335 Avenue Clarke

Should You Rent?

Évalué le Jan 4, 2015

Note générale

12345

Big rooms in apts
Everytime washer out of work.If they not working let tenants install himself washer.

Should You Rent?

Évalué le Jun 18, 2014

Note générale

12345

Location is great, heat included.

The landlord, Kempkens Realty, owns 335 Clarke and many others in Montreal.

335 Clarke in particular is a beautiful old building with many great architectural features, such as lots of windows and high ceilings -- but some of the units are in desperate need of renovation, so be prepared for peeling tubs, missing tiles, cracking floors, etc.

A personal pet peeve is the random bursts of scalding hot water when you shower (I heard this was because they haven't replaced the boiler and instead keep the existing ones cranked up high) -- and this isn't something you'd know about when touring the apartment and merely turning on the facets. Overall building cleanliness is wanting -- the building has a janitor, but the cleaning is minimal. Our janitor is currently injured and Kempkens refuses to hire other cleaning help, so sometimes garbage and mess are in the stairs for WEEKS! Awful!

Laundry here is in the garage, but usually 2 of the 4 washers/dryers are broken at any given moment -- or are taken, pick one. Again, another easy update that Kempkens refuses to do. A large pipe has been leaking in the garage for a year and a half due to a dispute with Bell.

Getting maintenance work done is pretty difficult/bordering on ridiculous. The people in the office do not believe in setting up appointments or communicating with tenants directly, so you might be sleeping, showering, or at work when someone is finally dispatched. However, the maintenance guys themselves are absolutely great though, very experienced at what they do. That said, good luck getting things fixed unless you nag and complain like no tomorrow.

The thing that will sell you on this building is really location. You can't beat the snow removal in the winter because the building is between two churches and a school, and it''s in a safe great area.

Rent? Everyone charges crazy rent in Westmount, -- it''s all $$$ without much amenity in return -- but, another plus: heat/hot water are included in the winter, which is nothing to sneeze at if you've gotten stuck paying hydro in a drafty old building. Of course, rather than updating the windows, they try to seal your windows with carcinogenic silicone in the winter -- which I vehemently refuse.

Building cannot have an elevator according to code, so people have to lug garbage downstairs -- and it's pretty disgusting when a bag tears. I wish they'd put in a dumbwaiter or figure out something in the interest of cleanliness!

Again on the positive side, it is a fairly family-centric building -- occasional renting to students does mean some noise and some gross pot smoke smells, but it's nowhere near as obnoxious as the mcgill ghetto or plateau -- but I do wish they'd be stricter about smoking in the building.

Another big plus is that it's fairly pet-friendly and close to Westmount park if you have a dog. The other nearby amenities are second-to-none as well. You can commute easily on the greenline or take the buses along Sherbrooke.

Overall, not bad, not great --you're pretty much dealing with another big Montreal landlord who thinks tenants are ATMs and not clients. If you can handle the quirks of an older building and don''t mind some minor annoyances, it's not bad. Just be advised: Kempkens tries to raise your rent the max amount allowed even without renovation, so if you're looking longterm, you may want to keep looking.