A family friend lived at this property for over 20 years and experienced what they believed to be discriminatory and harassing behavior related to a mental disability--a condition protected under fair housing laws. When management was contacted on their behalf, the property manager, John Coronato, stated on a recorded call that the company "doesn't do disabilities." The friend reported feeling pressured to drop a civil rights complaint concerning these events, under threat of eviction. As a result, they experienced significant emotional distress and financial strain, and their overall well-being was negatively affected. They were left feeling as though their disability led to unequal treatment compared to other tenants. During their time there, they also noticed lease violations by others--such as unauthorized subletting and other concerning behaviors--that appeared to go unaddressed by management. They also recall an instance where bicycles left out by tenants were collected and donated, which was later highlighted as a positive gesture by the property manager. This review reflects the firsthand experience of someone I know, along with a recorded interaction I personally participated in. read more

Current tenant since 2012. Beware. Over crowded units, no floor coverings upstairs. They cannot or will not enforce codes. Noise all the time. Family of 4 in one bedroom. Kid in diapers. entry hallway stinks. Roaches. Despite treatment can't beat them (Roaches). Bee infestation on deck, for over one month, promised service again today but no show. Very pleasant in 2012, managements and maintenance has had much turn over. I would go sometime else but unfortunately the rent is reasonable, you get what you pay for. read more

This apartment complex has been one of the most frustrating and unprofessional experiences I've ever dealt with in my life. My partner and I were approved and had a confirmed move-in date of 11/27. We were told by staff to pay the first month rent and security deposit at move in. Then, out of nowhere, Nicole, who was incredibly rude and unhelpful, canceled our move in. She was completely unwilling to work with me, even when I offered to pay all the fees and deposit again. She admitted the confusion came from an error another employee made, but was very argumentative and hostile towards us, which was confusing because we had been nothing but polite and respectful through this entire process, and had everything the other employee said in writing. It made me believe race played a role in this. I will not mention the name of the other employee, because she was apologetic and understanding. It seemed once it got escalated to Nicole there was nothing else the other employee could do. Nicole even asked "How will I know you'll have the money to pay next week?" Because we're moving? Does she ask that to all potential tenants? I am sure she will refute this, as I have very low expectations for her character, but I have all our correspondence with Knoll Gardens in writing. She said when we were approved, it said in the fine print we had a week(?) to pay the balance, but my emails with the other employee were 1-2 weeks after our approval, confirming the 27th move in date. And since the reservation was cancelled, even though she cancelled it because of an employee error, we would not get any of our money back. She spoke with so much vitriol and hostility that I was taken aback. I have worked in retail management, and currently in healthcare administration. I have learned that tone goes a long way when dealing with the public. Let me reiterate that neither me or my partner were ever rude or demanding to anyone in Knoll gardens. We were excited to move in. Even if we were rude to her, to be at work and speak to people like that is unacceptable. If she would have presented the same issue in a more empathetic way, I probably wouldn't have even typed this review. This level of carelessness and lack of accountability is unacceptable. If you're considering renting here, I'd strongly recommend looking elsewhere. They're quick to take your money but apparently incapable of following through on basic commitments. If you are black, unfortunately, I believe living here will make you a target to property management. I waited to type out this review because clearly, the past month was very hectic for us trying to find an apartment last minute. We are blessed to have family willing to host us as long as we needed. By the grace of God, we found something closer to my job, more affordable, more private and closer to my family, in a diverse city with lots of restaurants and activities nearby. I was upset when our move in was cancelled for no reason, but realized things happen for a reason. Thank you for reading, and hope everyone has the New Year they deserve. read more

Im in Knoll Gardens 4 yrs already and I really like it. Convenient location to everywhere. Route 80,46,287,10. Apartments are spacious. I know some people in their reviews complaining about roaches. But unfortunately maintenance can't do a lot if the people won't be taking care of their apartments and keep them clean. Maintenance can't do so much about that. Only spray if the tenants do request. As me I didn't have any of this problem. read more

