Springfield Valley Apartments

Well, the apartment is nice. But nice isn’t good enough. There are squirrels living in the walls of the building which can be heard chewing and scampering at all hours of the day and night in our bedroom wall. They are so loud you would think it was a much bigger animal. And they never seem to go to sleep. They make digging, chewing, running noises at 2 a.m., 5 a.m., in the afternoon… anytime. Think of them as rats that live in trees and buildings that aren’t properly maintained. We used to think the squirrels were cute the way they scampered on the roof until it was clear that they were actually living INSIDE the building. A baby squirrel fell out of its nest somehow on LABOR DAY 2015 INTO our apartment through the utility closet (which is adjacent to the dining room.) The poor thing would have remained undiscovered and died in the closet if we hadn’t heard it squeaking like a bird calling for its mother. We had to pay for the county animal control to come and take it. To add insult to injury they have raised the rent at each lease renewal. They are not holding up their side of the bargain! It is infuriating to have this major issue unaddressed. If we do not renew our lease for the next year, will they leave it as it is and have the next poor tenants wondering what that chewing sound in the wall is or have a baby squirrel fall into the apartment again? Friedman Realty Group continues to purchase additional properties and renovate other apartments but the best solution they have offered so far was a trap inside our apartment baited with peanut butter— as if that is going to remove squirrels from inside the walls or the whole building. That would possibly be an appropriate solution if there was already an adult squirrel inside. (But I doubt it. A squirrel trapped inside would be going crazy trying to get out, not sniffing around looking for peanut butter.) But that obviously does not stop the squirrels from living inside the walls or fix the huge gaps where the roof and gutter meet that allows them to get in in the first place. It is unreasonable for them to have us babysit a trap to see if anything would get caught inside. What if we’re not home? Whatever was trapped, if anything, would die, and leaving traps with peanut butter could also attract other pests. We can’t sleep well because of the noise the squirrels are making. Since September 2015 they still have not fixed their building and removed the squirrels from the walls. Can’t recommend this building to anyone we know because of this.