<html> <head> <TITLE>[ chase arbor sucks ]</TITLE> <META name="keywords" content="chase arbor, hampton roads apartments, Hampton Roads Apartments"> <META name="description" content="A collection of stories about problems with Chase Arbor Apartments. The apartment complex you don't want to rent from in Hampton Roads"> <META http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META http-equiv="EXPIRES" content="-1"> <META http-equiv="PRAGMA" content="no-cache"> <style> <!-- td { padding:5px; font-family: Verana; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing:1px;} P { text-align: justify; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height:16px; letter-spacing: 0px;} .header { font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; padding-bottom: 20px; padding-top: 10px;} .subheader { font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; padding-top: 10px; border-top: 1px dotted #000000; width: 600px; } .title { font-family: Verdana; font-size: 26px; font-weight: bold; padding-top: 10px; } .subtitle { font-family: Verdana; font-size: 18px; font-weight: italic; padding-top: 10px; } IMG { border: 1px solid #000000 } .leftnav strong { font: bold 12px Verdana; } .leftnav ul { margin-left:10px; margin-top:10px; } .leftnav ul li { margin:4px 0px; } --> </style> </head> <body> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="border-bottom: 2px solid #000000;"> <span class="title">Chase Arbor Sucks:</span><br><span class="subtitle"> A Collection of the Experiences of <a href="http://www.fstreamz.com/" target="_blank">Luke Bilger</a> from when he lived there.</span> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="200" valign="top"> <table width="200" valign="top"> <tr> <td class="leftnav"> <p>Check out:<br /> <a href="http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/VA-Virginia-Beach-Chase-Arbor-Apartments.html" style="font-weight:bold; font-size:14px;" target="_blank">Chase Arbor Reviews</a> </p> <strong>People like you</strong> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/VA-Virginia-Beach-Chase-Arbor-Apartments-739432.html" target="_blank">Save yourself and run....fast!</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/VA-Virginia-Beach-Chase-Arbor-Apartments-732927.html" target="_blank">Bad Bad Bad do NOT move here </a></li> <li><a href="http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/VA-Virginia-Beach-Chase-Arbor-Apartments-731109.html" target="_blank">Don't even consider Chase Arbor as an option </a></li> <li><a href="http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/VA-Virginia-Beach-Chase-Arbor-Apartments-703958.html" target="_blank">High price ghetto </a></li> <li><a href="http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/VA-Virginia-Beach-Chase-Arbor-Apartments-614895.html" target="_blank">who the hell lets people live in this conditions </a></li> <li><a href="http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/VA-Virginia-Beach-Chase-Arbor-Apartments-679484.html" target="_blank">I HOPE YOU ENJOY HAVING YOUR VEHICLE TOWED </a></li> </ul> <br /> <br /> <strong>Chase Arbor Management</strong> <ul style="margin-left:10px;"> <li><a href="http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/VA-Virginia-Beach-Chase-Arbor-Apartments-698829.html" target="_blank">OMG LOVE IT SO MUCH</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/VA-Virginia-Beach-Chase-Arbor-Apartments-603337.html" target="_blank">I NEVER WANT TO OWN A HOUSE BECAUSE ITS SO GREAT</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/VA-Virginia-Beach-Chase-Arbor-Apartments-167749.html" target="_blank">I JUST LIKE TO USE CAPS AND A SHORT PARAGRAPH TO LET YOU KNOW HOW WONDERFUL, COZY AND SPACIOUS THIS PLACE IS.</a></li> </ul> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p><b>Mail Me Your Story:</b><br><a href="mailto:chasearborsux@fstreamz.com">chasearborsux@fstreamz.com</a></p> <p><b>21</b> people helped.<br /> Quick responses!</p> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td style="border-left: 2px solid #000000"> <table width="500"> <tr> <td><span class="header" style="color:#FF0000">Update!</a></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="color:#FF0000"> <p>This was originally a post on how google completely removed the link to this page from their search results. However, recently I've been added back and am #2 under apartment ratings. So I'm happy.</p> <p>It has been more than 2 1/2 years since we left Chase Arbor. Unfortunately, I still get emails from disgruntled residents who wished they read my page before they moved in. I also get some thank you's from people who were steered clear from chase arbor because of this page. I'm not writing this for any type of glory; I took the time to do it for future renter's of Va Beach. I wasted a lot of time and money at Chase Arbor and I don't want people to have to go through the same thing. A lot of people email me for apartment advice on where to look etc. Here is a couple of places they should look first. The staff and the apartments and the reasonable pet fees are superb. <ul><li><a href="http://www.theapartmentgallery.com/States_Site/Virginia/KingsGrant/KingsGrant.htm" target="_blank">Kings Grant Landing</a></li><li><a href="http://www.theapartmentgallery.com/States_Site/Virginia/Legends/Legend.htm" target="_blank">Legends At the Beach</a></li></ul></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <span class="header">My Experiences (June 2001 - January 2003)</span> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <p> I hope to document on this page the frustrations and headaches I experienced while living at Chase Arbor Apartments, 1500 Chase Arbor Common, Virginia Beach, Virginia 23462. There are quality apartments in all of Hampton Roads and Chase Arbor is not one of them. This page was made for you, the future renter, because deep down I wish someone had warned me before I put up with 19 months living at Chase Arbor.