This is a good apartment complex. It's huge, so there's usually an opening at any given time. The staff maintain the complex well -- keep it well-lit, lawns mowed; just when the bushes become too huge for you to walk past, they trim them. The units themselves are nice, and they thoroughly get them ready for you to move in. Maintenance requests are taken care of promptly. The location is also good if you work in Parsippany, or even elsewhere, as the highways are nearby. The downsides are that they turn the heat off for half the year, so if it gets cold in April or May, you're out of luck. At least in my unit, there was no thermostat, just a knob. Also, the lease never converts to month-to-month, so that's a pain for moving out. The management office ladies are not friendly and require either lots of extra money to stay beyond your lease OR you can move out during your lease and keep paying rent until they rent the place (and since they do painting and cleaning and stuff, I'm sure it is at least a month). Even with the negatives, I'd give it four stars, because it's clean, safe, and well-maintained. read more

Awful. Just awful. Filled with bugs and cracked floors, ceilings and walls. I had pencil/crayon marks all over my front door when i moved in 1.5 years ago .... i asked to get it cleaned up... its still there. Oh and the Paint all over the floor when i moved in. Stains and dents in the floor. PARKING is an absolute NIGHTMARE. If you're not parked by 6pm... you're parking 4,5 buildings away from your apartment ,if your lucky) and these tenants aren't kind drivers. My car got hit one night when i had to park far from my unit. They're is no surveillance and nothing the leasing office can do for you. There are vehicles with expired stickers all over this compkex that don't move, and the leasing office gives typical "blow off" responses. So the compkex is OVERPACKED. Its clear many of these units are also breaking lease rules and have too many people staying in 1 unit. Probably aides in the parking problems when you have 6 cars to a 2 bedroom unit. Leasing office, super nice before you sign the lease, once signed.... Could care less about you. read more

So far, I've been here for about nearly a year, things are so-so. There are several families right near us, we constantly hear them outside into the late hours at night, which means we must deal with the screams of children, or wear headphones when we need to sleep. Several people in various buildings have animals, so clearly management doesn't care about that even if it's in the lease(be warned if you end up near someone with a dog and they bark constantly). In the lease it says that everyone will be fined if recycling is in the wrong place, people don't care, I often see piles of recyclables in the dumpster along with cardboard (still have yet to get a fine, not that I'm the one doing it). We have a draft in our bedroom from the windows, still need maintenance to fix that as it gets cold. Oh I almost forgot, when we first got here and for awhile, the fire-alarms go off, from what someone in maintenance told us, they all are on the same circuit so if one goes off, they all do. Basically, the fire alarm was going off constantly, in the middle of the night, during the day, numerous times. They came to replace it, didn't change anything, eventually they removed it and told us we needed to call them again to have someone replace it. We opted to not have it put back in, to save ourselves the constant headaches. They also did not provide our apartment with a fire-extinguisher, which I'm pretty sure is the law, that a complex must provide one. So, to summarize, people break their lease agreement constantly, fire-alarms go off often, they may or may not provide you with a fire-extinguisher, families are everywhere so expect constant noise, very little to no noise reduction. Overall, it's a nice place, few problems that may have been more urksome if you can't get used to it. I myself, as well as my partner have never had an issue with parking, but I've seen reviews saying that it can be an issue so keep these things in mind before renting here. read more

Stayed there for last one year before moving to a different project/state. Memorable/pleasant stay. Maintenance stuff is regular/attends on time, units are spacious with a large balcony. Location wise very advantageous, Lake Hiawatha/Beverwyck road has that small town-sweet feeling with local food restaurants I cherish. The complex has 1100+ units sprawled over the huge area and there is never any problem about parking availability. The rental office stuff, who has to handle and manage this 1100 units residents and their requests, does it in a very efficient manner. And it is very common that the residents are in a situation that require urgent attention. E.g., in my case, I had just 2 weeks before I had to close the lease, complete the formalities and move out. Bobbie suggested and helped me at every step and it was a smooth transition, accommodated my appointments most of the times, though unscheduled. Barbara at the rental office was very cooperative too, when advising me about the lease renewal options, few months back. One downside is the laundry rooms are available in plenty but not clean and very well maintained always. Sometimes there is waterlogging. But the residents' callousness leads to that often. They do not even care to close the door behind during winter or rain, which is written there. Overall, it was a good value for money and I will be happy to go back and stay over there. read more

