Lamplighter Village Apartments

Summary: I don’t recommend this place to anybody unless you chain smoke or really don’t have the money for anything better.

Pros:
*Cheapest place you’ll find that’s in downtown Hopkins.
*Parking is great. Tons of street parking that never fills up.

Cons:
*Cig smoking is a big issue in these buildings. Tenants are allowed to smoke inside their units which gets into the walls and vents and comes out the outlets and vents of surrounding units. So despite my best efforts to tape up all the… holes, 2nd hand smoke still filled my unit. You might not immediately notice when you tour but it becomes pretty obvious once it permeates your clothes and bedding. I smoked in college and even for me it was too much. Definitely stay away if you are pregnant or have children.
*microwave/stove units weren’t installed to code so any time you used the gas ranges, the microwave would get burning hot. I’m surprised those circuit boards don’t short out more often.
*No fire suppression system. Compliant to code since it’s a legacy building. You decide if that safety feature is important to you.
*delivering packages here is a frustrating experience. Frequently delivered to the wrong sister building, or not at all since there’s no lobby area and ups or fedex might not have the appropriate key.
*Carpet everywhere inside the units and outside which holds onto dirt and the smoke coming from peoples apartments. Not really sure why management continuously replaces carpet when everybody these days is going with fake wood laminate. Perhaps management is old and resistant to change? I’m surprised they didn’t put carpet in the bathroom while they’re at it.
*1 washer/dryer for 9ish units. Can’t use it after 10pm due to noise bothering neighboring units. Furthermore, the dryer doesn’t actually vent to the outside of the building so all that hot moist laundry air comically gets dumped into the main stairwell which promotes mold growth. Never realized how wet laundry is until you have to breath it in. I just took my laundry elsewhere to do.
*I noticed the wall insulation smelled pretty bad. This subjective and might not bother you. I’d assume that units on the bottom floors wouldn’t smell as much like rotting fiberglass due to the heat pulling airflow upward through the walls and into the upper units.
*There is no nuisance clause in their contract which gives the renter very little protection or rights should a disturbance occur. Read More