</p> <p>I have included some pictures on this page but unfortunately I do not have all the pictures I'd like, to illustrate my points. All these photos, with the exception of the satellite shots, were taken by me on the day Kris and I moved out. Understand what I just said: the holes, carpet, stains that you will see in the pictures were taken the day I moved out. They were never fixed while I lived there. </p> <p>I do promise you that everything I stated here is true. Nothing has been fabricated to add to the stories, and no the names won't be changed to protect the management. May they suffer as I have suffered.</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <span class="subheader">My First Week. (June 2001)</span> <p>During the week of June 20th, 2001, I started moving into my apartment at 1543 Chase Arbor Common. I moved most of my furniture and planned on spending the night there. I was getting ready for bed so I changed into shorts and threw the jeans I was wearing in the corner of my bedroom closet. The next morning I noticed that my jeans were soaked. I felt underneath them and the carpet in the corner of the closet was soaked as well. It was Saturday so I called management and they sent a man out to look at it. He "thought" it was my bathtub drain and resealed it. He also mentioned while he was fixing it that the lady that lived in this apartment immediately before me had the same problem and they never fixed it. That made me feel all warm and fuzzy.</p> <p>Later that night, a revelation occurred to me. The stains on the carpet in the bedroom were varnish stains from the previous lady's furniture! These stains were old and I noticed them when I first moved in. I thought nothing of them. Now I realized that at one point in time the carpet inside the bedroom was soaked from the closet to the bedroom door. Furniture must have sat there and the water eventually washed off some of the furniture finish and as a result, the carpet was stained. Also that night, I noticed that half of the carpet in my closet was soaked and I hadn't taken a shower that night. Hrm! must not be the bathtub after all.</p> <center><a href="images/bedroom-varnishstains.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="images/thumb_bedroom-varnishstains.jpg" border=0></a></center> <p>By Monday, all of the closet's carpet was completely soaked. I went to work and from there called management again. They sent someone out to the look the situation over but I wasn't home so I don't know what was done. I assumed nothing. </p><p> On Wednesday, I jumped out of bed barefooted and stepped on cold, wet carpet. The water had spread and now covered 1/4 of my bedroom as well as my closet. I again called management to let them know. I again heard nothing that night.</p> <p>Finally, on Thursday, the patience ran out. I called and asked for the head of the Maintenance Staff. I got patched through to Jimmy and I clearly explained to him my situation. I gave him permission to do whatever was necessary to fix it--rip the closet wall apart, the bathroom wall--whatever. Just get it fixed.</p> <p>That night I went home and there was a note on my door. Here it was a condensation leak from the third floor. The drainage pipe for the A/C was cracked and it was leaking in the wall. I thanked Jimmy on Friday for fixing it, ignoring the fact it was the 4th time and also the fact that he never patched the hole or fixed the carpet in the bedroom. I thought he would do this on Friday.</p> <center><a href="images/closet-hole.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="images/thumb_closet-hole.jpg" border=0></a> <a href="images/bedroom-closetcarpet.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="images/thumb_bedroom-closetcarpet.jpg" border=0></a></center> </td></tr><tr><td> <span class="subheader">The Late Rent Check (August 2001)</span> <p>Chase Arbor's rent policy was that rent was due on the 1st of every month but the grace period extended to the 5th. If you pay after the 5th, its 10% of your rent late fee ($64 dollars for me) I didn't get back from an out-of-state trip until the night of the 5th so I called in work and let them know I'd be late. I waited till the office opened their doors at 9am and immediately walked in to hand them my rent check. I was hoping they wouldn't make a big deal out of it and that they'd be understanding that I was out-of-town from the 1st - 5th, but at their door right away on the 6th. Well, Clementine thought otherwise. She told me that I would have to pay the $64 fee and that a check wasn't allowed anymore, that I'd have to pay with money order. I noticed the other office lady was going through ALL the rent checks, writing them down and counting the amounts etc. I didn't know why Clementine couldn't "<i>Exceed my expectations</i>" and put my rent check in that pile because the only