Lets start at the beginning.

Upon Move in:

Staff - We feel were lied to regarding utilities and the unit itself. We were not shown the unit that we were going to be renting, and it turned out that the unit we were renting was the mirror image of what we had seen. It kinda threw us a bit. We were told false information about the utilities and the payment thereof. Also the water sewer and garbage had gone steadily up from about $38 to now over $50. We had a single family home previously, and our w/s/g bill was not that high for us.

Maintenance - Fairly prompt, work was done. no real issues.

Grounds - Looked beautiful, lawn well cut/maintained, beautiful young trees outside the windows.

Parking - Are you kidding' The main strip of the complex (up the hill) has about 10 open spots for anyone to park in. The lower section has all the parking next to it, and the extension towards the power lines has less open parking than the main strip.

Unit - We loved our apartment when we moved in. The furniture fit well, and the setup worked well. The built-in bookshelves are a godsend for storage/decorating. The washer and dryer were in a good location for us. The pantry in the kitchen is nice, though it closes off the kitchen from the rest of the unit. Personally I like a more open floor plan. The fireplace was a nice touch, and the window seat is a nice place to sit, with convenient storage underneath. The living room is a good size, and the storage on the patio is convenient. The noise seemed tolerable.

At the Moment:
Staff - They have improved. We have 3 AWESOME staff members, and one that could use a little bit of attitude change. Krista, the manager, is very professional, honest, and actually cares about her tenants.

Maintenance - Still fairly prompt, though the quality has sagged here in the more recent months. Due to a cut in staff or an increase in requests, I know not.

Grounds - Oh. My. God. Mid-summer a new (I hope) landscaping company came in. The beautiful Daphne bushes were horrendously cut, and they actually cut all the limbs from the trees, effectively turning them into maple "bushes" instead of maple trees. I was astounded and heartbroken. Instead of a lush green canopy outside my bedroom window providing privacy, I had a direct view at the parking lot. No more chirping birds right outside the window. I was very sad.

Parking - An unchallenged nightmare. My neighbor, who has one vehicle mind you, will still park in an open parking spot that is *** 2 *** spots up from his just cause it is 2 spots closer to his apt, thus taking a spot from someone who needs it. Its insane and one of the biggest complaints I have. If you cant get an apartment in the AA, BB, or CC buildings, then don't bother trying to have more than one car.

Unit - The bathroom has a god-awful huge mirror that removes all hope of putting up shelves or an extra storage unit. I think that the mirror needs to be downsized considerably. The insulation is very thin, and during the Verizon FIOS upgrade, you could see that between the rooms there is no insulation at all, and up into the next apartment the insulation is old and thin. While you can hear the neighbors use their washer/dryer, come and go, and sometimes talk. It is, if you have nice neighbors who are attentive to the rules, manageable. The windows are not efficient at all. There is cold air that pours in. Luckily the heaters work well... or they would if they were not positioned directly beneath the windows that leak air. I have had some mold in the windows, but nothing unmanageable just annoying. .
Okay, now for the biggest surprise of all... The master bedroom. The main room that the owners of the apartment are in. The room that you get dressed in. The room that you have as your own personal sanctuary. Is the same size as the guest room, and has NO, I REPEAT ***NO*** OVERHEAD LIGHTING!!!!! The only light in that room, besides the window, is the closet light and whatever ambient light you can get from the hallway!!! The room size barely accommodates a queen size bed, and there is really only one wall you can put the bed on without blocking the cable outlet and half the electrical outlets, or blocking the heater.... Are You Kidding Me!


This apartment does have pro's and con's. The hot tub was down for over a month, and the pool rules aren't enforced at all. In my opinion they need to install a security camera. Parents have let their children defecate (crap) in the indoor pool. This is not a management fault, this is a tenant fault. However the managers do need to get to the bottom of this. I can not count the times that the hot tub has been broken due to the use of oils and bubble bath (I kid you not). That needs to be monitored.

The problem, however, is not the management on site. It does lie with Equity Residential in my opinion. They will not pay to upgrade or redo the parking. They will not pay to insulate the walls. They will not pay to have dumpsters in more than one location. They will not pay to de-ice the parking lot (Please recall that this complex is on a hill. Thus, if you live at the top of the hill, you can get to the bottom quite easily. If you live at the bottom you are stuck. The entrance is in the middle. Do the math. I will grant that Krista took the issue with Equity as far as she could trying to get us a de-icer or gravel for the lot. Oregon doesn't experience storms like this winters very often, so I am grateful that she did what she could.

I have mixed feelings about this apartment. The comments left before me all have valid points. Please consider that in all apartments, the unit does play a big part in your experience. However the lack of parking, and the lack of insulation, and the lack of action on Equity Residential's part really made this a so-so place to live instead of a great place to live. We will leave, soon.

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 01/30/2009
this is the fairest and most honest review - I've lived here for two years - and pretty much agree with every thing you have said here -
From: Anonymous	Date: 09/25/2009
yeah then they screw you on move out, seriously over charge for everything

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