Please be careful of positive reviews since they do give incentives for positive reviews. You know people will do almost anything for money! During my stay here, I called this this place "Assbroke Appartments" since that's what you become with all the hidden fees, dealing with broken items (yourself), and bugs. Everything is nice here except the apartment. "From the Manager's Desk We recently started a special incentive for residents to receive a $10 Starbucks gift card when your feedback and reviews were posted to our main website. However, due to a technical error, our website is not accepting reviews at this time. If you would still like to post a review and receive a gift card, please post it on either our Facebook page or Google." You can find the newsletter here stating the incentive for positive reviews: http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?file_id=85037664815061034182 read more

We lived at Ashbrook for almost two years and overall were relatively happy with our experience. We ended up moving out so we could upgrade the quality of our apartment, be closer to where we work, and have access to better amenities. Pros: Relatively inexpensive for the size, quality, and location of the apartments. Pretty quiet -- mostly families, grad students, and working people. Extremely fast bus ride to campus on the JFX and back on the JFX and CPX. Particularly nice if you get an apartment backing up to the forest. Office staff is friendly enough. Cons: Packages are delivered to the office, and office hours are pretty limited (10am-6pm), making it hard for people who work and/or are busy to pick up packages. Amenities aren't great (workout room is tiny, pool is tiny and is open for limited hours and times of the year, free printing is only available during office hours, etc). Parking restrictions are unnecessary given the size of the parking lot and the fact that the visitor lot is far away from many of the buildings. Our friends were booted without warning and had to pay $150 each and wait over an hour to get their cars unbooted at midnight on a Saturday night. I understand that management does not want people using the apartment lot to access the JFX, but if that is the case, parking should only be enforced during the hours that bus runs (Monday through Friday, 5:30am-8pm). Maintenance guys are friendly but it can be really challenging to get some issues fixed. For example, the whole time we lived there, our dishwasher didn't clean dishes. Water ran through it, but the dishes always came out dirtier or with scum on them because the plumbing was hooked up incorrectly. We kept having them come but they just said "well it runs." Eventually we gave up and stopped using it. Finally on the move out inspection the guy admitted that it was hooked up wrong. Bus service is great from 5:30-9:30am and 4-8pm but if you want to get home midday the busses only run once an hour and take 30-40 minutes. Despite all the cons, it was overall a good place to live. I think generally we got what we paid for and it fit our needs while we lived there. read more

First things first: I was not asked or compensated to write this review. I say this because I notice that the other two reviews so far were written just a couple weeks ago. When I was researching apartments, to me that always suggested that there was a "write a review for us and we'll give you a giftcard" campaign, which often happens. I'm writing this review because I am SO IMPRESSED by the management at Ashbrook. They have always been remarkably responsive and accommodating. Repairs are handled same day and followed up with emails inquiring if the problem was handled appropriately. Stephanie, the property manager, is a sunshine of a human being. She even pointed out another way I could pay my rent to save a few bucks every month. About the complex itself: there are three types of apartments (or, three stages of remodeling). The entire complex is slowly updating apartments, and the newest ones are super nice. I have the next stage of remodeling, which I'm guessing is around 10 years old but perfect for me. The other level is fine but basic (white cabinets, you know the deal). Complex is quiet and I happen to have great neighbors. I've never once heard a party or my neighbors. There are grills, a pool, and tennis court. Location and price can't be beat. Come on over-- if you're a quiet, respectful person. *** Update: As of September 2015, management was changing. I moved out because I found a job in a different city. read more

I lived here during law school and had the worst apartment experience of my life. The apartment itself was falling apart. The ceiling leaked pretty regularly, the AC broke in the middle of August and it took a week to fix. The ancient hot water heater broke in March, leaving me without ANY running water for almost a week. Maintenance would just drop by without warning or notice, even after repeated requests that they let me know so I could make sure the dog was in the crate. Which brings me to my next point: this is NOT a dog friendly community. The dog "park" is disgusting. It's about 25 square ft of fence around several trees and it's covered in dog poop. It's gross. Dogs aren't allowed anywhere else in the community: not by the pool, not on the deck, and not on the tennis court. The rules of the complex are absurd. They will BOOT any car in the parking lot without a pass. That means no one can stop by to pick up a book, no one can come over for dinner, and CERTAINLY not spend the night without coming outside to a boot on their car unless you have a guest pass for them. Multiple friends over to study? Friends from out of town leaving their car at your place? Better get special permission from the front office first! Also, someone comes around to the pool --even when it's empty--and asks you for a pool pass every day. It's more like a strict college dorm than an apartment complex. They are also *very* concerned about how many overnight guests you have and how frequently they stay. If you have someone who stays over more than two nights during the week, they will threaten to evict you unless you add that person's name to the lease for an additional fee--it's in the lease. Very "handmaid's tale." The final straw for me was the appalling behavior of the front office staff. The two women, I think their names are Bethany and Nicole, are two of the rudest and most disrespectful people I have ever interacted with. They were new additions to the front office after I moved in and a new company took over. I can't even begin to describe how unprofessional and overtly hostile they were during every interaction. They once claimed a rent check had bounced and tried to charge me a fee for it, I had to have my bank call them--turned out they never even tried to cash the check. I would obviously not recommend anyone live here. It's wildly overpriced, the quality of the apartments is poor, and the office staff are a nightmare. There are at least 5 other Carrboro apartment complexes that offer higher quality for a better price -- and no one monitors your overnight guests like it's 1857. read more

