Introduction:
I lived at CTC from February 2007 to October 2007. I signed a seven-month lease and then stayed one month beyond the lease. I chose a short lease because I was planning on buying a house. I recommend CTC but not without reservations.

Management, first impressions :
I toured CTC in January 2007. I was looking for the largest one-bedroom floor plan or one of the smaller two-bedroom floor plans for a move-in date in February. I was told by the associate, who was assigned to me when I walked in the door, that there were only three units matching my criteria that would be available in February. I was given an offer of having the security deposit waived if I filled out an application that day. I declined because I know the application results in a credit check being made. It is my understanding that numerous credit checks can affect the credit score and since I was planning on buying a house, I didn t want an unnecessary credit check being made until I decided where I wanted to live. I looked at two other complexes in the area and then decided to choose CTC. A couple of days later I called the associate late in the afternoon, about 3:30, and asked how late he d be in the office, so I could stop by. (I was assuming I d need to sign some paperwork.) He said he d be in the office until 6. When I got there just before 5:30 he was gone for the day. I stated why I was in the office (that I wanted to rent an apartment and had my rental application) and was basically told that he d be back the following day. I went home and sent an email to the associate using the email address on his business card, which was included in the packet that was given to me when I first visited. In the email, I explained which unit I wanted and asked what the next step would be. Two days later I got a voicemail from that associate, who was calling to touch base. I assumed he had gotten the email. When I called back, I reiterated my choice in unit and asked if I needed to sign any paperwork. When he asked for my email address so he could send a welcome packet I knew he hadn t gotten my email. It turns out the email address he had given me was the old email address. (CTC had belonged to ING, and was subsequently sold to Gables.) Fortunately the phone numbers didn t change. He also advised me that the unit I requested wasn t available. He gave me a choice of three or four other units, none of which were among the original three. (Remember the original three were the only units that would be available.) I realized this office was completely inept, but I needed a place to stay and was hoping I wouldn t need to deal with them after I moved in.
While I was waiting in the office to sign the lease a few days later, another potential tenant was having a confrontation with management office staff regarding storage space. A different associate was telling the prospective tenant that she wasn t sure there were any storage units available. The prospective tenant stated that he had been told that storage was available and that if it wasn t he would look elsewhere to live because he needed the space. The associated replied that it probably was available, but that their database of storage units had crashed and they really weren t sure of their inventory. I mention this because twice after that, during the eight months I lived there, I got notes from management on my door asking all residents to declare if they were renting storage units, because their database had crashed. I never rented a storage space, so this was not an issue for me, though I quickly noted that good recording keeping is not a developed skill in the CTC leasing office.

Security

CTC does have security gates that limit vehicle traffic on occasion. These gates are often in an out of order state. When I moved in, I was told the gates remain open when there is snow. I think they were open the first month I lived there. Honestly, the gates, at any complex, look good and provide a false sense of security, but are not terribly functional.

Apartment

I was pleased with the apartment itself. It seemed to be well insulated and comfortable. The utility bills were incredibly reasonable, though there were units above, below, and to both sides of mine which probably helped with temper the elements. Noise was not a problem, but based on what I ve read on this webpage, I m beginning to think I lucked out and was surrounded by courteous neighbors.

Bad neighborhoods nearby: graffiti removed quickly

Despite being considered to be the Beverly Hills of Maryland (which is a relative comparison), Columbia has pockets of bad areas. CTC is located across route 29 from a bad area. There is a footbridge that crosses over 29 to the bad area. One day in April 2007 I was on my balcony and noticed the first pane in two of my bedroom windows was broken. I told the management office about this. I was surprised when they admitted that another resident had reported that kids coming across the footbridge were throwing rocks at the windows. I was worried that this discussion in April 2007 would have been forgotten by the time I moved out, but surprisingly, I was not charged for damages. Graffiti, which I couldn t read and assume was gang related, was removed promptly when it appeared within the grounds of the complex.

Utility bills

The utility bill is a combined bill including water, gas, and electric. It is payable to the management office only. In my case, the bill was issued during the last two weeks of the month, and due on the first of the following month. A couple of weeks is not a lot of time to turn around a bill if you travel a lot. If you re the sort of person that likes good accounting and precision, you probably won t like this arrangement. The electric portion of the bill only lists a date range and a dollar amount. (Everywhere else I ve lived, my electric bills have listed the number kilowatt-hours consumed.) The management office did try to bill me for utilities covering a period of a few weeks prior to my move-in date. I contested and the charges were removed.

Paying rent automatically, poor accounting

Unlike everywhere else I ve lived, CTC does not have a system to accept electronic transfers for rent. (They didn t even no what that was. I complained about this to a colleague at work who is a Marylander, but has lived outside of Maryland for a couple of years. She told me that electronic banking never caught on in Maryland.) You will need to give checks to pay your rent (and utilities). Some banks provide a service where checks will be mailed automatically.

Garage

I have no complaints about the garage. It was nice to never have to scrape the windows. The other nice thing about the garage was that parking spaces were given out on the same level as the apartment, so I never have to climb stairs with groceries, etc.

Gym
The gym has two or three good treadmills. It also has stationary bikes and a modest amount of weight lifting machines. The gym is highly unregulated. One time I was in there with seven kids, some of whom brought their bikes in. (I assumed they didn t even live there since they didn t stow their bikes elsewhere.) That was an isolated incident, but at the time I thought if one of the kids got hurt, there would be lawsuit and the settlement would be reflected in an increase in rent. Since I ve moved out, I read in the local newspaper crime log that the two flat screen televisions were stolen from the gym. The gym is small, but more than adequate for the collective demand of the tenants. It was never crowded. I think is because physical fitness is foreign concept to most Marylanders.

Convenient location: mall, waterfront, trails
The location of CTC is convenient. There are no stoplights between CTC and route 29 southbound. The mall is basically across the street and the waterfront is a five minute walk away. One of the trails, part of the Columbia trail network, is behind CTC, so it is a good location for walks and running.

Conclusion:
I would recommend CTC. The management office is largely inept, but I ve found this is on par for the level of customer service in Maryland. This harkens me back to many postings on this website that recommend avoiding the state altogether. That is good advice; however, if you re unwilling or unable to commute in from Virginia, the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, or Delaware, you will have to accept lower standards. I lived in VA prior to living at CTC. I did change my legal residence when I moved. Though my rent at CTC was $300 per month cheaper than living in VA, most of that savings was paid to the State of Maryland in the form of income tax. If you re thinking of moving to Maryland to save money on rent, be sure to investigate the tax rates, insurance rates, licensing fees, title fees, etc.

Your thoughts? Post a response to this review. Display my response: with my username anonymously Responses appear below reviews and one response per user is permitted.

   Free estimates on moving trucks      Find apartment share/roommates