" Great staff and nice place " My friend lives here for years . I visit often and have slept over various times through the years . The staff is great . It's overall a great place to live . read more

The guide was friendly and helpful. She even gave me a great tip about the place! The windows are huge, tons of natural light and all high end appliances included! There's even a patio! read more

Renting is only better than buying when one moves a lot. Renting is never better than buying when the rent is over $3,500.00 a month and you've been Renting for 14 years. The Watertown Apts are old and most things Archstone was involved, was and is a disaster. Thin walls and being able to hear flushing toilets, is an Archstone trademark. The Watertown Apts still have these inherited flaws. The traffic on Galen Street and Watertown Square is nightmare. read more

Great underground parking, electric car charging, and the elevators are major pluses!

If you prefer to live in a beautiful neighbourhood, you are welcome to our place, in front of Charles River Reservation, close and comfortable apartments with high cellings and a huge bedrooms with living room. Besides we got a nice entertainment center and fitness center inside the building. You will enjoy living here!!!super market, gas station, public transportation , pharmacy and close to downtown. Besides very nice and comfortable bedrooms and living room with a very high ceiling! we got fitness center and also very nice entertainment center! read more

I've been living at WSA for almost three years and am very happy with the unit, the building, the area, and the team! My 2 year old daughter doesn't go a day without asking to go say hi to Akeyla, and gets upset on days when the office is closed and Akeyla isn't there! read more

I have been living at Equity Watertown since November of 2020. I have really enjoyed living here. The location is perfect for being far enough from Boston to avoid the hustle and bustle yet close enough to be in town within a few minutes. outside of Boston. It's location near both the Bus depot as well as the Mass pike are so convenient. The best part of living here has been the staff. They work very hard to make Watertown Square a great place to live! They are personable and professional! read more

**Expect enormous rent increases every year (up to 20%+).** Equity apartments are known for this. They will increase the rent whenever they feel it is possible, based on how many visitors, web traffic, applications, and prices of neighboring apartment buildings. **There are better apartments for similar prices in the area.** Be aware that water bill will be in $100-200 range, even for moderate use. Units near the restaurants may experience swarms of flies. Units on the first floor should be aware of the potential for security issues, as it is possible for a motivated individual to easily enter patio areas. Amenities are mediocre, with little funds allocated towards updating the building and features of the premises. Common areas could be cleaner, some dog messes are to be expected. Apartments are okay, have granite countertops, but it is apparent that the spaces has aged since construction and changing hands. I am also concerned that Equity seems to have issues keeping enough staff and seems to have a lot of turnover. All the staff I've interacted with at two Equity properties have worked extremely hard and do a great job, however. This leaves me feeling that Equity is prioritizing their profits above their employees and tenants. read more

Watertown Square Apartments - FLIES CAUGHT IN PATIO - Apartments Near Me - Watertown, Massachusetts

See all

I've lived here 14 yrs and that in and of itself is testimony how wonderful it is to live here. Renting here is better than buying/. The location, service and housekeeping staff, front office staff makes living here a complete joy. read more

What can I say..YES, YES AND YES if you are even thinking about renting. You can not get a better place! The staff is the friendly, knowledgeable and just some of the best people Boston has to offer. I am always amazed by how they go the extra mile and ask for nothing but a kind smile in return. The grounds are extremely well kept, the maintenance team is great should you ever need anything. The front desk staff is my personal favorite people , ive met in my rental time. Upfront Honest Friendly Attentive And will make your stay an outstanding experience!!!! read more

We have leased at Watertown Square for the past 4 years. Great location, exceptional management. Shout out goes to Kristen Clifford for superior customer service. Equity Apartments RULE !! read more

Particular shout out to the facilities and maintenance teams. They always do a great job addressing any issues.

