The Royal Bloomfield — Local services in Bloomfield

I moved into The Royal as soon as it opened in April 2024. I was prepared to experience some issues being that it was a new construction & any building is going to go through some growing pains- but the only way I can describe it is a total mess. Positives: The maintenance tech, Tracy, is the best part of the building by far. His dedication to the residents goes above and beyond. Take a look at other reviews- you’ll see that a lot of them are about him & NOT the building overall- there’s a reason for that! The original property manager, Eddie, & leasing agent, Brittany were also amazing, but they both left. Negatives: The actual construction of the building is insanely bad. For the 1st month & a half, I didn’t have working A/C. Within the first 1-2 weeks, my bathroom wall had to be cut open because there was water leaking from my ceiling. The amenities didn’t open until 6 months in; grills on the 3rd floor never actually worked, even when I moved out in July 2025. A/C in the gym & coworking space stopped working 2 months before I left & temps in the spaces were 80+ degrees. Management continued to charge residents the amenities fee & kept saying “someone was coming to look at it” for weeks but it was never fixed. Management & communication; to me, communication is important- this is completely nonexistent. Emails are ignored & never responded to. Following up with the property manager for basic things was a full-time job for me. Instead of notifying everyone of things going on in/around the building, residents hear things through the grapevine from other residents. When the new property manager started, the building didn’t even send out an email introducing her. Ownership: the owners of the building live in the penthouse & are the only residents who can access the rooftop. Seeing the owners & their friends around the building made everyone uncomfortable; you always felt like you were being watched. Price tag: The price of units is atrocious. Yes, there are certain things, like in-unit laundry, that are great (if they work) & its about a block from the train station. But considering the safety of the area, you can get something in a better area & closer to the city especially considering all the added fees. TLDR: it might seem nice on the outside, but it’s not worth the hassle or the price tag. Plus, the owners are trying to sell the building- that should tell...

If I could rate Tracy (the maintenance man) alone, I’d give him 5 stars without hesitation. He’s truly the best: detail-oriented, attentive, caring, and always goes above and beyond to help residents. He’s one of the few bright spots in this building and deserves major recognition.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the management team. Communication is poor, they’re unhelpful, and it often feels like they don’t care about residents beyond collecting rent. Many issues go unresolved. For example, all the grills in the courtyard have been broken for months with no updates, the gym’s AC is inconsistent (often uncomfortably hot), yet they’ve made no plans on reducing the amenities fees at all.

Management’s incompetence shows in other ways too. Their recent “food truck” event was shut down by the City of Bloomfield because they failed to get the required permit. Just last week, there was a major incident involving heavy police activity right outside the main lobby — nearly a dozen police cars — and not a single email or update was sent to residents. The property manager was literally in her office during the incident, the receptionist was also present, and yet nothing was communicated. I even called the main desk at the time to ask what was going on, and the call went unanswered for some strange reason. They’ve also failed multiple times to give advance notice when residents would lose access to the parking garage due to city construction, even though they were informed beforehand.

And these are just a few of the issues and I haven’t even lived here for a full year.

It’s a classic halo effect: the building may look beautiful from the outside, but there are serious problems on the inside. I would not recommend living here. There are better places for better prices that actually treat their residents with respect and care.

(Attachments: photo of the police incident outside the building, screenshot of the food truck event cancellation, and township notice about...

I'm the first person to actually move into an apartment at the almost-finished Royal Bloomfield, so naturally my opinion is authoritative...I'll give you the low-down, starting with the great, the good, and a few minor hiccups...It's an outstanding location, a short walk from a super-market and from the Bloomfield train station, which is just a 30-minute ride from Manhattan...It's less than a mile from the Garden State Parkway...I love the apartment itself...The studio is spacious, bright and reasonably priced for Bloomfield...All-new appliances appear to be high-end and built to last...The floors are solid (I'm on an upper floor); it's like walking on bedrock...You won't find an abundance of storage space and I don't believe any of the bathrooms here have tubs; some would consider those drawbacks...As for the actual experience of moving in, Eddie the property manager has been exceptionally communicative, kind and skilled...He seems determined to ensure everyone has a positive experience from start to finish...Similarly I've found all the employees friendly and helpful...Moving day went smoothly, as did the process of signing a lease...It is a new building, so be aware that not all the amenities are open yet...At last check, the gym and b-ball court were still under construction...The parking lot is not open yet either...Make sure to ask about those, since ownership has not been upfront about it...They charge $50 to make an extra key fob...That's a service that hotels provide for free...This raises questions about whether the owners will take advantage of tenants if they can get away with it...That won't get them very far in today's rental market, at least...