I have lived in and toured many apartment complexes in the area and Kensington West is by far my favorite. The management and staff are absolutely amazing. Maintenance always came within 24 hours to fix the very few issues I had. They have fun events each month and you can tell the staff truly cares about happiness of the residents. The new renovations look fantastic (part of the reason it was hard to leave). There is a wide variety of neighbors but everyone is quiet, nice, and respectful. The only reason I moved out was because I bought a condo from a family member. I was actually very sad to leave, but I would recommend KW to anyone and everyone! read more

My partner and I went to look at Kensington and were absolutely blown away! The renovations they've made are great. Hopeful to move in before summer to utilize that amazing pool. The gym is nice. The grounds were also very clean and well kept. Definitely a top contender! read more

I highly recommend Kensington West Apartments of Ballwin! I had a great experience living here for a year! The only reason I moved was to be closer to the city, and friends. The staff is wonderful, the apartments are beautifully maintained, and clean. I rarely had any issues with the apartment, and whatever issues big or small that came up, was quickly, thoroughly fixed by maintenance. I have only good things to say about this place. If I ever were to move back to the area, I would love to be a resident of Kensington West again! I give them 5-star rating! read more

Since my google review wont show up.. Last May I moved into Kensington. From the second I moved in I had nothing but issues. I was infested with brown recluses. When I asked the management to do something, they "sprayed" & with my ring camera they were in & out of my apartment in less than a minute. So I bought my own spray & sprayed. I fought BIG brown recluses the whole time I lived there. That set aside, my HVAC system was making my dog & I very sick. I have posted a before they cleaned & after. It did absolutely nothing to help us at all. It was a fight to get them to do anything... following this incident, my apartment a few months later started smelling like an electrical fire. When I called in the morning I was told "it's just a fuse it'll go away." This "fuse" was actually wires getting too hot in the HVAC system & melting plastic & other things & because of this, maintenance was in my apartment at 11pm. Instead of just coming the first time I called. Pictures all shown. & that's not all... when the whole buildings pipes started backing into my apartment, I was blown off, once again during day time hours. That was until my neighbors called & then suddenly maintenance is banging on my door at 9pm telling me to not use any faucets. Speaking of water and pipes, when I flooded, I was only offered a fan and when I asked for them to check for mold, I got no response. I was blown off as a single female living alone. There's a lot of minor things, like the baseboards not being finished, very thin walls, loud neighbors, etc. but that's minor compared to everything else I dealt with. I do not recommend living here, I was on the bottom floor, which is like a dungeon half way under ground. Its a high rent for what you get. I'm sad my first apartment was such a train wreck & im frustrated more than anything that I was constantly blown off. (The spider pictures are just some, I have hundreds of pictures) Pictures are tagged in the google review if it ever shows up! read more

This is the first and last time I will ever go into a lease with companies like Kensington West (MICHELSON REALTY COMPANY LLC.) I am 72 and have rental property of my own so I understand the owners side of leases. I have lived here for two years. my lease is coming up for renewal. I thought I would look around and see if there was something a little better maybe bigger maybe cheaper. After doing some research and looking at a few places, my family decided buying a condo would be best. I have lived here two years I always pay my rent a month early, never have had any complaints. I asked management 90 days before the end of my lease if we could mutually come to an agreement so we could end the lease a month early. They would have 90 days to try to rent it. If they couldn't rent the apartment then I would be responsible. They would not accept that offer even after I agreed to forfeit my deposit. If I had a renter like myself in one of my houses I would make an amendment to the lease and agree. read more

This was the first home my fiance and I shared, here at Kensington West Apartments. The rooms were large and featured high ceilings with crown moldings. The appliances were old and faulty, but maintenance was always happy to fix them. What was most outstanding was the property manager, Shauna. That lady could remember everyone's name. Two months after we moved in, I bumped into her on the sidewalk and she knew exactly who I was. I hadn't seen her since we signed the papers! It just really made me feel at home. Another plus was that you could have your rent taken straight out of your account, therefore avoiding any late rent checks. Ok, now on to the bad. We lived on the wooded side of the complex. This was great for shade, but we had a big problem with brown recluse spiders. Kensington went above and beyond to try and fix the problem, even calling us repeatedly to make sure everything was ok. These people really care. The only other bad thing I can say about them is that their dryers usually don't work, but I think that is due to abuse by the other occupants. read more

