I lived at Santini Villa Apartments July 2014-June 2016 in one of the 1BR 1.5 Bath Woodbrook…read moreTownhomes. In 2014 my rent was $1230/mo, in 2015 it increased to $1245/mo in 2015, with heat and hot water included. I paid $35-$65/mo for electricity (Eversource), and $35-55 for internet (Comcast).
The living room had a wall-unit A/C which kept the living room cool, and with fans to help air-flow kept the upstairs cool. The basement kept naturally cool in the summer. (My basement sliding doors were in the shade from 10am on.) In the winter, the basement was a bit cool near the outside wall (socks were necessary), but otherwise the apartment kept very toasty.
The staff were very helpful. I locked myself out 3 times (during office hours) and each time they very promptly drove over with me or lent me a key. After that I did make a copy of my key, which is allowed. If you lock yourself out when the office is closed, it's a $50 call to the locksmith.
The online bill payment system is great - responsive on computer and mobile, and very easy to use. I lived in the apartment above the row's furnace, etc. and one night it started making weird clunking noises. I called the emergency maintenance phone number and they got someone over to repair it within 90 minutes.
My neighboring residents were a stable presence. There was a college-aged couple, several older couples, and at least 2-3 families with young kids in our row. I saw only one of them move out in my 2 years there. There were maybe 1-2 moving trucks a month in the larger vicinity that I saw, but in general, turnover didn't seem particularly high for a large community of rental properties. Also, the soundproofing between apartments is excellent. I never heard my neighbors unless they were vacuuming and we both had our windows open.
The gym at the clubhouse is available to all Santini residents. It was always kept neat and clean, and it's 24 hours. I went at random times, and in general there would be 0-5 other people there. Enough to be friendly, but not crowded and no fighting over the machines.
Snow-plowing was always very prompt, especially salting of the steps. They clear out the visitor spaces and then everyone moves their cars there so they can plow the main parking spaces. It would happen at 8 or 9am, so not compatible with sleeping in, but worth it to have a nice clear lot.
Trick-or-treating is also nice. You grab a sign from the office during October, and on Halloween if you want trick-or-treaters, you put it on your door, otherwise you're left alone. Kids from the complex and other nearby complexes come around, so it's not an overwhelming amount of kids, but enough to make it satisfying to give out candy.
I did sometimes find some house centipedes in the basement as the weather turned cooler, but they are harmless. Also, while some areas of grass are nicely maintained, my back area was a smaller strip that got less attention, and did become a bit dry and weedy during the high months of summer. The kitchen was a bit small in terms of counterspace, but it was manageable so long as I didn't let the dishes pile up. The shower drain also had a weird design that made it a bit difficult to pull out hair that accumulated. In general, pretty minor complaints.
Since at least March 2014, there is a specific Model Home apartment for the Woodbrook apartments that Santini takes prospective tenants to tour. That means you don't have strangers tramping through your home after you decline to renew your lease.
Overall, I loved my apartment here. The staff was friendly and helpful, the apartment was spacious (that basement!!!!!), had big windows, lots of parking space, and the gym and pool were always well maintained. I'm sad to move, but a new job in a new state awaits!
3 weeks after my lease end-date, I have received my full security deposit back with no problems.
