Metropolis Towers Apartments

Having lived here for 10 years the building does have its issues but the buildings in Newport have the same problems but your friends won't tell you that because they pay a shitload more than you. Management has been continuously upgrading the building and are currently giving the building a massive exterior makeover with more upgrades to come like the hallways being repainted/ re carpeted and a newer lobby. So if you can get past the international smells this place offers you a bang for your buck were all the utilities are incl in your rent you don't get a better location and for those lucky enough a view to die for.

Today was a fire on our floor. It was awful...

I live in 280 Marin (Building 1) and I am counting down the days until my lease is over. I have lived in this building for about 8 months now. There are several things about the building that are incredible including the proximity to the path, utilities included in rent, extremely friendly front-desk staff, large closet space, large balconies, amazing views from the balconies, low rent compared to other buildings in the area (but I've learned the hard way that you truly do get what you pay for).

Every dollar in additional rent that I will pay when I move out will be worth it.

1. This building has a large Indian population. Prepare yourself to smell Indian food 24/7. All the time. All day every day. In the elevators and hallways. It is incredibly strong. And it NEVER goes away. And if you do not enjoy the smell of Indian food, it is actually quite terrible.

2. This building is mice and bug infested. Read the other reviews. I did not read them before I moved in, and I paid the price. As I write this, in the last 3 weeks I have caught TWELVE MICE in my apartment. I'm sure there will be more as I seem to be catching them in traps every day. I have had roaches crawling in my kitchen drawers and cabinets every day despite the building exterminator treating the apartment multiple times. Part of the problem is the fact that the neighbors are complete a-holes who leave their bags of garbage on the floor in the garbage room (or in the hallways sometimes, which is lovely) instead of putting them down the garbage chute like a normal, sanitary person would do.

3. They do not deposit rent checks until about 2 weeks into the month, when rent is due on the first. Then they proceed to charge $50 "late fees" several days after rent check is deposited and cleared. Then you spend several days trying to get in touch with management to get your "late fee" waived when the money has in fact been removed from your bank account days before the fee was even issued. This has happened to me multiple times when my rent has ALWAYS been paid on time.

Do yourself a favor. Spend the extra money so you are not completely grossed out and dreading coming home to your apartment every night and counting down the days until your lease is up.

Best

The apartments themselves inside are decent and relatively spacious and it is right across the street from the path which is amazing. However, (BIG HOWEVER) there is a huge roach problem that they have not been able to fix for years. They allow tenants to move from apartment to apartment trying to find one without roaches but they do not exist. The HOT WATER goes out at least once every other day. If you call management they always tell you they are working on it and nothing changes. Additionally, the HEAT will go out at least once a week in the winter. Please note that heat and hot water are included in the price of the rent but the management does not refund for the days there is no heat or hot water. Additionally, one of the elevators is always broken so it takes a long time waiting for the elevators in whichever way you are going. Finally, the entire building smells. It's pretty embarrassing to have people over to your place. The building honestly has a slight vomit/garlic smell. They have shampooed and sprayed the rugs many times but it does not go away, probably because they need to replace the rugs and won't. Also, the laundry rooms frequently have several machines broken so it can be very difficult to get all your laundry done at once as there are not enough working machines usually to just walk in any time and do your laundry.

Overall, it is cheap and conveniently located but if you have literally any other option do not stay here. Most people in these buildings are in transition and almost no one renews their lease.