Clocktower Mill and Velvet Mill Apartments

M Davidson

Love the retro converted silk mill apartment. Many new improvements here.

Ross R

Overall I have had a positive experience living here the past year and would recommend for anyone looking for apartments in the area. You often hear horror stories from apartment reviews, ranging from terrible management to poor upkeep. I'm happy not to have experienced any of these things, however there are some points that keep me from giving it five stars. I shopped around with the other "mills" apartment in the immediate area and Velvet Mills definitely offered the most for the best price. Although you can somewhat hear neighbors if they're being noisy, it is very muffled in my opinion and totally acceptable. I toured Lofts at The Mills where you could hear your neighbor cough, Velvet Mills is nowhere near this level. The units I think are very attractive, and I'm particularly pleased with my corner unit. The windows open a large amount and are equipped with blinds you can open and close. I also have one of the remodeled kitchens with granite which I like. The location is also great with Labyrinth Brewery, Hartford Pizza, 384, and running trails very nearby. The leasing office always responds within a day by either email or phone, usually the same day, and are kind and understanding. As a PW employee my security deposit was reduced to only $99. Despite the large windows my units has stayed fairly well insulated during colder months. There are a few negatives, primarily the parking situation. Parking is very far from the actual units and walking to your parked car can easily add five minutes to your daily commute each way. I highly recommend you visit the actual unit you're considering before actually leasing in order to understand how far you may need to walk each day (particularly inconvenient when bringing home groceries). The leasing office likely will not explain this to you unless you ask, they didn't to me. Also maintenance requests usually take about a week, and several times I've experienced over a two week wait. In addition flooring is carpet, I would prefer hardwood which would be easier to keep clean. Finally leasing options aren't good. Opposed to some apartments where you sign a one year lease then it rolls over to month by month, at Velvet Mills you must sign another one year lease or a certain monthly plan at an increased rate. Monthly leasing is an option, but for a 40% increased rate versus a one year lease.

Erin Bolt

I lived in Clocktower Mills and just ended my lease. First off, yes, the apartment itself is beautiful structurally. However the carpet is very cheap and gets torn up in the corners very easily. So don't move your furniture around on it. The walls are thin, just like the other reviews. I personally could hear my neighbor use his microwave every time. The neighbors are friendly, if you yourself are friendly as well. My car was broken into and my GPS was stolen. The very next day there were three cars up on blocks because someone took their wheels. So invest in wheel locks if you can. This past summer there was a big problem with the fire alarms. They kept going off in the middle of the night and there was an event when some juveniles thought it would be a great idea to use the fire extinguisher through the first floor hallway. This eventually led to an actual fire because someone left food on the stove in the midst of evacuating. Took several months until the fire alarm system was fixed. Management was sometimes difficult to get a hold of. I also found it difficult to get any packages delivered. The post office, FedEx and UPS had a difficult time understanding that they could leave the packages at the office in the other building, a whole block away. I don't really blame them, it isn't very clear unless the person dropping off the package knows what to do. Then when you do get a packaged delivered, good luck getting it from the office. They are only open during the time a normal person goes to work, like myself. Overall, there where some things I liked about living here. But more so many things I did not. I would not recommend to family or friends. But if it fits your budget, its one of the decent/cheaper places to live.

Yve Suliveres

I've been here two years and its been an experience. The structure of the apartments are beautiful but that's about it. The hallways and lobby are constantly trashed, except M-F 9-5 . Apparently these apartments are know for constant car vandalism and theft (ask someone at Manchester Police Department before moving in).The walls are so thin I can hear my neighbors telephone conversations; I eventually had to invest in a noise maker. I've gone to the office several times to complain about the gaps in the walls between my apartment and the ones next door; not only does noise and light come in but smoke. I have two small children and am not a smoker myself so you can see why this is a problem (especially when the little ones ask about the marijuana smell in our apartment).