225 Grand Apartments — Local services in Jersey City

We've lived here for 3 years and are so sad to leave!

AFFORDABILITY: You will not find more affordable rent for this much square footage in a doorman building anywhere in the nearby area. For instance, we pay $2600 for a ~900 square foot 1-bedroom apartment on one of the highest floors in the building with an unbelievable view. The building also has a gym, monthly social events, and an outdoor pool. LOCATION: 3 minute walk to the Grove Street Path and the main area of Jersey City (aka Newark Avenue-- they close this area off so cars cannot drive there and it's filled with tons of shops/restaurants). 225 Grand is also a 5 minute walk from the water, so you can walk to the pier and take in the beautiful views of the Statute of Liberty or the NYC skyline. QUIET: thank goodness there is no nearby construction, so it's quiet here! Which is saying a lot for Jersey City! AMENITIES: you pay a ~$600/year amenities fee for monthly building events (i.e.: summer bbq party, holiday party, etc.) and access to the pool and gym (all equipment is state of the art with televisions, and they host yoga/pilates classes). The doormen are also incredibly friendly, and I've never had an issue picking up a package. If you'd like, the building also has its own parking garage attached to the building that you can pay for. Lastly, you can rent out the lounge for free so long as you post a notice about it on the 225 Grand building app. MAINTENANCE: all of our maintenance requests were dealt with promptly and efficiently. The building is also kept in great shape (admittedly, the hallways of the building are incredibly strange-looking).

Word of advice: when looking for a unit in this building, I would highly recommend an interior unit (aka one that faces the pool area) on a higher floor. Not only is it quieter, but you get AMAZING sunset views. The units that face the other directions (either Manhattan or 18 Park) are noisy. For instance, the side that faces Manhattan is right next to a school, so you can hear football games and crowds cheering in the late afternoon/weekends. On the 18 Park side, you will hear loud garbage trucks between 1-2 AM.

All in all, if I did not have to relocate for work, I would stay here for...

I lived here for 2 years and it was overall a great experience!

1. I think this was a great place to start renting, as there was no security deposit or broker's fee when I first applied.
2. The staff, from the concierge to cleaning to maintenance, are all exceptionally kind and great at what they do. They kept our building running and always addressed maintenance issues very promptly. The front desk staff kept our packages and mail sorted and always helped if we had questions.
3. The amenities are very convenient and help with meeting new friends! The monthly events and gym were very nice to have in the building, and helped with community building.

With that being said, I have a few caveats.

1. Compared to other "luxury" buildings in the area, the price is cheaper, although the amenities are also not as upscale in my opinion. The gym is small, but it gets the job done.
2. Despite no noticeable improvements to the building or benefits, our rent increased 5% each year.
3. Most importantly, the management changed in the last 6 months and became much "sharkier." I never missed a rent payment, but started getting emails that my rent wasn't paid, even though I had paid it. The leasing office tried to get me to decide on re-signing 90 days in advance, when NJ law states tenants need to provide a decision only 60 days in advance. During the moveout process, the management also mixed up some of my emails and gave incorrect information, leading to confusion during an already stressful time.

Overall, I had a great experience living here, particularly because of the kind staff and friends I met, but there are some things on the KRE side that need improving. I hope the staff get paid fairly by KRE (both compensation and benefits), because they truly were the glue of my experience here. The main reason I didn't give 5 stars is because of my experience dealing with the...

Sharing this review after residing here for more than 6 years! Ticks all the boxes for a 'Grand' living indeed. ..Location - A block away from Light Rail which is a quintessential public transportation of JC, 7/8 mins walk from Grove Street Station, mins away from parks, ferry stations walking areas along Hudson, restaurants etc. Commuting to WTC or Manhattan is easy. Clean and safe neighborhood with possibly the best school district of JC ..Space- Spacious apartments. Makes great use of the available area with efficient squares/rectangular layouts. Some other/newer buildings have some weird/smaller layouts as compared to 225 Grand ..Amenities - 24/7 doorman, package delivery at appt, pool, Gym, Kids Room, lounge; tons of options. The building also offers yoga/zubma/sessions and usually has bunch of other activities every month ..Services - Very prompt in maintenance requests related to your appliances/plumbing etc; the building is also kept clean by frequent carpet cleaning/ floor upgrades ..People - The staff is pivotal to everything and this courteous staff/crew take care of you like a family member. I cant say enough about them; just fabulous.

Didn't realize we ended up staying here for such a...