my application didn't get approved yet. Meanwhile my uhaul is nearing my return time.

I waited for the manager (whom I never met) to review my application ALL DAY and heard nothing. I finally get an impersonal email close to the end of office hours saying that my application was denied. I drive back to the office to speak with a manager just to find out he already left for the day and that he did a half day and wouldn't be back until the next day at an undisclosed time.

Tuesday comes around and the main manager still isn't in the office. So we had to speak with another manager (Abigail). I was told there was a problem with my income verification and or credit. After actually taking a look at my income she said my income was "great" as I make nearly 3 times the rent alone not to mention my roommate income. We were very upset and at this point she casually in a what seemed to be a playful manner say it was "our fault". I was surprised to hear that joking or otherwise from a workplace professional.

After submitting additional income we didn't even need we got approved to move in, however they wanted 4k up front which I found absolutely ridiculous! It's clear my application was poorly looked over and the level of communication was terrible. I left Abigail several emails throughout this process and she couldn't even email me back nor did I hear from the main manager. I asked her for his email and about getting my $99 hold back, but she never responded.

Instead she had Keona the leasing assistant reach out to me to tell me it's non refundable if you don't get the apartment, but you get it back if you do. This was another ding in the con category.

Had it not been for Keona the experience would have been much worse. She sold me on the apartment complex with her personality alone, but I know there's only so much she can do. Management should address concerns, not pawn them off to other people. I ended up having to pay for 2 extra days of my uhaul and storage for my stuff.

Had management really taken the time to see me or reach out themselves I might have considered moving in regardless, but the whole experience steered me away. An amazing place can be terrible without the right management team. I get asked regularly about places I recommend to rent in my profession. Novel Lucerne will not be...

Update: I was immediately contacted regarding this review and all things have been resolved. I am very happy with the results of our effective communication. I have revised my review to show this update.

I’ve lived at this property for the past two years and wanted to provide a thoughtful and honest review based on my experience.

When I first moved in, I was disappointed to find the washer and dryer in unacceptable condition—they were filthy and clearly had not been cleaned or inspected. I took photos because it was shocking for any rental, let alone one at this price point. With rent over $3,000 per month, basic cleanliness and functioning appliances should be standard. These units should have been replaced entirely.

One of the most frustrating, recurring issues has been the lack of communication from management. Twice, the hallways were being resurfaced, and both times I was not notified that I would be unable to leave my apartment for a period of time. I work from home and have a dog who needs to go out multiple times a day, so this was extremely disruptive. When I called the front office to express my frustration the second time, I was told a voicemail had been left for me—placing the blame on me. I checked my phone records and confirmed no such call occurred. I followed up with an email to the property manager about both the situation and the way I was treated during that call and never received a response.

There are also inconsistencies and miscommunication within the leasing team. Recently, my daughter was told we were up for lease renewal and that I should reach out to discuss options. I promptly emailed to get the conversation going, only to be told we weren’t up for renewal for a few more months. Again, a seemingly small issue—but one that reflects the lack of internal organization and results in wasted time.

On another occasion, when I was gathering documentation for my Emotional Support Animal (ESA), the leasing agent, Vanessa, clearly did not know the laws around ESA accommodations. I had to quote the Florida statute to her, which is unacceptable. Any leasing office, especially at a higher-end apartment complex, should be trained on the basics of housing law and tenant rights.

The maintenance team is the highlight of this property—they are responsive, courteous, and efficient. I have nothing but good things to say about them.

Unfortunately, since ZRS Management took over after my first year here, the overall quality of management has declined. I previously had a poor experience with ZRS at another property in Tampa, which I’ve reviewed separately. Sadly, many of those same issues have repeated themselves here.

Living here is okay, but for what residents are paying, we should expect more—especially when it comes to communication, respect for tenant rights, and basic professionalism. If you’re considering moving here, I recommend reading reviews about ZRS...