Avalon Cove — Local services in Jersey City

With 41 open apartments currently available as at today's date - please go and consult your psychiatrist before renting with this organization and particularly this property. I had 17-years experience there. At the start, they ere fantastic I'll be the first to admit. But as time marched on, they became more and more difficult to deal with.

As a sole business owner, when the financial crash of 2008 came, I had to work twice as hard for twice less and had to make huge adjustments to my lifestyle.

I asked Avalon Cove (who kept taking me to court in the last two years of my residence there because my rent payment was always late - but never accumulated), if they would kindly let me move to a smaller apartment which would help me with my flailing budget. Yes they said .... but at the end of your current lease term. I had 11 months to go on the current lease term and pointed that out. Their response and suggestion was to pay off the current lease in full (meaning pay 11 months rent to close the current lease and then open a new lease in a lower cost apartment). Can you believe that? This action alone took my basic rent and increased it with 'their legal fees, the courts fees and o on' making it impossible for me to crawl out of under the financial crisis I was faced with.

How terribly unkind and uncaring these people are (were) - probably still are. But with the current covid crisis and the lake of jobs and people dying all round and yes another financial crisis - all I can say to you is BE CAREFUL - THESE PEOPLE ARE IMMORAL AND UNHELPFUL AND FRANKLY, UNKIND. Suddenly you can qualify for 2 free months - beware of the trap! You're doomed if anything goes wrong and because you will have signed a lease, you will more than likely be dragged into court.

I look from the sidelines now and celebrate the fact that they are not running at full capacity. Note the STARTING FROM price also .... all is not what is seems. But lets assume that what inventory they are currently showing on their website is accurate at the price shown, they are currently sitting with a quarter of a million dollars worth of 'open space' monthly and that (karma) overjoys me.

You should have been kinder, more helpful, and understanding to those who had supported you for so very long Avalon Cove. If you had of, you might not be in this financial predicament right now and with a second covid wave approaching, matters can only get worse.

When it gets worse for you, I'll be laughing on the sidelines.

ANY SANE MINDED PERSON - AVOID AVALON COVE. I AM NOT A BITTER FORMER RESIDENT - YOU CAN SEE WHAT THEY PUT ME THROUGH IN DETAIL. IF YOU WANT YOUR LIFE TO TURN OUT THAT WAY, GO RIGHT AHEAD .... BUT IN THESE TERRIBLY UNCERTAIN TIMES, IF YOU DO, YOU NEED YOUR...

UPDATE: After living at Avalon Cove for over a year, the view and convenient location are still amazing, but my experience with maintenance has been less than stellar. The maintenance personnel have been nice. The issue is more with the management because any issue that cannot be fixed easily will take weeks to repair, if at all.

Issue one (ongoing): Currently, a bird or birds have taken up residence in the roof above the principal bedroom. I submitted the first maintenance request on June 3rd. After multiple additional requests and several emails with the office, the issue still has not been fixed almost two weeks later. The bird(s) chirp loudly and make scratching sounds on the ceiling/wall all hours of the day and night. It's distressing to hear bird(s) slowly dying in your ceiling/wall knowing nothing is being done. And this is the second time this has happened in the 14 months I've lived here. I've received several "we're working on it" emails, but no real sense of urgency.

Issue two: Last year, it took over a month to fix the wall AC unit in the principal bedroom (required to cool upstairs despite central AC), which was leaking on the carpet. During that time, I had almost daily visits from maintenance and the heating/air vendor, while living with no effective air conditioning upstairs and water dripping into a trash can in my bedroom.

Issue three: Overall, the fixes are done as cheaply as possible, leading to recurring issues. Best example is the gates to enter the property. Not a week goes by without one or all gates not working. Just this morning, the sensor on the exit gate didn't work, so we had to exit through the entry gate. Don't believe me? Stop by and see if all the gates are working. I've seen duct tape used to secure various things around the property. At this price point, one would expect a bit more, no?

I love this place! I moved in this week and since coming to view the apartment, through the application process, to move-in, Keana has been AMAZING! I must admit, I can be a pain with all of my questions, but she handled every question and request with professionalism and care. My expectations are high, but the team at Avalon Cove, especially Keana and Brian, the Property Manager, has exceeded them! And the apartment speaks for itself! Super spacious, open floor plan, fireplace, calm and quiet, friendly neighbors, 10-minute walk to the Path station, on the Hudson, and a view of the Empire State Building and downtown Manhattan!! What more could...

EDIT2:

I've enjoyed the apartment and decided to move into a bigger place here! Brian has been a huge help with the move and has answered my many many questions in a timely manner. I must say the building has addressed a few issues and have communicated efforts for the rest. Overall, the people who work here really make this place the best it can be.

I still think the building, overall, could use some revamp. But I assume that is a corporate decision. EDIT: After 6 months here. I do feel the need to drop it to 4 stars. The office and maintenance staff is still solid and have quick response times. Unfortunately, this building seems underfunded. The parking lot gates are barely functional with little to no actual parking regulation. If someone takes your spot... good luck!

The security in the building is essentially non-existence too. Rampant package thefts, scammers going door to door, theft of items right outside your apartment.

All of these seem very solvable if management or corporate cared to invest even a little bit of money into these aspects of the property.

ORIGINAL: I've enjoyed my time here at Avalon Cove so far! The management seems to be quick on repairs and communicates them effectively. The location is great and the surrounding area is fun to explore.

The support from the Leasing Office is a solid 5/5. Working with Kayne has been a great experience and really made moving in super easy. Kayne answered all 400 of my questions and event went above and beyond with managing my packages that accidentally arrive before I moved in.

Cons that almost bring it down to 4 stars: The apartment build is pretty old and my apartment definitely could use a renovation. Some problems include very little storage and pretty uneven floors. The hallways are clean but definitely show years of wear and could probably use new carpet, at least. The grills are pretty filthy, that falls on residents and management though.

All in all, Avalon Cove is a place I would recommend with the pros heavily outweighing the cons. Just prepare to get creative...