AvalonBay Communities reviews

This company is an absolute joke. The pay was low to start with and then the bonus structure made it even worse. Our base pay was cut, which didn't help because the amount of consultants working made it impossible to get leases. Management just sits there and does nothing. They say they have our back, but they're just looking to get promoted. Everyone here just bends over backwards to move up. Managers are not even close to being qualified and are condescending to all employees. Associate housing is a mess. They treat you worse than a resident and could care less that you're an employee.

They expect A LOT out of an employee, which can be a good thing. Depending on the portfolio director, these expectations can be scrupulous and unrealistic. The way they treat residents is uncanny: $300 - $400 rent increases for renewals, even above going market rate is outrageous. Some community managers were horrible. They would sit in the back office and talk on the phone ALL DAY, refusing to help residents even when residents were requesting to speak to a manager. One manager in particular used to swear and speak loudly about residents in a derogatory way even when there were other people (non-staff) in the office. So horrible. Want to get promoted? Make sure to brown nose your way to the top and hang out with upper management. It's a very clique-ish culture.They say merit gets your way up towards a promotion... only if you have a manager that supports and shows an employee the tools to succeed. But mostly, it's who you turn your brown nose towards and how well you can show off. Hard work really only keeps you employed, but not necessarily promoted. In the end, the bottom line is what it comes down to: profit for stockholders.