Kensington West Apartments - From Their Website - Apartments Near Me - Ballwin, Missouri

This apartment complex is the worst. Save your money and avoid all the headaches. They are crooks, they will not give you your security deposit and they will continue to charge you for anything and everything possible. If I could give them a zero star I would! read more

The people in the office are sweethearts and the maintenance is always on top of any issues you have and are quick to come out and fix anything. They constantly have events going on and giveaways. My wife and I had a one bedroom and just moved into our two bedroom and plan on being here until we have a house. This place feels like home. read more

My husband and I moved from Wisconsin to Missouri and this was our first apartment. We were attracted to the price and the amount of space and the management was initially friendly and helpful. However, once we moved in my husband started having severe allergic reactions. We brought this issue up to the management and they offered to have the carpets cleaned. Once that was complete my husband still was having severe reactions. We brought it up again to the management and they stated there was nothing they could do. In fact, when approaching management in person, we sat in the waiting room and listened as the manager yelled at her assistant that there was nothing more she would be doing for us. She actually did not come out of her office to even meet with us. We are very nice people so we were floored. We thanked the nice assistant and left. So we hired a private mold inspector to come in and assess the apartment. He took multiple samples and returned a couple of days later to reveal the apartment was infested with mold in the carpeting and the walls from repeat water damage. We submitted the report with these findings to the management as well as the housing authority and stated we would like to move out immediately or they would be facing legal action. We've never had to threaten to sue anyone in our lives! Only after legal action was threatened did they let us break our lease and allowed us 10 days to find a new apartment. I would never recommend this apartment to anyone. On top of the mold and mildew disaster there were spiders constantly both inside and outside of the apartment and the community laundromat was completely filthy. I am a very forgiving person but I would never recommend this place to anyone. Save yourself your health and well-being and find a cleaner, safer and friendlier place. P.S. Forgot to mention this when I did this review years earlier. They have iron bathtubs in the apartments that are extremely dangerous. I slipped in the shower and hit my head on the side of the tub and wound up with a nasty concussion. Six years later, I still have side effects from this concussion. They are extremely lucky we didn't sue them. read more

Hands down the worst place I've ever lived. I lived here back in 2011. At first glance the apartments seemed clean and well maintained, but live here a couple months and you will quickly pick up on all of the miss-managed issues these apartments have. First, my ceiling in my living room leaked the whole time I lived there. I was in the unit for a month before it ever rained and when it did I was in for a surprise. It took a whole month of me non-stop harassing management to send someone out to fix the leak, and when they did they only had maintenance cut out the damaged drywall from the ceiling and patch it, they did not ever actually fix the leak. It leaked several more times in the year I lived here and their only solution was to keep patching the damaged ceiling. By the time I left you could easily see damp seams in the drywall where water was making its way back in. I'm sure whoever is living in this unit now is still dealing with this problem. As you can see from a few of the previous Yelp reviews here, Kensington is not new to water problems. Many ceilings in a lot of the units leak. I also had a downstairs neighbor tell me that condensation from pipes in the walls was causing damage and mold issues in their unit which the management basically shrugged their shoulders at. Without a doubt though, the worst apartment units here have to be the first floor ones. The first floor units are half underground, and I know for a fact the tenants that lived in two of the units under mine were constantly dealing with flooding. Those units are a total nightmare, and in the year I lived their I had neighbors in those units TWICE have to break their lease because of the constant flooding and Kensington just not giving a flying flip about it. On top of all of this KW wanted to raise my rent by $100 a month the next year. Hahaha, no. You guys can keep your indoor swimming pool units. I just wanted to add that although this review is coming years after I lived here, I got curious about KW and looked them up on Yelp. When I saw newer reviews here with similar issues I decided I should point out that I lived here four whole years ago and that KW obviously isn't making any sort of effort to improve their standards or change their ways. read more

Someone broke into our apartment while we lived there. He had a key and came straight into my room and started going through my things. He did not know I was there and I calmly made my presence known and he left quickly. Luckily, he was only coming for my jewelry. After the police came and investigated, my roommate and I decided to move out immediately. After telling the apt office about it, we had to wait 2 days until they could change our lock. They did not consider it an emergency. In light of these events, we wanted to break the lease and move out sooner than later. They didn't work with us on that and never offered to do anything else, safety or monetary wise. Everyone in the leasing office had the "I don't really care that someone broke into your apartment" attitude. I have told numerous college students and clients at my business who frequently are relocating to the area not to waste their time with this complex. read more

