Having lived at Runaway bay for a few years now, I can agree that it has some bad as well as good points. However, the complex was recently sold to another company (can't remember the name). Since then, they seem to be working really hard to fix up the place.
They just replaced all the outside entry doors (many of which were difficult to secure) and repainted the interior hallways and stairwells a color other than the awful harvest gold. The carpet was replaced and the tile changed from cheap vinyl to a very classy looking slate. Looks MUCH better. Additionally, they've been fixing outside lights, and the front drive gate works again (for now anyway). The appliances in my apartment have been replaced with newer models except for the stove but it works OK (they had to fix it once when the self-cleaning feature wouldn't work).
Having the lake is wonderful for people who can't deal with chlorinated pools. Unfortunately, there tends to be a midsummer algae bloom due to excessive use of fertilizers on the lawns of Runaway bay and other complexes around the lake. There is decent fishing to be had.
The regular maintenance staff is OK. They're friendly but they aren't always good at fixing problems the first time. The water heater in my apartment was acting strange (it looked like the original when the complex was built in 1984) and I asked them to replace it as a preventative measure. They assured me everything was fine and no replacement was needed. Not two weeks later, it springs a leak while I'm gone for the day and causes thousands of dollars of damage to the apartments below me but fortunately only left the carpet damp in my place.
Cars have still been getting broken into from time to time, but I check on the police reports (available at http://www.columbuspolice.org/reports/ ) and it's pretty much always somebody leaving their GPS or iPod sitting out in plain sight and the thief smashing the window and grabbing it. A pickup truck was stolen a few weeks ago, however. Otherwise it's relatively safe.
Speaking of cops, there is a police practice shooting range about 1/4 mile south of the complex and you can frequently hear the sound of gunfire. When they're firing handguns it's not bothersome but if the SWAT team is practicing, those submachine and shotguns can get kind of loud. At least they don't practice at night usually. Numerous at grade railroad crossings in the area make train horns a regular part of the ambiance. McKinley Avenue is adjacent to the complex on the west and has a 50 mph speed limit and frequent truck traffic, contributing further to the din. There is a huge variability between apartments as to whether you can hear your neighbors or not. Mine is very quiet (on the third floor) but I have friends in different buildings where you can hear your neighbors talking and walking around easily. The clunky and hard to operate windows don't do a very good job of keeping out exterior noise unfortunately.
For some reason, this complex has a LOT of bad drivers. It seems like everybody speeds around the lots and tailgates you unless you drive dangerously fast. Speed bumps don't seem to help the situation.
I'll report back in a few months to let everyone know whether the recent changes are a sign that things are improving or just window dressing so they can raise the rent.

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