I lived here for a total of four months and got out as early as possible. The staff was generally rude, unhelpful, dishonest and ignorant both about policies and their property. Perhaps a list of incidents/problems will suffice for a review of apartment complex:

Problems:

1. The Ridiculous "Redecorating Fee" and other policies. (Not only do they ask for a deposit, they ding you when you get out of your lease with a $50 fee that they use to "clean and decorate your apartment.") Also, I could never get a clear answer about how much my deposit would be UNTIL I signed my lease. With my pet and all, I believe I paid nearly $500 (and I got none of it back even though I had no pet damage and left the place in better shape than when I arrived). By the way, should you move here, ask about the Lead Based Paint Act Addendum that they say they have you sign but they never do--I never received one. The place is built before 1972 and should require every resident to sign the addendum. It may have been unusual in my case, but I am pretty sure it was ILLEGAL not provide the addendum. For one thing, I would not have moved in had I known when the place was built. I had to call the county to find that out. (The management told me it was built in the early 1980's "probably"). If nothing else, it shows that the management is poorly trained and does not know what is going on.

2. Cleanliness. The first apartment they showed me was supposedly "ready" but it was FILTHY and they obviously had not cleaned it. My wife and I spent the first week unpacking and cleaning the second apartment they showed us (which was better but still dirty). In general the grounds always looked run down. People leave their trash outside, cigarette butts on the ground...it's a mess.

3. Power/Utilities (Heating Efficiency). The buildings incredibly poorly insulated (our avg. utility bill was about $190 during the fall/winter months-not the hot summer months that require AC). Also, each apartment pays for the utility cost average for the building. The management provided a complicated formula for figuring it out, but basically it discourages people from saving on gas/power thus driving up the amount you pay every month. In other words, you end up sharing someone else's power bill. I have never, EVER seen this before.

4. Management. Not only is the management generally dishonest and ignorant of their duties, the management often changes over. In my four months at University Club I met three different managers, and four different "assistant managers." Basically, there is NO STABILITY. From what I understand, this is common with this property. Also, we got three different figures on the amount we finally owed after we moved out. Oddly enough, each time we inquired about the final fees the amount decreased.

5. Safety. The complex apparently has a secure gate and a security guard but oddly enough they have had a number of car break-ins over the last year (2005-2006). Simply put, if you live here you car will be broken into. My car was broken into and no one seemed to care. It took the management over a month to fix the broken gate and never during this time did they increase security.

The safety issue, followed by the dishonest/ignorant management issue, are probably the biggest problems. We were told (by the management) that they didn't know of any criminal activity in the apartment complex even though there were plenty of car break-ins during 2005 before we moved in. Again, dishonesty is the problem here. $450 for a bad apartment is fine, but the management doesn t' cover the $500 deductible you have to pay to get your card window fixed. Basically, I could have lived in a bigger, cleaner, safer place if I knew that I was going to shell out $500 to get my car window fixed in the end.

To make a long story short, this place is crooked! Avoid the management company and avoid University Club Apartments!

Also, beware of the shorter, vague reviews for University Club Apartments. They are suspiciously without any detail. My guess is that the positive reviews could be bogus. Feel free to email me, though I may not check my email right away.

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 10/11/2007
He sounds like he has a personal intrest w/ management and management company. Shorter/ vage reviews my be bogus. Why? You know all these complaints you are talking about? Don't you think you have a responsibilty to find out pet fees and deposits before you sign a lease? I have lived at this complex since 04 and the gates have never been not working for a month. Also, your auto deductible ($500) is your problem. You did not sign up for security you signed up for a reasonable priced apartment and in my opinion this is the place to live for the price. One more thing, the management has been the same since 2005. PS- Lead Based Act Addendume/ Get real! Don't you think this stuff is regulated? No complex can get away with non-compliance. The other word for the billing of utilities is called "Allocation" and it's a common practice w/ water. U-Club allocates all bills. Too bad you did'nt understand the equation because it's alot cheaper per kilowatt hour than direct billing.
From: Anonymous	Date: 05/22/2008
I lived there too around this same time and I had a similar experience to the reviewer. My neighbor's car got broken into. Boy was he upset. The whole parking lot was hit 4 times that night. The gate was broken that night too. My last utility bill there was $400. I had a one bedroom. That's when I decided not to renew my lease. You can't tell me that my "allocated bill" was cheaper. The managment definitely changed while I was there. This place has gotten a lot of bad reviews and has a 31% recommendation rate. Obviously, the reviewer is not lying. What would they have to gain.

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