Proceed with caution! Or, if you've already encountered the challenges and attitudes I suffered at Ashbrook Apartments, you'll find in this review the evidence you need to confirm any feelings you may have to avoid this place altogether. My first run-in with Ashbrook Apartment management, after being a model tenant for three years (2016-2019), was when I submitted my intent to move. That's when they tried to change the termination terms of my lease to the tune of $546.39 being improperly charged to me. After a couple of email exchanges with the property manager, in which I called her on her irresponsible, unethical, and probably illegal practices, she complied with the original terms of my lease. A couple months later, after vacating my apartment, I had my second, more disturbing, run-in with Ashbrook Apartments management. I was issued a final account statement which, when compared with my own calculations, favored them by $333.47. (They said I owed $216.07 when, in fact, they owed me $117.40.) When I brought this to the property manager's attention, showing her my very precise calculations, she replied in an email that my calculations were incorrect, offering a false explanation of why they differed, and reminded me of the deadline for remitting my balance "so it doesn't roll to collections." After obtaining a copy of my complete ledger, I identified the specific error in their calculation. Ashbrook Apartments (or, rather, its "infallible" accounting system) was essentially attempting to charge me twice for my partial final month's rent. Granted, it was a difficult error to find, particularly for this non-accountant. But I had an entire hour to review my ledger - I took time off of work to sit outside the property manager's office since she couldn't be disturbed from her lunch hour to speak with me about it. (I admit, it's a petty detail, but I want to convey that this was not just an accounting error - it was a completely unprofessional, bordering on hostile, exchange.) The property manager was insistent that her accounting system was not capable of the errors I was accusing it of. This, despite the fact that I had the ledger in my hand and was pointing to what should have been an obvious miscalculation. Still blind to the error made by Ashbrook Apartments, the property manager emailed me a final, still incorrect, statement, stating that no further review or adjustment would be made. She again reminded me of the consequences of missing the due date for my payment. In a last ditch effort to save my Ashbrook Apartments account from going to collections and ruining my outstanding credit history, I again showed up on their doorstep prepared to go through my ledger line-by-line to help them see their error. This time, rather than work with the property manager, I chose to enlist the help of the assistant property manager, who had been observing our exchanges by email copy. The assistant property manager seemed just as intent on trusting the inerrant accounting system over the word of a former resident. Even after I thought I saw a fleeting glimmer of doubt in her eyes, she reverted to what was apparently the official stand: the computer is always right. I filed a complaint against Ashbrook Apartments with their Philadelphia headquarters, Rich Management, LLC, and with the North Carolina Real Estate Commission. Apparently, that got someone's attention. Within four days, I was cleared of financial responsibility, and a refund was issued. I have yet to receive an apology for the error, the time wasted, the hostility, or the frustration. How was Ashbrook Apartments finally convinced of their error? An "independent person outside this office," according to the property manager. It is incredibly disconcerting to me that the financial standing of Ashbrook residents is monitored by a property manager and assistant property manager who appear to know less about accounting than a random guy who works in human resources for a living. (That would be me.) I find it ridiculous that management must rely on an outside authority to do basic math. These are the facts of my experience with Ashbrook Apartments. Despite my emotions running incredibly high through this ordeal, I have tried in this review not to go overboard with any snark, opinion, or emotion. I implore anyone reading this to consider very carefully before entrusting them with their hard-earned dollars. read more

I have lived in Ashbrook Apartments for over six years now, and I hate to say that my experience has just gotten worse and worse over these years. The worst has come in the last two years, as the complex got a new management team. In addition to raising the rent quite a bit, the new management seems to care more about how the complex looks to visitors than they do about their current residents safety, comfort and lifestyle. The most recent example of this has made the complex very unfriendly to bikers (a large part of the Carrboro population). read more

