The Dunes was nice when we moved in but quickly went downhill.
We moved out because:
Management staff changed (twice) and then a flood of trashy people moved in.
Several maintenance issues were never addressed at all (I finally gave up and just fixed things myself).

One bedroom was unusable because the heat/AC could not compensate for the lack of insulation so it was miserably hot in summer and freezing in the winter and there was just no airflow from the vent.

Police were on site for one reason or another at least once a week.

Loud motorcycles, and cars and music at all times of the night kept us up.

Its not safe for kids because of reckless driving in the driveways; we could not ride bikes or play because of this.

No enforcement of rules - this is a big one - the good honest people that care about not disturbing their neighbors all moved out and the rule breakers were never punished or dealt with.

Also, on not enforcing the rules - guests park along the sides of the driveways. There are places marked "no parking" because the driveway is too narrow for people to park and to still have two-way traffic, but people park there all the time, and many times I got into a jam waiting for all the traffic in the morning to clear from the tight spot.

There is only one trash bin at the very back of the complex (a long way to carry), and so people leave trash everywhere and the trash overflows every week and trash blows all over the place.

We saw eviction notices on doors, dog doo and cigarette butts in the grass; you can't even walk on the grass without stepping in something.

Finally the burglaries started. Several times while we were there we got a notice of a break in in the complex. The management said they would be upgrading deadbolts on all the doors to make it safer. They never did. Just this week in the KC news we saw The Dunes on TV with another break in, but this time it was not just theft, the perpetrators tied up four people in their apartment. We knew it wasn't safe there anymore, and I am just glad we were gone by the time this happened.

Beware of the low deposit. When we moved out they took our deposit, and pet deposit, and then sent us a bill for several hundred dollars. We did some damage to the apartment (accident), and so I agree that we owed the amount billed, but keep this in mind: it may be cheaper to move into the Dunes compared to other places, but moving out is when you will get hit. They charged us for cleaning things that absolutely were not dirty. We were charged to repair items (blinds with bent slats) that were being upgraded and replaced anyway, so we had to pay (on moving out) to update the apartment for the new tenants. We have rented in four other places throughout the years and we have never been sent a bill upon vacating and most of the time we get back our deposit; we are not destructive people; we respect other people's property.

The Dunes raised our rent when we renewed our lease the first time. We were held hostage: Pay more or be forced to move and change schools on our kids. If we would have renewed a second time, they planned to raise it again. They have carports and garages, but they are sometimes far from your apartment and cost extra. Mostly the carports are not used, because few are willing to pay extra for them. On occasion when a hail storm hit we parked in the carport and then we got a notice we would be fined if we parked there and were not paying for a carport. I could understand, that point of view if I was preventing a paying customer from parking there (that one time), but I absolutely was not since there were many other unused slots.

Also, the clubhouse is locked after hours (the hours are ridiculous and not practical for working people to have easy access) and so there is a key pad lock to get in to use the health club (joke) or office. They periodically change the combination but you won't know it until you can't get in and realize you are locked out. You have to go to the clubhouse in person to get the new combination. That doesn't seem so bad, but when you don't know you need the new one, until you are locked out, it can be pretty bad.

So, its possible that I just had a bad experience and that you might have better luck. Its possible that I might just be bitter about what happened and that my story is not credible. Its possible. But when we moved out, there were many, many empty apartments (you can tell because they keep all the blinds open and ALL the lights on 24/7 when an apartment is empty. Why so many empty' Maybe its the fact that every week you see 3 or 4 moving trucks (in a small complex) with people coming and going. Thats the thing, people wise up and they leave, and more people line up to sign the cheap lease with low deposit, not knowing what they are getting into. They don't know their rent will go up, and they will have to fight with the management when they move out or else loose their deposits and have to pay more money to fix things. I will say that the place LOOKS very nice and they expend a great deal of energy on keeping the grounds looking nice. In the summer the mowing and trimming and gas-powered leaf-blower humming starts up early in the morning and lasts most of the day. With so many people moving out, you can see why a top priority would be keeping it looking so nice.

