109 Tower, Miami FL

The leasing manager Marcos is very nice and accommodating. He remembers people’s names and gets packages even when it isn’t the time for them. They are also very accommodating when it comes to pets. Although the hallways get pretty warm in the summer it isn’t anything super bad.

I have recently just moved in and it’s been such a smooth process. Since the move, the team at 109 have been very helpful in all areas making the whole process quick and simple. They always offer to help in any way they can!

Love this building, management is super nice and attentive to us residents. Service requests get completed fast and prices are awesome. Definitely recommend living here!

Great apartment complex, pretty well maintained. Lived here for two years now and I have no complaints. If you're looking for a sign to move here this is it.

So awful living here. The biggest mistake of my life is ever signing a lease at this building. It’s literally falling apart. Consider yourself lucky if a day passes by with all the elevators working. They break down all the time & it’s just a routine at this point. The hallways are stinky & the AC hasn’t been working in the hallways or lobby for the past couple of months & they never did anything about it after mentioning it so many times. Management loves to portray a certain image of 109 Tower but don’t know the truth to how awful it is! Stay as far away as you can from a place & management like this! You really do fall into a BIG trap as soon as you sign a lease here…

Just moved in here and it's great! Having a great time in Miami. Close to uni, nice location.

After living at 109 Tower for the last 2 years, I can confidently recommend it as a solid place to live, all things considered. This is not to say that it is perfect, the building has its issues. But overall, I enjoyed my stay, especially when considering proximity to campus and overall living conditions.

There is no parking next to or under the building, you will have to park across the street at the FIU parking garage, which is annoying but not the end of the world. The office staff was mostly friendly, with some new faces being quite rude but any of the OG staff members are amazing and take care of any issues that you have promptly, so make sure to always seek them out. The property manager is also awesome, super helpful and responds to issues promptly when he is made aware of them.

The bedrooms are all carpeted and I remember when I moved in they smelled pretty bad, but after renting a carpet cleaner and going over it a few times it was taken care of and stayed pretty well maintained and is not easily damaged. The walls are also pretty thin and the furniture came slightly banged up, but nothing major otherwise. I did have issues with a clogged drain several times but maintenance took care of it promptly every time.

These minor issues pale in comparison to the positive aspects of living here. The kitchen and living room space is big and has plenty of storage space. The fridge, washer/dryer, AC unit and microwave all run smoothly and I had only a few minor issues with these appliances during my time there. The rooms are big with nice big windows that open and close and the apartment itself is pretty nice. There are also no bug issues ever, I have never seen a roach or even ants during my entire time there which is amazing and I am grateful for.

Having a balcony is great too, and all of the other amenities that the building offered were well maintained and useful.

Hope this is helpful

DO NOT MOVE HERE! I am honestly surprised this apartment community is still up and running after how many lies they tell their tenants and how disgusting it is. Management is RUDE, lies are told in their leases, and the community is barely kept up with. The first day I moved in my apartment was DISGUSTING with food, dirt, and dust left everywhere by previous tenants AND things were already broken! The washing machine was completely broken and not usable, my toilet did not flush at all either. When management was told they said there's really nothing they could do about it except fix it (which took about 2 weeks) and they would not compensate me either. I was simply told to pay for my own laundry to be washed somewhere else and use their public bathroom in the first floor lobby. After a week of it not being fixed, I called management to complain further and request for compensation since I could not wash any clothes or use my own bathroom and she simply stated no and then said "Do you want to keep going back and forth with me? Because nothing is gonna come from it". Elevators are also a problem with 1-2 of them being down most of the time. Once all three were down and I was confused as to how they even allow that? Also, THERE IS NO PARKING FOR YOUR CAR! DO NOT let their lease that states there's "first come first serve" parking on the premises convince you. 109 relies on FIU's parking garages as "parking" for their tenants so often you have to walk 10-15 mins across 8TH STREET (one of the busiest streets in Miami) with your groceries/ belongings. Once I bought a lot of groceries to cook and tried to park my car under their garage just to unload it and they TOWED MY CAR FROM THE APARTMENT. MY APARTMENT! THE APARTMENT I WAS PAYING ALMOST $1000 A MONTH TO LIVE AT, I GOT MY CAR TOWED FROM! This place is ridiculous and they have been sued before for false advertisement in their leases so I honestly have no idea how they are still operating and still lying in their lease about parking and other things. I would advise anyone considering this place to move somewhere else. Their goal seems to be to scam broke college students out of any money they have for their own profit.

I came to visit a friend in 109 tower, and have been interested in possibly moving into this place next semester due to its proximity to campus, but after my experience I’m not so sure. The outside seems well managed and clean, but when we entered I noticed a smell on the rugs, and my friend said that it’s something normal there.

Service was also not the great, my friend said she had been waiting on a package to arrive and that it was delivered, but when we went the staff were not helpful and just stared at us instead of helping, so we had to end up waiting for quite a while. Though there were some aspects it does not weigh the bad experiences I had visiting.

This is such a convenient place to live for students who don’t want to or can’t live on campus! You are walking distance from the university! There are great amenities, like a gym, a pool on the second floor, and my favorite, a movie theater room! So happy to live here. Thanks 109!

I am writing to you directly as both a concerned student and resident of 109 Tower. I have observed some troubling practices involving the towing of vehicles around our student housing complex, which includes The One, Lapis, and 109 Tower.

