Everthing seemed great at first. I qualified for $99 deposit, and they accepted dogs. So it cost me less than $1000 to move in. Rent was $910 for a small, one bedroom apartment with heat/hot water included. The apartment seemed updated, but all "updates" were cheap. The "hardwood" floors were fake plastic wood looking material. Fine, I can live with that. After I signed the lease and did a walkthrough, the closet door in the bedroom came off the hinges and instead of fixing it, the office lady just told me to stick it in the closet and leave it. Fine, whatever. Fast forward a few months, and I noticed mouse droppings in my kitchen. Im not a dirty person and I don't leave food out for extended periods of time. But considering I lived in a basement level apartment in a building with multiple tenants, I was understanding. So I called the office and asked them to send an exterminator. WEEKS later, they finally sent an exterminator who put mouse poison under my stove. It never got rid of the mice. I had mouse droppings all over my stove, inside the burners, and when I lifted the top of the stove, it was COVERED in mouse poop and urine. (I wish I could post pictures) I was disgusted. I cleaned it to the best of my abilities, but could not physically reach all of it. I emailed the office multiple times and asked them to send a professional cleaner to clean inside the stove so it was safe and sanitary for me to use, and they NEVER SENT SOMEONE TO HELP ME. I haven't been able to use my oven in months. Everytime I heat it up, my entire apartment smells like death.
Fast forward to the first week of June. It was a Saturday, 90 degrees outside. MY HEAT WAS STILL ON. No matter how many fans I had running, it was sweltering. I had already, at this point, emailed the office prior about turning the heat off and putting an AC in the window. (The windows in the apartment are tall, and do not open like regular windows. Installing a window AC is impossible without maintenance taking the entire window out and fastening the AC in the window and covering the empty space on top with wooden panels. Makes zero sense.) The reply to my initial email stated that they "would be turning the heat off soon." Jump to this day, Saturday, 90 degrees, and heat still on. My only option was to call emergency maintenance. I explained the situation, and the only thing they could offer me was a temporary portable AC until they could "go to the store and buy the proper tools to fix the window for a window AC unit." Ok, fine. They came and installed the portable AC while I was out. I came home to my window being open, with the AC vent resting against the window screen, and childrens blankets nailed to the window frame to keep the cool air from leaking out of the screen. But the heat was, obviously still on. But the portable AC provided some minor relief from the heat, and for that, I was thankful. The heat was fortunately turned off the following week. But maintenance has never come back since then (I am writing this review in August) and I have had this portable AC since June. My electric bill has been sky-high due to the window being open for the portable AC vent, and since the AC is meant for single room and not an apartment, it has been running non-stop to keep the apartment as cool as possible. Between the battle about the mice and the battle with the heat, I am exhausted fighting with the office. I feel, 100% that they do not take tenant concerns seriously. THEN, I get a letter saying they are going to raise my rent +$50 a month! For what?!?! What am I paying for? A tiny apartment that has mice and a leasing office that doesn't provide any tenant support? I will take my money elsewhere!
The ONLY positive experience that I had while living here was the neighborhood itself felt safe. I could walk my dog at night and not feel worried or uncomfortable. read more