The apartments are run-down. Also, there is an infestation of "cave crickets" that come out every fall, and there is nothing you can do about it once they are in the building; i.e. get used to the cave crickets. They will call an exterminator, but the crickets don't go away. In case you are wondering, cave crickets are super crickets that are huge, fast, and can jump really high. I'd come home and have 8 or 9 of them in the middle of my living room. Once, I pulled a towel from my bathroom closet, went to wipe my face, and had a cave cricket jump out of the towel onto me. Google "cave cricket" and be prepared to be disgusted. Also, noise issues were a particular problem as the walls are incredibly thin. My upstairs neighbor's snoring would wake me up on a regular basis. And believe me, if I could hear snoring, I could hear EVERYTHING else. My boyfriend's exact words when I moved out were "I'm so glad you're out of that hell hole."
Also, there is no personal attention from the leasing agents after you move in, and there are all sorts of ridiculous rules that are absolutely ironclad. For example, my dad sent me flowers one day, and they were delivered to the leasing office as I was at work. The office is only open between 9am and 6pm, so I was rushing home from work to get there. When I realized my arrival would be more like 6:05, I called and asked if they could wait for me or set the flowers on the porch of the office. The woman who answered the phone chastised me for even asking citing that "people have children that need to be picked up from daycare". Needless to say, I didn't get my roses till the next evening, and they were already wilting. But the leasing agents can't seem to uphold those rules when you, the resident, would benefit (especially regarding your neighbors' pets/noise levels, etc.)
They also nickel and dime you to death when you move out. For example, you must have your carpets cleaned and provide a receipt if you don't use their move out cleaning service (which was $285 for a 700 sq foot, 1 bedroom apartment. I was there for 11 months). Also, if you do forgo the service and don't clean things appropriately, they will charge you $5-$20 (or more) per infraction in addition to the normal types of security deposit deductions. They even required me to have the 2 original ice cube trays that were given to me when I moved in, or there would be $5 charge per ice tray. They also "assigned" me a move out inspection time by sending me a letter, which was in the middle of the day on a Wednesday, and "non-negotiable" as they didn't think it was necessary for me to be there. They said they would mail me my final utility bill and the results of my inspection within 30 days. I'm not holding my breath. read more