Everyone that works in this complex has been efficient, professional and friendly. They go out of their way to provide a safe and clean environment. The apartments are well maintained and the service is exceptional. If I were looking for a new residence, I would not hesitant to choose to live here. read more

Although we didn't end up signing a lease here, the experience my husband and I had with Akeyla Forde-Sharpe was 10/10. As a leasing consultant, Akeyla gave us a ton of information about this nice property, and was very helpful and friendly along the way. She offered expertise and a warm professionalism that I have not seen among most people in the Greater Boston rental market. All the tenants we encountered on our tour were friendly and seemed genuine when they said this was a nice place to live. We ultimately decided to rent in another part of town, but otherwise this would have been our top pick and we recommend it, and Akeyla, to all those looking for a nice and convenient apartment in Watertown/Newton. read more

So far, I have had the best experience in this community. I still have more time to spend and may update review at a later stage. The customer service by Anthony and Makayla has been great on the day of move in. The apartments are nice and clean. All the other residents are friendly too. They keep community events once in couple months. It would be great to have these kind of events a little more so we get to know our neighbours. The maintenance guy is pretty good too; very quick service. They have a luxer code system to safely store incoming packages. A community room, theatre room, roof deck, and a gym adds great value in considering this as your new home. The only downside I feel is the utility bill. My electric bill came out to be a lot higher than what we use. After a couple more bill cycles, I'll have the maintenance team look at it to see if there is some problem. Overall, a 5 star to this place. Just consider 200$ in utilities( gas, electric, water, sewer) on top of your rent. read more

I moved in the Water Town Square apartments, two months ago and I enjoy living here the management and the maintenance crew are all great, what a great place to live. read more

I am going to start with the fact that I LOVE coming home everyday and that's something so different than I have been used to in previous apartments. I have lived in this building for two years at this point and, ultimately, I couldn't be happier with my experience as a resident here thus far... especially since Kristen and Akeyla stepped in as our property management/leasing team. The building may seem "huge," but truly it's not. It's a tight knit community. I also appreciate how caring and dedicated Kristen and Akeyla are when it comes to serving residents and being understanding of extenuating circumstances. I recall one particular incident where I was unable to return home, yet something had upset my service dog who was not able to be with me that day. The care and compassion I received from these two women was unlike any other. I love stopping in the leasing office to say hi, catch up, grab a piece or two of candy and just engaging with the community. The staff prior to these two was not my cup of tea, yet I still enjoyed living here. I just felt less of a sense of belonging. However I am happy to report that equity has remedied this situation and then some! Truly! In addition to Kristen and Akeyla, it's been so valuable to have Mohammed on maintenance who I am always able to get in touch with when I need. I never feel left in the dust fending for myself in that regard. Overall, We are very happy here and hope that we can stay for years to come. read more

See all

My neighbors are disappearing. Why? Equity is demanding very high rent renewals this year. Future residents need to know this is an okay place to live and whatever you pay when you get here is probably fair but in 2019 rent renewals have been high (6-8-10% increase). Be prepared if you plan to stay for more than a year. 2 recent reviews that YELP moved to the not recommended section were 2 real neighbors (who used fake names for fear of retaliation later). YELP somehow determined these are fake or Equity got YELP to hide them? They are not fake they are just trying to remain anonymous. YELP is supposed to be a platform to share good and bad, but only the better reviews for this buidling seem to be recommended. Please look at the hidden not recommended reviews too. I can't speak for other than Jimbo and Marlin (real people, fake names) who were both neighbors who were very upset when they were priced out of the building. Most people who write reviews were either asked to write a good review or so pissed off they wrote a bad review. Take all reviews with a grain of salt. Future tenants should know what to expect. There is both good (location, clean, parking, maintenance) and bad (rent renewal). I still live in the building (fake name, real person writing this) but will probably not stay here after this lease is over. read more

BEWARE!! greed + stupid management = tenants being forced out Equity Residential is greedy on rent renewals! Put shareholders before tenants! Demand insane rent increases ($200+ a month) at renewal time. They'll tell you that's what they'd rent your apartment for -- but not true cause no one rents when the price is super high, they'll lower the price to lower than what you were paying! Don't pay more than $2300 studio or $2500 1bed or $2800 2bed. Not worth it - crappy rugs, cheap appliances, thin walls -- you can hear everything I mean everything your neighbors does. Tenants who aren't subsidized section 8 housing (and there are a lot of them) are being forced out because of super high rent renewals. They pay shareholders with the rent money -- not putting it back into the building. Roof leaks, water in the garage, and common areas are nasty dirty. If management was smart (they're not) they'd make renewals reasonable, keep the good tenants who don't trash the place and make more money for the shareholders that way. read more

