...it probably is.

The three main things going for Pinecliff Village apartments are:

1. Their reasonable rent (which includes utilities) and low deposits.
2. The location. It's RIGHT next to a ton of trails, including the urban trail which connects you to Buffalo Park. Also, there's a basketball court and small park right across the street, which is nice to take dogs and/or kids to.
3. Maintenance response time. They typically come within 30 minutes of me calling and ALWAYS come the same day as my maintenance issue/complaint.

However, we all know folks that if it's too good to be true...

While these apartments look okay on the surface, what lurks beneath is an entirely different story.

1. Ever since we moved in there has been pest control issues (roaches!): we receive notices on our door informing us that we must vacate the premises (with our pets) for an allotted amount of time (typically 2 to 3 hrs). Tenants can expect to find this type of notice on their door about every 2 months. And having to endure one pest control treatment wouldn't be so bad- if it worked. Within days of treatment, roaches and their minions are back terrorizing my kitchen counter (and I'm a cleanly person, not leaving a trail of tempting crumbs to lure insects from their humble homes).

2. During the summer, there was an emergency shut off of our gas. It was similar to an earthquake, with us suffering from the aftershock several days later. One day they turned off the gas from 4 in the afternoon until 9 at night. This happened to be the night I was preparing a welcome home feast for my friend and her family who just welcomed a new baby boy into the world. This didn't happen once, but twice. If you have the option, why o why would you turn off the gas when most people are just coming home from work' Then the water would be switched off and just sputter at you, mockingly of course. In most cases they posted notices on our door about these major inconveniences, but two times they did not- came home and the water simply did not work. Again, this was around the dinner time hour.

3. The place is OLD. Decrepit. Battered. Hell, for all I know, maybe the complex was built ten or twenty years ago, but from obvious neglect and blatant disregard, everything is a little off. Examples:
-The screens to patios that either do not close (it's about time we all become one with bugs, dontcha think') or do not lock, allowing for toddlers or animals to finagle their way out.
-A shower that lacks any and all temperature control (you have the luxurious choice between two extremes while you attempt to maintain personal hygiene- freezing cold or scalding hot).
-A rickety heating unit and a temperature gauge that seems to suffer from mild hallucinations--it always shows it's about 15 degrees hotter in the house than in reality.
-A garbage disposal that can't pulverize anything unless it's already the consistency of baby food (And I've had and dealt with many garbage disposals in past homes and they all worked like charms).

4. Safety of your vehicle. I don't know if this apartment complex is the bright, shining mecca for every unsavory person in Flagstaff or if Pinecliff just happens to rent to people who seem to lack any moral compass, but the first week of us living here we got a gift from a neighbor (and we suspect it's a child) when they carved cartoon faces and random letters on the side of my roommate's car (However, if this person seeks a future in defacing property and petty theft, might I suggest improving in their overall vandalism technique, penmanship and drawing capabilities. Or they should tell their parents to put them back in preschool and on the right track). And then several weeks later, as my car sat idly in the parking lot minding her own business, she too was struck- twice. Once on each back passenger door. Someone must have been very eager to get out of their car and paid no mind to slamming their car door into mine. I now cruise around town with a dent on either side.

5. They do not recycle. The apartment complex next to us does, Pinecliff does not. Not a huge issue- but a pain to bring my stuff to the recycling center every week.

Yes, this review is a lengthy diatribe of my seven-month experience at Pinecliff (can't wait for the lease to be over!), but the knowing that my rambles, insights and experiences might save another from one large headache, makes it all worth it.

Bottom line: You might save some cash in the beginning with picking this place, but overall you're better off at a more reputable apartment complex.

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 11/24/2009
I currently live at Pinecliff Village and I disagree with the negative items listed in this review. Pinecliff Village is a great place to rent. This seems like a disgruntled resident giving a skewed review instead of stating the facts about the complex.
From: Anonymous	Date: 11/25/2009
FACT: Recurring pest control issues (If you do in fact live at Pinecliff and are not, say, management posing as a resident, then this is a fact you can not dispute). FACT: Car keyed when parked outside of complex (this happened the first week we moved in). FACT: No recycling bin next to the trash bin. FACT: Garbage disposal, shower rod, shower knob, shower temperature gauge are all rickety...and the "rickety list" could go on and on... These things are beyond being fixed- they just need to be replaced. I did list some positives in my review, but unfortunately they do not outweigh the other stuff. Simply put, I rather spend my hard-earned money at a different complex. This is just my opinion...

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