I had always heard that Columbia was a nice area. At my previous apartment I had lived in a very yuppy neighborhood, and paid for a lot of amenities I never got a chance to use. Also, I was looking to downsize from a 2-bdrm to a 1-bdrm. Unfortunately, most 1-bdrm apts. in Columbia are the size of an icebox, so when I discovered the spacious 1-bdrm apts. of Columbia Landing, I was thrilled, especially considering that the rent was under $1,000. I wasn't too concerned that the apts. were older and that there was no pool. It was Columbia - how bad could it be'

My first hint of something wrong came the day I signed the lease. There was another girl in the office who seemed ecstatic to be leaving. I asked her what was wrong. All she would say was that maintenance was non-existant, and that management was irresponsible. I almost changed my mind on the spot, but I had nowhere else to go, so I signed. I have to say, it was the largest bundle of papers I have ever signed for any apt. There were waivers for everything, including to acknowledge notification that cars could potentially be broken into.

At the end of my first full week, I was wishing I could break my lease. Here are some of the incidents that have occurred in my stay here:

**There is hysterical laughter coming through the walls every single night, that lasts till 2-3:00 a.m.
**There is often fighting late at night and early morning.
**An ambulance has come to get one of the neighbors on more than one occasion. Once, he refused to let anyone inside his apartment. If he truly has some sort of medical condition, then I am sorry. He looks and talks like a gangsta, though,
**I frequently get funny-smelling smoke filtering into my apt.
**Another neighbor kept trying to ask me out. Late one night, he threatened to bash some guy's windows in if he didn't bring him the rest of his money. Another night a cop came and asked his mother where her son was. Later, he told someone right outside my door, "Yo dude, I got arrested today." Then one weekend, he skipped out.
**I have heard porn playing so loudly, it was audible over my morning shower.
**My car has been keyed twice.
**The roaches debuted about three months into my stay.
**It seems like the cops are here almost daily.
**I have called when the noise is unbearable, but it doesn't seem to have done any good.

Could I have done more to make sure my problems got resolved' Probably. The point is, I shouldn't have had to. Also, I have been scared of retaliation. I feel like I'm surrounded by thugs.

I never finished unpacking after I moved in, because it means less work when I move out.

The apartments are large, the location convenient, and the rent cheap; however, the extra couple hundred bucks you save is not worth your sanity or your life. DO NOT RENT HERE!!!!!

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