Local Guides World
Marek Myszko
1 reviews on 1 places
Strongly Advised to Avoid Fourth Street East
After spending 2.5 years at Fourth Street East (FSE) and moving out a year ago, I feel compelled to share my experience, especially after a recent frustrating interaction with the FSE management.
Initially, things seemed promising. The management team was accessible and friendly, contributing positively to our community with events like Zoom painting and beer tasting, which were enjoyable especially during the lockdown.
However, the arrival of a new Community Manager marked a turning point. Not all the problems there lie at the feet of the manager, but the Community Manager sets the tone for the building, and the new one was one of avoid at all costs, avoid interactions with the tenants, avoid taking responsible for problems and avoid implement any solutions. A striking example of this was the sudden dismissal of nearly all the staff one morning, leading to a near standstill in maintenance and management for several weeks.
By 2022, the situation worsened, particularly in terms of security. There were repeated thefts from the parcel rooms, a break-in of USPS mailboxes, and vehicle break-ins in the supposedly secure garage became regular occurrences. Parking became chaotic, with non-residents frequently occupying paid spaces. The building’s front doors and secure bike park were often compromised (5-6 break ins into the secure bike store during our stay), further exacerbating security concerns. FSE initially installed security cameras to monitor these areas but would not release the recordings to tenants and did not follow up on most of the incidents.
Pets would regularly soil the lifts and lobby, and the area just in front of the main doors constantly smelt of urine. During 2020, the sidewalk was regularly jet washed (as the other apartment blocks in the area do to this day) but that stopped under the management. One day, a tenant let off a fire extinguisher in the hallway which caused the building to be evacuated, but no follow up. We regularly bump into the person responsible in the elevator.
By the summer of 2022 and coming up to our 2nd renewal, we realized we were paying over the odds for what was sold as luxury apartments. Yes, the actual apartments are nice (walls a bit thin, you could hear the neighbors TV but that’s the same in most new blocks), the location was great, but the service and management were appalling. Surprisingly, the actual move-out process was straightforward. There was an initial issue with the move out statement, a charge for some damage to a stove top but by referring FSE to our moving inventory which had a picture of the damage, a week later, the charge was removed and FSE sent us a check for the balance of our security deposit. No more communication
Fast forward 14 months and out of the blue, we received notification from a debt recovery agency of a charge from FSE which turns out to be for the original moveout statement. I initially tried to contact FSE, but true to form, the person on the front desk said they would call back but nothing. And no response to any emails I have sent them. I am disputing the charge with the agency, I have all the emails, copies of the accounts and moveout statements and even the check FSE sent me for the balance on the account. We will see how this plays out. Obviously if anyone from FE or GrayStar (the owning company) wish to discuss this, you have my contact details, they are same as the one you sent the refund to!
My strong advice is to avoid FSE. The decline in management quality, unresolved security issues, and the overall lack of accountability significantly overshadow the few positives of living here. For those looking in the area, there are better options not that far away
After spending 2.5 years at Fourth Street East (FSE) and moving out a year ago, I feel compelled to share my experience, especially after a recent frustrating interaction with the FSE management.
Initially, things seemed promising. The management team was accessible and friendly, contributing positively to our community with events like Zoom painting and beer tasting, which were enjoyable especially during the lockdown.
However, the arrival of a new Community Manager marked a turning point. Not all the problems there lie at the feet of the manager, but the Community Manager sets the tone for the building, and the new one was one of avoid at all costs, avoid interactions with the tenants, avoid taking responsible for problems and avoid implement any solutions. A striking example of this was the sudden dismissal of nearly all the staff one morning, leading to a near standstill in maintenance and management for several weeks.
By 2022, the situation worsened, particularly in terms of security. There were repeated thefts from the parcel rooms, a break-in of USPS mailboxes, and vehicle break-ins in the supposedly secure garage became regular occurrences. Parking became chaotic, with non-residents frequently occupying paid spaces. The building’s front doors and secure bike park were often compromised (5-6 break ins into the secure bike store during our stay), further exacerbating security concerns. FSE initially installed security cameras to monitor these areas but would not release the recordings to tenants and did not follow up on most of the incidents.
Pets would regularly soil the lifts and lobby, and the area just in front of the main doors constantly smelt of urine. During 2020, the sidewalk was regularly jet washed (as the other apartment blocks in the area do to this day) but that stopped under the management. One day, a tenant let off a fire extinguisher in the hallway which caused the building to be evacuated, but no follow up. We regularly bump into the person responsible in the elevator.
By the summer of 2022 and coming up to our 2nd renewal, we realized we were paying over the odds for what was sold as luxury apartments. Yes, the actual apartments are nice (walls a bit thin, you could hear the neighbors TV but that’s the same in most new blocks), the location was great, but the service and management were appalling. Surprisingly, the actual move-out process was straightforward. There was an initial issue with the move out statement, a charge for some damage to a stove top but by referring FSE to our moving inventory which had a picture of the damage, a week later, the charge was removed and FSE sent us a check for the balance of our security deposit. No more communication
Fast forward 14 months and out of the blue, we received notification from a debt recovery agency of a charge from FSE which turns out to be for the original moveout statement. I initially tried to contact FSE, but true to form, the person on the front desk said they would call back but nothing. And no response to any emails I have sent them. I am disputing the charge with the agency, I have all the emails, copies of the accounts and moveout statements and even the check FSE sent me for the balance on the account. We will see how this plays out. Obviously if anyone from FE or GrayStar (the owning company) wish to discuss this, you have my contact details, they are same as the one you sent the refund to!
My strong advice is to avoid FSE. The decline in management quality, unresolved security issues, and the overall lack of accountability significantly overshadow the few positives of living here. For those looking in the area, there are better options not that far away