I lived at Villas at St. Johns for nearly three years. Overall, I felt safe here, the community was…read moregenerally quiet, and maintenance was usually responsive. My decision to leave ultimately came down to pricing and communication.
In November 2023, I originally signed a 15-month lease with a base rent of $1,407, plus additional charges for trash, water, pest control, and administrative fees. Fifteen months later, I renewed at $1,449 plus fees. My latest renewal offer increased the base rent to $1,650 plus fees while reducing the lease term option to only 12 months. During my nearly 30 months living here, my apartment did not receive any upgrades, so I felt this increase was significantly high. My advice to future residents is to pay close attention to renewal pricing and the additional monthly fees beyond the advertised rent.
I would also strongly recommend keeping all communication documented through email and, when necessary, CC'ing the entire office team. During my stay, there were several instances where information provided by one staff member was either not communicated or not aligned with others, including move-in access, mailbox setup, billing questions, and parking reservations.
Another aspect worth mentioning is consistency in rule enforcement. I respected the lease terms throughout my stay--no smoking, no grills on the balcony or patio, no excessive items stored outside that could create a fire hazard, no noise complaints, and rent was always paid on time or early. However, while walking throughout the complex, I observed residents openly violating some of those same rules without much enforcement, which at times made the standards feel inconsistent.
Overall, this is not a terrible place to live. However, transparency, communication, and consistency are important for residents making long-term financial decisions, and these are areas where I believe there is room for improvement.
Here, I am sharing photos of the condition in which I left my apartment on my final day.
