I guess I got lucky. I've been here eight years and have had few problems. Not that the place is perfect by any means, but I have to say I'm absolutely shocked at some of the complaints I've read on this site. Gang bangers' Ghetto' Do we even live in the same complex' The people in my building and the surrounding buildings have been absolutely no trouble at all, and very friendly. Now granted, I am a big guy and I've been told I look intimidating (I'm really a pussycat), but I haven't once experienced a situation that made me uncomfortable. Furthermore, I wouldn't feel the least bit uneasy having my own mother live here. But like I said, maybe I'm just lucky.

As for the staff, they've always been friendly and responsive and maintenance has been quick and hassle-free. I suppose you could claim that I'm getting special treatment because I've been here so long, but I just don't see that. It's not like I'm buddies with the staff. About the only time I see them is when I go in to pick up a package, which is about once every two months.

All in all, the kinds of things you run into here are what you'll run into in any apartment complex, and I'd go as far as to say that they are much less of a problem here.

I'm not all rose-colored glasses about the place though, and here are a few complaints...

WINDOWS: I agree with other's complaints about the windows and drafts. The windows are HUGE, and even though they may be double-paned, the seals around the edges are terrible.

With those big windows comes a different problem if your apartment happens to get a lot of sun. I live on the third floor, facing west, and those big windows make my place into a veritable greenhouse in the summer. Even with all the shades drawn, I used to come home with the AC running non-stop all day and the place would still be 85 degrees. I'm serious -- that is no exaggeration! Every summer I would complain about the AC, and they would send a maintenance guy over in the early afternoon (when the sun was not directly shining in yet) and report everything was A-OK. It wasn't until the outdoor compressor's fan blade flew apart (thank God I was home when it did) that I was able to talk them into replacing my compressor with a new one. Since then I've been able to sustain a comfortable temperature in the summer (my electric bills show it of course). The worst part though, is not being able to keep my windows open except a few weeks out of the year. I prefer a nice breeze over sterile AC, but the size of the windows and power of the sun conspire against that. I guess we can't have it all.

Long story short: Avoid getting an apartment facing south or west if there are no trees to shade you. But if you do, make sure the AC unit is a newer one. To be fair, I've been in another resident's apartment who faced south, on a hot summer day, but he had all the windows open and it was quite comfortable because he had a bunch of shade trees providing cover from the sun.

NOISE: Pretty typical for a frame building, but I will say that ALL of the noise is concentrated at my front door, which could probably be reduced with some proper weatherstripping. People in the hall can be heard quite clearly. However, I hear nothing through the walls themselves. Now since I'm on the end of the building, I only have one other apartment adjacent to mine. And even though I can hear my next door neighbor's stereo through his door when I'm in the hallway, once I'm inside it's dead silent. In short, I hear nothing at all from my neighbors unless they're in the hallway.

With that said, I do FEEL them. Doors slamming and whatnot can clearly be felt through sometimes alarming vibrations. And oddly enough, I can even feel the people below me walking around. You would think that being on the top floor would make me immune from people's footsteps thumping around, but it doesn't. I hate to think what the people below them are going through. I've even gotten to the point that I've changed the way I walk for fear of making my downstairs neighbors lives hell. I tend to walk on the balls of my feet (tip toe) when I'm at home.

PESTS/RODENTS: I've had zero problems of any kinds with pests, other than the occasional spider, which is certainly not the fault of the landlords. We did have a terrible infestation of raccoons a few years ago, and some managed to get into the crawlspace above my apartment, making a horrible racket at all times of the day and night. But the maintenance staff finally managed to get them out of here for good and repair the damage the raccoons did (at a great expense from what I understand), and I haven't seen one of the critters for a couple of years now.

A MINOR QUIBBLE: I have a one bedroom/den unit, and the photos and model had some nice french doors (with windows) going into the den, which is just off the living room. My unit just has ugly solid brown doors there. When I asked about getting them replaced, they told me they didn't have any extras to trade out at the time. They are double doors, so they take up almost one whole side of the living room, which makes for limited options when it comes to furniture layout. And with the solid doors, it makes for a rather boring look.