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 10/31/2008
Let me just start off by saying, that I have lived here for a couple years, and I LOVE IT! And also, my husband happens to be an Overland Park police officer. So know that what I say, I say with credibility. First of all, I love all of the people in the office and the mainteance! They have always been so helpful and so nice to my husband and I. And anyone that I've seen them with, period. Sometimes things do take a little bit longer with maintenance, but I understand when they are busy. It happens everywhere. And I have only seen the management change once. Two years ago, when the other manager was promoted to Vice President of the Dunes company. And the new manager has been so great, just like the first. There are definately police on this property all the time. There are about 6 of us that live here. If anything, that should make you feel safer!! How you don't appreciate that luck is beyond me. You know, I understand the noise issue. I had a neighor that used to live in the apartment next to mine who used to play loud music all the time. But as soon as I told the girls in the office, they had the problem fixed so quick! I didn't have another issue with noise from next door. Maybe if you had just told the girls about YOUR problems, they would have been fixed. In my experience, the rules have always been enforced. (Trust me, my husband knows). And guest parking is actually SET UP on the curbs. There are signs everywhere that say guests are to park on the curbs where it's not a fire lane (which are clearly marked). So you can't blame the company for people doing what they are SUPPOSED to do. And by the way, the Dunes' has a CURB TRASH SERVICE twice a week! Why carry your trash to the compactor when they pick it up for you? (Which is probably what you meant when you said people leaving trash everywhere.) I just can't believe how some people try and blame the office staff for the ignorance of their neighbors. Instead of getting upset that there is trash in the grass (which how can that be if you say "the place LOOKS very nice and they expend a great deal of energy on keeping the grounds looking nice"), why don't you just tell the office who it is and let them resolve the issue? This whole burglary issue really bothers me. First off, you don't even live there, so how do YOU know what's going on? The news is never right, don't you know that? We all called and were told EXACTLY what happened with "The Incident". (I guess it helps that I have my own direct connection to all the drama that goes on in the OP. =]). But just for clarification.....this WAS NOT A RANDOM BREAK-IN. It just so happens that the victim and suspect actually knew each other. The suspects first went to that apartment long before this incident. And actually, the suspects didn't break in, they walked right in the unlocked front door! It basically comes down to this: two friends; one had "something" that the other wanted. Now come to your own conclusion. I feel so bad for the girls in the office because of the media and people like you. This has to be a real morale downer, having to deal with this. People hear one bit of a story and run away with it and dramatize it. Without even knowing the facts. How sad..... (If you admit you caused damages to your apartment, why get mad about the consequences. End of story.) (Also, rules are rules. If you are going to park in a paid parking space, used or not, you PAY to PARK. Period. No matter who or where you are, rent goes up when you renew. It just happens. Luckily, the Dunes only increases about $10. Unluck some places I know of that take away ALL your special prices when you move and take you back up to their "market".)So consider yourself lucky! The clubhouse hours are from 9 - 6. Normal office hours. I don't understand why that is a problem? No offices are ever open 24 hrs, so why would an apartment complex be any different. And you still have access through the coded back doors. If anything, I am grateful for that. It means only residents can get in there! And they tell you that the day that you move in. So how is it the office's fault that you can't remember that? They have only changed the code once in the past year; which I'm sure they have to do because of liability issues. If not, then it would be too easy for a non-resident to watch for the code after a couple months. Again, be LUCKY that the Dunes takes such good care of their residents. It is VERY possible that you are bitter......bitter because you didn't take the time to include the office in any problems you had or take advantage of the amenities that they so graciously provide you with. As for "many, many" empty apartments....where are these so called "many"? Because I RARELY see an empty apartment. Maybe those "many empty" ones were ones getting ready to be moved in to. By the way (since I have called on the lawn service before), quiet hours end at 8 am. So they don't start BEFORE 8. And of course it takes most of the day. It is quite a good bit of property to maintain, and they keep it BEAUTIFUL! (just like you agreed). Just to finish off, I want to say how horrible it is that there is a site like this that lets people like this try and deter people from living at such a great place just because they are bitter that they didn't take advantage of how wonderful the staff and complex is! Those people in that office are so wonderful. I hope you're happy where you are, because I know that I am.

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