Every evening, from 8: 00 pm to midnight, I have noticed a tow truck driver and a parking enforcement officer, who appear to be contracted by 109 Tower, driving around the student buildings. They frequently circle back and forth, seemingly waiting for students to leave their parked cars unattended. Once a vehicle is unattended, they swiftly hook it to their towing vehicle and then wait for students to return downstairs. What concerns me is that they demand release fees that exceed the allowable rate of $72.50 and insist on receiving payments exclusively through Zelle or in cash.

In the past, I have been informed by management that residents are permitted a grace period of 5-15 minutes to park in the driveway for the purpose of unloading groceries. However, the signage posted in the driveway not only fails to specify this grace period but also does not adequately indicate which side of the driveway is designated for unloading purposes. According to the parking enforcement officer hired by 109 Tower, vehicles are only allowed to unload in the "inner side" of the driveway. I have attached a photo that illustrates how the posted signs do not clearly address which side is designated for parking while unloading.

I kindly request that 109 Tower management investigate and take necessary action to ensure that towing practices are in compliance with these regulations, that signage is improved for clarity, and that residents are not unduly burdened with excessive release fees.on September 2nd, 2023, at approximately 7: 40 pm, in which my vehicle was towed from the private driveway of 109 Tower, located at 737 SW 109th Ave, Apt 811.
On that evening, I parked my car in the driveway while I was unloading groceries into my apartment. As I returned from the elevator, I noticed a tow truck pulling up in front of my car. In a rush, I ran to the driveway and shouted to the driver that I was in the process of unloading groceries. Unfortunately, the driver disregarded my plea and continued with the towing. I explained to the driver that I had been informed that residents are granted a grace period of 5-15 minutes in the driveway to unload groceries and I had no more than 5 minutes parked.

As residents, we do not have assigned parking spaces, and the only available option for parking is across 8th Street on the campus. It is with a heavy heart and genuine sympathy that I express my concerns regarding the challenges we face when unloading groceries and the lack of accommodations provided by 109 Tower. It is disheartening to see residents like myself, who strive to abide by the rules and regulations, become victims of predatory towing practices, with the assistance of parking enforcement personnel hired directly by 109 Tower as a third party.

The experience of having to carry groceries from distant parking sites at FIU to 109 Tower is both physically taxing and time-consuming. We, as residents, seek a sense of comfort and convenience in our living arrangements. Unfortunately, the current situation falls short of providing the level of convenience and support that we expected.

It is my sincere hope that 109 Tower management will take these concerns to heart and work towards creating a more resident-friendly environment. This includes revisiting towing practices, clarifying and improving signage for the benefit of all residents, and exploring alternatives that make unloading groceries.

Your prompt attention to this matter is greatly appreciated, and I look forward to a resolution that promotes a more transparent loading parking environment for residents.

Sincerely,

Dayana R. Oviedo Narvaez

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Let’s do some math here. Rent for 1 bedroom is nearly $1000. There are about 3-4 rooms per unit. My student’s unit has 4 bedroom but to be on the safe side I will say 3. There are probably about 12 units per floor? (I am underestimating to be safe) So we have $3,000 x 12units = $36,000 per floor. Again, I am underestimating. Now $36,000 x 10 floors = $360,000.00 a month! Absolutely not ok! 109 Tower needs to do better!

I’m sure there are challenges to renting to this population. However, as a company, they knew what they were getting into. $1000 is not a small portion of money. If this was a regular apartment complex, it would be harder to get away with this poor management. But because they are renting to “kids” they don’t care.

2. The times I have visited my student, I have noticed issues with the elevators. Either they are not working or the inspection certificate is expired. That’s not good. Ask any code of compliance inspector or fire department. (I’m not a subject matter expert by far but 109 Tower is definitely supposed to know better.)

3. Work orders are extremely delayed. Once again, short staffed is not an adequate excuse.

4. Contacting the office/office staff availability/or recorded hours of service. They are unresponsive. Their posted/recorded hours are not accurate as their offices close despite their posted/recorded hours.

At the end of the day, we send our children off to prepare to become adults. I don’t like that they are being taken advantage of and unless a parent gets involved and advocates for their children 109 Tower is dismissive of them and lacks integrity in residential management.

Honestly, it’s just the most HORRIBLE place to live at. STAY AWAY! Where to start? I moved in with a broken toilet from day 1 & it took them a COUPLE OF WEEKS go fix it. I had SAFETY ISSUES that no one from the office did anything about. It’s not comfortable physically or mentally living a place like this. You’re better off going to The One or 4th Street Commons!

Would not recommend living her at all! They would ignore residents concerns and scam people as i found out some residents pay less even though i signed earlier than them.

The hallways are EXTREMELY dirty and the elevator sensor doesn't work. It’s move in season right now so they magically fixed them recently after 2 months of not working properly. This place doesn’t have any security measures so don’t be fooled by locked doors outside the building, they just recently turned on the sensors so people can’t come in without a fob. Trying to get ahold of anyone for maintenance or issues is beyond impossible…. BUT if you owe $20 dollars or even 5 cents they will come IMMEDIATELY to harass you over the due amount. They will send you MULTIPLE letters and emails about your balance but god forbid you expect the same type of accountability from them when something is broken in the unit that you pay for.