"NEW" Arkledun Apartments 130 St. Joseph's Drive, Hamilton
You simply must visit the web site for this building before you read this.....
Is that car from the early 1950's? Oh my, if they can't update their pictures what is the building like?
BE AFRAID.....Its not too often that an older building will give away money or show incentives to new renters, but this one does. NLM - No Last Month rent is required and they also include a free parking space under ground for one year.....Whats the catch?
MURDER !!!!!!!!!!!
Thats right. As quoted in the Hamilton Spectator on July 1/07 www.thespec.com/article/214014. Residents awoke to load gun shots around 1 am from the stair-well. Management was not quick to give a statement but the apartments super-intendant said "probably drug related....looked like a shifty character........
So are we starting off on a good note? No wonder they are offering a few perks. Now its time to get down the the remainder of this post and have a look inside and outside the Arkledun...
Building Exterior - Watch out for falling objects. The outside of the building is greatly aged and is starting to fall away from the main structure. Missing bricks, broken garage doors, horribly cracked pavement and garbage....I guess the entire fron and side area of the building are used for free dumping. There is everything from couches, househild garbage and even rusted bicycles littering the yard way and supposed trails.
Building Interior - The enterance way recently been updated, but above and beyound that, its back to the 30+ year old paint, wallpaper and uncleanliness you may fear after reading this blog so far.
Units - This review is of a 2 bedroom unit on the 4th floor. Other units may vary slightly. So for a 2 bedroom you are looking at approx., 1200sq feet for around $900/mth plus utilities. Not a bad price for what you get. The units are spacious, with a very long rectangular master bedrooms, smaller 2nd bedroom and fair sized living room/dining rooms. If you are able to get up to the 9th floor or above you maybe able to get a nice view...otherwise, buy some nnice curtains!
Please feel free to add comments or to send me your experiences from this building or others in the Hamilton/Burlington area..........
posted by NurseMom @ 10:14 PM
13 Comments:
At June 30, 2009 2:48 PM ,
Anonymous said...
I have lived in the Arkledun for over two years now and it is a fabulous place. You will not find better landlords!! They have doen so much this past year to fix things up, the driveway has been repaved, new windows are being installed in all apartments. The noise level is good and there is a huge fenced in yard behind the building, great if you have a dog!! I can not say enough good about this place
At August 13, 2009 8:58 AM ,
Anonymous said...
Nicer landlords? Yeah,right. This is Destaron Property Management nowhere NEAR a "better" landlord - they are the worst! I've seen the property manager laugh and rub his hands together about firing people - hands down the most malevolent character I have ever met! The front of Arkledun is in tatters. I remember pulling up to take a look and was astonished that the City even allowed pedestrians near the facade because it is decaying so badly. The landlords actively look for reasons to charge the Tenant for fees such as for the painting over of dark paint and wear and tear allowed by the Landlord and Tenant board is chalked up as unreasonable damage by Destaron and they threaten people with court (they prey on fear meanwhile they'd NEVER win). At one time they were asking for a key deposit (ILLEGAL!!!!).
On another occasion, they forced a member of the Canadian Armed Forces to pay out his lease because he was called to duty by the army and had to leave (or risk military arrest).
I would NOT do business with Destaron Property Management, and I would not be a tenant of their's. This is a warning to everyone out there - stay away from Destaron-owned Properties!!!!
At October 18, 2009 5:29 PM ,
Anonymous said...
I have lived in the Arkledun apartments for over 10 years and am very happy with the way the building is kept. Yes, we did have a murder, but at that time the manager didn’t seem to care whom they let live in the building. The new superintendent and managers of the building are doing a much better job and the undesirables are gone. The victim was a really nice polite young man. He would always ask if it was all right to come on the elevator if he had his dog with him and would always tell you to have a nice day when you were getting off. I have never seen any missing bricks in fact Destron hired a company to ‘point’ the concrete in the brickwork to insure this would not happen. Yes, the garage doors break now and then (don’t close) but what garage door opener doesn’t break down? When it happens it is usually fixed the same day. As to the garbage, I have seen the superintendents clean up items that have blown in from other areas even gone across the road to the sidewalk and clean that area as well. Yes, there are household items, pieces of carpet, mattresses, etc. piled but it is at the end and side of the driveway (where the garbage dumpsters are kept) and it is picked up the same week by the garbage men. Destaron has done amazing renovations in the building - all the underground parking was redone with the addition of extra lighting and a camera security system, the laundry room has been totally redone with new washers and dryers, the entranceway was gutted and redone, the driveway has been redone, all the windows in the building have been replaced and are much nicer and quieter. They are also going to redo all the hallways, replacing the carpets, wallpaper and lighting to make them brighter. I am very happy with the way the building has been kept since the arrival of the new superintendents and managers, as they are always very friendly, accommodating and keep the building clean. Who would you believe - someone who has an axe to grind or a long time resident?
At December 4, 2009 12:40 PM ,
Anonymous said...
I totally agree with you, this apt is amazing!!! i recomend it to ANYONE!! the apts are HUGE, new windows, its fabulous and to teh person who is constantly putting up nagative comments about it, you must really cary a grudge or something..lighten up will ya!
At February 18, 2010 9:03 AM ,
Anonymous said...
