Vermella Lyndhurst — Local services in Lyndhurst

We initially selected this property because we saw a familiar face; John Yurkow who managed another Roseland property we previously lived in.He was great. Requests were promptly handled and he actually provided solutions to whatever issues were present. Reason we are NOT renewing our lease: First, Raquel the current property manager, is absolutely useless. I've had to call Russo Management directly several times out of sheer frustration. Many of the tenants have made her aware of the ongoing issues, the possible legal repercussions as well as suggestions on solutions, yet she does nothing. There are no signs on the property, like the back gate, that this is "Private Property, No Trespassing, Residents Only", the signs we've asked for the dog park " Dog Park for Residents Only, No Children under the age of 14 allowed", whatever variation of that for a very important reason. Kids come to play with the dogs. This is not a playground. The owners cannot be policing the dog park as well as the children. When the leasing office closes, adults who don't live here, do not have pets, also sit on benches and smoke/drink in the dog park. All the other properties, have proper signs as well as REAL security. We pay too much for this property to have gone down hill as it has. Instead of the recreational assistant, or perhaps in addition to since he's just a young man, an actual security company should be hired to drive around the complex after the office closes. When it does, the complex is swarmed by outsiders who use all the amenities and ARE TRESPASSING. The parking area near building 5000, should have clear signs that that's a Tow Away Zone and be painted yellow. There was an alarm and the fire truck came but there were cars parked so it had to BACK OUT. Imagine it were a real emergency? We've made Raquel aware and her responses and lack of action, are unacceptable. Why aren't there signs all over the grill/common areas each side of the gate indicating that this is for Vermella residents/ No trespassing? There are gates on each side. They should be permanently closed with a lock/key pad installed on each side so only residents can unlock for them as well as their guests. The recreational assistant can oversee to ensure they're locked, not being propped open and the residents won't have to be in unsafe and uncomfortable situations where they ask random people who've just come to grill, IF THEY CAN USE THE AMENITIES THEY PAY FOR. Frankly, we are very disappointed at how this property is managed. Raquel's replies are sub par and her lack of initiative to address these issues, is just upsetting when you're paying over $2500 in rent. John managed our previous residence( Roseland at the time) and this one prior to him leaving, the way you would expect for a "luxury property", which although Esthetically Vermella looks pretty, it is NOT when outsiders come with coolers and trays of food and hang out blasting music, cursing and acting inappropriately in public. So, if you never want to use the amenities but are OK with paying the annual fees and watch random people who don't reside here monopolize on that, as well as the high rent, then this...

I think most people come here to read reviews so they have an idea of the ups and downs of an apartment they’re trying to live in, so I’ll be describing that now. This is based on the floor/building number I live in. It might be different from other people, but this is my experience. What I love about this place is that there are NO pests (bugs, rats, etc). They’re also really accommodating when it comes to your parking space. They sent out an email to the entire complex, so they know who lives where and will change your parking spot so that it will be closer to your building complex. Another thing I love is that I can’t hear ANYONE to the left or right of me. You could probably hear noise if you’re in the hallway passing by but who really cares about that. I passed by my next door neighbor and he was blasting music. Got in my apartment and didn’t hear ANYTHING. There are two problems though regarding noise and one of them is the ceiling . There are kids that live here and I can definitely hear that more based on the running/stomping I hear above. It doesn’t bother me that much, since it doesn’t happen that often, but yesterday night it was REALLY bad. Guess they were having too much fun. You also do hear the NJT train go by, but it’s not loud to the point that you can’t sleep or hear your TV. I visited the 2nd floor when looking at apartments (I live in a floor that’s higher), but the train sound was really loud in the living room. Stay and look around for awhile so you can decide for yourself the amount of noise you can deal with (it runs every hour). For me health wise I really need my sleep (sensitive sleeper) and the train going by never woke me up. Aside from that I do feel like it’s really peaceful here. You can see that it’s EXTREMELY dog friendly. The majority of the people I bump into have dogs. They have dog poop bags outside, so if you’re walking your dog you don’t have to worry. Also the only place you’re not allowed to have your dog do its business is right in front of the management office near the future resident parking. Makes sense to me. They have a dog park that’s double gated, so if you ever forget about the first gate you have the second gate to protect your dog from running out. I haven’t truly tried all their amenities, since COVID is happening, but the pool looks clean and I can’t wait to swim in it. They have a gym (fiancé loves it) and room where you can do spinning or pick different workout videos to follow like doing yoga for example (they have the mats). I do plan on renewing my contract this year, because that’s how much I love this place. Probably forgot more nice things about them, but I think this gives you good information about the place.

Edit: I forgot to mention I gave this place a 4 star review, but it's only because I believe there's no apartment that is perfect. However, out of all the apartments out there I believe this is probably one of the best.

For some reason the train sounds have been a bit louder than usual, but like I said it doesn't bother me when I spend time with my fiancé or when I sleep. I still really recommend...

Updated review: I stick by my original review below, but can update now that I moved here. Office staff is still great, Lily takes pride in the community and Janet is sweet. The grounds are always immaculate. Tons of dogs here and I never see dog poop on the ground. Snow is cleared quickly. Building common areas are spotless! Everyone here in the community I've met is very friendly. The gym is a nice addition. Cant wait to use the pool in the summer. Package delivery system is easy, secure, and convenient. My apartment is large with high ceiling (every model is different though), wonderful kitchen, nice wood floors, good appliances. Shuttle goes right to the train which I dont use but I'm sure is great if you do. The downsides? Each building is different but I know my water heater in building 1000 is temperamental and I'm not the only one in this building who agrees. Seems this was the first building constructed and has a different system than the others. Big deal? No. Annoying? Yeah. Apartments lack closet space. You have 1 in the bedroom and 1 by the washer dryer. Building 1000 doesnt have a coat closet. Really wish there was 1 more closet because I ran out of storage space! The biggest downside is the parking situation. Or lack thereof. There are approximately 250 apartments in the complex. And only 20 visitor spots! And there is never visitor parking unless you come on a weekday at noon. It's not because there are lots of visitors. It's because some residents dont want to pay for parking so they take the visitor spots. Still, 20 visitor spots is not a lot at all so if you have visitors they have to park a few blocks away and walk. What a huge pain. Definitely not planned well when they built the place.

Original review: This review is specifically from my experience apartment hunting. I've been to Vermella on 2 occasions, once meeting with Janet and again with Lily. Both are amazing and helpful and responseful to emails. Walking around the property with Lily you can tell she truly cares about the residents' happiness and the condition of the grounds. Great to see as a perspective resident. That alone is a huge selling point for me. The units are nice and modern, though a bit limited in size (1 bedrooms) and I do think just ever so slightly above market price for the size (if they lowered rents by ~$100, I can almost guarantee you would never see a unit on the market for more than a week, but that's minor). The location of the complex is in this weird industrial/residential mix so the views aren't the best... but again that's minor. The actual complex itself feels clean and homey. Pool is gorgeous. Dog park looked immaculate. Rec room looked pleasant. Gym was decent for what you can expect from an apartment gym. Wish they offered 1 free parking spot per unit, but alas it's an extra charge. Overall a top 3 choice of mine in the area. And like I said, the customer service from Janet and Lily was top notch, I cannot say...