I know people usually come on here to either rave or destroy an apartments reputation, but I feel like its my responsibility to give an objective review of Windmeadows. I lived in a 3/2 from Fall 07 until Spring 08. Lets just begin by saying that Windmeadows is probably no different from any other apartment complex in Gainesville. They know they are renting to predominantly college students who don't expect much and subsequently they cut corners in every way possible in order to save money. First of all, despite their renovations, Windmeadows is an extremely old apartment complex from the 70s. Thus the core and foundations of the apartments are questionable at best. This may not seem important, but its consequences would rear their head throughout living there. When you go in, they love to celebrate their completely superficial renovations which include new countertops, carpet, tile etc, but oddly no new appliances. This becomes a key point because the model that they show you has brand new stainless steel appliances including a flat top stove. Trust me, your apartment will not have these luxuries. The units were obviously renovated as quickly as possible with no attention to detail whatsoever. Walls which were supposidly resurfaced were often not straight. When we moved into the apartment, the toilets were not secured to the ground and moved when you sat on them. Toilet paper holders were not installed and a pipe under our kitchen sink wasn't screwed in properly, so in the middle of the year it exploded and made quite a mess. Thus you will be put in an apartment with brand new granite like countertops and a refrigerator from 1989. The windows creak and grown when you try to open them, and do not insulate against heat or noise at all. Our sliding door to the patio didn't have a lock, so management improvised a wood log to put on the ground in the track to provide security. When they installed the gates in the middle of the year, I could always hear the beep of approving someones arrival every time. Also, management would wake me up every morning because the exterior walls are so thin, that I could hear them walking up the stairs to get to the model apartment above me. Additionally, the ac units were not replaced and only somewhat adequately work. Throughout the entire year, we had maintenance come in several times to fix the ac, but they never got the problem fixed. Although they may have fixed the a/c, the poor circulation of air caused by the archaic design of the apartments, coupled with poor insulation because of their age made it impossible to ever cool down the apartment. In order to get it to a comfortable 76 degrees inside (regardless of how hot it was outside), the unit would have to run constantly, and thus generate a huge electric bill. Although maintenance was usually fast to respond, they also cut corners wherever needed. Instead of providing an air conditioning filter that fit the unit, they would fold an oversized filter and cram it into the spot. When confronted about this problem, they merely blamed it on a supplier and said that they didn't have the correct size. This very frustrating responce was even more enfuriating considering they could have gone to the Lowes which is 200 yards away and purchased the correct size. Having dust and dirt enter the unit just compounded the problems the unit had in cooling down the apartment. Also, when the air handler was surrounded by dust and mold, instead of cleaning it out, management merely responded that this is normal and happened all the time. (Maybe it does at windmeadows, but not anywhere else I have ever lived) Additionally, we did not have the ceiling fans that we were promised for 6 months because management would always blame the problem on suppliers or someone else. Although the location is very appealing, it does not make up for all the other shortcomings. We had bug problems throughout the year (which the friendly exterminator tried in numerous futile attempts to fix) , even though we kept a meticulously clean apartment (people often couldnt believe it was college guys and not girls living there) The amenities are reasonable, but nothing spectacular. The gym is hardly functional, although management does take steps to make the pool area very comfortable. Windmeadows did have some attractive features though. The location could not be beat. All of Butler plazas stores were within the advertised walking distance. Furthermore, Windmeadows is an extremely quite place to live. (Although I suppose this could be based on the fact that it was largely empty due to a failed condo conversion project which left them no time to lease them out). It also is reasonably safe. I accidentally left my scooter there with the keys in the ignition all winter break, and it was still happily sitting there upon my arrival. Management will usually respond quickly to any of your requests, but they are often ill equipped, too overwhelmed, or simply too lazy to actually fix your problem correctly. Here's one of the biggest complaints. When you move in, they charge you a $200 redecoration fee. They never really put in writing what that fee covers, but they say its to cover the costs of cleaning the apartment when you move out. Despite this fee, they took $120 out of our security deposit to cover "extra" cleaning expenses such as steam cleaning the carpet which should have been included in the cleaning fee. Ask them to put in writing specifically what this frivolous charge covers. Overall Windmeadows was a pretty disappointing place to live considering the unwarranted premium rent charged for a superficially appealing place. It is certainly not the worst place to live, but you would be wise to do a little research and find a better place.

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