Brook House Condominium

Ever since graduated from high school, i have moved around the city almost once a year, i have lived in many apt, townhouse, single family places, and i stayed in allston,-brighton-brookline area for the past 13 years. By far Brookhouse is the best i ever stayed (within affortable price for me), i have stayed here over 4 years now and i dont think i will move anytime soon.
pros: 1. i dont have to list all the amenties, if you have seen the pics i am sure you are already amazed by what they offer. i love exercising, and the equipments here are very updated and well kept (i dont mind have some new weights, they are quite worn out). the pool is very clean, and it opens till late, even you get off work at 6pm, you will still have time to enjoy it, but it gets quite crowded during weekends.
2. nice pond right outside the front gate, great for walking dogs or jogging. i see people with all kinds of dogs living here, and i dont recall any complains.
3. all rooms are spacious and well maintained. they have scheduled carpet clean, window wash, they change your AC filter, check your alarm regularly. 700+ units here, if someone could do pick up-​drop off laundry service, they could be rich!
4. the staffs are responsible, and nice. i got locked out a couple of time, and my heat was broken once, both times they have been helpful. and i did get a complain from neighbors for talking loud on the balcony after 10 pm, i dont think i was that loud (may bec i was half drunk), but its good to know that they keep control of the nosie.
5. great location, 2 T lines to the city.
6. people here are VERY nice, i begin to think i could be the biggest trouble maker. lots of residents are unit owners, they tend to keep things nice.
cons: 1. if your unit doesnt come with a parking, it might be hard for you. i love the heated garage, but its a little expensive to rent.
2. i enjoy the quietness, but it is a little too quiet. Lots of residents are families with kids, if you are having a party, you can talk as loud as you want but there cant be any music. also no overnight parking, so your party better ends before 1am.
3. you have to pay to use the dumpster. there are trash rooms for your daily waste, but if you need to get rid of bigger items like furnitures, you have to pay 30 bucks, someone will come and move it for you, but if they take longer than 30 mins, you have to pay more for extended time.
they are doinig a construction work at the front gate, so it might not look as appealing, but i would highly recommand ppl to stay here.

I am surprised by the negative review. This is one of the best managed condominiums I have seen. I have lived here for two years, and there really isn’t any problem. Everyone is very courteous and quiet. I love the proximity to hospitals, Harvard Medical School, supermarkets, public transportations, cool neighborhoods in Jamaica Plains and Coolidge Corner. Also, you are right next to the best piece of green space in Boston, the Olmstead Park, and Jamaica Pond is a 15 minute walk. Prices will be expensive, but this place is worth every penny.

Great location if you’re going to and from Brigham and Women’s and also want to be close to Boston. Park is right there with great space for running, great gym, swimming pool, grill for barbecuing, and generally pretty nice space for what it is. Utilities are included.
Tip: Get a unit with parking! Leasing agents are terrible so avoid if you can.

Now that I’m finally out of here, I can write a review!
I lived in 3 different units over 4 years from 2004 – 7 and 2010-​11, a double and two singles. I highly recommend the BH for anyone looking to live in Brookline Village/:Longwood/Fenway area.
Firstly, the leasing agency, Pat Bottary Real Estate, is getting their own horrendous review. Avoid them when attempting to lease.
The BH has it’s problems like anywhere, but the positives far outweigh any negatives:
Positives:
Spitting distance to Boston Proper without the price tag
Under 1mi to Fenway (walkable)
Very close to Longwood medical area
Equidistant between D and E green line trains so you have options
Gated entrances
24-​hour security
24-​hour well equipped gym with weight room (machines and free weights), cardio room (x-​trainers, treadmills, bikes) and separate dance studio with mats and balance balls. I never paid for a gym membership while living here.
Garage parking (if your unit comes with it!)
Tennis courts, basketball court, putting green and driving net, and large swimming pool
BBQ area with 3 or 4 grills
Large activity room that can be reserved for parties
PET FRIENDLY
Adjacent to Olmsted Park — great for walking your dog (with free poop bags!) or for a jog around Jamaica Pond
Free central heat/​ac = low electric bills!
If you are on a high floor and facing the right direction, you can get fantastic views of Boston
Negatives:
A few of the security guards can be real pricks (but most of them are sweet)
A few of the other tenants can be real pricks (lots of old whiny people)
Each building has a large laundry room in basement, but since the buildings have like 1000 residents each, the laundry room can turn into a circus during peak times
If your unit doesn’t come with parking, it’s nearly impossible to find it in the garage here. And, since there is no overnight street parking in Brookline, you have to find some other garage…
Each unit is owned separately, so if you need anything taken care of, it all depends on the responsiveness of your owner. Though on the 3 units I had, I didn’t have any problems with unit owners being unresponsive
Brookline itself is VERY family oriented, so there are really no good bars or restaurants in the immediate vicinity. And it’s adjacent to Mission Hill, so if you go in that direction, you are going to be drinking with college kids
They seem to be doing maintenance on the units almost every week, so they are always entering. They let you know via a letter under your door when it will happen, but it’s always like a 5 day window.
Really, the only reasons I moved out were because I wanted to live closer to where I worked and I needed a livelier area with more stuff to do (especially important during winter times when you get snowed in!)
But otherwise I had a great run in the Brook House. Bang for your buck, it can’t be beat anywhere in Metro Boston.

AWEFUL AWEFUL AWEFUL!
I moved here because I’m a new fellow at Brigham and Women’s and Mass General and it’s walking distance to BWH. I’ve moved many placed and lived in many apartments, and this is the worst experience ever.
During the first 2 months, I couldn’t get mail. Somehow, there was a block. And the Brookhouse also decided to block packages. I don’t know how or why, but I went in circles with them and the postman. This is HUGE if you have financial accounts and utilities from a place that you’ve lived before.
Most recently, the carbon monoxide detector had been going off repeatedly, most prominently when the oven was on. The Brookhouse sent their repair crew, determined it was an old battery, and replaced the battery. The next week, I called them to tell them the carbon monoxide detector was still going out. They determined that the brand new battery that they had placed the week before was old, and again was why the carbon monoxide detector was going off. To solve the problem, they REMOVED the battery, and thus it didn’t beep further.
THERE WAS NO ATTEMPT AT LOOKING FOR A CARBON MONOXIDE LEAK.
The trash shoots and rooms always smell like aweful rotting fish.
There is now a make shift bucket in the middle of the main hallway for the last 2 weeks, catching a leak that has yet to be addressed.
The staff and management are unresponsive and don’t care.
I’m really sad that I decided to live here based on a Harvard listserve.