Riverwood at New Canaan — Local services in New Canaan

We lived here 1 year in a 3 bedroom, 2 bath attached garage apartment.

The staff were always very professional and attentive.

We initially liked the floor plan and the attached garage was great. The maintenance staff (Raul) were fantastic and unfortunately we had to see them quite frequently because our water heater had issues 3 times along with some minor things. Another issue we encountered was that the heating system was not able to heat the bedrooms sufficiently in the winter. They failed to solve this problem and basically suggested to leave the bedroom doors open if we wanted those rooms to receive heat from the living area since the vents in the bedrooms stuggled to deliver sufficient heat.

The ultimate reason I felt I had to write this review was for some very important transparency, that if we had known may have influenced our decision to move in: as our 1 year contract was coming to an end, we received a lease renewal intention form under our front door just 3 months short of end date with the news that should we chose to renew - our best rate would be 17% more than our current rent!

We went to the office in person to discuss the increase. The associate told us that you should calculate with an average 4% annual increase in rent (which they didn’t tell us when we moved in). He said he’d try to work something out but was unable to do so. We were able to follow the apartment online and saw that it failed to rent until they dropped the rent several times until it was down to our previous, initial rent. Now it seems to be rented or at least no longer listed.

Although convenient, the Avalon does not in our opinion meet the standards in quality of living we had hoped it would when we moved in. The steep rent increase after just one year, although in our budget, felt ridiculous as we weren’t getting anything more for the money and left us feeling anxious because if this was the increase after one year, what’s to say we won’t have another 17% increase the following year?

So in conclusion- Avalon New Canaan is convenient, has great staff and is a quick fix for many but there’s no question why you’ll see an almost constant presence of moving...

The apartment complex is built with the cheapest materials, some of which fail immediately (for example, sealant in the bathroom sinks), and some barely function (including, in my case, balcony doors, closet doors, sink garbage disposal). There is no sound isolation, especially between floors.  Windows are not properly sealed and you pay more in energy bills.  The complex is infested with flycatcher insects (look up those beauties!), and management did nothing about my complaint for a month, at which time the temperature has changed and insects left.

Avalon applies fake charges to residents' accounts, and I mean those beyond (!) the $100/month amenity fee, "Sewer", "Service Fee", and "Service 2", all of which they conveniently 'forget' to mention when you visit the complex looking for a rental unit.  I had to involve BBB to resolve those. They were resolved in my favor, but it took many months.

Avalon raises rent 12-15% every year independently of the real estate market in the area.  There is a cost and inconvenience to moving, and it seems like your yearly rent grows by about the moving expense.  There is no end to the rent hikes -- the rent will continue increasing until they price you out.  Nothing personal, just business.

Forget about your deposit.  Avalon will find a reason to keep it.  You may have to go to court to get it back.  Most people do not.  I wonder if this is a part of Avalon's business model.

Most people who lived here and had bad experience, of which there is absolute majority by my count, do not leave the reviews. They are too happy to finally get out and do not want to bother. This skews the average rating significantly, beyond the point at which those can be trusted. Read Avalon reviews on BBB by real residents to get a clear picture.

On the positive side, maintenance staff are excellent and site manager is very good.  They deserve the one star...

We’ve been living in Avalon for a few years now, and my family has always considered this place a home. It’s a beautiful community, newly renovated and very well maintained. These are not the only things that make this place so special to live in. There is a group of people who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure everyone is accommodated. They all deserve special recognition: Pasquale Cardone, Luis Chavez, Gabriel Chicas, Vitalina Galicia – you guys are amazing and I am so happy to get to know all of you. If it would not be for your dedication, exceptional customer service and full charge maintenance support around the clock, I wouldn’t be writing this review. Whenever I have had to reach out to the maintenance team after business hrs or even during the night, Gabriel was in our place in a matter of minutes. He always comes fully prepared, with a big smile on his face, radiating calmness and control. He goes above and beyond in order to fix an issue. And if it’s not in his power to eliminate the problem right away, he would do his best to make a situation for us as comfortable as possible. Last summer our AC broke down during a heat wave late at night. He provided my family with portable AC units and did not leave our place until the temperature in the rooms was comfortable enough for my children to sleep in. There are many more examples of the exceptional service the maintenance team provides to the residents Thanks to all of you and very special thank you to Gabriel, for all your hard work, dedication and support around the clock. Warm...