Alright at best.
I am currently living at The Annex of South Bend. I moved in with my friend when their former roommates moved out, and my friend was there before this location transitioned into Granite's care. I've spoken with several people who state that the property manager before Granite was FAR better than Granite ever has been.
As for PROS of the SB location:
Cost: The cost for a 3-bed apartment is relatively low, definitely the lowest and most cost-effective in the area. You won't pay beyond electric (upwards of $100/mo in winter if you run heat often, around $20-50 in summer) unless you request cable, which is a separate $60/mo charge from Comcast. Pet fees are an entirely different issue.
Location: There's a grocery store, two dollar stores, fast food restaurants and local restaurants, and it's steps from IUSB campus, 10-15 min from ND, HC, SMC, Bethel, and Ivy Tech. 10 min walk from the Zoo, which is near the city pool. Pretty great location.
Security: It's pretty decent with security. Each outside door has a lock. Each apartment door has a lock. Each bedroom door has a lock.
RENT BY THE BEDROOM: This is a HUGE plus in my opinion, but it can go wrong pretty fast. You rent here in SB by the bedroom, meaning you have your own room that only you can access, and share the kitchen/living room, sometimes a bathroom. You can ask to be placed with someone you know, but most of the time you'll be placed randomly-- which is where it can go wrong.
Credit reporting: For a really small fee tacked onto your rent, your payments are all reported to federal bureaus and tracked. Definitely worth the $8-12 for college students trying to build a decent credit score.
CONS however, are pretty outstanding:
VIOLATIONS: Much like other reviews, this location will test your knowledge of tenant rights in IN so keep an eye out. I've spoken with several other tenants and former tenants, and there are HUGE issues with security deposits being used on regular wear and tear. When I move out, I plan to fight them entirely on it, as I took documentation of every stain, hole, wear and tear caused by previous tenants. (I suggest doing that anywhere though!) The elevators don't carry the most recent approval from the state, and feel like they haven't been checked in years.
PET FEES: You're expected to pay a $600~+ pet fee for the entire year, regardless of when you get a pet or what it is. This is on top of an initial fee of around $50-100. There are also breed restrictions. Check with the office before you get a pet.
FIRE ALARMS: Get some really great headphones or a really warm winter coat, because you're going to endure the fire alarms often. The system is definitely broken, and they claim they're looking into fixing it but it's been broken for years. Be ready for an alarm at least twice a month, and for it to go off for hours even after the first responders have checked it out.
LOCKS: Sometimes your key doesn't work with the locks. Flat out. Sometimes the outside locks are broken. Right now, one of the buildings has one door with a broken and forever-locked door, and one without a lock at all (meaning anyone can walk into the building).
ROOMMATES: This is where it really sucks. You can be placed with a random roommate at any time, and there's no roommate questionnaire. Watch out if you're a picky person, or if you have restrictions in your life, or if you're a minority/marginalized group, or if you're worried in general about potentially being mistreated. You might be placed with someone who hates your guts, or someone whose guts you hate. Be cautious.
AESTHETICALLY PAINFUL: Look, I know this is a pretty meaningless thing, but it sucks walking into your apartment and seeing a god-awful speckled brown counter, mismatched wood, off-white ceilings and beige walls all over the place. Not to mention it's hard to decorate... And don't even get me started about the hallways. They're stained, dirty, and almost always have trash in them. They're cleaned once a week, and the stains have never been addressed.
And, last but not least, WATCH OUT FOR "AS-IS ADDENDUMS." These are tacked on to so many leases at Granite it's appalling. It essentially lets them give you a place that isn't up to code, and allows them to blame it on the previous tenant and claim that you're responsible for it now so you better clean it up. They rented an apartment out to someone that didn't have blinds on the first floor, and tried to blame it on her because she signed an as-is in order to move in. I moved in to disgusting mold and unspecified streaks on the walls, broken dishwasher, and various other things that were blamed on my friend even though we had proof it was due to someone else. Others have faced disgusting, moldy kitchens and bathrooms, cat and dog fur all over the apartment, and broken A/C units. If they send you one, tell them you're not signing it or look elsewhere. It's not worth i read more