OPINION: New Bedford man fed up with gentrification at The Lofts At Wamsutta Place

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“I recently wrote an email to both the city council and the Mayor to protest the profligate and punitive rent increases over the past several years.

For example, I have lived the past four years at Wamsutta Lofts – when I moved in the 1 bedroom rate was $945 – I just got a renewal notice letter and a 1 bedroom is now $1135 (not counting a $25 garage fee). This is highway larceny, a cash grab, pure and simple.

In the four years that I have lived here, they have not given more amenities or anything they are just raising rents because they can. That is called gentrification and it is immoral.

If other people join me in demanding rent freezes for people who have called New Bedford home for a number of years, perhaps real change can be effectuated. Public servants work for their voters, not the other way around. As somebody who voted for almost all the incumbents (save one) and for the current mayor, I am within my prerogative to think that they need to do better at protecting their residents from naked corporate cash grabs like this.

I invite others to also email their council who may also be impacted by this issue. It is both a moral issue and a prudential issue, and it needs to be addressed forthwith.” -‎ Francis H Erdman III‎

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6 comments

  1. New Bedford citizen

    If I don’t like the amount of rent my landlord is charging I’d simply leave. It’s not as complicated as you make it. Maybe if you and more residence did so it might make the owners of the property open their eyes once all their income stoped flowing.

  2. Like the world is going to change for you. Get over it. Why is it that it’s the crying generation suddenly? Don’t like something? Cry about it. Rent freeze? Lol And you should ask a politician for help??? This guy has some deeper problems ???

  3. I lived there for 3 years. Each year with a large rent increase. When my lease came up for renewal the last time I tried to negotiate with them to get repairs done and to perhaps lower the increase of $60 per month. They declined. In fact I was informed that I would have to vacate my apartment in 30 days. This was especially difficult since I have a mobility impairment and require a place to live that has no steps or stairs and I’m on a fixed income.
    For a company that professes to be community minded and that supposedly creates a family atmosphere at their housing developments this is a terrible way to treat their tenants.

  4. Former Wamsutta tenant

    After living here for just over 3 years and being a good tenant, you would think that Acorn management would have more tact. Unfortunately, acorn can’t even keep their own lies and switch tracking straight.

    Don’t move here unless you want to be kicked out for wanting changes on your lease. My rent was supposed to be raised $60 and of course I respectfully asked if they would keep my rent the same. As expected, Acorn (the management company) said no. Next, I asked if they would allow me to have one of their storage units at no additional cost with the rent increase and I asked them to fix several major issues within the first 30 days or I would begin putting my rent into escrow. After a few days, The regional manager and one other rental agent refused to let me renew my lease because of that. Now, a month later, the new tenant in that unit is dealing with a flooded first floor apartment I used to live in. Why? Because the terrible maintenance staff didn’t fix ANY of the issues I told them was wrong with the space.

    An hour after my incredibly one sided conversation with these two, where they did all the talking, they had the constable on their payroll deliver a termination of tenancy letter. Yet, the cop said it was an eviction notice. What the heck?

    You know why I was actually asked to leave? Because I somehow upset One of the staff members and instead of coming to me like an adult to talk to me, they had me kicked out to live on the streets. If I didn’t have friends and family, I would be on the streets.

    Do not rent from here! It’s not worth it! It’s over priced and the staff doesn’t do their job. Plus, the maintenance staff is constantly smoking in the common areas of the building, then the staff blames it on the tenants. The only people that actually do their jobs are the cleaning ladies.

    Among other issues, there’s mold and mildew through the whole building, all the construction work by acorn is half assed and not up to code, countless tenants were promised a storage space included in their rent before they ever installed a storage area yet charge $60 a month, we were promised a pool that still doesn’t exist and they are still promising a pool! Staff smokes in the building, all of the “new” dishwashers, fridges and microwaves they install are actually used (there has been food and dirty dishes in one dishwasher they gave me and they claimed they just bought it a few days prior).

    When I lived in one of the accessible units on the north side, it was 9 months before the leak in the bedroom was fixed. Then when I lived on the fifth floor and first floor, there was problem after problem. Plumbing, electrical, A/C, mold, mildew, everything! Plus, we had several drug addict neighbors that I had to call the cops on at least twice a week.

    Oh! And let’s not forget that the accessible units aren’t actually up to ADA regulations. Staff tried to argue that they are but both of my parents helped write the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. It was pounded into my head growing up. Especially with 2 parents with physical disabilities, so I’m confident in my knowledge on the laws. Oh and maintenance is ALWAYS smoking inside the building and then blaming tenants.

    If you want to live in a luxury apartment, this isn’t is.

  5. I wish to remark for the record that this piece was copy / pasted from a comment I had originally posted on the New Bedford Guide Facebook group, and was copied without either my knowledge ahead of time of its being copied or my consent. I suppose in the future it is a lesson to be prudent about what one posts on social media, for one does not know when one’s comments may be posted elsewhere without one’s consent.

    Without delving into the substance of the issues, I will say that if I had to do it all over again, I would have discussed these issues more in private communications and away from social media. Again I did not and do not give consent for my original remarks to have been reposted in such a manner. I suppose FB group owners can do what they want with people’s comments, so that is a lesson moving forward, but it is worth remarking for the record that this was re-posted without my knowledge or consent.

    • did you think Facebook was private??! Anything you post on FB can be seen around the entire world. Heck, i’d go so far as to posit that anything you post online can be seen around the world, forever.

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