I lived in Columbia Village for over a year between 2005 and 2006. It was one of the cheapest places I found and in better condition than comparably priced locations. At the time rent was $489/mo (upstairs, $509 downstairs), now has been jacked way up. Location is ok- if you're familiar with Salem you know Fisher road is not the most desirable location but definitely not the worst. Parking sucks. Expect your 1 covered spot only- however this may be taken by a "visitor" on occasion, or frequently. There are lots of police around all the time, some minor "gang" activity, loitering, transients crawling around in the garbage late at night (mgmt says to call the police about this).

The manager (Mandy) is in a word- intolerable. She is the rudest most unprofessional apartment manager I have ever encountered and has some sort of chip on her shoulder. If she hates dealing with tenants so much then why does she work that job' For free rent'' Chris, the assistant manager, is amazing; sincere, polite, and caring. Don't expect to have any types of repairs attended to in a prompt manner. Don't expect your complaints to management to be resolved. DO expect to receive ridiculous "notes" and "warnings" on your door for the most random things.

Many of the situations listed by others are completely true and happened to me personally and friends of mine who have lived here. I got a note on my door that I needed to "register" my boyfriend's car because it had been parked in visitor parking for 12 hours (he spent the night). The law in Oregon is if a visitor stays for 72 consecutive hours or longer then the vehicle/person must be registered with management. My neighbor got multiple notes on her door about her A/C unit. No matter where she put it or how it was installed they had a complaint. Don't put in the front windows (understandable), don't put it in the dining room window.... where do you put it then' I was also told we could back in the U-haul and use the 2 handicapped parking spaces (that were never once parked in as long as I lived there) to load everything directly at the bottom of the stairs. When we returned from transporting a load there was a note, yet again, on the door telling us we could only use our assigned space to park the U-haul (which wouldn't fit under the awning). Look at the pattern here- can we say passive-aggressive much'!'

My downstairs neighbors were rude and disrespectful. I was repeatedly woken up in the night by excessively loud sex noises. Uncomfortable! The management told me there was nothing they could do and that if I didn't like it I shouldn't live in an apartment.

I did get most of my deposit back although what I was "charged" for was humorous at best. 3 of my friends have also lived here throughout the years and had similar experiences.

The worst experience of mine occurred when I was in a car accident. While I understand the management's side, the way it was handled was exasperating. I had done a load of laundry after work and forgotten about it. That happens a lot in apartments and I know it's annoying to everyone. People normally just take out the load, put it on top of the machine, and continue with their laundry. I was in a horrible car accident and was hospitalized. My parents went to my apartment to get a few things for me because I had a oncussion and stayed at their place for a week per Doctor's orders. I told my mom about the laundry and she went to the facility to get it out and put it away. The clothes were not there. This was the NEXT MORNING. My mom called the managers about it and they said the clothes had been removed by management and "either sold or donated." WHAT!''!'! Unfortunately for me these were also brand new clothes I had just bought, taken the tags off, and washed. That was the final straw for me. Nowhere in the lease does it say the management has the right to take personal items left in the laundry room and "sell or donate" them. Shouldn't the money from the "sales" or the tax credit from the "donation" go to me'!'! LOL what a joke. I'm in the process of moving back to Salem now and this is one place I would never even consider- not to mention the price increases for a place that isn't special, isn't in a great location, and isn't especially enjoyable in which to live.

Note: if you are looking to move somewhere simply pay attention to the ratio of negative to positive reviews. Excluding the two reviews from the same person on 4/10 (also the same person who is leaving rebuttal to every negative remark) the ratio would be (as of 7/5/09) 3 NO : 4 YES (after I post this it will be 4 NO : 4 YES). Details are also important. Nothing left by the "recommendees" is especially persuasive or gives any real details about why this is a good place to live. In contrast the negative reviews list specific details and particular events to prepare you for what you might experience should you move here. All in all it's really up to you.

Quite frankly I may have (before the rent increased) recommended this place to young friends looking for their first apartment. This would be the perfect place for someone like that. Not the greatest place but I'm sure not the worst in the Salem area.

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 07/06/2009
I appreciate a person's right to express their views and opinions and the author of this post expressed theirs very clearly. They obviously did not enjoy their stay at Columbia Village. I'd just like to clarify one small detail. I happen to be one of the people who clean the laundry facilities on the property. We often find abandoned or forgotten items in the laundry rooms and contrary to this person's post we do not immediately sell or donate those things. Infact, unless they have been left for a week or more we leave them where they lay and clean around them. You might look to your fellow tenants if you were missing your belongings, regretfully it is more likely that your things were stolen than anything else. I sincerely regret that your time at this property was unpleasant. I have not had the same experience with management that you have. I found all of the staff (Mandy included) to be professional, efficient and a pleasure to work with and for.
From: hgil86	Date: 07/06/2009
I am the author of this post and I assure you it was note fellow tenant as you suggest. Mandy herself told me the items were removed and "sold or donated." I don't know if that was just a strange one time occurrence or not but she told me it was the policy of the complex. I do note that what you say is generally the case. I had a neighbor who'd wash clothes and leave them in the laundry room for a week. By that time they smelled like mold and he had to rewash them. His clothes never disappeared and it was super annoying! Like I said, maybe my case was unique. I just included that story to give an example of the bizarre and erratic behavior of the management.
From: greenman19	Date: 07/17/2009
This review is absolutely ridiculous! I have lived at Columbia Village for almost 5 years. The majority of what this review suggests is not accurate. The police are hardly ever here, there is no loitering or gang activity, it is a wonderful place to live. Yes, the parking is a nightmare at times but that is due to the design not the management. I have never had the issues that you have had which makes me wonder if you weren't more of the problem? I really don't believe that this review is accurate at all. I know the management and this does not reflect their attitudes at all.
From: shopper411	Date: 07/17/2009
Ouch, very inaccurate review. I would love to hear the manager's response to this crap. You must be one of "those" renters! I live here, have been here about a year now. Love it! Great managers, including Mandy, no police presence, no crime, good neighbors, good price.

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