La Renaissance Dorchester

The pictures and website don't match the place, and I felt completely ripped off. The room and lobby were dirty, shady, and smelly. It was so hard to get hold of the landlord, who was unhelpful, rude, and aggressive. He only seemed to care about money and wouldn't do anything for you. I felt insulted and humiliated. He's racist!!!!! I don't know how this place stays in business. It was a nightmare. Never rent an apartment there.

The location is the one thing I have to admit is good. The management is the worst, so please talk to a tenant before moving in and stay away. Check the bedbug registry website, too. My boyfriend rented an apartment at 1650 Boul. Rene Levesque west. The manager, Daniel Li, is the biggest liar I've ever seen. They rent units short term through airbnb as well as long term, so there's a constant flow of visitors and no peace. People have parties and make a lot of noise until midnight, but there's nobody in the office to complain to. For a long-term lease, the owner just wants you to sign. In winter the electricity bill is never under $100 a month, although the manager claims hydro costs only $50 every two months. Problems in the apartment don't get fixed, and you're expected to pay for repairs. The owner doesn't listen to complaints. The building is very dirty, and the office staff are unsupportive and often rude. Laundry costs more than at other downtown buildings: $2.25 to wash and $2 to dry, $4.25 total, and the clothes still come out dirty. If you have a problem with management, they may deactivate your apartment entry door so you can't get in and have to call the police. Then they'll claim the door had a problem, without doing anything about it. There are pictures posted by people who rented a room here, so check those out.

The rooms, lobby, and hallways weren't clean, and the place had very poor security. I saw a lot of people complaining about that. The internet they provide was even slower than dial-up. The owner seemed careless and only interested in money, while the office workers weren't friendly. Their information about the rooms and facilities was wrong, too. Don't trust what they tell you by phone or on the website. The ad photos aren't of the actual room.

The location was good, and the only really great thing was Mono Cafe next door on the ground floor. The room and basement were dirty and smelled bad. The Wi-Fi barely worked.