Beautiful complex...wonderful management! I love it here...so quiet it's like living in a beautifuly landscape forest. As soon as you need something fixed they're right on it. The management staff here are always friendly and helpful they want to make sure that you are happy in your home. My apartment is beautiful..crown molding in the open floor plan..very large rooms. I'm very happy here..wish i would have found this community a long time ago... read more

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I have lived here for a year and a half and they have been nothing but good to my family. They call back immediately and follow up if there were any issues. Also, the office staff always remembers your name and your face. It's a big family here and 10/10 recommend read more

Always 5 stars. Beautiful grounds, great open floor plans, 24 hour Fitness Center with a Sauna. The office is always ready and willing to help along with Robert and his maintenance team. Make sure to stop in and take a tour and get a great home. read more

I've lived at Kensington West for almost two years. Pros: The community is nice and are involved, lots of kids, the maintenance crew is thorough, professional and fast, and the staff members in the office are nice. The gym is always clean and the clubhouse is convenient. They have WiFi access and areas to relax. The rent is on the cheaper side so it is good for students, like myself. Cons: The walls are a little thin so if the neighbor is being too loud it can be distracting, and the appliances in my apartment are a little dated (which I'm sure they will update when I move). Overall, I've enjoyed my experience. read more

We currently live here and WILL NOT be renewing our lease when it's up. Our neighbor below is smoking inside (not a problem according to anything contractual and not her fault...she's amazing) However, our son's eczema is so bad from the smoke that his skin is cracking and bleeding and we have been to the dr over it. The claim they did something to the vents...we still smell it. Now that we have aired our house out over the nice weekend to get rid of as much as possible, mind you it's already in our kids clothes (the smoke resides in their room) they want to come over and see if they smell it. they don't have another place for us to live. they want us to pay 2700 to end our lease, even though our KID'S HEALTH IS AT RISK!!!!!!!!! the corporate office gives you the run-around..."oh we will get the regional contact to give you a call...we are not giving you their #...but a week later...NOTHING. They have yet to apologize for the issue or try to do anything. Then she says we are going to play this day by day...ummm our son's health is NOT a game. I would not recommend this place to anyone. read more

I lived there for almost 4 years. A pleasant experience until they tried to screw me when I was leaving. When it was time to renew my lease for another year, I brought the new lease back to them (in the office) and told them that I needed a new one for only 7 months because I was moving in 7 MONTHS. So, they drew up a new lease agreement. At the end of May/beinning of June I moved out and they said they didn't know I was leaving because I didn't give them "one month written notice" and, per the contract, I was automatically renewed for another year!!!! They took June's rent out of my bank account automatically even though I was not living there and I did not authorize it. Now they are trying to get an additional thousands of dollars out of me. I live in NJ/NY and am still dealing with these winners. Is this the kind of place you want to live? My brother lives in Creve Coeur at Olive and 270. Great location, awesome staff, great apts, and the rent is LOW! Check them out; Camden Apts, I think. Don't settle for Kensington West; there's better places out there. read more

