Patterson House Apartments has been quite kind to me during my stay in Dayton. When I moved in,…read moreKelly and Trista were the managers, and they were AMAZING! We were all very sad to see them go last year. :( So far, the new manager, Alison, hasn't been as amazing as Kelly and Trista (read: incredibly warm, friendly, and will jump through hoops for you), however, Alison did have really big shoes to fill, and has been nothing but professional and helpful thus far. She returns calls in a timely manner, makes sure apartment issues get addressed, and overall does what an apartment manager needs to.
The pros:
Rent is WAY cheaper here than in the surrounding area. I think that's because the building is older, and parking is super tight, but hey, a deal is a deal!
At least in the apartments (as opposed to the townhouses), you get FAR more for your money than you will elsewhere. What we pay for a 2-bedroom apartment is what most people in the surrounding area would pay for a 1 bedroom or studio.
The rooms are pretty spacious, especially when you consider the price.
The property manager lives on-site, so it's normally not hard to get in touch with her if you have any issues or questions.
Maintenance usually addresses issues in a timely, generally professional manner. I've heard mixed things about the primary maintenance person, Nathan, however, in our experience thus far, he's always done his job in a prompt and professional way.
The grounds are well maintained and pretty.
The apartment complex has both trash and recycling on premises, at no additional charge, which not all complexes have.
The apartment complex has its own pool, which I've heard good things about, though I'm always too busy to use it myself, sadly. :(
If you change your light bulbs to CFLs, use energy efficient appliances, and seal the windows with window film during the fall and winter, it's pretty easy to keep your electric and gas bills low.
The apartment complex allows cats, and while you're technically only supposed to have 1 per apartment, it seems like a lot of people have 2, and no one bothers them about it.
Each apartment (and usually each tenant) has their own parking space--and reserved parking is taken pretty seriously here.
If you want to paint the walls, you can--you just need to repaint them white before you move out. Sadly, I'm just now discovering this--I could have made the apartment pretty and artsy so long ago!
Maintenance is usually pretty good and reliable with plowing the snow and salting the walkways during the winter. It's very rare that you'll have a problem with a slippery walkway or snow-covered driveway.
The cons:
The buildings are older. Not all of the windows are installed/sealed well, thus, some apartments have a draft, which can be a problem in the winter if you don't seal the window with window film. Sometimes we even felt a draft coming in through the electric outlet. Weird, I know.
The walls aren't paper thin, but they seem to be thinner than some apartments. If you have quiet neighbors, yay you! If you have noisy neighbors, you might wind up wanting to knock on their door, and ask them to please shut the ___ up.
Most apartments don't have a garbage disposal or a dishwasher. They used to have garbage disposals, but apparently, they broke frequently, and were removed, rather than replaced when they broke.
The apartments don't have washers or dryers in unit--there are on-site, shared, coin-operated washers and dryers. Recently, I've heard something about the possibility of installing a washer/dryer hookup in your apartment if you have your own apartment and live on the first floor, but I personally haven't pursued this.
The buildings (at least the apartments), are not disability-accessible. This may be because it's an older complex, and was "grandfathered in" when ADA laws were passed, but it still kind of sucks. There are curb cuts, but there are no elevators, and LOTS of stairs, depending upon what floor you live on.
Parking is limited, and the parking lot itself is NARROW. You do get your own assigned parking spot, though.
Overall, if you're thinking about moving to Dayton, or already live in Dayton, and are looking for a new place, I would definitely recommend checking out Patterson House!