West Side Management

We have had a progressively terrible experience with West Side management. After renting with them since 2015 we finally cant take it anymore. The unsafe conditions of elevators that break down regularly, lack of responsiveness and the creation of hazardous conditions at the only vehicle exit and entrance are among some of the reasons we are leaving. I would be less likely to post this review if they were people who treated long terms tenants with some gratitude. I have learned they do not, leaving no redeeming quality about this organization. Feel free to email me for picture, email and other evidence of our experience. Buyer beware.
Apr 16th, 2019

Brace yourself - this is a long one.I began renting with WSM in February 2020. I just moved back to the area and stumbled upon what was billed as a brand new remodel/refurbishment of a building in Saratoga. I would be the first tenant to live there if I applied and was accepted. It seemed like such a deal there had to be a catch, but I just didn't know what yet.For starters when I toured the building, the unit that best fit my needs and budget was literally the only one in the building that wasn't being touched by WSM with any refurbishment. Sure, that made my rent much cheaper but when I say they didn't touch it I mean they literally did not make a single improvement. During my walkthrough the first thing I saw was a massive gash on a crappy wood door - every other unit had a brand new one, but apparently this one was fine. Inside I noted a small hole in one of the bedroom walls from someone pushing the door open way too hard. I also noticed a cracked ceramic cabinet handle. In the bathroom, the shower curtain rod was disgusting and old. The WSM agent told me they would get all these things fixed before move in "but if not you [meaning me] can probably just buy a cheap rod at like Target or somewhere!" Why should a perspective tenant have to buy anything that the landlord says they'll provide for you??I really needed a place to live however and they said they'd make these repairs I pointed out to them so I said fine, I'll take this place and signed a lease. I moved in mid-February 2020. I am originally from Saratoga so I was crashing at my parents' place while apartment hunting. Therefore I slowly moved in in stages rather than taking time off work to do it all in one go. Therefore, these repairs were not top of mind because I didn't need them fixed right that second. By the time I was fully moved in though, the only thing that seemed like it was done was a shower curtain rod replacement. After I signed a lease and got my key, I had taken pictures of the unit pre-moving in to create a record of the state of the place prior to my living there. In the email I sent with these photos to WSM, I pointed out the damages I'd seen on my walkthrough and reminded them they promised to fix. I then got radio silence. After attempting to chase them about this for a bit (in addition to finding out once living there that the showerhead was so covered with grime and mineral particulate that water would not come out of it) they told me that aside from the showerhead, they could not do any non-emergency repairs because it was now March 2020 and COVID lockdowns had put a stop to life as we knew it. Great. WSM sold my building in August 2022 and surprise! None of these issues ever got fixed! In my 2yrs as a WSM tenant I not only had to fight with them about these fixes, but also constantly was reporting the sound of animal scurrying in the walls and ceiling of my bedroom, and TWICE I had a bat get in. The second time was in May 2022 and WSM broke personal property of mine when they came to check how the bat could have entered. I notified them of this and told them I expected some sort of compensation for their carelessness. While I never expected WSM to take full responsibility for damaging my things (by this point I knew better) their ONLY reason for refusing to compensate me was because their maintenance team "didn't remember damaging anything in the apartment". Well I don't remember signing up to have such horrendous landlords but that doesn't mean it didn't happen WSM. I know in Saratoga it's difficult to find a rental place not managed by WSM, but I tell all of my friends to NEVER consider renting with them and will continue to do so.
Oct 4th, 2022

Leasing with WSM has been such a horrible experience. I lived on the fourth floor at one of their properties and the only elevator was regularly out of service. Nothing was ever done until I attempted to get my lawyer involved. Five other people got stuck in the elevator within the last year requiring Troy FD to rescue them. This grossly violates the ADA and when I mentioned my own mobility issues and concerns about the situation, it was met with backlash and rudeness, like it was absolutely absurd that I wanted to get to my apartment that I paid money to be in. I never even got an apology for any inconvenience. I have plenty of email exchanges archived that shows this behavior, especially from one of the managers we worked with, Jesse. When viewing the apartment with my partner, I specifically asked how the elevator was and was told it never gave them problems, which after talking to other tenants and employees in the businesses below, found out to be a huge lie. I do not suggest anyone to ever consider leasing with this company, ESPECIALLY if you are disabled in any way. I have filed a complaint with Troy Code Enforcement and they will be looking into the matter.
Feb 16th, 2019

While the apartments a nice, they are definitely overpriced for what you get. Management is extremely poor and unprofessional. I had to continually hunt them down months after moving out to get my security deposit back and an accidental rent payment that processed after i moved out. They told me it would take up to 60 days, and i didn't receive it until about 90 days later AFTER i had called them repeatedly. If i never called them i am certain i wouldn't have gotten any of it back. They also tried to blame it on a former employee who had already left the company long before i moved out. They give you a free parking pass however are always late giving you the monthly pass so you have to chance getting a ticket or trying to find somewhere else to park, which can be tough in Troy.
Aug 9th, 2018

Leasing with WSM has been such a horrible experience. I lived on the fourth floor at one of their properties and the only elevator was regularly out of service. Nothing was ever done until I attempted to get my lawyer involved. Five other people got stuck in the elevator within the last year requiring Troy FD to rescue them. This grossly violates the ADA and when I mentioned my own mobility issues and concerns about the situation, it was met with backlash and rudeness, like it was absolutely absurd that I wanted to get to my apartment that I paid money to be in. I never even got an apology for any inconvenience. I have plenty of email exchanges archived that shows this behavior, especially from one of the managers we worked with, Jesse. When viewing the apartment with my partner, I specifically asked how the elevator was and was told it never gave them problems, which after talking to other tenants and employees in the businesses below, found out to be a huge lie. I do not suggest anyone to ever consider leasing with this company, ESPECIALLY if you are disabled in any way. I have filed a complaint with Troy Code Enforcement and they will be looking into the matter.
Apr 13th, 2018