OVERALL: I wanted to get my complaints out of the way first so that you'll hopefully know that I'm not just some Marquette stooge. There are problems, yes, but overall I'm VERY happy with my home. I wouldn't have stayed here for so long if I wasn't. And I DO have some fairly high standards. I've lived in plenty of places that I was embarrassed have my friends or family over to visit. This is not one of those places. I'm proud to live here, and I kind of take offense when a few people give the impression that it's some kind of crime-ridden slum. That just baffles my mind. Nothing could be further from the truth! I'm not saying that those of you who have had bad experiences have no right to complain, but I challenge you to find the apartment complex that doesn't have problems. It's the nature of apartment living, and I think the people who run Clover Ridge East have done a better job than most.

I had considered The Pointe apartments just down the street when I was looking for a place, which is similar in price and appearance, and I'm still glad I chose Clover Ridge. The landscaping and general atmosphere is so much more cozy here compared to The Pointe, which sits on a practically barren lot facing highway 53.

As far as rent goes, they did raise mine the first couple of years after the "introductory rate", but they have not raised it at all for the at least the last five years.

Granted, I've been out of the apartment-hunting world for a long time, and maybe things have changed, but I think most people will have a hard time finding a nicer place for the money. Clover Ridge East will continue to be my home for the foreseeable future.

User Responses
From: rrodriguez64	Date: 11/07/2007
This person must work here in order to not receive a rental increase in 5 years. Does this sound normal to you?
From: Anonymous	Date: 12/27/2007
Rental rates do usually go up from year to year. Most complexes raise the rent to what they are renting for at that time. It might be that he/she is paying more than the current rental rates.
From: Anonymous	Date: 04/19/2008
i would agree with you rrodriguez, our rent has gone up each year! Plus managment really dosent seem to care about any problems we have had living here.
From: Anonymous	Date: 01/14/2009
I still live here. I am leaving in two months. I already put in my 60 day notice. Every year I lived here my rent has increased. This person must work for the company. I have never lived at a place where the rent did not increase... oh yes I have... AT HOME WITH MY PARENTS WHEN MY RENT WAS $0 A MONTH EACH YEAR.
From: Anonymous	Date: 01/15/2009
You know, this is getting ridiculous. I am the person who posted this review. PLEASE NOTICE that I have lived here for NINE YEARS now. ALSO NOTICE I DID SAY they raised my rent the "first couple of years", I DID NOT say they never raised my rent. The only thing I should have been more careful about was saying "couple of years". It was probably more like three or four. So I apologize for this transgression. Fact of the matter is, I am currently paying almost $400 more than when I first moved here. So yes, they did indeed raise it for a while. Which is what I said if you have the capability to read. I finally asked the manager about this very topic after getting all these accusatory replies, and he told me that they do start you out with lower rates to get you in (as do nearly ALL apartment complexes). They then move the rent up incrementally until you are at the "market price", which simply means the price level of comparable apartments. But they can't keep raising your rent indefinitely or your rent will eventually be way over market rates. Look at it this way: If they simply raised my rent some arbitrary amount every year, say $100, then after my nine years here, I'd be paying almost $1700 a month rent! That's obviously insane for a one bedroom apartment. So it does have to level off after a while or they'd price themselves right out of business. Now, if you just go jumping from one apartment to another every couple of years, then you have no idea how rental rates actually work. Most of you people complaining about rent increases are not taking into account the number of years I've lived here. You live here for a year and then are outraged that they want to increase your rent the next year. Well show me an apartment complex that doesn't do that! I thought I was giving a pretty darned honest review here. I pointed out the flaws with the place, but I also pointed out what I felt were the good points too, which, in my mind, outweigh, by far, the negatives. But everyone here is latching onto this "never raised my rent" myth, and ignored the rest of what I wrote. I don't know why the h*** I'm even replying here, other than the fact that I'm deeply offended at being accused of placing a dishonest review. If I could erase my original post, I would. Nevertheless, I stand by it.

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