difference between those checks and my check was they were on the table and mine was in my hand. I called in work and told them I'd be another hour late since I had to go to Farm Fresh and get a money order for rent + the late fee ($640 + $64). I later noticed the mail slot at the main office that I could have slipped my check in late night/early morning anyway. STUPID STUPID ME. But, I didn't so I a) missed 2 hours from work and b) had to pay the extra $64 and c) had to drive around town trying to get a money order. </p> </td></tr><tr><td> <span class="subheader">My Neighbor (Spring 2002)</span> <p>First some background on my neighbor. He was an older man, mid-40s, always dressed in a tie and suit coat, drove an old car that I hardly ever saw parked there. It seemed he travelled alot and rented the apartment to stay in during part of the month.</p> <p>Anyways, I came home from work one day and noticed a water line about 6" up on the back end of my linen closet. This closet was on the wall dividing his apartment and my own. I also noticed maintenance men working in my neighbors apartment next door. According to one, something happened with the water heater and it exploded or leaked or something to that nature. This explained the damp drywall on the back of my linen closet. Maintenance was working on his apartment for days. I also a week later noticed a sign on the door to the effect "<i>Maintenance, cease from doing any more work on this apartment as requested from the lessee. -Management</i>". This was odd to me since I thought Management and Maintenance would have a better communication line than a taped piece of paper on my neighbor's door. I would come to find out first hand what a horrible communication system Maintenance and Management had. (See The Leak: "5th Time" Section)</p> <p>My neighbor also moved out pretty quick after this but I know he stayed in the area. How do I know this? Cause about 10 months after he moved we bumped into each other while voting for city officials at the church down the street. (November 2002)</p> </td></tr><tr><td> <span class="subheader">Forgot a Bag of Trash -- $25 fee (September 2002)</span> <p>When I cleaned my apartment, I usually had a big bag of trash so I would sit it outside the door and throw it in the dumpster when I left for work the next morning. One morning I forgot. When I came home for lunch, I had a note on my door saying that maintenance found trash outside my door and they threw it away and it would cost me $25 dollars extra on my next rent check. I was amazed. The funny thing about this note is two weeks earlier in the breezeway, there was blue siding, white siding and white stair weaving that was laying there for over a month. Maintenance didn't rush to pick that up, they just left it lay. On the other hand, they immediately picked up my bag of trash, told the office about it, and lil ole me got charged $25 bux. Once again, Chase Arbor "Exceeded my expectations!" I would have thrown it away during lunch.</p> <p>What interests me about this story is the following, taken from <a href="http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/vd/757495980023462/true/118005.html" target="_blank">here</a>:</p> <p><i>" The grounds are constantly trashed and poorly maintained. One of my buddies set a beer bottle in the middle of a stairway 3 1/2 weeks ago just to see.... still there. "</i></p> <p>Just let a bag of trash out, they'll pick it up for $25 bux.</p> </td></tr><tr><td> <span class="subheader">Fiance's car was towed -- (July 29th 2002)</span> <p>Kris came down during the last weekend in July to move some of her possessions into my place as well as accompany me to my friend's wedding. Kris and I were to be married in two weeks. Well, Monday, I went to work and she was getting ready to drive home. At work, I got a call from her. She was almost in tears cause her car wasn't there and she thought it was stolen. At first, I was shocked cause I thought it was stolen, but then it hit me it could have been towed. I drove home immediately and called the office.</p><p> The lady at the office gave me the tow truck company's number and told me that they don't know what cars get towed off the property. This shocked me. I was so mad. So, pretty much what that meant was a tow truck company can just drive around and tow any car they want since they have 100% permission from the office to do so. </p><p>I went in that office and confronted them about it. Clementine was in there doing her nails as well as Carlos, some punk maintenance guy. I asked them why her car was towed and they said cause it was probably parked in a resident spot. They didn't really know. I asked where the "<i>Resident Parking: Violators will be towed</i>" signs were and Clementine told me that they had two up. I told them they didn't count cause they weren't placed for, nor made for 75% of the parking in Chase Arbor. They knew they couldn't fool me with that so they went into lies on how they sent out multiple notices telling us that the once free-for-all parking would be converted to resident and that we should have been made aware...bla bla bla. Carlos was sticking up for them yelling back at me (3 on 1) so I decided to leave before I punched his face in. After all they had a 100 million dollar company behind them and could afford lawyers and a trial, I on the other hand was losing money because some overweight bald guy was driving around at night towing cars.