SUMMARY: Riverbend is better than a lot of complexes in the area. It's more expensive than places closer to OU's campus (which seem little more than privatized student dormitories). But it's nicer, too. It is directly on the bus route, a block away from a low-end supermarket, and 1.5 miles from a better one. Management made genuine improvements to the exterior of the buildings over the summer (2008). Management and staff are friendly. They are hit and miss when it comes to maintenance.

PARKING: There is ample parking space, but during my time at Riverbend it was dwindling, perhaps largely because of the space required for exterior maintenance work. I did not own a car, so I cannot say how safe it was. I did not notice vandalism, though I wasn't really looking for it.

NOISE: I insisted on a second story apartment, so I did not suffer from neighbors above me. For most of my time at Riverbend, I had decent neighbors, so noise was not much of an issue. The walls are not very thick, however, and I can easily imagine some people having problems with noise. My neighbors to my left would talk on the phone on their stairs, which ran along my bedroom wall. I could hear everything they said. There were the occasional obnoxious parties, and for a period my downstairs neighbors blasted their surround sound, which I could hear and feel through my floor. The carpeting helps to deaden the noise a little--but only a little.

GROUNDS: The grounds are nice enough. But Riverbend allows people to own small dogs, and many dog owners let their animals defecate all over the place. It's foul. Management sends ineffectual memoranda to residents saying that this is not permitted, but the only way it will stop is by no longer permitting people to keep dogs (and perhaps cats) in the apartments.

SAFETY: I had no concerns about safety. I thought that lighting was pretty good.

CONSTRUCTION: Layout of my apartment was nice. The interior was old but well-maintained. The oven/stove worked but not all of its parts were from the original stove. No fixture lamps in the main rooms (there were lights in the kitchen, bathrooms, and closets, however). The balcony was safe, but it needed a paint job.

MAINTENANCE. In this respect, Riverbend is excellent in some ways, awful in others. When one places a work order, management inputs it into the computer system, and someone is typically by in 24 hours. It's a good system. The maintenance staff is professional and friendly, and if it is something that they are able to fix (e.g., the A/C), they do so quickly. On the other hand, if you have a larger problem that they cannot fix, it will never get done. The constant refrain from management: "Well, we contract that work out, and those contractors are really busy right now" (imagine if I had said: "Well, I know my rent is due, but I just don't have the money right now, so it's out of my hands"). I would ask what the time frame was to fix the problem, and time after time the manager told me that she would call me with an update. She never bothered, not once. Ultimately, after months of my pestering, another Riverbend staff member came by and managed to fix the problem on his own.

STAFF: Maintenance: friendly, professional. Management: friendly, but of mixed competence. That does not necessarily apply to the current management, however. While I was at Riverbend, management changed twice. I'm not sure what to make of that. And I'll give them credit: they were helpful when I moved out.

MISCELLANEOUS: I neither owned nor rented a washer/dryer: I used Riverbend's laundry room. It served its purpose, but it was often rather dirty, and you had to know which washers and dryers didn't work. Riverbend does not seem to take responsibility for their condition: one must call an outside contractor for problems. Riverbend is on the bus route, which is good. It is a block away from ValuFoods: awful for fresh food, but good for boxed, canned, and non-perishable items. AMF Bowling lanes next door. Some fast food chains just a block down. Two banks at the corner of East Lindsey and 12th. A Homeland supermarket 1.5 miles away. When I left, Riverbend was undergoing a face lift. I did not see the final result, but what I did see seemed a real improvement. Free wireless available in the leasing office, along with a cable television. The exercise room isn't much to look at, but there are some cardio machines. The pool looks nice and gets a lot of use. Riverbend does not recycle. qmzu4EHcaGAPVCPw2Fai

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