I am a tenant of Knoll Gardens and if you were my friend asking me if you should live here, my answer would be yes! The purpose of my review is because of Dana your lead leasing agent. She always has such a positive attitude and constant smile. She not only made me comfortable in renting in Knoll Gardens, she made me delighted to move in. You can tell she enjoys her job! She is a very pleasant person to deal with. read more

Hi, How come there is never a unit available amongst 1100 units as mentioned. I have tried calling for the last 10 months and I always get the same "NO" answer. Or is it they are biased aboutr whom to rent the apt?? read more

the Maintainence sucks here. They never show up on time. They make you wait for days. Very disorganized. If something breaks in ur apartment good luck fiXing it. read more

This place discriminates and only rents out to whom ever they want, been trying to get an apt there for the past three years and every time they tell me there none available. I request to be put on a waiting list and they claim that they dont do that and that one has to check in regularly to find an apartment which i dont buy. Because i know of someone who got an apt there with in a month because he knew someone that lived there and they made an agreement with the leasing office to allow that person to take the apartment as soon as the people living there moved out. And yet when i ask them about that instance they claim that they use to do that but dont allow that anymore which is a total lie!!! read more

Lived there for 2 years and had couple of things that were hard to swallow. Cockroaches which they could not get rid of. Maintenance opened my appartment while I was gone for the exterminator and he sprayed everything like the toys for my toddler. We did not request the exterminator and the opened the wrong appartment! The reaction from John (maintenance) was horrible. Not even a sorry. When I moved out I left the appartment in better condition then I moved in and still they did not return my security deposit. What a ripoff. Takes this in account if you think about renting there! Apparently I did not give them in writing that the lease ends?? Location though is pretty good and the price for the rent is ok as long as you stay couple years due to the security deposit split by the amount of months you stay. read more

There are far too many issues at Knoll Gardens in Lake Hiawatha, NJ, as managed and owned by Garden Communities. I was a tenant here for two (2) years, and am entirely grateful to have finally moved out of this SLUM. My recommendation to a prospective tenant, potentially interested in getting leasing information, would be to look elsewhere. The area has better apartment complexes, with market value rent. The leasing office is ineffective, and of no help to the tenants. Although you may be greeted politely upon entering at first, the true general treatment toward the tenant from the leasing office that I gathered during my time, is that you are just a number with a rent check. They are actually quite cold. The proper personnel are lacking in this office. The person they have in-charge is an elderly woman who is easily confused and overwhelmed by visiting tenants and phone calls. Furthermore, the leasing office is only open 9am to 4pm, Monday through Friday, and closes very frequently for many, many holidays. If you have to be there to sign paperwork, or to be there for any reason at all, a tenant MUST use their PTO (paid time off) from work for even trivial matters. They will not mail any paperwork to you. I was basically told that a tenant MUST sign in person no matter how inconvenient it is for them. Leasing is completely unaccommodating to any tenant's work schedule. The maintenance department is ineffective and understaffed. I was told by a disgruntled worker, while they were removing snow in the parking lot that the landlord refuses to hire enough personnel simply because they WILL NOT fund maintenance adequately. The result is a short staffed department with under qualified workers, unable to efficiently and effectively tend to a decaying complex. Front steps are crumbling, safety railings are loose and unstable, roofs leak because shingles are very old and past their life span and some areas are missing shingles from past storms. Many apartments do not have functioning air conditioners or have ones close to breaking down, kitchen appliances are old and not up to current efficiency standards, heating pipes break down, laundry room equipment frequently breaks down and remains unaddressed for long periods of time, and laundry rooms are kept dirty. Furthermore, in two (2) years, not once have I seen any pest control services spraying or laying traps to control the pest and vermin situation that a large residential complex would attract. I have seen cockroaches throughout the complex many times. One event with maintenance that directly affected me was when my apartment developed a serious roof leak. The ceiling in my bedroom one day and all of a sudden was wet. I had a second floor apartment, and no third floor in the building. Clearly this was a roof leak. At first the ceiling was just wet, but after maintenance finally responded; it was so long that mold and mildew had already started growing. The ceiling was discolored in large areas, and the powerful smell of mold filled the apartment. I could not sleep in the bedroom for weeks. After they were done, no one was willing or able to explain how this hole got there. With the repairs one would think they would replace the ceiling sheetrock, but all they did was paint over it after the sheetrock eventually dried. This could have developed into a serious health problem. Anyone breathing in mold over a long period of time can develop health problems. This could have developed into a VERY SERIOUS CONDITION due to taking a cheap shortcut. The rules are not enforced equally to all tenants. One restriction in the lease, which is a common one, is that no dogs are allowed, but the people who lived below me were allowed to keep one. When I approached them about it, they said that it is ok for them because they have friends who work in maintenance. Why should the rules apply to some, but not all tenants? Vehicle parking for tenants and visitors is another major problem in a long list of issues. There is nowhere to park anywhere near your apartment at night because of how many cars stay there and never move. Broken down cars are left abandoned for long periods of time, taking up vital parking spaces. I have seen people working on a boat all summer long and not moving it, taking up a spot. There are tenants who keep a lot of cars to one apartment, and in the winter they leave most of their cars covered with snow all winter long, while they carpool anyway. Other tenants block spots to reserve them with furniture and cones. One nearby apartment owned a series of old muscle cars that they are constantly working on in the parking lot. These cars are often broken down, and don't move. Arguments and fights breakout over parking. The parking lot is total chaos. Management needs to step in and find a solution. There has to be some kind of compromise. read more

