We moved into Deerfield last August (2006). I asked the staff person when we signed the lease whether the hot tub worked, and she said "of course!". Shortly after moving in I went down to the pool and flipped the switch, and nothing happened. I asked a maintenance guy about the problem, and he said they were waiting to try to track down the contractor who fixed the pool at some earlier date, because they thought said contractor had broken the hot tub lines.

Months went by and nothing happened. Now we are moving out to buy a house, and it has been a whole year and the hot tub never worked during the whole time. Not only do the jets not turn on, but the water is only luke warm, so you get cold just sitting in there. The only people who seem to use the hot tub are high school kids who come on weekend nights, and who probably don't even live here.

Interestingly, we talked to a friend who had lived in Deerfield 8 years ago, and she said the hot tub was broken then too! So it appears they just use it as a "lure" to get new residents to sign the lease. Conveniently for Deerfield, the lease includes a clause that says you can't seek damages if the amenities (including hot tub, pool, tennis courts, gym, etc) are broken. So as long as foolish people keep signing leases without checking to be absolutely sure the hot tub and other amenities work, they never have to fix it!

The other problems we've had in terms of maintenance were: 1. when we moved in, the ac filter looked like it hadn't been changed in 2 years (it was really solid dust!) and the insulation around the AC intake was covered in black junk. 2. We got a clothes dryer and hooked it up and it didn't work. Long story short, it turned out that the hose line inside the wall was disconnected, and the cheap plastic hose itself was full of lint.

So if I were moving into Deerfield, I would ask them to strike through the clause in the lease agreement that lets them off the hook on fixing amenities, I would ask to see the hot tub in action (and stick my foot in to see how warm/not warm it is), and I would ask to have the AC unit cleaned and the drier vent tube replaced.

If the staff people tell you "I've never heard of that" on maintenance issues they are flat out lying.

Also, beware the "discounted rent" trick. They get you to sign a lease at what they call "below market" rate, and then stick you with a clause saying that if you leave early you have to pay the difference between your discount rate and the so-called market rate for all the months you live there. Ask them why they can't find people to sign leases at the "market rate".

Deerfield does have a great location, they just need to do a better job fixing things up.

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