DO NOT RENT from Kensington West Apartments. The office staff are rarely around and when they are I found them to be persistently hot headed, hard to deal with and dismissive. When I first moved in I was given my address which I then gave to the Electric Company. The Electric Company had trouble determining which address was mine and asked me to call the office to make sure that I hadn't written anything down incorrectly. When I called, I asked the lady who answered the phone to verify and explain the letter in my address to make sure that I understood. She didn't wait for my sentence to finish before she was very hot, hostile and aggressive. She accused me of writing down the wrong address, which I didn't. She became angry and unmanageable when I asked her to clarify what the E meant, whether it was a building or a specific apartment (I had not moved in yet, I didn't know). She ranted and raved about how it refers to a specific apartment, which it does but an explanation loses its luster when it's screamed at you. She went on and on about how it was the Electric companies fault, but I had only asked her to explain the address and verify it. No one was pointing fingers but her. Shortly after moving in, there was charge that I needed to pay. I called and gave the girl who answered the phone my card number to pay for the charge. She calls me back, angry, going on and on about how the card doesn't work and that I need to call my bank. I said to her that I had used my card that morning and that it had worked fine. She insisted that the card wasn't working, that she had tried it several times and that I needed to either call my bank of give her another card. She was aggressive all through this process as though I had personally offended her. This bill was current and I had been more than happy to comply when asked about it. I thought, maybe something happened since my morning coffee and decided to listen through her exasperated crossness and called my bank. It's 2014, your bank can tell you specifically why a transaction has or has not happened most of the time, especially when they are routine transactions. The lady at the bank, who was incredibly pleasant, explained that the girl had tried it once and had entered in the incorrect expiration date. I called her back and told her that and she refused to accept it. She argued back and forth that she had tried it many times and that she had entered the correct expiration date. Miraculously, however, when I convinced her to try it one more time, it worked. One time I can home from work and my front door was wide open. Nothing was stolen but I had not put in a maintenance request so I called the office. They told me that the people below me had put in a request and that was why maintenance had been in my apartment. That is all fine and good, except they left my front door open and no one informed me. When I pointed out that anyone could have walked right in and stolen anything and not left so much as a fingerprint behind, the lady on the phone was totally dismissive and indifferent. Any time you ask them a question about why something is the way that it is or why something costs what it costs you never receive an answer, you only hear, "That's corporate policy," "Sorry, thats the corporate policy." They take zero responsibility for anything that happens on the premises. It is either your fault or it is corporate policy. There were dozens and dozens of times that it took me two days to get them on the phone. Good luck if you have a package. Moving out was no different. I am not a partier. I had people over from time to time but for the most part it was me and fiancé. The place is too small to entertain. When we moved out it happened to coincide with my fiancé 's bridal shower and we had all of our mothers and grandmothers around wanting to lend a hand. We cleaned that place from head to toe. We filled in the holes from pictures in the walls. The place looked better than it did the day we moved in. When I called to ask about my deposit, they managed to tell me that I owed them another $90 because the carpet would have to be replaced and that the bathroom and fan were dirty. They weren't. They were spotless. It is just a different form of thievery. This place will steal right out of your pockets if you let them. The apartments are terrible. You can hear everything that every neighbor is doing or saying. Our bathroom had a dip in the sink counter that was significant (the apathetic staff said they couldn't replace it). The apartments are small and cramped and then to get anything you have a nice left onto Manchester road. Rent from anywhere other than this place. read more

We are currently residing at KW and initially that similarly to many other folks about the outward appearance of the apartments but after trying to live here our image changed drastically. The furnace wasn't even operating properly in turn prompted the smoke detectors to alarm. My roommate has been experiencing likewise symptoms as another reviewers husband due to mold growing on the ceiling for weak and ill-maintained roofing. There is water damage beginning to seep into the paint. The walls are thin and you can here the whispers of your neighbors. Sound privacy is absent at KW. If you happen to be even a day late on rent you are treated inferior with no respect from management. Speaking of management, we have addressed a number of issues including the aforementioned but they have not tackled many of them and seems as though dismissive of them. The management is disrespectful and laughs at you when you come into complain. Last time I was in the office addressing the three month long problem of the roof and the dog poop scattered across our lawn the last 6 months, one younger assistant in the office began chuckling at my genuine concerns and I felt disrespected in so many ways. OMG!!! Now the black mold. God protect us! Do not move here!!!!! read more

Leasing office is amazing when it comes to residents concerns! Spacious apartments that allow for plenty of storage.

I would NOT feel safe here!!!!!! I had my apartment broken into on Friday 10/25/2013 while I was away on business and the management said that it was not their duty to inform me or fix the door! They were going to leave it wide open the entire weekend. What a joke.... the only thing that makes me more made than Kensington's staff is the fact that you cant give 0 stars for their poor performance!! On separate occasions I have put in maintenance requests for a toilet that never was fixed... they waited until 11pm (when my bathroom was 1/2 flooded) to fix it!!!! BEWARE!!!! DO NOT SIGN A LEASE HERE, IT WILL BE YOUR BIGGEST MISTAKE!!!! read more

My husband and I have lived at Kensington for over 3 years and have enjoyed living here. The community is wonderful and feels very safe. The office staff is also so friendly and always has a smile on their faces. They are also very helpful with any situation you may have. read more

