The pictures online no longer reflect the status of the complex. Built in the 70s (I assume by the style), it used to house international and traveling workers for the local steel mills in the area. At the time, it was probably a great complex. But it is a total dump now. To start, the leasing office is classy, but the leasing agents are abysmal. On several occasions, I have been explicitly lied to about terms in my lease. This includes basic questions such as when rent is due and whether or not they mail rent bills. Their bookkeeping office follows this trend. When dropping off rent, you cannot obtain a receipt. To do so, you must show between the hours of 11am and 3pm. Overall, the customer service was awful once I moved-in. The apartment itself, wasn't too bad. New carpet and paint. However, the buildings themselves are another story. Some doors no longer are able to shut, with the laundry-room door hanging in the doorway. The washers and dryers were continually broken, despite requests for repair. The window was broken as well, so anyone could have entered the building quite easily. The grounds have been habitually neglected, with trash and random artifacts found on a daily basis. Once I moved-in, several coworkers told about The Mansards being a haven for crime. It is typical for a squad-car to be on the premises nearly 24hrs a day. There are many domestic disturbances and occasionally a visible gang presence. Do your own research. Search "mansards" at nwi.com and see the numerous crime references. All of this, paired with the destruction from tornado that passed through on August 4. DO NOT LIVE AT THE MANSARDS! It may be a few miles closer to work and school, but trust me, living elsewhere is more than worth the extra commute. Unprofessional staff, atrocious apartments, unsafe area. Look elsewhere! I was glad to leave when I did. Absolutely the worst rental experience of my life.

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 09/06/2008
I can't say that I have the same opinion as toastercoaster either...I have lived here for over a year and I have been told by the office staff that the police are a part of a program here to detour crime...so yeah there are squad cars driving through the lots, breaking up kids loitering, checking for abaodoned cars and helping the staff after office hours keep this place nice. My laundry room is always clean and the door is always locked and closed. My mailboes are in great repair and the building doors not working properly...well that is a flat out lie. I know that sometimes the door get jarred, but that is from constant use and when you call the office to report it...they make the adjustments needed to fix the problem. As far as the office staff goes I think you are sadly mistake as well. Calling the office with questions about your lease is stupid to begin with--try using one of your ELEMENTARY SKILLS and READ YOUR LEASE YOURSELF!! The lease is sound and protects both me the resident and them the owners. If you read through all of it--it is a really thorough lease. I know when I first moved in they gave me a copy of my lease and I turned it into the school for my child's registeration so I asked them for another copy and I was able to pick it up from the front desk within the hour. Also if you pay your rent at the front desk of the office, you can get a cup of coffee and GET A RECEIPT immediately...I have all of mine NO PROBLEM. Maybe TOASTERCOASTER needs to look at all of the good things the office people do for them as well as look at how nice his/her apartment is and if the laundry room is dirty--grab a paper towel and windex and wipe the machines off, if the building door is propped open--shut it, and if there is a problem with the doors themselves--report it; same thing with lights being out or a mailbox not being secure--report it and the staff will fix it. CALL the POLICE when you see suspecious activities or when music is too loud--it is part of the program here which is GREAT!!! The worst thing you can do is write up an ad about how unhappy you are at this complex--DO SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR ISSUES--REPORT THEM!!!
From: kk92868	Date: 09/08/2008
I agree totally with toastercoaster. The Mansards was the worst rental experience of my life.
From: Anonymous	Date: 09/09/2008
Hmmmm...can you see that both of the anonymous postings from 9/06/08 were posted by offended Mansards management. You guys really stay on top of refuting claims on this site. You always post a response within 2-3 days after the posting. If you put this much effort into your customer service you would not have to worry so much about your ratings and wasting time on this site.
From: Anonymous	Date: 09/10/2008
I can't negate your feelings and I feel bad that you had a negative experience living here, but to call those of us who view this place in a positive light liars is ridiculous. I must live in a different complex than some of the reviewers because I have seen NONE of the negative things you mention. As a stay-at-home mom and wife who is constantly chauffeuring children around the area, I rarely see police cars patrolling. I've never had a problem with the laundry room or neglected grounds. I take an active part in keeping the area around my building clean and safe instead of sitting back complaining. My building is clean and I keep my individual unit immaculate. In the six months I've lived here, I've heard one domestic dispute. And what the heck is a "visible gang presence"? A bunch of black kids walking around in baggy clothes? I've lived in a big city and know that does not a gang make. A "visible gang presence" usually involves activities such as regular drive-by shootings and an open-air drug market. None of which are present here. Also, using the tornado as an excuse not to live here is reaching and infantile. There wasn't much "destruction" to the actual buildings. The Mansards complex is not perfect but it is a good place to live, especially if it is temporary (i.e. a few years). EDITED TO ADD: Umm, no, not an employee of the Mansards, just a SAHM with too much time on her hands. I choose not to display my username for personal reasons.
From: sekretoktober	Date: 10/04/2008
I have been here barely a month now and I do not see what Toastercoaster has described. When I moved in, my apt. was near perfection, the only thing was the carpet was really clean but had a ccuple of stains that cannot be removed, which I don't care really, I have a nice area rug that covers it. What I like is the sound-proofing. you cannot hear any other apartment, tenents, nothing. Ihave been sleeping peacefully, unlike Greenbriar in Hammond where I moved from. I have paid my rent after ours before 9pm at the front desk, gotten a receipt, girl was really nice. The police have a neighborhood watch program and meetings here which I love becuase I have a son, I am a single mom. My mailbox works fine, the lights are lit inside and outside. There is no gang activity. What I see is on the weekends, a lot of people going out, coming home, but I notice they go inside their apartments and don't make a ruckus. The police have gotten a couple of abandoned cars out of here. The gateguard knows us now I showed him my resident card. the grounds are very clean and tidy. My son and I have walked around the who area to check things out and many people have said hello to us. But like I said I have been here a month now, and the way it is now, I hope it remains that way.
From: JPwishtobuy	Date: 12/12/2008
If you had a good experience at The Mansards, you are lucky. I see a lot of bad reviews on the internet, and my husband and I will remember The Mansards with some bitterness for a long time. We could not be happier to have moved to a different apartment community. Not anonymous ... happy?
From: Anonymous	Date: 11/11/2009
You need to know if your rent is late after the 5th of the month you have to pay $100.00 and if you don't pay by the 15 of the month you now owe $100.00 for after the 5th of the month plus another $200.00 after the 15th of the month plus Attoreys fee's of 161.00. They don't tell you that when you apply for the apartment. Sometimes things happen I have never heard of this. As for the office staff, they need to take some customer Service skills class because, they do not know how to talk to people, they are very rude and nasty.

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