Hillside Gardens Apartamentos

rambunctious kids, lazy parent, thin walls, and a busy train. good luck getting peace

Pros first. Apartment layout and size are great. Big living space, but small storage. Had to buy a TON of shelves. The area itself is perfect. Close to the mall, right on rt 46 and close to 80 and 287. It's near the small main town, and has good restaurants(however if you get delivery they will never be able to find your apt) There's trees for a semi wooded feel, and they are usually good about keeping up with the landscaping. Parking is plentiful, but depending on the building, the nearest... parking might be on the street or lot farther from your apt. Now the cons. It can get noisy. The floors creek everywhere you step, cheaply constructed (our paint is cracking near the ceiling and the paint bubbles up with water pockets in the bathroom after a shower). I can hear loud things that go on below me, but I'm sure downstairs has it worse. There's a train and fire station in town that can also be loud, as well as sound from the highway. People use shared lawns as a common space, which gets noisy (apparently there is a small playground, but the kids in our block don't use it). Mostly children play out there and scream bloody murder. It's never during unreasonable hours, and mostly when it's warm or school is out, but it can get annoying since everyone is forced to hear it. I've seen birthday parties and even a fancier event hosted out there and it's been awkward trying to walk around it to do my laundry. The lawn maintenance is also very loud and goes on for hours when it happens. That's it for the noise. The super is ok, a little stingy with sending out maintenance though the maintenance guys are ok. We had an issue with the recycling bins and garbage for awhile, which resulted in a written warning to all about being fined for not flattening boxes (I think it was like 50$) The stairs and roads sometimes aren't salted great, especially stairs leading up to apts.(Also, if you can't do/dislike stairs DO NOT move here) Utilities cover very little, since almost everything runs on electric, and you have to pay for that, water, and waste removal. Sometimes there's mail theft, and things get misdelivered all the time because the buildings are not well labeled, but I've never worried about anyone breaking in. Some of this info may feel mundane or picky but hey, if you're going to live here for awhile the small things should be important. Overall it's a nice place to live, and the cons are stuff that are just cons of apartment living in general. Lee mas

Pros: Good layout and spacious apartment; excellent location with access to highways and shopping. Great places around to eat. Close to highways. fairly clean. Ample free parking. Laundry on premises. Spacious kitchen.

Cons: VERY VERY noisy. It looked so peaceful and quiet when we visited during the day but boy! were we wrong. It's not just downstairs neighbors hearing the upstairs guys but vice versa as well. It's like the house is made of cardboard. You can hear EVERYTHING and they can hear... EVERYTHING as well. So there is NO privacy. The floor creaks at every step. I have heard of some people calling cops on their neighbors. One neighbor said they didn't have friends over for 3 years because he was scared his neighbor would complain. It is terrible if you have neighbors who stay up late or have little children. I can hear my neighbor flush his toilet and his bed creak and I know he tries so hard to be quiet and so do we. But it does not really matter because of the low quality of building.

They only cover heat as there are no gas appliances. You pay for trash, sewage, water, electricity, cable, internet etc. No pool or fitness center and the playground is small, dirty. Kids run into the parking lot often, which is dangerous. There are so many spiders and millipedes.

The appliances are not new. They are changing all the one bedrooms by dividing the living and making a small den and renting it as a small two bedroom for $200 more.

They say that the buildings are non-smoking but there are people smoking, including the super, and the smoke often drifts into your apartment. There are no "no smoking" signs at all on the premises. The snow removal was bad this year as they did not salt the parking lot and the ice built up soon. I slipped on ice and almost broke my leg. They also stopped regular cleaning of the common areas.

So it really depends on how your neighbors are to determine the quality of your life over the next year. If you are someone who needs privacy and peace and quiet, then this is not the place. If you have little kids, this can be a good option as there are other kids they can play with. But it will be hard trying to get them to not walk in the house. There are other apartments around here which are a $100 or so more and come with fitness centers and also pay for some utilities. Just check the construction and noise level because that is what I wish I had checked. Lee mas

We saw a lot of places before we settled on Hillside Gardens. Been here for over a month, spacious apartments..mine was completely updated with brand new appliances and hardwood floors. You can't beat the location. Close to Denville, restaurants and shopping very convenient. The parking is no issue, though I heard it depends on the building. Laundry rooms are clean and close to my apartment, you get a laundry card to refill which is great. The only reason why it's not 5 stars it can be VERY... noisy. Most days are fine, but if you are on the first floor can hear every time the people above you walk or drop something or yell, also had to go up a few times asking them to keep their music down which has been a real issue. Some residents are not very respective about their neighbors, and need to realize they are in an apartment complex not their own private house. Other people I have met so far are really nice though, just depends on where you located. I recommend asking the landlord if your neighbors are quiet or loud in your building. Lee mas

These apartments are not luxury apartments. the walls are cracked and have holes and thst are painted over. Rent is rediculously high and not all apartments have pantry closets and tile bathtooms. The office staff is nasty in Rockaway and talks down to tenants. Very disrespectful.