For the most part its been great the past 4 years , rent only went up once , maintnace is very quick to get things done , location is great , close to everything the young ladys in the office are rude everytime i have to speak to them in the past year, the major downside for the 1st time in over 4 years we have roaches , they do not understand to get rid of roaches the whole building must be sprayed not just the apartments that will actully complain , exterminator only comes on fridays, you cant schedule an appointment that works with your schedule , and if hes not scheduled to come that friday your just out of luck untill the next friday he is hear. read more

Maybe that was the case in 2007.....today in 2011 It's a cat and bed bug infested complex...they actually would rather let cats live in a vacant apartment then do what they claim to have done renevate the apartment and rent it....no wonder there are bed bug, mice and of couse lets not forget the other friendly bugs. Lawn? there is no lawn there are grass patches here and there...they have animals not human beings working for them...of course there are always vacancies........people stay AWAY read more

Although I have not rented from Knoll Gardens, I am trying. They have a very low vacancy rate at all times. The purpose of this review is to point out the great communication I had with a woman by the name of Barbara this morning. I called, like I have been doing, to see if by chance something has come available. We got to chatting for a few minutes and she was just a very pleasant person to deal with. I know it may not seem like a reason to write a review but I have been searching for the perfect place for me and people that I have spoken too at different complexes just rush me off the phone or don't return calls. This was not the case with Barbara. Very nice lady. Hopefully my chance to rent from Knoll Gardens comes soon! read more

I truly believe it's the customer service that makes the difference in your experience anywhere. I have been a resident at knoll gardens for more than a year and the front desk agents here had an image of being careless and rude but I specifically want to point out BRAYANT at the knoll garden office who has changed my view completely. Brayant provided the best of the best service to me during my struggle to move out from 1 bedroom to a 2 bedroom. He is responsive, polite, professional, cares for the customers, goes out of his way to help customers, listens to the concerns and the most important he is patient. Brayant handled all my calls and all my concerns timely and professionally and not once he was irritated by my silly questions at times. Before Brayant the people I dealt with at the office did not have the capacity to deal with tenant's concerns and problems and were always wanted to be left alone but I feel he has brought a great value of trust and positivity back to knoll gardens. He is a great asset to the company and he is gonna go long way. read more

Nice apartment to stay in Lake Hiawatha. Reasonable,Affordable rent with all facilities. Maintenance calls are taken care timely and nicely.All neighbors are also good so have good company for each ( from children to older).Local bus transportation and for New york bus facility also near by. read more