We lived here for three years. The apartment was actually lovely, but I wouldn't recommend this place in my wildest dreams. Our rent was raised 30% over the time we were there. As the previous reviewer noted, most apartments only raise rents slightly for existing tenants, but this place raised our rent $300 dollars a month the first year and then $200 the second. The third year, when we got the lease renewal, we saw that our rent was going up another $300 a month, so we moved. I loved living in Archstone--the location is convenient and the apartment was lovely and new. But the company is exploitive and doesn't have its customer's best interests at heart. I would never live in this building or another Archstone again. read more

love my 1 bedroom apt, in apt washer/dryer, central AC, garage parking, gym, granite and SS in the kitchen, tile on bath and kitchen floor as well as bath tub area. expensive, but you are paying for the amenities. I like the office staff and maintenance, very responsive. It is at a noisy traffic corner, so you have to watch what apt you rent. i think it would be really noisy on the second floor facing Galen St since there is tons of traffic and the Waterrtown bus yard is across the street. also traffic outside garage entrance at rush hour can suck. but overall really like it here. a good mix of tenants, college age, middle age, elderly, families. read more

The Walls Are Terribly Thin! To all those who are planning to move into this building, please be aware that the walls and floors are terribly thin in the whole building! Constant thuds, conversations, toilet flushes and everything else can be heard from you neighbors upstairs, downstairs and next to you. Nothing will and can be done if you live under a person who walks heavily or just does not give a damn about the noise he/she makes in their apartment. read more

We couldn't be more pleased with our apartment. We moved in 5 weeks ago and Zac and Lisa have done everything to make sure our transition from a very large suburban home was smooth and flawless. They are incredibly responsive and the two very minor issues for which we needed help from Maintenance were resolved in less than a day. The building is quiet and very clean and well maintained. We love the location and we are extremely happy to have found this place. Sure, you can get more amenities somewhere else, but the customer service can't be beat. read more

Updated to 5 stars - we had to move and had to break lease, management went above and beyond to find us replacements. We didn't have to pay lease break fee. read more

You will pay premium prices at Archstone Watertown and after living there for over a year, I don't see the value. I would recommend looking elsewhere. At other similar luxury buildings in metro Boston in the same price range you have a full time concierge, a pool, a full gym, better service, and nicer facilities. The location is good for getting off and on the Pike but there isn't much to do in the neighborhood in terms of restaurants or stores within walking distance. After my one year lease expired, I expected Archstone would offer another year lease at a reasonable rate. Most apartments offer special loyalty rates for existing tenants that may be slightly higher than last year's rent but lower than what renters new to the apartment complex would pay. Archstone raised the rent for my small ground floor 1 bedroom by more than $1500.00 dollars a year for a 12 month lease. If I elected a month to month lease the rent would go up by an additional $500.00 a month or $6000.00 a year! The management at Archstone Watertown aren't friendly, responsive, organized, or helpful, as you would expect at a luxury residence. You will frequently get notes slipped under your door that were meant for another apartment asking you to clean your balcony (mine was empty) or curb your dog (I don't have one). Some of my favorite apartment wide notices have included asking residents to re-register their car by filing out another form at the office and placing a sticker in the window or they will tow it, registering your bike and putting a sticker on it or they will get rid of it, or asking if you currently have a storage facility with them. Don't they maintain any files? Shouldn't you know this already? I know I filled out a form with my car details when I moved in. Where did that go? If there is a new policy requiring stickers on car, put the sticker in my mailbox and transfer the details from my original paperwork. When I moved in, the property manager said they would install a digital thermometer and buzzer/voicebox. After I moved in, I was told I didn't need those things, so I still have to walk down to the entrance to let people in. It is more than a year later and my name isn't listed in the residence directory. When I moved in, I also reserved the movie theater for my niece's 5th birthday and when I went to pick up the passcard, I was told there was no reservation in the book and another apartment had the space. I only found this out a few hours before my guests were arriving, so it was too late to cancel. The walls are thin, so expect to hear people walking above you, toilets flushing, and barking dogs. There isn't much of a community since the residents are a mix of foreign college students, temporary commuters, and elderly couples. The internet and tv cafe gets fairly crowded. There is an older woman there most nights and weekend afternoons having loud conversations with someone on her laptop in what sounds like an Aramaic or possibly Hebrew language . She will only begrudgingly give you the remote to the TV, because she wants the volume off so she can talk. The foreign exchange students also seem to think that the lounge is a great place to have a skype conversation, so it isn't a great place to work or relax. The elevators are slow. The intersection is noisy across from the Watertown Bus Yard. There isn't any real outdoor space or views, most of the 'landscaping' is mulch. My unit has a view of a fence. It's too bad because they could have built a lovely shared roofdeck across from the Charles but instead the shared spaces overlook the brick building next door. There are alarms that go off frequently. There was a stretch of 3 months where alarms went off in the lobby, theater, cafe, gym and the first floor entry area. During work hours, it would be shut off but on weekends and at night it just went on and on. Management did seem to think this was a problem. I had reserved the movie theater space for a meeting and we couldn't talk with the all of the beeping. Currently the retail space on Galen Street in under construction as well as the underground parking lot. Every day for the past week there has been drilling into cement, vibrating, hammering, and construction noise throughout my unit, loudest in the bedroom. I had to email to ask them to abide by the Watertown noise ordinance laws since they started drilling before 7 am. I am not a morning person, so I have been losing a lot of sleep. I brought this to the attention of Josh Barrett, the Assistant Community Manager. He said there should be only one more hour of disturbances and they would try to communicate it better. I spoke with the construction crew and they expected the noise to continue for at least another two weeks. I don't think this is acceptable, but Archstone refuses to do anything about it. I guess it's time to move. read more

