Apartment Review for Scottsdale Fifth Avenue Apartments - Scottsdale, AZ

The GOOD: when the apartments are vacated, the management is improving them with new cabinets and countertops, and new carpet in some cases. The units are all either studios or one-bedrooms, so pretty much no families, which is a big plus (at least in my book). RIGHT NOW, most of the residents seem quiet and law-abiding.

The BAD: however, that quiet does not extend to their dogs, and nearly every jughead that lives here has one that barks constantly (at 550 or 630 sq. ft., these apartments are really too small for dogs). The people noise is relatively low, although there are some young people that congregate in the courtyard on late nights, and a sewing circle of middle-aged people that have taken over the upper deck BBQ area and can get loud.

The UGLY: said BBQs are never cleaned, and maintained in very poor condition. I quit using them two years ago due to safety concerns (and also because I couldn't use them in peace due to the above-mentioned old farts).

Parking is pretty good, although there have been quite a few break-ins (I'm safe due to owning an old truck). About a year ago, we had private security, but they're gone now, and they were useless cop/soldier wannabes when they were here.

The manager has (probably unlawfully- I haven't checked with the city yet) taken over a handicapped space in the front of the building as her own parking space. The inconsiderate but able-bodied jerks that live here routinely park in the rear handicapped space, so if you are disabled or will have disabled visitors, you're usually U.S.C.

I have no faith in the manager's ability to correct problems, but thankfully, I've had no major maintenance issues recently. The current manager has lasted longer than most of her predecessors (we were getting a new one every couple of months for a while), for whatever that's worth. But my impression is that she's coasting in this position, so I wouldn't depend on her for much.

Many of the tenants, while currently fairly well-behaved for the most part, have assorted chemical issues, so if that's a concern, now you know. Also, the quality of the tenants tends to go in cycles, so we're probably due for another round of screaming drunken fights and heavy police presence here in the coming months. The cooler weather tends to encourage people out of their apartments into the common areas, and the loud partying will crank up.

FWIW, I'm seeking to flee here for a variety of reasons (not all of them related to the property or management), but haven't found much better in Scottsdale. As soon as I do, I'm gone.