UNC GRAD STUDENTS BEWARE!!!! I moved in before starting UNC four years ago and it started out as a nice place to live. But, after three management changes--the experience went from okay to horrible! When Ginkgo residential took over, my roommates car was stolen.. We informed the apartment complex because we thought the other residents should be aware. Surprise! It turns out quite a few cars had been stolen from Ashbrook and they never bothered to inform any of their residents. The car was never recovered! When we put in our notice to terminate our lease--they informed us they needed a 2 month window and they had 'automatically renewed our lease" and charged us another $450. Marissa said she called us 4 times about renewing. It was a blatant lie - we showed them our phone records and there was never a phone call placed or message left. After much back and forth with a disinterested regional manager named Latoya, I sent two emails to the 'resident advocate' at Corporate and they finally decided to end our lease on the day we planned. So we moved out and thought our problems were behind us. Then we get another bill saying we owe "$88 for accelerated rent, $15 for firewood, $30 for unclean stove/oven". We agreed to pay for the stove/oven fee, but we never used the fireplace--NOT ONCE--during the 4 years we were there. We called Adrienne the property manager and Marissa to ask about these charges. Neither could explain the 'accelerated rent' charge and both agreed to call us back when they figured it out. So we waited and nothing! No return call from either one! We just let it go until we got calls from a collection agency trying to ruin our credit if we did not pay. My roommate finally just gave up and paid it even though no one could explain the 'accelerated rent' charge. I sent an email to Karina Risco at Ginkgo residential corporate office and she never responded as well. BOTTOM LINE: Poorly managed apartment complex! Take your business elsewhere!!! read more

WORST MANAGEMENT I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED The maintenance here is pathetic. It takes them months to complete maintenance requests. Even when they finally come out to fix something, there is a 0% chance it will be fixed right the first time, it will most likely still be broken the second time to they come out, and it will probably still be broken the third time. It is laughable how bad they are. I have had to threaten a lawsuit LITERALLY EVERY SINGLE TIME I have needed to get something fixed in my apartment. It is beyond ridiculous how incompetent they are. read more

I'll start by telling everyone that if you want to throw your money down the drain then move here. I only rented this as a 6 months short term rental thinking that i wouldn't be charged absurd amounts of money for electric and sewer. I now bought a new home and will tell you that the electric and water bill is literally half the amount I was paying for half the square footage. Each moth it seemed like my sewer bill was jumping. Each month I paid $90 for sewer and for electric I paid $120-150. The windows at this apartment is so old you a dumping your hot air right outside to offset the horrific insulation. Also they have a fireplace with has the worst draft now to mankind. I complained to the Property Manager and she said "yeah, everyone is saying that"! Be proactive and get off tour lazy ass and fix it. The place had roaches, was not that clean before we rented and we felt harassed be one of the managers about pool passes for my father in-law. He's the only Asian guy there with a ponytail, I think after 5 times you'd freaking know who he is. Avoid this place, there is way way way better apartments out there with better insulation and more updated appliances to help you save your money. read more

DO NOT LIVE HERE!!!! I moved to Ashbrook about 3 years ago when I came to UNC for medical school. At first, the place was fine other than a few bugs. The bus line was awesome and the complex is very close to campus. All was great. Fast forward a few years. Since then, management has changed multiples times and issues have come about every year. For starters, the rent increases up to $50 per month every year. Also, the insulation is terrible so expect expensive bills. Lets not forget the hidden trash and pet control fees monthly although I have never seen them spray and I take out my own trash (this isn't valet like some places). Regardless, I continued to live here and things were ok. My roommate and I simply dealt with it. Now lets fast forward to our current issue which has really left me dissatisfied and prompted me to write this review. Our central air conditioning went out about 3 months ago. At first, it would go out and the maintenance guys would simply replace the freon. Then as time went on, the problem has persisted to the point where the air conditioning does not work at all. Throughout this process, my roommate and I have spoken with management via phone, email and in person multiple times but have not achieved a resolution. The management finally put in window units over a month ago but still have not fixed the air conditioning. We have been told that they are ordering a new central air conditioning unit for over a month but we have yet to receive this. Now, we also have bugs coming in through the window units as they are not completely sealed. I have also contacted their corporate office as well as the Better Business Bureau and did not receive a response from management. Throughout this process, management has not been in contact with us and has been very careless when speaking with us. We have not been offered anything for our struggles. I have been cooperative throughout the process and have not been disrespectful to staff yet this problem continues. Oh yea, the management just recently changed again, smh. In summary, this place is not a bad place just very poorly managed. I hope that you will not be fooled by the renovated units and bells and whistles. Take it from me, until the management improves, look else where. read more