Archstone Watertown Square is the most overrated apartment complex I have ever lived in. BUYER BEWARE!! Yes, my unit has granite counters and laundry, and it's cute and modern. Yes, there is a great gym and great parking. But this building has so much Section 8 housing it's appalling. I pay $2196 a month for a studio (believe it) and there are hundreds of elderly, minority and welfare residents paying $1500 for a 3 bedroom throwing parties all night above my head while I'm trying to sleep. The trash room has the loudest trash compactor making noise all hours and no matter how many times I ask the building manager about the trash compactor noise (and the neighbors partying) nothing has changed. On top of it all, they slipped a letter under my door 4 months before my lease was up to tell me they were raising rent to $2260 per month when my lease is up. All set. Not worth it. If your parents are wealthy and want to blow their money, it's a great location and a cute spot. Just request to be far from the trash room, elevators, gym and the hoards of Section 8 partyers stomping around on the 2nd and 3rd floors. read more

We love Watertown Square Apartment! We recently downsized from a suburban home to be closer to the city and we couldn't be happier! The location is great for walkability and easy access to public transportation or Mass Pike. The apartments are very nicely appointed and the staff is very responsive. I love the underground parking and not having to deal with weather when leaving or entering the building. The building staff are great. Any request or question is answered in a timely fashion. We are close to anything we need. And, I love that they organize opportunities for residents to meet and socialize. This is a great place to live! read more

We lived at Archstone Watertown Square for 7 months and were very happy with the unit, the building management and Watertown Square. Despite some of the harsh reviews, I will say that this was a really great place to live. For anyone working in Boston, you will find this to be an incredibly convenient location with the express buses located right across the street. Having lived in and around Boston for the last 25 years, I can say with certainty that it was the easiest commute ever. Our 2-bedroom was spotless upon arrival and when we departed, we took advantage of their cleaning services and so didn't have to lift a finger. The whole experience from move in to move out was made seamless by the Archstone office who sent emails containing phone numbers to get your utilities set up. We ended up moving out before our lease ended because we bought a home, and our options were laid out clearly. They made every effort to rent our unit as soon as possible and thankfully a new tenant was found within a couple weeks of notifying them of our departure. The fitness room was very nice and rarely crowded. While we didn't make much use of the café, there were very comfortable leather couches and plenty of tables and the wifi was free. The staff was always very friendly and helpful and the whole place was always kept very clean. If you asked me to point out one negative, I will say that if you are driving out of the underground garage at rush hour, it can be frustrating to merge into traffic in order to enter the left lane to turn onto Galen St. towards the square. You get used to it.... read more

great place to live. just signed another 1 year lease! staff are great and respond very quick to any request.