When I signed the lease for University Commons, I had an impression that there was a little catch that went with a facility that looked so nice on the outside. After moving in, I started finding out exactly what those catches were. It seems like most of the people on this site who do not recommend this property had a bad experience and feel the need to vent. That being said, I'm going to try and keep this review as objective as possible.

Honestly, there were good things and bad things about this place. It was nice to have my own bathroom for once, a porch to sit out on, and a furnished apartment in which I did not have to provide beds, sofas, or anything else. The front office served a nice purpose for receiving packages (I received many that year for different projects, which made it handy not to have to run down to the UPS headquarters every time I received one). The location was within 15 minutes of campus (20 minutes for most of my classes) and I-94 was literally a few feet away, which made it easy to get elsewhere in the metro area. Cable and internet service was free and reliable and it was nice not to have to pay for water or gas.

With all that, there were bad experiences as well. When I first moved in, not only was there a key confusion in the front office (which moved me into the wrong bedroom), but our apartment reeked of cigarette smoke. I told the management folks about it right away, but they were busy and did not seem to offer a solution, which resulted in me buying up a stack of air fresheners and having a "flower" day. In the first six months, I got the impression that the security guy had it out for me. It was nice to know that security was present on site, but he had a peculiar stare that made me a little nervous in the parking lot when I would go to my car. He claimed that our apartment was noisy on weeknights, which is actually untrue given that we were studying (totally honest, here) and that the noise was obviously coming from the next apartment. We got a warning from management about the noise after he filed a written report, but we did not have to pay any fines since it was a first offense (if we did, I probably would have stormed the front office). I don't know what this guy's problem was, but after six months he just abruptly left us alone.

The apartment felt excessively small at times, as the larger beds eat up all the bedroom space. The walls were thin as well and noise tends to travel quite a ways in that building (we could hear the highway the whole time we were there). Surface parking was expensive ($75/month) and, during winter after large snowstorms, we were constantly threatened that our cars would be towed if we did not move them, usually within six hours (very problematic when I am at class and don't know). I always managed to find time to move the car, but then I would discover that some people had not moved theirs and the plows simply went around them (no towing). This got me angry at one point because, when moving my car, the only alternative spot I found was in a parking ramp (at a rate of $20). I thought that was a little unfair. The people living on site are all college students, usually sophomores that are a little wild and loud at times.

The secretaries up front (for lack of better description) seemed nice and prompt when I came for packages or work orders. Maintenance usually occurred within 48 hours of any request. The leasing agents seemed a little clueless at times, but I don't have any terrible experiences with them personally. At the end of the year, I was charged for small damages that I knew were untrue. Even though I had no evidence, a simple letter got the damage charges reversed, although they were pretty insistent about saying that they were not in the business to screw people over (I get the impression they dealt with a lot of people claiming that over the years).

To summarize, I don't deeply regret living at University Commons, but if I had the choice again, I probably would not have lived there. It seems a little too poorly run and pricey given the other apartment experiences I've had since then. I think it might be an okay place to spend a year after living in the dorms, but I think some issues (primarily price and policy) need to be resolved before that apartment complex can achieve a more promising renewal rate.

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 11/16/2009
Where are you living now that is so much better? I would like to try not to make any mistakes with leasing an apartment?

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