Great complex. Clean. Safe. Little noise. Staff is responsive. Rent is comparatively inexpensive. Convenient location for work and for activities. Little noise from neighbors. Pet friendly. Much better than other apartments in the area I have lived in. read more

Most of my experience at Ashbrook was great, but almost everything has gone dramatically downhill over my last 6 months there. This is for a few different reasons: multiple changes in management, excessive rent increases, and poor experiences with the office staff upon move out. In the two years that I lived at Ashbrook, we went through I think 3 changes in management. This can be frustrating, because billing can change, lease agreements can change, etc. There's a lack of stability in your staff and there's an uncertainty about what terms may change when your lease is up. Which is exactly what happened. When we got our new rate this year, they raised us from $970/month to $1150. That's almost 20%! They didn't upgrade anything in our unit to warrant such a dramatic shift. This happened to almost everyone we talked to. When we tried to negotiate a lower rate, we were told that the apartments were actually valued closer to $1400/month, which is frankly ridiculous. You can find a nice place on Franklin Street for that price. The unit I was in (J building, which has older renovations than most the rest of the property now that they're trying to renovate all units), was most certainly not worth $1400 a month. We found something much better at the Villages for around the same price, and it's a town home with more square feet and better amenities. Finally there was our experience upon move out. Aside from a lack of communication (we were told we could check for any fees through our online account, but it was closed after we moved out and we didn't hear anything for almost a month), we were charged for multiple things that totaled around $85. The two I had an issue with were patching up the walls and cleaning the washer and dryer. The walls had scuffs and such that we noted when we moved in (and showed date stamped photographs), and the condition of the washer and dryer was the same upon move in (3 management companies ago). We asked for a walk through when we were moving out to avoid exactly this, particularly because we had a job. We were told that there weren't any significant issues and we didn't need to do anything, so we didn't put much effort into it. The leasing staff tried throw the guy who did the walk through under the bus because he doesn't work there anymore, which is irrelevant and frankly rude. He spoke for the company when he worked there - so that shouldn't change after he left, regardless of on what conditions. What I will say is great about Ashbrook is the maintenance worker Chris. He's fantastic, knowledgeable, reliable, and all around a great guy - and our dog absolutely loved him! (More than us - it kind of hurts...) read more

We love it here...we moved from Berkshire Manor to these apartments and are wanting to stay at Ashbrook forever!! I love the patio, the location, the windows, the wooded floor style, just everything is perfect! We have a 2 bedroom 2 bath and its worth the price which is reasonable! People complain about the parking passes that just came in affect, but they are very clear that if you have a guest to make sure they have a pass on their dash!! It makes the place better for the residents to keep their parking spots close. Also the staff is very friendly and helpful..I love the complimentary starbucks coffee as well!! read more

This complex was well thought of when we first started renting there two years ago. Now the management is poorly handled, maintenance is non-existent, and the manager takes advantage of the large college student community. After paying over $2000 over the course of two years in pet deposits and fees, we were charged for carpet damage due the the pet, even though the carpet was 5 years old and was due to be replaced. The pet fees were described to me as being for the" privilege" of having a pet, not to cover damages that may be done to apartment by said pet. Also, we asked to have the seams repaired a year before moving out, but that was never done. And we were told the carpets would be cleaned when we re-signed the lease for the last year, but that was not done, either. So beware of this"pet friendly" complex, as it anything but! read more

Management was a lot better a couple of years ago. Some parts of the complex are very close to the highway such that traffic noises can be loud. Ceilings/floors are super thin so you can hear your neighbors a great deal. I have friends in the complex that have the same issues. Rents have been rising here. One of few positive attributes is close proximity to frequent bus lines in the morning. But other affordable and better complexes are nearby that also have frequent bus lines. read more

The honest competent management of a few years ago has been replaced by management composed of incompetent thieves. Upon moving out for reasons detailed in other reviews, I received multiple fraudulent charges. I'd recommend living in one of the many better-managed, nicer communities nearby. read more

I love Ashbrook. I consider it home. I have left and returned 4 times. This says a lot. The former management was horrible and I should have taken legal action. Nonetheless, the current staff is beyond excellent. I trust them and enjoy seeing each one. Perhaps I am naive, given that, I am beyond surprised and hurt to see that 2 bedroom apartments are currently running at the same price as my 1 bedroom, which is way too small for me and my pets. It appears they will not let me transfer to another apartment, for reasons that are not plausible. They will lose me for good for it. This one, I can't accept. I tutored the first Leasing Manager while she was a doctoral candidate at Duke. Now, a professor and a best friend. We discuss this often. She said this is wrong. Believe it, or not, in those days, the staff would walk your dog for you and they had breakfast to go for all in the morning. Once upon a time when people cared. read more