I initially hesitated to write a review, but if I can prevent one person from having the experience I did, it will be worth it. I am not local and my employer in Florida would be arranging my housing so we relied on online reviews. There were some problem reviews online, but they were all a few years old and "pre-renovation". I was there for a few hours 4/11/14. It was a 12 week lease.
The pro's (before I actually moved in) were that they do short term leases and allow pets.
I'm a travel nurse and do short contracts across the country and my pets travel with me. They charged me $300 per dog and $200 for my cat pet fee (nonrefundable). The leasing agent left a candle warmer with wax in it so upon entering the apartment, it smelled good. I'm not sure what the exact rent was because my company arranges housing, but from online searches, it appeared reasonable.
The day I arrived, a Friday close to closing time, no one did a walk through with me. The door directly across the hall from me had been broken into and reinforced with a piece of scrap wood and some screws. The doors coming into the building do not lock, so anyone can enter the building. The hallways are poorly lit and smell moldy. The main traffic area of the living/dining area had dark red streaks on it. (I cannot say with certainty, but it appeared to me that someone was bleeding and trailed it) I unloaded my belongings and before I unpacked anything I started seeing roaches. Upon closer inspection, there were roach "shells" of various sizes in the bathroom, evidencing that this is not a new problem. I gently put a piece of tape over one so that they would have something to identify. I have never lived with a roach infestation and did not want my belongings infested, so I repacked the car, went to a hotel, and contacted my company. While I was repacking my car, a vehicle came, a resident came out, handed the person something, the driver handed the resident something, and the resident returned to the building and the car left. I cannot say with any certainty what the exchange was, but the way it appeared made me uneasy. I returned to the leasing office Saturday morning and was told the person who I needed to talk to would not be in until Monday and that my company (the leaseholder) would need to call. So far, my experience was awful, but the way management handled it is what made it truly horrible.
On Monday, the (the day I started my new job), they denied knowing there was an infestation problem. They told my company that they went in and found no evidence of roaches. I went there after work and they REFUSED to go into the apartment with me so I could show them the carcasses on the bathroom floor. The piece of tape was still exactly where I put it. They also told my company that they would NOT let them out of the lease and that my $800 pet fee would not be returned because the pets were on the lease. It did not matter that they were only in the apartment for a couple of hours. Throughout the next week, we went back and forth between me, my company, and leasing management. There was no way I was going to live there, but the burden of proof was on ME. They went in and sprayed. They continued to refuse to let my company out of the lease even though this was an existing problem long before I moved in and they did not disclose it prior to the signing of the lease. In talking about my housing nightmare of roaches and unsafe conditions with new coworkers, they were not surprised and said that Chatham Hills has a terrible reputation in the community. I was told that years ago it was a decent place to live, but has since become known for rodents, roaches, and low income housing. I relayed this information to my company, but with Chatham Hills denying it, and no current online reviews, I had no proof. (Thus the reason for a current review) In the end, my options were to back in to that apartment or move into another one they had available. I returned to inspect the apartment and it had clearly been sprayed and the carpet shampooed. I photographed some of the dead roaches and sent the photos to my company rep. I saw the other apartment. The door across the hall from that apartment had also been damaged, and the apartment itself had a chemical odor. (I cannot say with certainty, but my best guess is that it was bombed so there would not be roaches when I viewed it.) In my research, I found that if a building is infested with roaches, it is very difficult to resolve the problem, as they move back and forth between apartments. The leasing office would not work with my company. They are on the Do Not Lease list now. Please save yourself the aggravation. read more