I never got as far as living in Four Seasons Apartments but I believe my experience with the landlords will help those who are interested in living there. I rent out the basement in my house but last year I ran into some money problems; a basement leak that wasn't payed for by insurance, ect. I went to Four Seasons and told them my story. I asked if there was a way to reserve an apartment for one month, without signing a lease, just in case by bills became too much. At first they were very nice and told me they would be more than happy to oblige me. Happily, I signed over a check. The minute the check landed in Dwayne's hand, he informed me that he was doing me a favor and that I now had to sign a year long lease because this was, "Iowa State law and my hands are tied." Shocked, I reminded him of our previous conversation and deal. I don't know if it was a bad memory or the smell of money that caused him to deny everything we had talked about. He informed me that if I didn't sign a lease, I would have to pay a hefty fine which was, again, another "Iowa State law." I informed him at that minute that I would no longer be doing business with him, to which he responded, "I have your checked." Smiling, I responded, "payment will be canceled on that before I get into my car, thank you and have a nice day."

I have been around the block and lived/rented out many apartments in my life but it took every ounce of my experience to recognize what a terrible landlord this man was. After hearing that a friend of mine had a similar bad experience with this establishment, I vowed to write a review and offer some advice.

1)Don't sign a lease on the first day, take time to feel things out
2)Ask other tenets about their living experiences.
3)Ask to see a copy of the lease! This is very important. Some landlords will write things in there that NO ONE wants to oblige by but once you sign your name, the game is over.
4)KNOW YOUR RIGHTS. There are advocates out there for you. Hire a lawyer if you have to. I keep reading things in here about how they invaded your apartment or how their never repaired anything. Write these instances down and show them to your lawyer. Iowa and Federal law require that a landlord make necessary repairs. Iowa law also requires a landlord to issue 24 hours notice before coming into your apartment unless there is an instance of an emergency. While you can't call the police on your landlord for invading, if you can prove that they continue to come in while you are in compromising conditions, you CAN use this to end your lease without fines.
5)Take pictures before you move in! That way if they fight you on your deposit, you have more than just your words to back you up. It actually Federal and State law that landlord prove that the repairs done on your apartment exceeded your deposit before they can keep it. If they refuse your deposit without a reason, call a lawyer.

No one is above the law and I urge you to know your rights so as not to get taken advantage of. The more people that know their rights and fight for them, the more honest these landlords will have to be. I would not recommend this complex to anyone and urge anyone viewing this to look elsewhere.

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