Review of Riverstone Apartments at Long Shoals in Arden, NC

Exposing the Worst Apartment Complex in Asheville, NC

If you’re reading this, you may be looking for reviews of Riverstone Apartments at Long Shoals in Arden, NC. Or maybe you’re just looking to avoid the worst apartment complex in the Asheville area. I’d like to share some of my personal experience of living here for the past 8 months.

When I first moved into this complex, I was the first person to move into this building and this happened because right as I was moving in, I spoke with the manager about being allergic to cigarette smoke, and she told me she was working on getting a few of the unfinished 10 buildings designated as smoke-free. When it was approved, I moved into an apartment on the third floor in my building and there were already several problems; a dangerous crack in the railing on the terrace, lumps in my carpeting due to not enough carpet padding being used, kitchen cabinet doors that didn’t close properly, and a big crack in my bathtub about the size of a quarter:

The inner hidden compartments of my microwave were also filled with sawdust from where it was installed in a careless manner and when I reported it, their solution was to swap it out for a different one that was in a vacant apartment. So the sawdust-filled microwave now went to my future neighbors apartment. No other residents moved in to the building until more than two months after I moved in. Riverstone Apartments claims every apartment was inspected prior to move in, but if that’s true, why were such major issues overlooked?

Besides this, the walls and flooring are paper thin. You will hear your neighbors next door to you and walking above you, and walking in the breezeways because they used a thin layer of concrete and insulation on the flooring. Light fixtures in my kitchen and living room area either flicker constantly for hours on end or are not even working and these lights have been changed twice now. I’m not sure if it’s the electrical wiring or the LED lights they used but I was told this problem was occurring in at least 8 other apartments besides mine. At this current moment, the light in my bathroom has not been working for over a week now.

As someone who has lived in many states and several apartments throughout, I know there are always a few hiccups when you first move into a brand new apartment complex, but property management companies know in the process of building and with new construction that they get what they pay for at the expense of their future residents.

Their next error was the biggest one... a few weeks ago, as I was cleaning and organizing my coat closet, I discovered green, blue and black mold forming in my closet. I immediately reported it that morning to the office and maintenance came to my apartment and told me the mold was due to the construction team improperly installing the hot water heater in the crawl space next to my closet before I even moved in. The hot water heater wasn’t even in an accessible space...it was actually located in a small sealed crawl space that was closed with screws. The hot water heater was also located right below my ventilation system. 

It's likely the mold was being kicked up into my ventilation system over the course of the 8 months this went undetected. The maintenance report stated that whoever installed the hot water heater didn’t crimp a tube properly and it was slowly leaking into my closet over the past 8 months I've lived here. 

 The cause of the issues were outlined in the work order below:

When the mold cleanup process began, walls were opened up, and a pink glassy textured fiber insulation was exposed. A dehumidifier and fans were used to remove the moisture from the leak, which meant drywall and insulation fibers were then blown all throughout the apartment and into my ventilation system and into my air space and all over my furniture and carpeting and onto all of my belongings. Breathing this in for several days caused me a severe headache, it caused my eyes to hurt and I developed a persistent cough. On day 2 of clean-up, I complained to the office manager, who suggested I just turn the fans down. Dust and tiny insulation glass fibers floating in my air space persisted. 

They already knew I was allergic to cigarette smoke and now I was having to breathe in exposed drywall dust, tiny glass insulation fibers probably mixed with bits of mold being blown all around my apartment for days.

After breathing this in for 3 days, I got very sick with diarrhea and went back to the office to ask if accommodations could be made for me elsewhere and I was told there was nothing the office staff could do. I was forced to pay out of pocket to stay at a hotel for the next 3 days while the remainder of the mold cleanup process was done by maintenance. Asheville is an expensive area to live in and being I work from home, in addition to spending extra money to stay in a hotel I was now not able to work from home as a jewelry designer over the course of the week that the mold cleanup was being done in my home.

This incident cost me money, time and energy and it cost me to be sick and not be able to work. I've been sick in bed and lacking energy for many days. As I’m writing this, I still get persistent coughing attacks and after visiting my doctor I am now using an inhaler for relief. I'm currently scheduled to see a pulmonary specialist.

After asking Riverstone Apartments and Tribute Properties to be reimbursed for hotel and credit towards rent, I was denied and told by the regional manager at Tribute Properties, that even though they installed a leaking hot water heater in my apartment that I was responsible for any unforeseen bumps in the road since I live in a multi family style building. I was told that I am responsible for preventing mold and mildew in my apartment. How was that even possible when they installed a broken hot water heater in my apartment? I was told this is why they recommend residents get renters insurance. Anyone who works for a property management company knows that mold is not covered by insurance because mold is caused by human error. Her emails to me are below:

I want to spread this information to as many people as I know, to any potential renters of this complex and anyone else who may be reading this, so they are aware of their practices. I also created a video about this incident here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXwHAu5u4aA&t=10s

It's now months after this incident and I have been sick and in and out of bed and have not been able to work at my normal capacity. I am scheduled to see a pulmonary specialist in the near future. They have not reimbursed me for ANY of these expenses.

If you’re also concerned about the practices of this company or just want more information about this incident, please contact Riverstone Apartments at Long Shoals in Arden, NC at 828-970-1359 or call the company that manages them, Tribute Properties located in Wilmington, NC at 910-251-5030