</p><p> Kris and I then went to the junkyard on the other side of town and paid the guy $70 dollars cash (that I had to pull from the money I was saving for our soon-to-be honeymoon) to get her car back. It was such a wonderful experience and I'm glad Chase Arbor cheated me out of more of my money. However, let me take time and explain all of this bullshit in even more detail.</p> <p>When I first moved in Chase Arbor, I had a two co-workers who rented separate apartments there: Christian Manzella and Kathy Bongiorno . They lived in the northwest section of Chase Arbor so both had assigned parking spaces. This section had a limited number of parking spaces, so Chase Arbor decided to make it numbered parking. They also put signs up on the permiter of this section saying it was "numbered parking: violators would be towed." See the satellite shot below for explanation.</p> <center><img src="images/resident-parking.jpg" border=0></center> <p>Everything else in Chase Arbor was free-for-all because parking was plenty There was never any problems around the apartment houses in my section. However, around April 2002, a memo was distributed to us letting us know that in the coming weeks the parking spaced would be painted with "Resident" and that there would be designated "Visitor" parking. There were no specific dates. Around June, I noticed that "Resident" was painted on some of the spots and others were left blank. AFTER my fiancee's car was towed, I would discover that if it didn't have "Resident" painted on it, it was Visitor Parking. The only two signs they had up (which Clementine used as examples) were there since before I moved in and were used for the context of that northwest corner lot (in green). No additional signs were added after the parking spaces were converted.</p> <center><img src="images/parking-overview.jpg" border=0></center> <p>Again, since I've been there, NOONE in my section has ever had a problem with parking or complained. Parking space was plenty. The tow truck did not tow my wife's car cause someone complained. They towed it cause it was in a Resident spot even though most likely there were empty parking spots all around her. And to reiterate, the apartment complex did not monitor the towing agencies nor did they monitor what cars they took. Its all a big scam. I searched the web and found the following reference taken from <a href="http://www.apartmentratings.com/rate/vd/757495980023462/true/131712.html" target="_blank">this source</a>.</p> <p><i>This summer the Integra next to my car was up on cinder blocks on morning with all four wheels gone. There is 1 guest spot per 100 resident spaces and at 2AM every Friday and Saturday a parade of 1-3 towtrucks come crusing into the complext with all of their lights off, slinking from building to building before towing someone´s vehicle away to the Oceanfront. They do NOT leave without someone´s car. Its a scam.</i></p> </td></tr><tr><td> <span class="subheader">The Bathroom Leak (5 times during 2002)</span> <p>Since it happened to me on 5 different occasions, its hard to remember the dates. I do however remember each occurence well. Also, in each of these 5 situations it was fixed for a period of time before it broke again.</p> <span class="subheader">First Time</span> <p>Kris was visiting me that weekend and we were watching a movie. All of a sudden we heard rain and it was coming from inside! I ran to the bathroom and watched as water was seeping through the drywall in the ceiling and covering my bathroom floor. I called maintenance and an older guy came out that night (around 12) and fixed it. I wish I remembered his name cause he deserves a lot of credit. I ALWAYS saw him working whether it was picking up trash or helping someone who locked themselves out in the middle of the night. I never saw him again about 2 months after this incident. I hope and pray he found a better job where he was appreciated more.</p> <span class="subheader">Second Time</span> <p>Approximately 2 months passed since the first time and I was doing homework and again heard the rain coming from inside. I went to the bathroom and sure enough there it was seeping through the drywall getting on my floor. I immediately ran and grabbed my broom and poked a hole through the ceiling directly above my tub. This way the drainage water would find its way to that hole and empty in my bathtub instead of all over my bathroom floor--less cleanup. I had a lot of homework to do so I ceased from calling management that night. I didn't want to be bothered. I called the main office the next day and they sent someone out to fix it for the second time. Also, the hole I knocked in was made larger by the water draining through it and the ceiling itself was nothing but mush so I asked it be replaced.</p> <p>2 weeks later the drywaller shows up. I was at home for lunch at the time so he and I got to "chat". He said that he was always getting called in by Chase Arbor Management to fix ceiling drywall and that they tell him to fix it as quick and cheap as possible. He was telling me how bathtub leaks were common there and that every apartment was shitty. He'd never rent there. Again, I felt warm and fuzzy.