DO NOT MOVE HERE! Since we've moved in, we've had nothing but problems. From office management to apt maintenance. We were completely deceived. Originally, the office staff was polite, inviting & courteous-until the date the lease was signed. PLZ READ ON: We moved here to shorten the commute-big mistake... The assistant mgr, Kali, is completely rude and unprofessional. I have repeatedly attempted to reach her (leaving SEVERAL msgs, letters,etc.) regarding continuous problems with our appliances and ongoing billing errors... I could go on & on. But I will spare the details& just warn anyone considering moving here to reread my first sentence of this review... read more

Apartment was flooded again. Worst management ever!! No permanent solution is being provided to prevent flooding.

The complex looks nice but the leasing office staff is absolutely terrible. I've been living here for over 4 months with nothing but problems. My rent has been drafting higher than my signed contract states and they refuse to fix it even after admitting to it being an error on the part of the leasing agent they also informed me they had since fired due to things like this. Stephanie left me a voicemail saying they would correct the issue and honor the stated price, however she never did, and when I called to find out why it was still drafting incorrectly, she snidely told me they had changed their minds and I could take it up with the property manager before hanging up on me. I came home one day to find a huge puddle in my living room from maintenance pressure washing the unit and it coming in under the door, painting and other finishes inside the unit are very sloppy, the "new" (I was told) flooring in my kitchen is raising up in multiple places, and the noise from surrounding units is worse than any place I've ever been in. I realize being in an apartment some of that is inevitable, but I can literally hear the person above me, very clearly, just taking a phone call. For the hefty rent they charge you're far better off taking your money elsewhere and saving the nonstop headaches. read more

Terrible place to live! Shauna, apt manager, refused to have a meeting with me after my dog was accused of biting another neighbor's dog. I not only had witnesses, my neighbor tried to get me to pay her vet and shot bill after I discovered she lied and never even had the vet appointment. I tried telling this to Kensington office and still they refused to have a meeting with me. Within four days of the "bite" Kensington said they refused the meeting because since the "incident" 4 calls had been made regarding my pet feces not being picked up-unrelated to the bite incident. This obviously was my neighbor's sneaky way of trying to make trouble for me. Still, no meeting to hear my side from Kensington. The next day, my dogs got evicted-only I am still on the lease. My dogs are my KIDS. So now we have no where to go. What a bunch of crap! NEVER AGAIN DON'T RENT FROM HERE. My boyfriend lived here and they kept accusing him of smoking and leaving cig butts-he doesn't even smoke. They are horrible. read more

My GF and I have lived here for over 2 months, and I know this is a small sample size to base my review on, but getting to know the Missy (manager) and her staff and seeing all the things they do to make the community feel comfortable and feel appreciated, I can honestly say I think we made the right choice moving into this place! Our first weekend here, we had a neighbor below us who apparently has been an issue in the past, but was loud and made our whole building smell awful... I simply left a brief message about a maintenance request and mentioned the neighbor. Our maintenance request was fixed and I received a pleasant voicemail from Missy the same day, apologizing for the issues and assured me it will be handled. Neighbor was gone within the week (doubtfully due to my complaint). The apartments are very nice and nice sized, we have a king bed and have loads of room left for a dresser and night stand. The workout facility is nice enough to save me gym membership fees ($15-$20/month) and the pool are looks very relaxing. Missy and her staff are very helpful whenever we have questions and always say "Hi" when we see them. The Ballwin area is a very nice area and our community is quiet. We have recommended Kensington West to several of our friends, and have had several friends and family members comment on how "Comfortable Feeling" the whole area feels. I recommend that you at least talk with them and tour the area.... You'll get an idea of what I'm talking about quickly. read more

