Nine15 Midtown — Local services in Atlanta

It is my sincere wish to save prospective tenants from the stress, frustration, and actual danger they will experience if they choose to move to Nine15 Midtown. My husband and I have been residents for almost a year, and in that time both our car and our storage unit have been broken into. I am prompted to finally write this review because our neighbor's apartment was brazenly broken into in the middle of the day. Fortunately she was not home, but I shudder to think what might have happened if she had been. Everyone who lives in Midtown knows (or should know) that crimes are going to happen. My issue with the current property management (Lincoln Property Company) is their seeming inability or unwillingness to keep residents informed and address these issues in a reasonable manner. Our car was broken into despite the supposed "secure entry" for residents that only allows residents into the upper three levels of the parking deck. The only problem is that the "secure entry" basically only stops cars. There are numerous stairwells, occasionally inhabited by the homeless, which allow access to every floor of the garage, either because the doors are broken or access is not restricted. Our storage unit (located in a room with many others) was broken into and sat OPEN for several days before we discovered it, even though someone else had reported a break in to the management office. The excuse for not contacting us was that they didn't know who rented our unit as their records were spotty. Because they are attempting (and failing) at maintaining the facade that this is a safe location, they never sent an email out to residents attempting to ascertain whose unit it was. I was told by two different members of the leasing staff that they were looking into possible solutions to protect the storage area. My suggestions of 1) a camera or 2) key fob only access to the storage room were apparently not of interest to them. No one expects a completely impossible to penetrate security system. What I do expect is that a company who claims they have 97% occupancy in a building where the average rent is well over $2000 a month would be willing to shell out a few hundred bucks for a camera or to change elevator access. The office has been told, multiple times by multiple tenants, where the "blind-spots" in security are within the building and garage. There is, as expected, a ton of "passing the buck" happening between the leasing office and the owner of the building, with most employees claiming they have suggested things to the owner and that Lincoln Properties is not having it. Perhaps if the leasing office spent less time worrying about "leasing" as well as memorizing talking points for when disgruntled tenants bring issues to their attention they might be able to accomplish enough to keep their current tenants. As it stands, there was never an email to residents about the storage room being broken into. There was never an email to me (as promised) detailing what steps were being taken about the storage room. In the past few weeks the individual storage units in the resident hallways were broken into (again no email) and now my neighbor's apartment. I think that Nine15 Midtown and Lincoln Properties are going to find out eventually that it's cheaper and easier to keep current tenants happy than to rent to new ones, but for the time being they are more interested in denial, obfuscation, and blame-shifting. I expect some sort of response might be made to my review, and if there is one I can assure you I will take it as seriously as they take resident safety-that is...

We lived here for two years, and overall the experience was good but the management left a lot to be desired.

The unit itself was great. The fixtures weren't especially premium, but they were as good as any you'd expect in the area so I have no complaints. The gas stoves were phenomenal, and the location is perfect if you can commute via MARTA or the other buses that pick up there. Maintenance was always fast and properly executed, but since it's a new construction we didn't usually have to worry about that much. The front desk workers were incredibly nice and always helpful.

My main problem is with the management. The fire alarms would go off constantly during the day, and then afterwards we would get an email apologizing and saying that they were just testing the alarms. Sometimes we would get a notification in advance, but it would be at around 9am on the day of the alarm testing, well after I had already left for work. So then I had to worry about my dogs sitting at home hearing the alarms going off and not knowing what was going on. This would happen constantly for months until they finally finished their "annual" inspections, and then we'd have a few months of silence until they started testing them again.

If you live in the mid-rise building, the parking deck is offset from the residential building by half a story. This means that you have to take the elevator to avoid walking up and down stairs to get from the parking deck to the apartments. This elevator, however, would be reserved constantly for moving in and out, and several times we had to help our friend with mobility issues walk up and down stairs just to visit us. The elevator overall saw very little use, and we were able to move furniture in and out frequently without ever needing to reserve it in advance, so I don't know why they even need to allow that reservation, especially if it makes the building no longer handicap accessible.

We had other minor issues in addition to those listed above, and every time I would try to email or call management to discuss them, they would redirect me to one of the concierge who had no power to fix any of these problems. Management did not want to actually confront anything, so they just used the concierge as human shields, which was very frustrating to say the least. Not a single problem that I tried to raise with management was ever addressed in the entire two years that we lived there.

Lastly, when we finally moved out last year, they tried to claim our entire security deposit and charge us several hundred dollars more to replace the carpeting in the bedroom. The carpet was immaculate, and I had taken multiple photos to prove this since they did not give us a move out inspection. Luckily, it also took them 60 days to notify me of these fees after we moved out, and so we were able to refuse the charges since Georgia law states that they would have needed to submit these...

I recently moved into a 2-bdrm apartment in Alta Midtown and my stay has been nothing short of excellent! I toured many complexes throughout the Midtown area, but nothing could compare to the quality of service from the leasing staff, the warmth of the concierge, and the exhaustive amenities that the property has to offer. The parking garage is spacious with plenty of spaces and resident-only entrance on the 4th floor to increase the ease of access. The best part is that parking is included in rent and guest parking is free (and hassle-free).

The units are spacious with high-end, stainless steel appliances and special attention to detail (the wall in the living room comes with a pre-installed wall unit for mounting your TV). High ceilings and large, energy efficient windows make the space feel large. Each unit comes with a gas stove and a high-tech Nest A/C unit that can be programmed from your phone, saving us a significant amount on utilities thus far.

The location is unbeatable. Across the street from the MARTA station, with Atlanta's highest rated boutique coffee shop downstairs, as well as several delicious new restaurants (Babalu especially) and 2 fitness centers. Even better, Publix is across the street. You don't need to walk more than a block to satisfy any need.

The amenities are in a class of their own. The 24-hour concierge has been especially friendly every time I enter or exit the building, and I always see maintenance staff walking around the property, available if you need help. Almost every time I enter the lobby, gym or the club room, I see a member of the custodial staff cleaning/dusting/sanitizing. The rooftop pool has a lovely view of Midtown and is never too crowded. It offers corn hole, grilling areas, TV viewing areas, and a tv/bar area accessible to all residents on a first come first serve basis. I've been to the gym at all times of the day and have never had to wait on a machine/weights. And unlike other properties I toured, it has all of the essentials (free-weight bench press, bikes, treadmills, ellipticals, pull up bar, literally anything), requiring no extra gym membership.

If you are an animal lover, there are plenty of pups and respectful pet-owners in the building. Even though I pass several dog-owners on my hall, I haven't had any problems with noisy dogs, off-leash dogs, or dog "mess". The unit comes with a off-leash, fenced-in dog park that is frequently used by residents.

Lastly, the residents are all friendly and respectful of the amenities.

My experience at Alta Midtown has exceeded all expectations, and I would recommend the property to anyone. I did not receive a gift card or compensation for this review. My unit is brand new (I'm the first occupant), but I have not had any maintenance issues...