</p> <span class="subheader">Third Time</span> <p>I was talking to Kris on the phone. She lived in Woodbridge, VA. at the time, and I heard the magical rain again. I'm like "WHAT THE..NOT AGAIN". The worst thing about this time was I just did my laundry that day. I had nothing but clean towels. In the two incidents before I used dirty towels to mop up the water and then washed the towels in hot water (clorox added of course) shortly after. However, this time I would be forced to pull some clean towels out of the pantry to mop it up. It was always about half-a-bathtub full of water so paper towels were useless. I called management on the emergency number that night and left a message. They called me back and said to wait to the next day since it was "just" bath water. They came out the next day and fixed it for the third time.</p> <span class="subheader">Fourth Time</span> <p>I went to bed early and was awakened by a rain like sound. Yup, bathroom again. I left a message on emergency number and was told the same thing. Next day it was fixed.</p> <span class="subheader">Fifth Time (September 25th, 2002)</span> <center><a href="images/bathroom-ceilinghole.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="images/thumb_bathroom-ceilinghole.jpg" border=0></a> <a href="images/bathroom-ceilinghole2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="images/thumb_bathroom-ceilinghole2.jpg" border=0></a></center> <center><a href="images/bathroom-drywall.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="images/thumb_bathroom-drywall.jpg" border=0> <a href="images/closet-waterdamage.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="images/thumb_closet-waterdamage.jpg" border=0></a></center> <p>The fifth time happened after Kris and I were married on August 10th, 2002. We cleaned it up and I did NOT make a call to the emergency number. I went to work the next day and wrote the following letter and faxed it to them. Here is what the letter said:</p> <p> <i><p>Management: </p> <p></p>Last night, at approximately 8:45 p.m., water poured out of my bathroom ceiling from the upstairs. It was soapy, drainage water from a bathtub. This is the 5th time it has happened over the last year and I would like it fixed right this time. I did not call emergency last night since the 3rd and 4th time it happened I was told to wait to the next day. When I first moved to Chase Arbor, I was greeted with a condensation leak from third floor. It took your crew 3 tries to fix it over 5 days. The first 2 times were  guesses . Oh, I think its your bathtub drainage. By the time you were done, the dampness that started in the corner of my bedroom closet, spread to the bedroom, soaking up the rug underneath the dresser and the one side of my bed. I know this leak problem happened before since I noticed varnish stains on the carpet by the bedroom closet when I first moved in. </p> <p></p>Last week, I forgot to dispose of a bag of trash when I left for work. You promptly charged me a $25 dollar fee. However, 2 weeks ago, you finally saw fit to remove the 3 shades of siding and 3 scrap pieces of stair weaving that you stored in the breezeway outside my apartment for over a month. </p> <p>Also, I still have yet to see any signs with regards to visitor parking or reserved parking when I enter all entrances to my apartment. Contrary to your thoughts, most people do not drive through the little corner where there is numbered parking. Please stop acting like everyone who enters Chase Arbor sees those signs and are informed. </p> <p>My frustrations should be well noted. I was patient through the episode I faced the first week I moved in. I was patient through the first four times the bathtub leaked upstairs, including time #3 when I had to use clean bathroom towels to mop up a bathroom floor full of soapy water. I lost work time, money, and my temper when my fiance s car was towed because both the residents and visitors of Chase Arbor were not properly informed.</p> <p></p>I was excited to move into Chase Arbor. I was excited and happy to tell people about Chase Arbor during my first year. I signed and renewed a seven month lease with you promptly. Those feelings have since changed.. I am sorry for that. Again, please fix the bathtub leak above my bathroom.</p> <p> Thank you, </p> <p>Luke Bilger</p></i> </p> <p>I immediately got a call from Kim at the office. She called me and told me that they only had recorded on computer one bathroom leak incident and not 4. I told her that I had 4 incidents and that this was my 5th. She asked if I called maintenance for any. I'm like "<i>Yes, the 1st, 3rd and 4th times I did</i>". She's like "<i>Oh, We don't record any of the maintenance requests left on the maintenance number. Now this all makes sense.</i>" This floored me. It was really good to know that my apartment complex had great coordination/communication between their maintenance staff and their office staff. Then, I remembered the odd note on my neighbors door from management to maintenance not to do anymore work on his apartment. (I mentioned this above). Yes, it did all make sense then. Again, that day the leak was fixed. Nothing else was mentioned nor were any apologies given for the other incidents. After this scenario, Kris and I would count down the time till our lease was up and wait for the day to move out of this dump.</p> </td></tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> <script type="text/javascript"> var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? 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