My experience with Sturbridge Square has been nothing shy of a total nightmare. I moved in with two roommates and have been here less than a year. About a month ago new management took over and upon hearing her very anti-pets mindset I went to make sure our pet deposit was down and in writing. To my shock, I was informed that the old management had not kept a lease on our apartment since May 2008. She had just been taking our rent and assuming it was fine. Her file on my apartment did not even have any mention of me existing in that apartment at all.

To help accurately describe the complex, I'll follow the criteria rated with stars below:

Parking - Parking in Sturbridge is not at all adequate. You are assigned numbered spots but more often than not visitors or even other residents will not heed these numbers. I have come back to the apartment numerous times to someone unknown parked in my spot. While there is a number you may call to have this car removed, I have heard from other residents that there is now a FEE to do so under the new management.

Noise - Surprisingly, the apartments were quite noise-resistant. Floorboards above our apartment creak audibly when the residents move but other than that the complex itself is very quiet. This is potentially the only positive thing I have to say about SS.

Grounds - If you are looking for a beautiful, scenic apartment complex, this is NOT the place for you. SS is located on University City Blvd. right next to the post office and Math Emporium. The rear field of the complex is aligned right against Rt. 460, providing for a terrible "view". In addition, the grounds are not kept well by any standards. The lawn is mowed....occasionally.

Safety - Sturbridge Square is lit at night solely from the minuscule amounts of lamps at the entryway to every building and any stray light from apartment windows or car headlights. That being said, its proximity to UCB makes me feel a bit safer.

Construction - The construction of the apartments at Sturbridge Square is, put NICELY, laughable. Problems in our apartment that have not been fixed yet (more on that below): Oven door that won't close, cabinet doors that won't close, holes in the shower walls, corroded baseboards, A/C machine that frequently molds over the filter, toilet that oftentimes won't flush. The list goes on, I assure you.
Additional Note: I marked "No Laundry Facilities" below. SS DOES have washing machines and dryers, down below the apartment buildings in disgusting rooms reminiscent of a "Saw" movie set. The appliances fail to work in any sort of effective manner however, and I've been forced to start taking my laundry up the street to a laundromat beside Zeppoli's.

Maintenance - Hand-in-hand with Construction, the maintenance at SS is equally appalling. Twice we have asked to have someone help fix our molding A/C machine. The first time the maintenance person said the complex "should fix that," yet just changed the filter. The second time we didn't even receive a comment, just a filter change. Maintenance people come in with a list of 4-5 things to fix in our apartment, leave after one or two are done, and never return. As if this weren't enough, maintenance showed up to our apartment at 10:30pm on a NON-emergency call. I work extremely early in the morning, and the "Knock until you wake up and come let me in" stuff REALLY was not appreciated. This was under the old management, things may have changed, but I highly doubt it. Emphasize highly.

Staff - The old landlord was a wonderful person, terrible landlord, if you understand me. She was very motherly and I did get the feeling that she genuinely cared about how I was. She worked to oust NTC and get Comcast into the complex, something for which I can't praise her enough. However, shoddy bookkeeping, ill-managed maintenance, and other issues prevented her from being a great landlord. New management seems cold and standoffish, I haven't had enough experience to rate her effectively, though after finding out I had no lease, her response was to tell me I have to sign a 15-month lease asap. I'm graduating in Spring and had thought I had a lease ending in May like most other apartment complexes. She didn't seem to have a solution other than to tell me to sign the lease. Needless to say I'm apartment hunting.

Overall - I wouldn't recommend Sturbridge Square to my worst enemy as a hilarious prank. My rent was very cheap in splitting a 3-bedroom apartment with 2 other people. Rent was about $650/mo. for the 3-bedroom. For that price I could have my own 2-bedroom place to myself elsewhere, and I plan to. I advise ANYONE considering this apartment complex to turn the other way immediately, you will find nothing but disappointment.

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