Halstead Burlington — Local services in Burlington

This place took a turn for the worst since the new management, Bozzuto, took over in spring of this year. Since spring they have had many personnel changes in the front office and many more with their maintenance staff. This causes work orders and other communications to be missed while the office/management takes no responsibilities as the staffing has changed. Again, to reiterate, all the staffing changes have occurred under Bozzuto, yet they don't take any responsibilities for proper knowledge transfer rather use that as an excuse.

Apartment: We reported our dishwasher leaking since the new management took over. Around 4-5 maintenance folks have examined from the management and have said this needs to be replaced. We are now in November and still no action has been taken.

Building: Garbage chute is constantly backed up causing residents to just leave the garbage in the room causing filth and bad odor. This continues to be an issue and we have no idea when or if it will be resolved.

Since September, building 9's boiler has malfunctioned multiple times causing no heat and hot water for the entire building. Most times this has occurred during off hours and the maintenance has not been able to fix it right away since the fix required a specialist. So far this issue has happened 5-6 times since September some of which was during a very cold night. As someone with a newborn, this is unacceptable yet the management has not done anything to resolve this permanently. Every time this issue occurs, it is my job to call the office and inform them. When I do, I find they are already aware of the issue and yet no communication has been sent out to inform the residents. We are currently facing the boiler issue as I write this review. The management office has communicated to me that they are "thinking" about replacing the boiler. Nothing has been finalized on the permanent solution.

Parking: The parking situation at Halstead is poorly designed. As a resident you have 2 strips of parking between building 8 and 9 or you have spots in the back of building 8. All spots combined are not nearly enough of its residents and guests they may have. The only solution they provide is purchasing garage parking which is $125 per car for indoor and $75 for outdoor (top floor of the garage). There almost never any spots for your guests to park so hosting people at your place is always a challenge.

Maintenance Staff: Overall the maintenance staff has been very friendly and all of my interactions have been pleasant. Even though there have been many personnel changes since spring, I have found all of them to be easy to work with. I did find out today that the maintenance staff does not work on Saturdays (which I was unaware of and was never the case with the old management company). This causes work orders to get backed up throughout the week and forced residents to be available on weekdays to get things fixed (if you don't want to allow the staff to enter when you are not home).

I really hope most if not all of the issues are resolved soon. When we first moved here 3 years ago, it was never this bad. Recently with the new management, it has gotten really bad which has forced me to write this review.

No communication. No permanent resolutions. No empathy!

Edit: @Halsead Team - Happy to provide any details...

Update in response to the canned patronizing response:

I’ve provided more than enough info and evidence to inform your team of some of the main problems with the residents and the property. I’ve also sent numerous emails in the past documenting these and other issues to the office as well.

Additionally, I’ve escalated some of the issues to Corporate executives who’ve expected the local team to manage the issues. I see there are plenty of other reviews citing the same and other issues. Most, not all, of the residents are paying very high rents and parking fees but receiving very low value; they deserve a much better living experience.

Enough writing and talking, it’s time for the office staff to get off your duffs and take actions to address everyone’s issues; actions speak louder than words (lip service is not helpful).

A wonderful idea would be if the office staff could respond with a plan to address all of the issues noted in the Google Reviews and provide updates as the issues have been resolved.

I would rate this property a ZERO if it was possible.

After living here for 10 years, I decided that I’ve had enough and moved out.

I moved in 10 years ago when the property was named Kimball Towers Luxury Apartments. The property was very well managed (the property manager knew people by name) and maintained. The residents respected each other and the property and truly treated one another as neighbors.

Approximately 4 years ago, the property started to decline, and the owner and managers seemed to change annually or sooner; the rate of decline seemed to increase over time. Rents increased every year by as much as 10%. The residents also changed rapidly due to frustration with the decline of the property (damage, non-working elevators, broken garage doors, trash piling up everywhere, badly stained carpets, and more). The neighborly residents were replaced by people who clearly didn’t care about one another or about the property (one example is where a resident allowed their dog to poop in the hallway and didn’t bother to clean it up; another example is where a resident vomited inside one of the elevators entirely and didn’t bother to take any action). Residents overload the mail recycle bins and allow the trash room to overflow. Residents have stolen the artwork from the hallways (near the elevators). The residents steal shopping carts from Stop and Shop and leave them around the property. Some of the residents use the gym like a playground for their children where they allow them to play on the equipment or allow them to skate around the gym; I’ve reported these matters to the office staff but to no avail. The recent property managers respond to comments, reviews, and complaints with a canned response like “… Please feel free to reach out if you would like to discuss the matter in detail…” but they never take any action (i.e., it’s just lip service); many of my friends and neighbors who lived here left because they got frustrated with the decline of property and people just as I have. It’s also difficult to reach out to the office staff when they close the office well before the posted...

My time at Halstead was nothing short of a nightmare. The staff's lack of assistance, the malfunctioning air conditioning, and the persistent leaks have made this place an absolute disaster. From the false promises of parking to the long-standing maintenance issues, this property is a textbook example of neglect and incompetence.

Let's begin with the A/C debacle, which is utterly absurd. It is beyond comprehension that the air conditioning only kicks in when the temperature outside exceeds 65°F. Meanwhile, inside the unit, temperatures soar above 80°F, creating an unbearable and stifling living environment. This failure to provide a functional cooling system regardless of external conditions is a testament to the management's complete disregard for the comfort and well-being of their tenants.

Adding insult to injury, the claim of "free parking around the building" is nothing but a cruel joke. With a staggering 256 apartments and a mere 40 parking spots, finding parking anywhere near the property is an exercise in frustration and futility. And when concerns are raised about the parking shortage, the management's solution is to offer a parking spot at the garage for an exorbitant fee of $75 and $125. This blatant exploitation of tenants' needs is both outrageous and unacceptable.

Furthermore, it is utterly shocking that the leaking issue in the aisle of Building 8 on the 10th floor has persisted for over two years, and the ceiling continues to drip. It is inconceivable that the management has allowed this problem to persist for such an extended period without taking meaningful action to rectify it.

I strongly caution against considering Halstead as your future home. The malfunctioning A/C system, the woefully inadequate parking situation, and the chronic leaks make this place an absolute nightmare. Spare yourself the agony, frustration, and potential damage to your belongings by seeking out a rental property with competent management and a genuine commitment to tenant welfare.

This review serves as a sincere warning to potential renters and as a plea for the management to finally address these pressing issues. It is long overdue for them to prioritize their tenants’, comfort, and well-being by resolving the A/C issues, providing adequate parking options, and promptly fixing the persistent leaks that have plagued Building 8 for...