SHILLS! Please be advised readers that these "amazing" comments are from the unfortunate employees and/or Destaron's owners and nothing more. Nothing about that building can be described as "amazing" - even objectively. I was just at the Arkeldun building on St. Joseph's last Friday - what "work"? It looks so shotty outside that it looks abandoned! It looks ugly and unkept from the access on the backside as well. It hasn't seen repairs since the 70s (but it's nice to see that you've got a sign up saying that new windows will be put in - I wonder how much you'll try to squeeze out of your tenants in rent increases for that?). The only plus side is that it's on a quiet street with little traffic and it's close to the hospital and public transportation (Go train), but you won't reap the rewards of quiet living arrangements if your apartment faces the backside and you can forget being treated with any fairness or respect if one particular in-law is the property manager!
At March 7, 2010 10:09 PM ,
Anonymous said...
I was there on Saturday to view an apartment and I was really impressed with the cleanliness in the building and the apartment itself. The windows have clearly been recently replaced. I have lived in a lot of horrible apartments in the past, resulting in 6 moves in the past 5 years. I have yet to see an apartment of that size with that level of cleanliness and at that price.
At April 11, 2010 10:50 PM ,
Anonymous said...
I Have lived in 4 different buildings this is the fifth and I am totally AMAZED by this one. It is an EXCELLENT building with an outstanding view. everytime we have guests over they are so impressed with how well-maintained this building is. NEW parking, NEW laudry, New windows, new lobby new heating system new pipes and pumps in the entire building, NEW roof and NEW driveway and they gave us new tub and faucets and tiles in the washrooms and new dishwasher. I NEVER EVER wanna leave this building. Everytime i put in a workoreder its eithert done the SAME day or MAx the next day. ITS every penny worth. U need to see to believe it. The staff has BEST people. I am so happy that i choose this buildoing never have been this satisfied before.
At April 14, 2010 12:39 AM ,
Anonymous said...
i have been in the building for 2+ years...dont have any complaints about the building or landlords. moved in to brand new carpets, faucets, and fixtures in the bathroom and kitchen, new dishwasher and fridge. any time i place a work order its fixed either that day or the next, at MY convience. in the past 2 years ive seen new windows, upgraded security in the parking garage, new lobby, updated pipes in the units, rebuilt balconies.
the only complaint i do have about this building is some of the people that live here that are disrespectful...ex: garbage in the hallways/elevators, loud music.
i have seen 2 rent increases however with the amount of work done, i can't complain...i actually hope it continues to go up, maybe it'll clear out the misfits that disturb and disrespect others...
At April 17, 2010 10:46 PM ,
Anonymous said...
The elevators are from the early 70s. And they run like they are 40 years old.. What a dump.
At August 11, 2010 10:39 PM ,
Anonymous said...
I have lived in Arkledun apts (130 St. Joseph's Drive) for just under two years, and I have had the most pleasant renting experience of all of the places I have ever lived while living here(and since I travel for my work, I have lived in over 10 different buildings in 7 different cities in the last 10 years).
The staff are amazing and probably the best part of living here. The building managers and support staff are warm, accommodating, sincere and efficient. Work orders are completed within hours, maintenance in the building is excellent and renovations (new pipes, new windows) are constantly being made to improve the building.
The units themselves are huge and when I moved in, they replaced all of the carpeting, I got brand new bathroom and kitchen flooring, all new bathroom fixtures as well as a new tub. The building is located at the end of a "blind ending" street and therefore there's no heavy traffic to contend with. The views (either of the escarpment or the city) are beautiful and as someone else mentioned there is a huge fenced-in yard which is perfect for dog owners.
I have no idea why "people" (my guess is one disgruntled person leaving multiple posts) keep on their campaign to smear this place or it's managers. I have recommended this place to friends and would recommend it to anyone else.
At July 4, 2011 3:25 PM ,
Anonymous said...
I have lived in the Arkeldun for 12 years and have seen a lot of renovations. When I first moved in I thought the building was great and the view spectaular. Now with all the updates it is the best value for your money in the city. The landlords are great. As for the murder, the nice young man only lived in the building, we were told by authories that there was no drug dealing from this address, the murderers were from Toronto and apparently found his home. What the reason was it was suspected it had something to do with drugs, but except for the fact that his home was here there was no other connection. This building is as secure as you will find anywhere. I think the bitter comments above are mostly from people who have never lived in the building and have a bone to pick with Destron (not Destaron). Be careful what you read, come and see for yourself.
At July 26, 2011 4:51 PM ,
Anonymous said...
actually, the good comments are not from employees. I have lived in the building for over 20 years and have seen landlords come and go. None of them have been unreasonable. The murder did happen, It happened right outside my apt actually. It was incredibly brutal and it was very, very sad for the victims family and any comments beyond that are in very bad taste. Horrible things happen to people in many places. The building had nothing to do with it. The building is clean, the people are nice and updates are done to the building on a regular basis. The apartments are large and very well maintained and any concerns I've ever had have been addressed politely and promptly.
At August 24, 2011 2:36 PM ,
Anonymous said...
I have lived in this building for 3 years and have no complaints. Superintendants are always available and helpful, building is clean and maintained and my apt. is HUGE! Please don't put any faith in the negative comments here and have a look for yourself if considering this building.
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