Woman moves into ‘luxury’ apartment building with Hermès shopping bag displayed in lobby. Then she enters her unit—and realizes she was bamboozled

When you think “luxury apartment,” you probably imagine a high price in return for a high-end condo with attractive amenities. However, tenants increasingly say that this is not always the case, especially with new developments.

According to one content creator, Brittany T (@skinbybrittanyyy), the luxury feel of an apartment building’s lobby does not exactly carry over into the unit itself.

In a TikTok video that has garnered over 144,300 views, she shows viewers a glimpse inside a luxury apartment building in Toronto, Canada.

What’s Wrong With the Apartment?

“When an apartment building cares more about having an Hermes bag in the lobby than the apartment unit themselves…” she wrote in the video’s caption.

She first films the lobby, which features a leather couch, gold accents in the large glass partitions, and the pièce de résistance: a gigantic encased iconic orange Hermès shopping bag.

Then the video cuts to the apartment. She first films the bathroom, which looks like a regular apartment bathroom. She then moves to what appears to be the living room, which looks pretty empty, followed by the kitchen, which again doesn’t exactly scream “luxury.” It’s fairly simple.

She added more details in the video’s caption.

“The lobby smelt and felt like a spa, yet the hallway on the floor I was touring smelt like garbage, the unit was ‘meh’, and there was a leak it looks like in the lounge room?” she wrote. “ALSO, what’s with having no light fixtures in the bedrooms…. Why is the lobby so nice and the units so underwhelming. This is definitely a NO…”

It’s Not the First ‘Luxury Building’ Complaint

New luxury developments are often criticized for having a shiny exterior and a cheaply made interior, sometimes with basic problems.

For example, there’s the One Blue Slip high-rise condo in Brooklyn, New York City, which tenants have dubbed “crappy luxury.” According to Gothamist, some tenants pay $12,400 a month for a three-bedroom apartment, or around $3,400 for a studio, yet still deal with regular flooding and the inability to shower, flush the toilet, or do their laundry.

Similar issues have been reported at Hero, a condominium tower in Long Island City that opened in spring 2020. Residents have complained about regular leaks caused by burst sprinkler pipes, broken elevators, and more. Buying one of those condos can cost anywhere from around $700,000 for a studio to $1,395,000 for a two-bedroom.

In Brittany’s case, she was most likely looking at 50 Charles St. E in Toronto, Canada. It’s a 55-story condo with 578 units that opened in 2018.

The condo has a 2.4 out of 5 rating on Google. The most common complaints appear to be about management and guest restrictions, with some reviewers saying delivery drivers can’t bring items up or that management simply doesn’t allow guests to come over.

The price to buy a condo at 50 Charles St. E ranges from around $493,000 to more than $2 million for a penthouse.

Commenters Suggest She Avoid the Location Altogether

“Charles Street = the worst street in Toronto (11 year veteran),” one user wrote.

“I lived there for 4 years moved out 2023 haha I have some stories,” another teased.

“Charles street buildings are so bad i dont know why anyone would live there,” wrote a third. “Much better options upwards.”

A fourth commenter pointed to the issue being with newer developments in general.

“There are so many things that are wrong with units built in the last 10 years,” they wrote. “Look at older buildings you will get a better layout and way more space.”

@skinbybrittanyyy The lobby smelt and felt like a spa, yet the hallway on the floor I was touring smelt like garbage, the unit was “meh”, and there was a leak it looks like in the lounge room? ALSO, what’s with having no light fixtures in the bedrooms… ? Why is the lobby so nice and the units so underwhelming. This is definitely a NO…#torontoapartments #torontocondos #yorkville #apartmenthunting #movingout ♬ Genesis – Grimes

The Mary Sue has reached out to the condo’s management and Brittany via email for comment.

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