Honest Review of My Experience at Shadow Woods (Rutherford Administration)
I moved into Shadow Woods under Rutherford Administration on February 1, 2025. It took over a month—yes, a full month—for them to give me the gate access code. Just to clarify: this code allows residents to open the main gate remotely, either when they’re not home or when a guest arrives. Without it, I had to physically go to the gate each time someone visited. It’s a basic convenience—and more importantly, a right I... should have had from day one as a tenant. But apparently, that was too much to ask.

Then came the gym access. I was told a key would be provided. Weeks went by. I followed up. Still nothing. Spoiler: I never received the key.

Parking? A whole other story. I needed to rent an additional parking spot, and communication with management was atrocious. Emails went unanswered. I sent follow-ups. Still nothing. Eventually, I left work early and went in person to the office listed on their website—only to find it closed. I called and was told they only work by appointment. So I asked to schedule one. They said they’d call me back. I’m still waiting for that call. Later, I learned the listed office isn’t even on the property—it’s in Walnut Creek. So, the website misleads tenants into thinking there’s an onsite office open 9–6. There isn’t.

In my second month, the washing machine broke. I submitted four service requests before anyone acknowledged the issue. Calls were ignored. The management was disorganized and inefficient. When they finally sent someone, the repair took one day. Great, right? Wrong—the machine broke again the next day and stayed broken the entire time until I decided I’d had enough. Between this and personal reasons, I chose to move out.

I stayed from February 1 to April 30, and if that wasn’t enough, I had a delayed package delivered on May 1—just one day after I moved out. I went back to retrieve it and, despite having a photo showing it had been delivered, it was nowhere to be found. I asked an employee, who casually told me: “Oh, the cleaners must have thrown it away.” I’m sorry—how is that an acceptable explanation?

And here’s the cherry on top: I’m now being charged a carpet cleaning fee—for a unit that had no carpet. I’ve asked for clarification, and shocker—no response. As I said, the communication is terrible.
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