I am dealing with a complete and utter mess with this complex! BEWARE! I REPEAT - DO NOT move into Kensington West apartments. I had several issues living in a 2 bedroom bottom ground unit and constantly had to have maintenance called. When I first came to the complex, I specifically asked one of the office workers who showed me the property if there was any water damage issues and she flat out lied and said no. Total LIE! Of course they show you the display model to get you to move in, but when I moved in, the only one available was nothing like their display. I woke up several times to walk into the bathroom to find water all over my bathroom counter, water stains down my shower curtain, puddles streaming down the walls to the floor. I even asked the girl what the average monthly electric bill was usually and she told me approx. $65 / month. That was a total LIE! I don't think my electric bill was ever less than $100 per month. My utility bills were outrages (electric) during both the summer and winter because #1, the air conditioner had to run constantly just to keep it cool (the a/c's are located on the roofs of the building so you can only imagine how much energy it took to reach the bottom ground level). I would come home from work and my apartment would be close to 90 degrees after having my a/c running non-stop because the a/c ran out of Freon numerous times and #2, the heat ran constantly during the winter months because the windows, sliding glass door, and front door had poor insulation. What I found even more odd is that when I first moved in, they wanted me to sign a paper regarding the units having asbestos in them, for which I refused. I have video plus pics of waking up one morning to find my bathroom flooded! From all of the water damage, the walls in the bathroom were buckled. The maintenance crew tried saying it was because of the pipes leaking behind the walls. I'm sure the place had to have lots of mold and mildew behind the drywall and after reading other peoples reviews on here, I'm sure. Nothing was ever done to fix the water issues. The kitchen sink leaked numerous times as well. Every time I had to have maintenance come in, it was just temporarily fixed with a band aid. The complex should've of cut out the drywall and replaced the leaking pipes, but never did. As someone else mentioned, there were also numerous spiders (brown recluses). I lived there from 2011-2014. I even gave them advance notice that I would be leaving and they tried pulling their BS. They have not only sued me in the process, but have also garnished my wages. Still dealing with the headache over that because now they have frozen my bank account plus are charging me 9% interest along with court fees. I refused to pay once I moved out so they put a judgment against me. Is it just me or does anyone else think that if you're paying $800+ a month staying at a complex, always paid rent on time mind you, that a complex should have the right to garnish your wages not to mention also ruin your credit? I can't say much for the property manager there either. They had a hard time keeping office workers needless to say. Also, because my apartment did not have a washer / dryer hook up, I had to use the ones located inside the clubhouse. Can't tell you how many times I got ripped off $$$. You had to load money onto a swipe card just to use the machines and half of them hardly ever worked. Here it is almost two years later since I moved out and this place has been nothing but a damn nightmare... Thanks Michelson Organization... read more

I have been a resident for a year and two months. I asked for a two year contract because I love this place. It is quiet with all kinds of amenities for people of all ages. The gym and playground were recently updates. The staff is wonderful. They have helped and fixed all my concerns and made me and my family feel welcome. They have monthly neighborhood events and have been able to create a safe and friendly community. I am a teacher with Summer's off. The pool is maintained well. The maintenance men are friendly and knowledgeable and have helped me with a solution to every problems. The square is nice and the park like center creates a place where kids and adults can have fun. I have always lived in a house and Kennsington has given me a chance to enjoy life during a transition time in my life. Great friendly place where you can live and enjoy ur life in a great city close to many resteraunts and stores. Recently they fixed the outside of the buildings and added fences to the parking lot. My kids love it and so do I. read more

I have lived here for over a year and it has been the worst renting experience I have ever had. It has been nothing but problems from the beginning. I'll start off with stating the rent is ridiculously expensive for sub-par apartments. All the cabinets and appliances are extremely outdated in my apartment yet the rent is $720 for 1 bedroom. When I tried to move out after my first lease was up they said they would "auto renew" my lease without a signature if I didn't sign the new lease. I have had my pantry flood multiple times and all they did to "fix it" was mop it up. There was a big storm and my ENTIRE apartment flooded leaving the carpets soaking wet. It stayed like this for a week while all they did was set up fans. They refused to replace the carpets as I requested because it smelled awful from the flooding. The AC did not work for over a week and they just kept saying they were working on it. When I asked them to discount my rent for the almost 2 weeks of no ac and wet carpet, they refused. My apartment now has soaking carpet again due to the rain, and again all they did was put a fan in. They say maintenance will come and fix things on certain days and they don't show up, which is frustrating because I have to know ahead of time so I can put up my dog. They are constantly calling me while I'm at work asking if I can come home, I work full time, I don't just sit at home and wait for them. The outside lights for our entire building hardly ever work, and it's very dangerous as there are stairs to go down to get into my apartment. I will never rent from them or any of their affiliate companies ever again and would not recommend them to anyone. If you want expensive rent for awful living conditions and problems, this is the place for you. read more