McKenna Estates

After reading the qualifications for star level I see that I am actually giving a lower rating then I had expected to. First while people complain about the management they must realize it is a job and a business. Most property management companies are all about the profit and not the tenant, that being said I do feel that I get what I pay for at McKenna. When my fiancee and I were looking for residence closer to the UofO we found nicer places and we found places we would never want to set foot in. The thing about McKenna is you don't get the perks but you get the space.

Parking is not ideal but they are covered parking spaces and as long as not every resident and their friends are parked there you should be able to get a space near your unit. Overflow parking is a different story, and theft does occur. McKenna won't foot the bill for a camera (there is one big light), so use a club and an alarm.

It is close to campus and so there are lots of students around, it is noisy. If you talk to your neighbors directly you might be able to curb the noise, if not then you have to take it to management. I have never had to talk to management about noise because I talked to my neighbors, while some of them had issues with it, they did oblige and we came to an understanding.

Grounds, it seems that they are fixed up about every three months, new bark and cutting of the shrubs, now at day 1 they look pretty tidy, but day 70 rolls around and things start to look overgrown, like they do right now. As for the dog poop and cats. The dog poop is the responsibility of the owner, and if they don't pick it up it is unsightly, HOWEVER it is not the managers responsibility to pick it up, but the owners, so say something if you catch somebody, I say something when I see somebody leave crap laying around. Do it nicely though.

Safety, some lights go out, WRITE A MAINTENANCE request. I'll just say that the office has had their own surveillance camera stolen from the building and cars taken from right in front of it. In 2008 several windows were broken on cars. HINT: Don't leave stuff in them, it is an apartment complex, people steal. There are vagrants that come around and collect cans, most of them seem harmless.

Construction, some units have been remodelled, others not. Either way the apartments aren't crazy luxerious with hitech stuff, you pay for size not quality. That being said, we've only had issues with our toilet running and a bulb that won't stay lit in our living room. You can hear your neighbors low frequencies and sometimes their TVs in the bedrooms, so the walls could be thicker.

I have never had an issue with maintenance, when I have a request I put it in the box and it is taken care of in a timely manner (immediately-3 days depending on urgency). I moved into McKenna because my friend recommended it specifically because of the maintenance, however, the personal has since changed.

Staff, this is where many of the complaints come from. My roommate and I have had not issue with the staff, we actually have a good report with them. I do believe the management makes too many changes to peoples' leases however, and many people are stuck to live with them. However I am pretty sure that if your lease changes it releases you from it as well (legally at least, or so I hear). I am a little wary of moving out and being charged for fees even though none should be assessed. My opinions of the management may change if we are reamed unnecessarily. I plan on having a walk through to make sure I am getting my full refund before the apartment gets dirty again from preparations for the next tenant.

Overall the apartment is good if you want to be close enough to campus, yet don't want to be far enough away that it takes more than a single bus to get to school/work. While noisy it is far better than the dorms or other apartment complexes near by. Our apartment was not in great condition when we moved in and because of this we may have spoken with the management a lot more often then others, allowing for a dialogue. Also for any community you live in, talk to your neighbors it will allow for a more comfortable living environment and there is strength in numbers if something does occur with management.

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Recommended: YES Overall Rating

Parking: Maintenance: Construction: Noise:

Grounds: Safety: Office Staff:

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