Berkshire Communities

I think Berkshire Main Street is a great place to live. It is very close to the medical school and the bus comes right over so I barely have to drive during the week. The facilities are a bit older with early 2000s color scheme but the apartments are very large with wooden floors and carpeted rooms. I really like my experience here! There is not a lot of sunlight that comes into my apartment though.

A good place to live.

Decent apartment for price/size

I love living here! It’s walkable to the main Duke hospital or I can take the bus for free if the weather is bad. The staff are great too.

Apartments and amenities (pool, gym, study areas) are excellent. Maintenance issues within apartments are addressed quickly. Complex is walking distance to campus. Management is, however, slow to respond to issues with common areas (for example, a flooring issue in a common area and broken garage gates have taken months to fix).

I have really enjoyed living here! It takes about 14 minutes to walk to TSCHE, or the bus stop is literally right outside so it couldn’t be more convenient. Also super close to 9th street/harris teeter which is so nice. Lots of people live here which is fun socially, plus proximity to a lot of other popular buildings, easy to walk to see friends.

The Estates of Bellaire is a great choice for university students and smaller families. There are larger units with more garage space and bedrooms if that's necessary, and smaller apartment styled units if you wouldn't want to live in a space with stairs. The amenities are pretty good and management is responsive. It's just a little bit of a drive to the nearby universities but that's manageable. Seems like a safe area too.

First things first — I know most people don’t have the time (or patience) for long reviews, so I’ll start with my most important piece of advice:
IF YOU ARE MOVING OUT OF PROVIDENCE UPTOWN (and honestly, you should be), DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME CLEANING THE APARTMENT. No matter what you do, they’ll still find a way to charge you.

We moved out in January after living there for several years. Ever since TAM took over management, the complex has gone completely downhill. It's disorganized, filthy, and unsafe — cars constantly get broken into, loud music is a regular disturbance, and the sense of community and maintenance you’d expect from a so-called “luxury” apartment has completely vanished. Frankly, with the way it’s managed, the rent should be no more than $500 a month.

Before moving out, we spent three full days cleaning the apartment from top to bottom — following the move-out checklist precisely. I even took over 140 detailed photos of every corner to document the condition we left it in, just in case they tried to claim otherwise.

Despite all of that, weeks later we received a small refund from our deposit, and I was shocked to find they had charged us $95 for cleaning and another $120 for carpet cleaning.
Since then, I’ve been trying to get a clear explanation — but all I’ve received is vague, inconsistent responses. I even sent them the photos I took on move-out day, and they still refuse to provide any valid justification.

The manager I tried speaking to was incredibly rude during the one brief meeting she agreed to. Since then, I’ve stopped by the office multiple times — only to be told she’s "busy" and will follow up. It’s been over 10 days, and I’m still waiting to hear from her or anyone at the office.

I'm still fighting to recover at least the unjustified $120 carpet charge. But dealing with this management feels like trying to reason with scammers — they dodge accountability and refuse to engage in good faith.

So once again, don’t bother cleaning your unit when you move out — they’ll likely keep your entire deposit anyway, regardless of the condition you leave it in.

This has been one of the most frustrating rental experiences I’ve ever had. I’m not giving up, but I want to make sure others don’t go through the same thing. I’ll be sharing this experience with everyone I can, on every platform possible. People need to know how this place is run.

I live in a 2-bed 2-bath 1st-floor apartment facing the garden area of B9. The only major cons I can think of are 1) sometimes we get a bug (centipede or a fly mainly) in the house 2) the train tracks are nearby and while it doesn't bother me, trains are slightly audible when they pass. I LOVE the location. I can get from my garden door to Harris Teeter in under 2 minutes, and the store is open from 6 am to 11 pm daily. I am a 5 min walk from most places on 9th street, and near multiple Duke and Durham bus lines if you don't have a car. The apartment is very spacious, I feel like I have more than enough closet and bathroom space. The building isn't the newest so scuffs on cabinet doors and stuff are common, but everything looks pretty nice. The Nest thermostats allowing you to control the AC from your phone is a nice touch. If you're at Duke for grad school, you'll certainly have peers living in the building and nearby ones.

Great amenities, feels safe, and management is responsive.

Pretty Good

My roommate and I have had no issues at Berkshire Ninth in terms of maintenance or upkeep. The facilities are really nice, especially the gym. The units could be less cheap looking and feeling. Everything is a little dingy beneath the surface. Love the location on ninth street. Overall, I just feel like it's a bit expensive for what it is.

Management is very quick to respond to issues.
It's clean, very spacious and has all the basics plus some extras like dishwasher, and a microwave.
The only problem I have with this place is the elevator. Because it's only one, it can get busy during rush hour.

I’m living this apartment for four months and while it’s not perfect it has its upsides. The biggest frustration has been lost packages, the long parking waitlist, the constant construction and noise outside which can be chaotic. However the apartment does have some nice features like beautiful views a nice walking trail nearby perfect for exercise. Management is generally responsive and does their best to address issues as they arise which I appreciate. Overall it’s been a mixed experience.

You sort of get what you pay for at B9. The management is nice but not particularly responsive to anything pressing. Elevators and halls will sit uncleaned, gym machines will sit broken, etc. That said, haven’t had any issues with my unit and I’ve enjoyed living on 9th. Ultimately, I’d recommend living at one of the buildings on 9th and I think B9 is as good as the rest.